DIY sauna

Have you ever wonder about some unique DIY project in your home? It can be the installation of a sauna. The array of prefabricated kits is huge, which make easy to enjoy the many benefits of a sauna, most of them do not have a huge resale value, which makes it budget-friendly to use the kits.

For example, four-person sauna sized 5x7 inches, according to GreatSaunas.com costs around $2,400 to $3,200 with basic tools and skills. Some additional costs or consideration may occur is in the electrical wiring and the foundation or available floor space.

Time is money

For prefabricated kits, you will need 16 to 24 hours to construct.

Installation includes:

  • Wall and ceiling boards
  • Benches
  • Floorboards – base, duckboard, floor drain (be careful, some models do not include floor drain!)
  • Foil vapor barrier
  • Insulation
  • Heater – wood burning, electric, or gas models and sauna rocks
  • Lighting fixtures
  • Vents – intake and exhaust suited to the size of the sauna (usually prefabricated kits include built in vents in the sauna door, but it’s not a recommended approach to creating adequate air flow)
  • Controls
  • Doors and windows

Additionally

Additionally, most sauna installations will require electrical wiring to meet the needs of the heater. Because the most commonly selected heater style is the electric type, the average homeowner will have to hire a licensed electrician to install a 220-volt circuit in their existing electrical panel, and will also need to have a 220-volt receptacle located near the sauna as well. Though electricians do work on an hourly basis, a fair market price for a project as that described would be from $250 to $600 depending upon the complexity of the wiring and the materials needed, according to Fixr.

Additional considerations and costs

As mentioned earlier, locating a sauna can also present the homeowner with a few additional expenses. For example, when a prefabricated model is installed outdoors there will be the need to pour a suitable concrete foundation slab upon which the structure will be built. The cost of concrete averages at $75 per yard, and a slab sized to fit the 5’x7′ sauna would demand around .75 yards. The labor for such a project is an easy DIY project, so total costs including forms and materials would not exceed $100. Additionally, the electrician may need to run proper conduit and install an exterior receptacle for this location, which might increase the price of the electrical work by several hundred dollars (due mostly to the amount of time required for the work).

An interior installation will require only the sacrifice of floor space, but height can also become an issue. Many sauna kits come at varied heights specifically for this sort of problem, but air flow and access to electrical supplies should be taken into consideration for such an installation too.

Just like the purchase of any major home appliance, the prefabricated sauna kits should come with a few types of warranties. Because they are a DIY item most manufacturers will limit their liabilities, but guarantees about the quality or operation of such items as the boards, heaters, lights, and doors and insulation should be available. It is also a good idea to do some comparison shopping since shipping is going to be a very substantial expense for such a project too, according to Fixr.