When designing and building our own saunas, it’s important to be thinking about windows.
In the “ole country” (Finland), with the exception of the candle window, few sauna hot rooms were built with windows. Who knows why. Maybe it was cultural timidity, or structural platitudes, or heat loss concerns. Whatever the reason, today, the hot room window concept is “opening up!”.
Like music in the sauna, traditionalists may scoff, but any sauna bather of any origin sweating it out on the upper bench will smile that much wider being able to gaze out of their hot room and take in a bit of nature.
A transom window offers:
- a great vista from the sauna bench.
- privacy while standing.
- natural light without being a fishbowl.
What size transom window? Let’s start with 18″ tall by 36″ wide, cut in about 8″ below the 7′ ceiling. A sauna with a hot room transom window and a common wall candle window feels airy and nICE. Don’t have these windows? No big deal. We can make it happen with a sawzall or with your next sauna build.
Dual transom windows in Josh’s floating sauna (under construction).
Wisdom Woods sauna hot room
we need more of these authentic kick ass saunas.
4 thoughts on “Three cheers for transom windows”
The photo above appears to show house wrap outside the framing and behind the exterior cladding. Should we be installing house wrap?
Hi Gary,
I always tack on house wrap for my sauna builds. It’s one of those “only get one chance” decisions. It’s not that expensive and it protects the exterior sheeting before final siding. And it breathes, so no chance of moisture trapping between the house wrap and the foil. So “them are good” as we are known to say in NE Minnesota.
Glenn,
Do you ever have any issues with the window being a nuisance when sitting? I’m in the process of using your eBook to build my own sauna and my wife wants transom windows above the top bench. My concern is that the window and/or window trim makes it uncomfortable to sit.
Can you please share your experience on this issue? Thanks in advance!
yes, transom window is best on the left or right wall, vs. behind where you sit. it does get in the way!