DIY Sauna Build - standalone sauna in unfinished basement for cheap

I built a standalone sauna from cedar deck boards in the unfinished basement of our old house. It's a relatively large sauna and was easy to build. Have a watch to see how this beauty was created!

[@markweaver1012]

Thanks for the video! After watching a few and scratching my head, I'm embarking on building something similar in our basement, but simpler and cheaper. It's just my wife and I, so 4` x3 1/2` x 6 1/2` should fit us (and fit in the space in the basement). I'm going to do it, though with 3/4" T&G v-groove pine siding boards (stacked vertically in the walls to make 4-foot wide panels) with just a bit of 1/2" edging to hold it together (apparently pine/spruce is a traditional sauna wood in Finland). If we find ourselves using it often, maybe the next one will be a fancier one with cedar or hemlock. The idea is that the T&G joints will lock the boards together to make things stable and less likely to warp. No windows unless it gets claustrophobic and no outside insulation unless too much heat escapes while using it (or maybe just on top) -- it'll look nicer standing there with the bare wood ;) I'm not really worried about heat or humidity escaping, though, since we'll only be using this during colder months so both the heat and humidity will be fine to release and circulate into the house. The heating unit is going to get a electric clothes dryer extension cord and plug into the 220V dryer outlet. I'm hoping it will be easy to disassemble the panels and lean against the wall during the warm months to get it out of the way. I like the rope lighting you've used -- that Idea I'm going to steal. Anyway, thanks for the inspiration!

[@PM_FC]

How much did this come out to?

[@markweaver1012]

@@PM_FC About $600, I think. I ended up using cedar deck boards instead of pine T&G siding because the only T&G siding I could find at the time was crap. The floor and ceiling are just Home Depot 2x6s and the bench was made of 2x4s. The heater was about $125 from Amazon. Overall, it worked out great.

[@johnstobbscpa8081]

Thanks. I have a follow up question: how did you keep the ceiling in suspension over the floor until the walls were attached to each?

[@HannuPulkkinen49]

You must have forgotten the ventilation. I think the sauna is not for reading a book, but for taking a sauna. 200 degrees Fahrenheit and lot of water for the stones. Fresh air to the sauna room from the valves. Then sauna is refreshing.

[@samjohnson4846]

Ok, so I have a question. Does your sauna reach the temperature of 160 degrees fahrenheit?? How long does it take to reach this temperature from having the heater off?

[@nathanbuildsdiy]

Yes, it can go as high as 180 though that's quite uncomfortable so we turn it down. It takes about 20 minutes to reach 160. The Harvia heater we have has a timer so it runs for 1 hour total, we usually use it for 20 minutes and turn it off for the last 20 minutes so we don't waste electricity.

[@samjohnson4846]

@@nathanbuildsdiy that's more efficient than I had expected. Sounds like a good deal....

[@johnstobbscpa8081]

Excellent job, thanks for sharing. I just subscribed. I have a question: can you expand upon the insulation element of your build. Was the foil insulated? Did you cover the foil with anything after applying? Did you only put batt insulation on the top? Thanks

[@nathanbuildsdiy]

Hi John, the foil insulation is actually called "radiant barrier" insulation (I had to check at my local hardware store) and it's got an R value of 3.7 or so. It's just foil with bubble wrap inside for an air barrier. I actually ended up doing 2 layers of it on the sides, but just bat insulation on the top.

[@sethmendenhall5848]

I am considering this build in my unfinished basement. Have you noticed any downsides to this build? Or if you could go back, would you change anything?

[@nathanbuildsdiy]

No real issues so far! I did add another layer of insulation, but that's it. Still going strong.

[@ClarkyMalarky]

Not using clear cedar will be a problem, the knots in the wood will burn you.

[@shirtz69r]

Not always.

[@nathanbuildsdiy]

We've only had burns when we inadvertently have metal (like earrings) in the sauna. I just had a look and the knots we are in contact with are small and quite lightly colored, perhaps that's why they don't bother.

[@mylessloan1331]

Great build. My house is from 1916 and I'm building one framed. I'm using pressure treated and vapour barrier, my walls also don't show any signs of moisture. Question, did you use specific LED strips lights to handle the heat? Did you attach it to a dimmable driver or just a switch? Thanks Myles

[@nathanbuildsdiy]

Nothing special, just LED rope lights that come in plastic rope, and the "cheap" ones from my local hardware store at that. They've withstood the heat just fine and I think the plastic rope keeps out the moisture that could otherwise cause them problems.

[@mylessloan1331]

@@nathanbuildsdiy Thanks!

[@andyalexander8064]

Thanks for the great info. I didn't notice the installation of a control panel. Is a control panel strictly necessary, or can it be controlled manually? Just trying to price everything out. Thanks.

[@nathanbuildsdiy]

That Harvia heater comes with a timer and temperature control panel built in (at the bottom of the unit), so you get that with the package. There's also a little temperature sensor that comes with the unit, you just put it on the wall approximately head height and that's how it senses what temp it is inside the sauna.

[@andyalexander8064]

@@nathanbuildsdiy Thanks for the reply. The reason I didn't think it was, is this is what they say on their site for that model: The Harvia KIP80W sauna heating unit requires Xenio control for operation is sold separately. Unless I'm looking at a different seller. And it costs more than the heater itself.

[@andyalexander8064]

Ok, got that figured out. I didn't realize they have two different variations. The KIP80W, and the KIP80B. The W requires the panel, the B does not. But thanks for turning me on to those guys.

[@nathanbuildsdiy]

I just went to the basement to double check, we actually have the KIP60B, not 80B. So you can get away with a slightly smaller/cheaper model. Here's the website: www.harvia.com/en/products/JH60B2401/kip60b-6-kw-240vac-1ph Ours puts out plenty of heat, we run it at about 2/3 temperature max because if we max it out it's just too much.

[@andyalexander8064]

@@nathanbuildsdiy That's what I was thinking. If we get ours built, it'll be smaller than yours, so the 60 would be fine.

[@samlemma]

Nathan great info - really appreciate you sharing this - and it really motivates me to make one today - :) --- where did you buy the wood from? Everywhere I call and ask for Sauna grade cedar - price is incredibly expensive and my room is much smaller than yours. thanks again -

[@nathanbuildsdiy]

I used cedar deck boards - I selected them myself from the local Menards (hardware store) to ensure they were as clean and straight as possible. The deck boards are thicker so you don't need to back them with 2x4's and they're much less expensive.

[@samlemma]

@@nathanbuildsdiy - thanks for taking the time to respond - I really appreciate it!!!

[@Dubtee]

I thought the walls needed to be insulated to keep in the heat.

[@nathanbuildsdiy]

Absolutely. It's the last step, here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnm6iWOvr6qMbJo It's a layer of foil backed insulation stapled all around the sauna, taking care around windows/doors.

[@ericlindau2039]

No ventilation and not enough insolation. I would not build a sauna this way, but as long as you guys enjoy it then it's perfect! But if you feel heavy headed when sitting there its because it lack of ventilation, if it is not getting hot enough its because you need more insolation.

[@nathanbuildsdiy]

So far it's doing well. Sometimes it gets overly hot towards our heads in the winter, so I could install more insulation. Good comments ^^

[@wolflahti412]

Not nearly enough stones in the heater and far too many knots in the walls and benches And NEVER put any sort of lock on a sauna door!

[@CauseIknowshit]

If thats 6 ft wide you must be 10 foot lol