Sauna Installation and Construction

Building your own home sauna While there are prebuilt sauna kits that you can buy, amateur carpenters who like a challenge can build a home sauna from scratch. It's not nearly as difficult as you might imagine - even if you have just basic carpentry skills. Before starting on a homemade sauna, it's imperative that the location of the unit be determined first. That will help you determine the design of the indoor home sauna. Will it be freestanding or installed in an existing room? Will it be built as an exterior building or inside the home? Next, determine what type of sauna heater you want for the unit - electric, gas, oil, or wood-burning. Most city dwellers select gas, oil, or the more popular electric sauna heaters. Nancy Romer, a specialist with National Pool Wholesalers, says a dedicated circuit is the major requirement for an electric sauna. If you live in the country, a wood-burning stove would work well. It's a good idea to put the home sauna close to a shower for people to use before entering. If you're going to build a shower next to where you plan to add a home sauna, you'll want plumbing facilities to be close by or easy to add.

Time to begin the construction
Now that the location and type of sauna heater have been selected, it's time to start building the home sauna. The first step likely will be installing your framework if none already exists. The framing is the wooden studs - either 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 lumber - to which the sides and ceiling of the sauna will be attached. Upright posts should be spaced every 16 inches.

Installing insulation between the studs follows the framing to maintain the sauna's inside heat and to save energy. A vapor barrier cover on the insulation keeps moisture from building within the insulation and helps reflect heat back into the unit.

Tongue-and-groove lumber then is used to construct the walls. Beginning at the floor, nail the lumber to the studs in the framework, angling the nails so they'll be hidden. Wood should be cut so it is evenly fit from one corner to the next.

After each wall is constructed, finish the ceiling and then install a pre-hung door (it's easier than trying to hang one yourself). You can add molding to the corners before installing the benches. You can pick up a prebuilt bench or make your own - just make sure there are no exposed metal parts or nails on your bench.

Add a ceramic floor by gluing ceramic tiles to the under floor and filling the spaces with grout. Removable wooden flooring panels placed over the ceramic floor are necessary because the ceramic tiles become too hot to stand on. Finally, add your heater and connect it to the electricity.

Prebuilt saunas are a snap to install
For the not-so-handy homeowner, a prebuilt sauna kit is an ideal choice. All the cutting of a home sauna has been done at the factory. The modular sauna carries a bit higher cost, but many feel the vast amount of time saved during installation makes it well worth it. Prebuilt saunas can be ready for operation in about one hour.

A prebuilt sauna, which can fit just about anywhere, comes in two or three pieces that are connected. The lighting and wiring is also done for you, and some units come with heater and sauna accessories included.

Since the pieces of a prebuilt sauna are large, measure your doorways to make sure the pieces will fit. You can find pre-built saunas that are made for outdoor as well as indoor use. Another advantage of a prebuilt sauna is its ability to be dismantled and moved to another location, which comes in handy if you're selling your home and want to take your home sauna with you.