The church building has an octagonal core, which core arms stem outwards from in all four directions - it is an octagonal church with cross arms. The choir was situated on the eastern arm. This type of plan was not common for timbered churches in Norway. In total there were only 14 octagonal churches built in Norway during the 18th century, only 2 in Northern Norway. An octagonal ground plan allowed a large part of the parish to clearly see the vicar and the liturgical ceremony. The octagonal shape was also a form providing several square metres of floor space, in relation to the amount of timber that was used in the cogging joints. It was also possible to build a larger sanctuary room, and the Dolstad Church had a seating capacity of 700.

On the exterior the church has undergone small changes since the 18th century. It has red panelling and white painted corner markings. In 1935 the ridge turret was reverted back to its original form. The most significant difference is the size of the windows. It is possible that these windows used to be much smaller. The roof covering has also been altered on several occasions. Originally the roof was covered with tarred planks, which were later replaced with clay tiles in 1789. In 1919 the roof was covered with slate - as it is today.