Shell Package vs Turnkey: Reading a Log Home Quote
Log home quotes come in three very different numbers. Here is what a shell package, a dried-in price and a turnkey price each include — and what they leave out.
By Tireless Construction ·
Last updated
The most common budgeting mistake in log home building is comparing numbers that describe completely different scopes. An advertised log home price is almost always a materials package. The finished house costs substantially more, and the gap is not a markup — it is the rest of the building.
Shell or wall package
The log wall system and specified structural components, delivered to your site on trucks. Depending on the tier it may include roof components or windows and doors. It does not include a foundation, site work, mechanicals or any interior finish.
Dried-in
The package plus foundation, framing of the non-log sections, roof system, and windows and doors installed. The building is weathertight but empty — no insulation in framed sections, no mechanicals, no interior.
Turnkey
Everything required to move in: site work, utilities, permits, mechanicals, insulation, interior finish, cabinetry, flooring and fixtures. This is the only number that answers the question homeowners are actually asking.
When you request quotes, ask every builder to price the same stage. Otherwise you are comparing a wall package to a finished home and concluding, incorrectly, that one builder is far cheaper.