Building your own sauna without a kit can prove to be very challenging. The nuts and bolts of it are understandably complex which is a large part of the reason why homeowners turn towards DIY sauna kits and similar assemblies.
Although estimates can vary, to build a proper stand-alone sauna without any assistance from kits, you’re looking at a cost four to five times the amount of kit – possibly a little less or possibly more.
Assuming you don’t want a completely stand-alone room and want to re-develop an existing room into a sauna, that’s another option that might be cheaper but it comes with many challenges. You will need to remove any drywall and get down to the bare studs of the room alongside bare joists on the ceiling. A non-permeable floor is also required – so think plywood or tile, anything similar.
You’ll essentially have to re-design the entirety of the room from top to bottom, which includes wiring for a light, light switch, sauna heater wire conduit, and any controls you want included. If you’ve decided to use a gas sauna heater, congratulations – that’s more complicated! You’ll have to use a gas pipe and consider the thickness you want, likely consulting with a contractor for safety.
Saunas in the home can be rather expensive to operate and so you will want to insulate walls interior and exterior. Insulation will help keep the heat in and is not a step you can skip. Additionally, it will provide a sound barrier. A sauna foil vapor barrier will have to be added to insulation and stapled to all interior surfaces, to help reflect the heat. A vapor barrier like this protects the walls from absorbing vapor. To this point, a homemade sauna’s going to create moisture you will want to keep from other places in the home.
Next step is the paneling. Begin on one side of the ceiling and nail panel boards perpendicular, moving across the ceiling. Do the same over the insulation and foil barrier, and be sure to add every board in rows while checking every third or fourth to ensure grooves are properly fitted together. From here, you’ll have to center the sauna heater on the wall, ensure it is properly mounted and safely secured, add rocks to the sauna heater, set your sauna benches, install the sauna door, and install your finish trim. Needless to say, there’s a reason why people shop DIY sauna kits.
Buying a DIY sauna, everything has been laid out for you and you don’t need to worry about necessarily doing anything wrong. All materials and instruction is right there, and beyond that, customized to your exact specifications. Converting an existing room to a sauna or building a standalone sauna let’s say in your backyard is costly, frustrating, and there’s no reason to do it. You’re much better off purchasing a DIY sauna kit where you know what to expect and everything you’re getting.
Browse Steam Sauna’s website for more information on how to purchase your own steam rooms, infrared saunas, traditional saunas, and more. Install them in a basement, bathroom, guest bedroom, or wherever in your home. The installation is straightforward, easy, and everything’s been measured and cut. Buy your very own sauna today!