DIY Off-grid Dream Sauna Build

[@jasondavis8551]

Just binged your channel from start to finish. I built my own barrel sauna last summer near Seattle - your builds look great so far and the video style is super fun to watch. Sub’d! Recommend you buy yourself a cordless cordless router and a flush trim bit…cutting those openings to perfection is way easier.

[@JonathanKuhn]

Thanks Jason! I agree a with the router advice. I definitely need one.

[@scottbramley1778]

You've done an amazing thing there & the sauna looks great too. We adopted our son 3.5 years ago & it was the best decision we've ever made. Congratulations. Looking forward to watching more of your videos.

[@flyinfinn2007]

Nice to see you sign the window trip prior to capping! I always sign and date my builds.

[@fastmadone]

Love the black siding! Looks great in the woods! I love seeing people learning new skills or just having the willingness to put in the elbow grease to accomplish something with their own hands!

[@carpe164]

Great build-inspirational!

[@cebnav]

The sauna looks amazing! But the end of the video about your new family member made me subscribe. Looking forward to seeing your other videos now.

[@mariachung8064]

As always, loving this series! The design of the sauna is stellar, very Kuhn's like. I can see a lot of hard work and fun went into it as well. Congrats on the adoption! :)

[@AndreaMartinez-qu1be]

So glad your channel came up on my feed. I'm gonna have to start from the beginning tho which is not a biggy becauseI love y'all's ideas and builds.

[@JonathanKuhn]

Thanks for the comment and welcome!

[@emmahardesty4330]

Okay: a. beautiful and tidy; b. time will tell. But it looks like a smart winner. Congratulations

[@andrewbyington6929]

Awesome roof vent detail! I was really curious how you we’re going to do that from your last video. Beautiful work overall! Congrats on your adoption ❤️

[@thudang3039]

Awesome! Thanks for the share!

[@leejillinnewzealand8653]

I just got a tempered/insulated window for my sauna made up here in Ottawa- $700 for a 14x60"- I'm sure you got some sticker shock with that big window!

[@JonathanKuhn]

Oof! It’s so worth it though. The window to the outdoors is one of the most enjoyable things IMO. Ours is 19x74 and cost $475 in 2021. Also in Ottawa at Centennial Glass. I guess prices are up. I’m sure some of the stuff I paid high for has gone down in price for you though (cough..lumber..cough).

[@dathrill2770]

great job on the Sauna series and the amazing editing.

[@JonathanKuhn]

Thanks a ton!

[@JoTheArchitect]

AMAZING!

[@cmdv42]

siding looks great! Any tips for doing the nordic no overhang after doing it, would you do it the same way again? I haven't had too much luck seeing that done here, thanks for all the info you're sharing! 🙌

[@JonathanKuhn]

I love questions like this. I would do it again for sure because I like the aesthetics. It certainly is its drawbacks. Water and snow melt falls right next to the building and snow can pile up a bit next to the building. Rain splatter from the ground can dirty the bottom of the building a bit more than with an overhang but that can be mitigated with stones or wood chip ground cover. I’ve heard people say to build the walls like you would a roof and assume water will run down them. My whole structure is clad in the same roofing material so it’s been fine. You can expect more rain and stuff to drive against windows etc. I still really enjoy the look and it was worth it for me.

[@cmdv42]

@@JonathanKuhn Awesome. Amazing job, love that style & color as well! Thanks for all the info! 🙏🙌💯

[@cmdv42]

@@JonathanKuhn Oh btw, any favorite resources for how to plan out the standing seam or for working with a standing seam metal supplier?

[@cityclout]

Definitely deserves more views! Great video!

[@JonathanKuhn]

Much appreciated!

[@vanchodimov4542]

Sick channel man! Keep the videos coming!

[@JonathanKuhn]

Thanks brother

[@박영희-d5c]

안녕하세요 반갑습니다 정말 대단합니다 훌륭한 분이네요

[@thomasribeiro556]

hey Jonathan! just discovered your channel and watching your builds! incredible video work too, keep it coming!

[@JonathanKuhn]

Thanks Thomás!

[@TheDradd]

Looks awesome!!

[@JonathanKuhn]

Thanks Natalie!

[@karlwish79]

Great video edits. Great sauna. :) Subbed. About to start my sauna build in NZ..

[@JonathanKuhn]

Pumped for you! Hope it goes well!

[@TeppoHaapoja]

Become a youtuber Jonnnnn! These are awesome.

[@woodyshepherd6904]

Nice work!

[@coryfehrenbacher6078]

Looks awesome. Did you guys do standing Seam on the front and back where the door is too?

[@JonathanKuhn]

We did standing seam on the back but the front will be clad in wood slats (we still haven’t done it yet ha

[@ScottMansfield-m1h]

Hey Johnathan, this is great stuff! I'm curious about the setback requirements for your lake, the sauna seems quite close to the water. Because they are not dwellings, are sauna's not required to have the same setback from the shoreline as a home/cottage, for example? Thanks in advance and thank you for the great content!

[@JonathanKuhn]

Hi! I was wondering the same thing but I cleared it with the planing department for my township. It’s worth giving them a call, they are often pretty helpful.

[@joe_beekeeper]

Very nicely done!

[@JonathanKuhn]

Thanks!

[@williammarkes1667]

Your build looks great! I’m working on our sauna build now and I have a question about your window. What type of caulk did you use to secure the window to the exterior window stop? What are the pieces you have the bottom of the glass resting on? Any other tips on installing the glass in general?

[@JonathanKuhn]

Hi William. The window is secured by the wood trim on either side and the black sealant on the outside is just to keep water out. The product is quad Max by Lepage. It’s really great stuff. I’m not sure what the pieces are call that the glass rests on. The glass supplier gave them to me. I think most glass suppliers will know what they are since the come in most build windows I think. Other tips would be to make your frame 1/2 inch larger than the glass and make sure the frame is square. I also didn’t use a lot of fasteners on the inside trim until I knew the glass installation was good and no water was entering through my diy window.

[@williammarkes1667]

Thanks for the response!

[@johntherat339]

Looks great. Do you have any more details how you did the window? It looks like you put some rubber spacers around the frame and then set the window in. Did you use any silicone? Thanks

[@JonathanKuhn]

Thanks! I made a frame for the window (out of 2x6 pine) with and extra 1/4 of space on all sides. The glass company was helpful with any questions I had. They provided me with those 1/4 rubber spacers. I put them on the sides and bottom to give relieve when things expand and shrink. I ripped angled wood to trim the outside and glued it to the frame and had a metal cap made up to go around the outside of the window. I used exterior thermoplastic sealant around the exterior. The interior I tacked Aspen 1x4 in to hold the glass in place but did not silicone it. I may do that later once I see how moist the window gets. I hope that helps! Feel free to ask for clarity on my response.

[@gregburns6636]

Does the custom window trim also double as being able to receive or cover the end off the standing seam panel that it meets? Would be great to see any photos you have to show how this was finished. Also, with a 2x4 being used to double the thickness of the wall studs on the bottoms, did you have any problems when you put in you sloped flooring that rose to somehow meet this stud bottom? If you were to do this again would you change anything? How many 2x4 thicknesses do you have sitting on the plywood of the floor inside the sauna?

[@JonathanKuhn]

Hi Greg. The custom window trim just caps the wooden window frame. There is metal J trim around the window to receive the standing seam. I used sealant to seal it to the window flashing. I only used a single 2x4 on the floor. I had to go back and add blocking between studs because my sloped floor went up to the top of 2x4 on the floor. If I were to do it again I would make that bottom plate 2 boards thick. I certainly have a few things I would change on a second build but no mistakes I made weren’t correctable. They were just part of learning to build I guess.

[@tychonius]

I would totally eat chicken wings in that hut.

[@ianham]

Thanks so much for the video. Did you use Glen's dimensions for the building as well, or are you using the book just for tips? We just got the e-book and are planning a sauna on our Seattle property. Hope it looks as awesome as yours.

[@JonathanKuhn]

I’m not sure the dimensions are identical but the overall idea of an 8x12 structure with a small change room is inspired by the book. I mostly read it for tips and it’s full of great ones. Best of luck with your build! It’s a rewarding process.

[@ianham]

@@JonathanKuhn I get to build this with my awesome daughter. I am very excited. Thanks for your videos. Hey, what company is your vent and metal work from? I love the look of that.

[@marcusmazza2255]

What was the cost of the entire build? Great content!

[@JonathanKuhn]

I haven’t tallied up the cost but I hope to do that in a future video.

[@pigetstuck]

would love to see a video of your saunaing process

[@JonathanKuhn]

Defiantly plan to share that! I still have some nails to stick through wood before I can do that though 😥

[@pigetstuck]

You're close!

[@chuey1222]

Brother you and your fam can come and build one bad ass sauna like that in my backyard any time. Lol I’m starting to build a sauna in my back yard. Don’t have much money and don’t know what im doing but I am happy to see what you did and glad to follow some of your steps. Thank you for this video! Ps. Beautiful view and beautiful fam. I know they will enjoy it.

[@JonathanKuhn]

😅. I don’t know what I’m doing either but it’s fun to figure it out. There are certainly cost saving measures I could have taken and still made a great sauna. Good luck with the build! Send me progress photos on insta!

[@MudPig6110]

Where did you get the siding and roof metal from?

[@JonathanKuhn]

The roofing and siding is from Ottawa Valley Metal

[@gregburns6636]

Are you bringing solar power to light the sauna?

[@JonathanKuhn]

I sure am! Im keeping it pretty simple. Looking forward to sharing that.

[@gregburns6636]

@@JonathanKuhn The KISS rule RULES!

[@VIVAFPV]

beautiful, what state you are at ?

[@JonathanKuhn]

Ontario, CA (but not the one in the US)

[@VIVAFPV]

@@JonathanKuhn you have nice rocky landscape. Love it. I am from Michigan. What panels did you used for a siding and roof ?

[@JonathanKuhn]

They are standing seem hidden fastener panels. You can usually find them locally from roof suppliers. I’m fortunate to have a supplier locally that makes the panels.

[@VIVAFPV]

@@JonathanKuhn just came back from Europe - this style of siding is very popular in nordic countried right now. looks very modern

[@JonathanKuhn]

Oh cool. That’s good to know

[@inMotionOutdoors]

Footage of inside finish work and use?

[@JonathanKuhn]

It’s coming soon 🤞