To get your sauna area ready, in your backyard:

1. Stake off the area. Mark off your 8′x12′ rectangle area with carpenter string.
2. Prep the area. Pull off the sod and try to level off the area as best as possible.  If your sauna is going to go on uneven ground, don’t worry about it, you can level the area with block.
3. Prep the perimeter. Dig around the perimeter, extended out a few inches from your perimeter.  Back fill the area with some gravel to assist drainage and to give your frame a nice resting area.
4. Use a level. With a long board, check your bedding to get it as level as possible.  Here is where you can use block to level out the ground where you’ll be building your sauna.

I suggest building your backyard Finnish sauna right on this grade.  If you move or want to drag your sauna to a sauna party, who knows, you may just want to back up a trailer and take it with you.  Chances are, you’ll fall in love with your own authentic Finnish sauna.

By popular demand, here is a complete list of what you’ll need to build your own sauna.   Life is short: you deserve your own authentic Finnish sauna!!

Step one: Go out to your backyard with some string and mark off an 8×12 space.  You can build your own sauna by sticking it against your garage, or tucking it in a quiet corner in your backyard.  When you choose the location for your backyard sauna, keep in mind that you may want to allow for a nice courtyard or patio space.  Bring a couple patio chairs and maybe a picnic bench to complete the simulation.

Step two: Before you build your own sauna, imagine what your own sauna party will be like.  Family, friends, business associates or the whole hockey team?  When you build your own sauna, consider inviting your sauna party friends to help frame it up.

Step three: Go for it, and start enjoying your own authentic Finnish sauna.  Click here to learn how to prep your area for the sauna

There is a hand made log sauna that sits amongst 80-100 year old red and white pines on Pine Island, Lake Vermilion, Minnesota.  As impressive as this sauna is, the story behind it is as compelling.

In 1992, Harland Siiro delivered $5,000 worth of cut cedar trees to the land: an aggressive stand at his dream of building his second hand made log sauna.  He considered this a family event, with plans to enlist his son Matt in the traditional build.  But the logs sat, and years past.   They sat, collecting ants and some early signs of decay. Harland Siiro had developed heart problems, then Diabetes a terrible illness that started cramping his legs, stifling his mobility.  It became hard for him to get to the cabin, let along move 200 pound cedar logs.   Building a hand made log sauna was way down on the priority list for his son Matt.  Matt looked at the pile of logs as nothing more than drudgery.

As Harlan’s health deteriorated, however, it became clear to Matt that building this sauna was something critical for his father.   Matt enlisted help from Scott Rodgers, a smart choice as Scott was a body builder, able to bench press 4 cylinder vehicles.  Scott eyed the 18′ and 24′ cedar logs and saw only branches.  With Scott’s help, Matt was actually making progress, scribing and setting a few rows of the cedar structure.

Back home, Matt was able to bring some bright news to his Dad, as progress being made on the hand made log sauna.   Even with Scott, scribing and laying each log was draining work.  The work not well suited for a busy guy with small windows of time at a cabin.  The demands on Matt during  sauna construction were many:  two small children, busy career with minimal vacation time, six hour drive to the cabin, and usually less than 48 hours at the cabin.  The work dragged on, one log at a time, one row at a time, spanning over many short visits to Lake Vermilion.  No fishing for Matt, just grinding work.

Then something terrible happened: his best friend and log hauler buddy Scott unexpectedly passed away.  Scott and his father were the key motivators for Matt to complete the sauna, and as an odd twist of fate, the unexpected one died first.  Instead of dragging out the log sauna construction, Matt applied more vigor.  The walls were completed in fall 2006.  The project became more passionate to Matt.  As his father’s health became worse, Matt applied more energy and sneaking in more valuable time at Lake Vermilion working on the log sauna.

The precious hours on Lake Vermilion took on feverish focus.  Fishing or relaxing with his wife and two children took even more of a back seat.  As Matt gained momentum, somewhere between the last course of logs and the roof, something else, unexpected crept into Matt: Joy.

Father Siiro, either by luck or design, had assigned his legacy to his son: a hand made cedar log sauna.  More than the sauna itself, though, Matt is able to look at his success and see the personality of his father and his best friend Scott.

FOOTNOTE:  Father Siiro was never able to experience his sauna.  He passed away around the same time that his son, Matt, was on the roof, shingling.  Rains fall from the heaven’s above, and two people dear to Matt’s heart have spirit within the warm cedar walls of this hand made log sauna.

Here’s a simple foot friendly outdoor sauna foot mat.  I especially like standing barefoot on this cedar slat mat in winter time.  The snow, ice, and cold water seep into the ground and my feet stay fairly dry.  Nicer than plastic.  Just rip some slats from a cedar board or maybe purchase some 1×1 or 2×2 cedar boards from a lumber yard, attach a couple cross supports underneath with a finish nailer, et voila.

Here is a transparent chronology of the construction of a Finnish Sauna, wonderfully illustrated by professional photographer Brian Peterson.  Brian captures the organic elements of sauna: wood, fire, water, rocks and presents the reader with his soulful creation: building his dream sauna ‘up north.’   Brian’s passion for sauna is deep in the pages.  He recognizes that an image, a photo, can bring to life sauna culture and he wants to share it with you in his new book.

Whether you’re considering building your own authentic Finnish sauna, or just appreciate the sauna experience from a visual perspective, Brian’s book is for you.  Would make for a nice gift, along with a sauna bucket and thermometer.

Here is a word from Brian:

“This book is a step-by-step visual guide to building a traditional Finish sauna. You will find pictures of every step in the process that will help you make your own plans and give you ideas for construction. I built my sauna with no blueprints, I looked at many saunas over the years and built ours from scratch with ideas from many. This book will help you in the process of building your own unique sauna building.”

Here’s a link where you can view his book in more detail.

If you can move a 3 bedroom house, surely one can get an 8×12 sauna structure moved into your backyard.

Consider the option of having an 8×12 free standing sauna built off sight, then having it delivered to your backyard.  No nails on the grass, no builders using your bathroom or leaving empty Mountain Dew bottles in your backyard.

Order a sauna on a Tuesday, have a sauna party that Friday night!

OR check out these mobile saunas….from the mobile sauna fleet and the wild canadian DJ posse at www.saunasessions.ca