It’s seems a daunting task but it can be easier than you think to build your own sauna. With some basic carpentry skills, a bit of preparation and a little understanding you can be relaxing in your own home sauna in no time at all.
There are a few important decisions to be made before you begin so that you end up with the sauna that best fits your needs. One consideration is how much work you want to put into the building of your sauna. There are prefabricated sauna units that we deliver to your door and literally take only a few minutes to set up. You can also getpre-cut sauna kits that will take longer to construct but give you a more customisable finished product when finished. If you are really confident you can build the whole sauna from scratch once you’ve selected which wood you require.
The later method is not actually difficult as you might expect and the costs generally tend to go down considerably when you do most of the construction work yourself.
You also need to consider the location of your sauna; inside or outside and whether it will be attached to an existing structure or freestanding.
You will require the use of a shower to rinse off and this is easy to accommodate when indoors. If you want to construct a sauna outdoors then citing the unit near a lake or pond is ideal. Don’t forget along with a convenient way to rinse off it is nice to have an area to change into and out of sauna apparel. Benches for sitting on while removing clothes and hooks for hanging them are great features that are often overlooked.
The major decision is how to heat your sauna. Conventional saunas either use a wood-burning sauna stove, electric sauna heater or gas sauna heater. Any of these can be used dry or wet depending on whether you sprinkle water on the heated rocks or not. Before deciding which kind of stove you want you need to consider how you’re going to get fuel to your heater. Wood may be difficult to acquire in an urban environment whereas electric or gas may be impractical in more remote areas. Costs can vary greatly depending on the brand and type of stove you choose but Aqualine has the largest selection of heaters in the UK for you to choose from.
There are a few special concerns that distinguish building a sauna from other conventional frame construction the first of which is moisture. There needs to be a vapour barrier to keep the heat and steam from escaping and any electrical connections need to be protected from excessive moisture. Ventilation is also a necessity to keep the oxygen level up and if done right it will also help to evenly distribute the heat.
Building your own sauna is not an overwhelming task. If you can put together some basic framing and simple finished woodworking you are well on your way to building your own sauna that can be enjoyed for years to come.
Aqualine Saunas will soon be publishing a guide to building your own sauna so please check back for regular updates.