A dry-in home is a house finished to the point where weather can no longer get inside — walls up, roof on, windows and doors installed — with the entire interior left for you to complete on your own schedule. It is sometimes called a weathertight shell or a dry-in shell package. You get a protected, lockable building; you keep control of the timeline, the budget, and the contractors who finish it. Frontier Log Homes has been handcrafting dry-in log home packages in Montrose, Colorado since 1974.
| In a dry-in home package | You arrange separately |
|---|---|
| Design and construction drawings | Site work, excavation, and foundation |
| Complete log shell, cut and numbered | Plumbing, wiring, and mechanical systems |
| Roof framing and roof panel system | Insulation, drywall, and interior finishes |
| Exterior windows and doors | Flooring, cabinetry, and fixtures |
| Porch and deck systems as designed | Permits and local inspections |
| Caulking, chinking, and exterior stain | Final grading and landscaping |
What Is a Dry-In Home, Exactly?
A dry-in home package includes every component needed to weatherproof the building. Once it is complete, rain, snow, wind, and debris stay outside, which means you can work on the interior safely and at your own pace. That single fact is what makes the approach so popular with owner-builders.
There are two clear benefits. The building is weatherproofed and will stand up to normal weather while you work. And you can bring in different trades on your own timetable, as your budget allows, without a general contractor’s schedule driving every decision. At Frontier Log Homes our dry-in home packages include roof framing, exterior doors and windows, exterior chinking and staining, log door and window bucks, log stairs, and log railing. When we hand it over, your local contractor finishes the project to your specifications.
What Is Included in a Dry-In Home Package?
Most log home manufacturers include the shell and the openings in their dry-in home packages. The goal is to reach the point where nothing can get in. Here is what that means in practice.
1. Design and Engineering
A dry-in home package starts with the design. As log craftsmen we develop drawings that match how your family actually lives, and we engineer for local snow, wind, and seismic loads so the plans pass review.
2. The Complete Log Shell
Every log for the walls is selected, measured, and cut to your blueprint, then numbered so it can be reassembled in order. Log quality is where a dry-in home either ages beautifully or gives you trouble, which is why we dry our logs slowly before they are ever cut.
3. Roof Framing and Roof Panel System
Rafters, purlins, ridge beams, and the roof panel system are included, so the building is genuinely covered rather than merely walled. Roof covering choices are worth reading about in our guide to log home roof materials.
4. Windows and Doors
Exterior window and door systems are installed, either permanently or temporarily depending on your plan, along with the log bucks that let the openings move as the logs settle.
5. Porches and Decks
Porch and deck systems are part of the package when your design calls for them. Deep porches are not decoration on a log home; they shelter the walls and stretch the interval between refinishing.
6. Sealing, Chinking, and Stain
We apply the caulking needed to prevent leaks, plus exterior chinking and the first coat of stain. Getting a finish onto the logs immediately is one of the strongest arguments for a dry-in home over a bare shell.
7. Delivery and On-Site Assembly
Your dry-in home is assembled at our yard first so we can confirm every joint fits, then disassembled, shipped to your site, and raised again in place. That dry-fit step is unglamorous and it is exactly why the parts go together cleanly at your lot.
Why Should I Choose a Dry-In Home Package?
Dry-in log home packages are versatile in ways a finished build simply is not.
You Control the Timeline
Once the shell is closed and the openings secured, nothing is urgent. You can hire local contractors, work with family, or do part of the interior yourself. Trusses, wall and ceiling finishes, and carpentry details can be chosen carefully instead of quickly.
You Control the Budget
A dry-in home is naturally phase-friendly. Knowing the building cannot be damaged by weather lets you pause, rebuild the budget, and start the interior when you are ready — then spend on the interior you actually want rather than the one the calendar forced.
You Choose Your Own Trades
Local plumbers, electricians, and finish carpenters usually cost less than crews travelling to a remote site, and they know the local inspectors. Many owners also mix log with drywall, stone, and steel for an eclectic interior, much like our hybrid log homes.
The Logs Are Protected From Day One
An unfinished shell left open through a season is a real risk. A dry-in home is sealed, chinked, and stained before the weather gets a chance, which starts your log home maintenance clock on the right foot.
Dry-In Home, Kit, or Turn-Key: Which One Fits?
These three options sit on a spectrum of how much you take on.
A log home kit delivers the materials package and leaves erection and everything after it to you and your builder. It is the lowest price and the highest involvement. A dry-in home takes that further and delivers a weathertight, stained, lockable building — the sweet spot for owners who want to finish the inside themselves or hire locally. A turn-key log home hands you keys to a finished house and asks the least of your time. We also act as general contractor when owners want us to carry the whole project.
What a Dry-In Home Package Does Not Include
Being straight about this saves everyone grief. A dry-in home does not include site work, excavation, or the foundation; plumbing, electrical, or mechanical systems; insulation and drywall; flooring, cabinetry, tile, or fixtures; or permits and inspections, which are issued locally under the codes your jurisdiction has adopted from the International Code Council. Budget those separately and your dry-in home will not surprise you.
Dry-In Home Questions We Hear Most
How long does it take to dry in a log home?
Raising and drying in a shell typically takes a few weeks on site once the foundation is cured and the package has been delivered. Design, engineering, log selection, and yard assembly happen before that and drive the overall schedule far more than the raising does.
Can I live in a dry-in home while I finish it?
Not legally, in most places. Occupancy requires a certificate from your building department, which means mechanical systems and life-safety items must be complete and inspected. Many owners set up a camper or finish one bedroom and bath first, with the inspector’s blessing.
Roughly what share of the total cost is a dry-in home?
For most projects the dry-in package lands somewhere between a third and a half of the finished cost, with site work and interior finishes making up the rest. Our cost breakdown and current build cost guide put real numbers to it.
Do I need a general contractor for the interior?
Not necessarily, but you need someone to schedule and coordinate the trades, pull permits, and answer to inspectors. Some owners do that themselves; most are happier hiring a local builder for the finish phase.
Will a dry-in home pass a lender’s draw inspection?
Yes, dry-in is a standard construction-loan milestone, and it is usually one of the larger draws. Give your lender the specification list early so the draw schedule matches what we deliver.
Can you ship a dry-in home outside Colorado?
Yes. We deliver nationwide from our Montrose assembly yard and have shipped packages across the country; see where owners are building.
Frontier Log Homes Dry-In Log Home Packages
We have a dry-in home package that fits your plan and adapts to your building timetable. Work with our design team on the specifications of your dream log home and we will take care of getting it weathertight, sealed, and stained so you can finish it on your terms.
We deliver from our Montrose, Colorado assembly yard. Contact Frontier Log Homes online or call 970-249-7130 and benefit from the craftsmanship behind our award-winning log cabin kits.