Field & trade terms
Dry-in
Dry-in is the milestone where a building is buttoned up against the weather: the roof underlayment is on, the water-resistive barrier and flashings are in, and window and door openings are sealed so rain stays out. It doesn't mean finished. It means dry inside, which is what lets insulation, drywall and finish trades start without their work getting rained on. Hitting dry-in cleanly protects everything the enclosure is about to cover.
Run it with the Photo Gate
Roof inspection checklist
11 items · 19 photos required
Why it matters
Start interior work before the building is truly dried in and you're trapping water in assemblies that are about to be closed: wet framing, soaked insulation and mold behind finishes that look fine on the surface. Dry-in is the gate that protects every trade downstream of it.
What an inspector looks at
The check is that the whole weather envelope is actually continuous before finishes commit: roof underlayment lapped, water barrier sealed, flashings integrated and openings closed, with no gap left for water to find. It's the flashing, barrier and penetration details reviewed together as one drainage plane.
RTI is photo gated, so dry-in is documented across the enclosure: roof, wall barrier and openings are shot before interior work covers them, the proof that the building was dry before it was closed.
Guides that use it
- How to inspect a roofWalk a roof the way it goes together (deck, dry-in, flashing, penetrations, edge metal) and catch the leaks at the details before they're covered.
- How to inspect waterproofingInspect waterproofing before it's buried (substrate prep, membrane continuity, terminations, penetrations, and protection), because the leak you miss shows up years later.
Checklists that put dry-in to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- FlashingThin sheet material lapped into an assembly to direct water back out at joints, edges and openings before it can get behind the finish.
- Vapor barrierA sheet material that limits how much water vapor diffuses through an assembly, placed to keep condensation from forming inside the wall or floor.
- Air barrierA continuous plane of materials that stops air from leaking through the building enclosure, sealed at every joint, seam and penetration.
- Weep holeA small opening left at the base of a cavity wall or window so water that gets behind the face has a path back out.
- Blocking and backingExtra framing set inside walls to give later fixtures, casework and equipment something solid to fasten into.
- SheathingThe structural panel skin over studs, rafters or joists that braces the frame and gives cladding, roofing and the barrier a base to attach to.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.
30-day trial · No card required