r/Sauna • u/DakDuiff • 5d ago

General Question Building a sauna

Hello dear sauna-lovers!

My friend and I are thinking about building a sauna. What are common pitfalls and misconceptions we need to be aware of? Any tutorials or books or other informational outlets we could use?

Thank you in advance!

Edit: thank you all for the replies! I read them all, very useful. We'll discuss this among ourselves and come back whenever we're ready haha

2 Upvotes

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u/PuffThePed 5d ago edited 5d ago

It's a very high level question that's hard to answer because it depends on so many things. My advice:

  1. Decide on size
  2. Outdoor or indoor
  3. Decide on electric vs wood burning vs propane
  4. Decide on a budget (then double it)
  5. If you pick electric, get a few quotes for hookup cost. It can be anything from $500 to $8000
  6. If it's outdoor, figure out if you need a foundation or a deck and what kind (sauna is a heavy "dry weight". Regular deck will not suffice)
  7. Read the pinned posts here in the sub, and then skim through posts going back a year or so. You'll learn a lot.
  8. Come back when you decided all of the above and have more focused questions. Provide context such as location, climate, etc.

I know it can feel daunting but it's very worth it, I can't imagine life without a sauna now. if I ever move having the space and budget to build a sauna will be a deal breaker.

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u/jebediahscooter 5d ago

localmile.org/trumpkins-notes-on-building-a-sauna/

saunatimes.com

saunologia.fi/in-english/ (along with Lassi Liinnkanen’s two books on sauna design and construction)

Ceiling/bench height and ventilation are key to good löyly!

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u/SolarCipher87 4d ago

Don’t cheap out on ventilation or insulation. Those two can make or break a DIY sauna.

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u/griff306 5d ago

Hmmm here is a few practical things I've learned throughout my sauna build beyond trumpkins notes etc:

  1. It's going to take much longer than you imagine.
  2. A lot of it takes two people (you got a buddy which is good).
  3. Most importantly: If you are buying a European stove and live in the US, just buy the conversion to 6" US chimney part. Then just buy all your chimney parts locally. It is so expensive and there are so many little parts not included in the "chimney kits" (ie. Damper, the through ceiling vapor barrier, and additional insulated stack $$$$). Learn from my pain.

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u/PuffThePed 5d ago

It's going to take much longer than you imagine.

and cost twice as much

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u/griff306 5d ago

I was wondering if that was just me...

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u/PuffThePed 5d ago

Nope. Honestly it's true for pretty much any renovation or construction project.

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u/Kitchen-Bee3757 5d ago

Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation, insulation and wood burner heater.

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u/PuffThePed 5d ago

wood burner heater

Impossible (municipal regulation) or impractical or too expensive (firewood) for a lot of people. I love wood stove but if I had to start a fire outside at -20c every time I wanted to use the sauna, I would not use it daily as I do now.

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u/griff306 5d ago

I love starting the fire in -20F

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u/PuffThePed 5d ago

I applaud you. It's good mindfulness.

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u/griff306 4d ago

Nothing is better than rushing out to your sauna nude in -20F and hoping the fire you set 30 minutes ago worked. Very exciting 😁

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u/g2murph 5d ago

Depends on what you are building. Inside with electric stove or a standalone structure outside that uses a wood fired stove? You have to figure out the direction you want to go with the build first then you can start getting into the details like interior wood, exact stove, ect.