Saunas offers an idyllic escape and promotes relaxation. While ready-made saunas may be convenient, DIYers with sufficient skills may benefit from building their own.
Ben Stone demonstrates in his YouTube video plan how to transform an old garden shed into a cozy sauna, providing an easy DIY project anyone can try their hands at.
How to Build a Home Sauna
There are various methods of building saunas, from retrofitting an existing space with pre-made kits or building your custom sauna from scratch. Costs will depend on which materials are selected as well as whether a contractor must be hired to handle electrical or gas hookup work or install gas hookups. You also have several heating sources from which you can choose: electricity is usually the fastest and most energy-efficient choice while gas works great for outdoor or off-grid saunas while wood stoves may present difficulties within an enclosed space.
The first step to creating your sauna space is assessing whether or not the space can accommodate it and preparing the room. For an indoor sauna, remove all furniture and expose wall studs; for outdoor installations dig a hole that can accommodate your structure while protecting it with waterproof barriers. When you have found an appropriate location for your sauna space, start measuring its dimensions and creating plans according to your requirements.
If you plan to use electricity, it will require the services of a licensed electrician to install wires for the heater (if applicable), lights, and thermostat. If using wood instead, find firewood that can withstand high humidity levels - softwoods like cedar, poplar, and hemlock are great choices; rough pine might work in an emergency but won't last as long.
Once the framing is complete, you can begin building walls and benches yourself. Some manufacturers offer complete sauna kits that take only days or a couple of days to assemble; these could save time and expense when hiring contractors for installation.
Once your walls and benches are complete, it's time to customize your sauna by adding finishing touches. Perhaps installing a double-pane window with a frame, to let natural light into the sauna; adding another door with a customized bench configuration that truly makes this spa your own; or maybe simply creating your own bench layout will complete the look.
The Basics
Building your sauna can be both rewarding and costly, depending on your experience with DIY home saunas. If this is your first venture into DIY home sauna building, purchasing a ready-made kit may be best. When assembling one yourself it's important to know what features make up an optimal sauna experience; lighting is one key component; simple wooden lamp shades through to full chromotherapy solutions with color-changing optical fiber starry skies are available options to choose from.
Materials
Saunas can be constructed in various ways. Some prefer building them from scratch while others opt for purchasing pre-fabricated home sauna kits that can easily fit into existing rooms. Both options have their benefits and drawbacks - it all boils down to personal preferences and budget. Building from scratch may cost thousands while purchasing pre-fab sauna kits may be less flexible in terms of size and design flexibility.
If you're building your sauna from scratch, the key to making sure it gets up and running as quickly as possible will be gathering the appropriate materials. Wood is key - in years past traditional saunas were made out of solid logs but these days many use thermally insulated sauna paneling that retains heat more effectively while adding an attractive aesthetic element to their walls.
Another option for creating an outdoor sauna experience is purchasing a prefabricated sauna kit that can easily be assembled in any outdoor space, such as a shed or garden building. These kits include everything necessary for creating the sauna experience including benches, heaters, and lining materials - ideal if you don't have much time but still wish to reap its therapeutic benefits!
One unique and creative approach to building a sauna is using an old barrel as its shell. Lifehacker provides all of the instructions and details you need for building one, including a time-lapse video showing its construction process in progress.
Your sauna experience should also include a sauna heater and hydrotherapy lighting to generate steam for cleansing and purifying while adding a soothing atmosphere through lighting effects.
Finishing Touches
If you're curious about traditional Russian saunas, check out this plan with instructions for building your banya. Complete with time-lapse video footage showing each step taken along the way and highly informative resources on building home saunas, it may seem daunting at first, but giving it a go could prove a rewarding experience!
Another fantastic DIY sauna plan is this one, which details how to construct a barrel-shaped sauna with an open fire at the rear. With its soothing soundtrack and detailed steps, this video makes learning about and building one easy!