More specifically, converting a summerhouse into one.

The new house we’re purchasing has one at the bottom of the garden which is already wired for electric. I reckon it’d be fairly trivial to do. Anyone tried?

WCA made one in his garage I think

electricity steam and WCA – what could possibly go wrong ? 😀

The stoves can go up to high kW (8+) so make sure you have the wiring size for it.

Other than that, I’d have a crack at it with some insulation, vapour barrier, good pine cladding.

I built a wet room once that we were toying putting a sauna in too, but decided against it in the end.

[img]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WhYM6bqt9zw/TgjntwFKLTI/AAAAAAAAAA8/ofgOEdzEeOk/s400/img_6779.jpg[/img][img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-F-dBMyW_7F4/Tgjntxocu7I/AAAAAAAAAA8/XwqcrPG5UBI/s400/img_7710.jpg[/img]

Unlikely to be easy – the sauna heater will likely need a 50amp feed like an oven, whereas the leccy to the she’d is likely to be 13amp.

If you manage to do it, let me know as I have the same thought but the same restriction.

This is STW! Get a woodburning one!

They do take an age to warm up though, and use a lot of wood.

Any swingers in?

I was expecting more exciting photos. I am disappoint.

Section 703 of BS7671 wiring regs covers the electrical requirements of a sauna. It will require Building Control signoff or work done by a electrician in one of the scams Part P schemes as it’s a “special location”.

I can give you more info if you require.

Rich.

^^ ooohhh boring! where’s the middle aged wiminz and wobbly bellied blokes 😆

WCA kindly gave me his garage sauna, it is now rebuilt in our bog shed and works fine, will post pictures tomorrow. The heater is a plug in one, I think only about 3kw ish but does the job, okay for 2 people and gets up to about 65 degrees.

where’s the middle aged wiminz and wobbly bellied blokes

we’re all here, as usual.

had one in the basement before, nice post ride, bit power hungry though!

All useful info, it’ll be a while off yet, I’m just daydreaming to take my mind off the mortgage and logistics of the mve itself. I hadn’t anticipated the wiring issue, so need to investigate easy an upgrade would be.

Just found this

had one in the basement before, nice post ride, bit power hungry though!

A swinger?

good pine cladding.

DEAR GOD NO!

Only one country knows how to do saunas, and I used to live there.

Everything inside needs to be made of birch, and untreated. If the wiring is a problem, consider a wood-fired one. You’ll also need some means of providing cold water for the plunge – if you haven’t got a pool a cold shower works nicely.

gets up to about 65 degrees

Should be 100 degrees.

where’s the middle aged wiminz and wobbly bellied blokes?

in Germany…. 🙂

i like occasionally going to the sauna… you honestly don’t tend to look at or think too much about the breasts opposite you (quite a few yummy mummies around at 11 o’clock) for fear of getting wood. once you relax, avert your gaze and ponder the quality of the woodwork or tile grouting it is quite a nice experience.

incidently, there is a “sauna club” about 10 mins from here by bike that is only open after 9pm, has a dressing gown olnly dress code and allows free access to any males accompanied by a female (women get in free anyhow).

no idea what goes on in there… 😉 (i do, but not had the courage to give it a go)

They used to have a mini sauna at Torrent Walk campsite, near CyB before it went all posh.
Hideous.
Like an upright coffin.
Stuff of nightmares.

I have got one downstairs along with the steam room, it’s a popular spot with me post ride or for just chillin. I’ve got a pool too, depending on the time you go down there depends on whether it’s full of kids or the bikini clad office lovelies that work locally.

Saunas are excellent though too much faff for building one when you’ll only use it 10 times a year.

You could always try a smoke sauna. Just need a shed with no chimney, chinks all sealed up, then a load of rocks with some way of lighting a fire underneath. Stoke up the fire, get the rocks hot then when the fire’s out go in and put water on the stones. Never done that one but they smell awesome.

I have one in my cellar, a proper Scandinavian one at that. Wired in just like a kitchen stove (pre Part P regs). Not used it in a while. I think I gave about 100 notes for it off Ebay back when almost everything on Ebay was second hand and private auctions!

Married to a finn so have experienced quite a few and nothing quite beats a wood fired sauna

They used to have a mini sauna at Torrent Walk campsite, near CyB before it went all posh.

It’s now considered posh???? What the flinking blip was it like before? 😯

There was me expecting a thread on dropouts in hot conditions 🙁

i have one on end of my gym/bike store/ made from aspen wood, glass door that looks onto 42 inch lcd on wall, 8 kw stove if irc heats up in 15/20 mins to at least 80 and I sit in it up to 120 ish, seats at least 6 and I use it at least 3 times a week, awesome in winter and great post ride or if feeling crap, and yes it was a beefed up cable that was a nightmare to run from power unit to stove……….

Don’t forget to plant pampas grass to advertise the facilities.

You need a stock of twigs to hit yourself with. Apparently.

bog and sauna shed


From WCA’s donation, adapted/extended to fit in end of a shed, cost a few beers and a bit of extra wood we had lying about anyway, and a day to do. It’s okay and gets used occasionally but the heater isn’t really man enough for the size now I think (was originally 4′ square). It’s a plug in heater so easy but to get the full effect we need a meatier one which will involve hard wiring in properly. Other stuff on ours which is wrong is the shape of it, 8′ by 4′ to fit in the end of the shed so you could lie in it, better being square or round for even heat. Doubling the size from original explains why the heater struggles I know. Also being a cheapskate used some pine tongue and groove we had spare to build out from the original cedar. I know this will eventually warp and split.
So, will we keep it and do properly or just return to more bike storage space, who knows. It was good fun to try and cost peanuts – you get what you pay for I guess.

Fantastic. I’d LOVE a sauna, grown up with them since I was about 13.

Question – if it was in your house, is there a way of channelling the heat used/towards heating? Of course apart from leaving the door open afterwards..

Just build it in the middle of the house (under stairs cupboard or cellar)

The air is really humid so you dont want it venting to the house, but you could fit a heat exchanger to expel the hot damp air and warm up dry air from outside.

Yes I built a sauna, along with a wet room for showering and some bathroom units.
Converted the back half of the garage.

Some simple principles to follow when constructing, but not complicated
Let me know if you want guidance on anything

Should be 100 degrees….

I’d question that. In my experience depends a lot on the sauna construction, the heat source and personal preference. The sauna at the summerhouse I spent my summers was wood fired and perfect at 65!