Cabins

Although many people put their sauna in the house, the other alternative is to house it in a cabin, shed or hut. Doing this makes it possible to have a sauna in the garden or yard whilst also adding the feature of a garden cabin.

Cabins and sheds come in a myriad of designs, sizes and qualities and it is important to think about exactly what you want before you buy. If you want to have a sauna inside your cabin, then you need to make sure that it is big enough and sturdy enough for your requirements.

Cabin options

As a quick scan of the internet, DIY store, or Home Improvement centre will confirm, there are plenty of garden cabins and sheds out there. The range is also extensive with the basic, slightly flimsy and not too attractive budget end through to the log cabin and distinctive summerhouse end.

As far as low budget priced sheds are concerned you are best advised to ignore these in favour of the more expensive alternatives. Your sauna kit and heater are going to cost you money and you do not want them to be damaged or to fail to perform at their best simply because you skimped on your cabin or shed. For this reason look at the well designed and well built structures and think in terms of durability and a long life.

When it comes to selecting a cabin there are two very distinct designs available and each one appeals to a different buyer. Indeed, when it comes to Britain and North America it is fair to say that the two designs appeal to different sides of the Atlantic.

Summer house

In the UK the summer house design is popular. It has a manufactured and almost architectural style with a pitched gable ended roof, large glass windows and often a veranda or hardwood decking entrance area. When the pitched roof has a pronounced overhang is described as an alpine roof and the walls of the cabin are typically made from regular planed timber sections with little if any irregularities. The finish can be natural wood tones or paint (the latter being less popular).

Designs of this kind can be suitable for outdoor saunas, however some points do need to be considered. Firstly, a sauna cabin should only have a minimal window area. Windows allow heat to escape and people to look in. Neither is desirable in a sauna cabin. Secondly, the insulating properties of this style of cabin need to be evaluated. Very thin section timbers will render anything other than an infrared heater useless on all but the warmest of days. Finally, it is important to ensure that the walls are suitably strong and robust enough to have a sauna kit lining fitted to them.

Traditional log cabin

The rustic appearance of the traditional log cabin is ingrained into the consciousness of Americans and Canadians and for this reason this design is ever popular.

In the contemporary version of the log cabin design the outward rustic look disguises what is normally a modern and carefully thought out construction. This means that these cabins will often have good insulation and be weatherproof making them ideal to house a sauna.

The comparative lack of large window areas also lends itself to the sauna environment and the actual appearance is probably much closer to the Finnish sauna cabins from which the sauna tradition ultimately evolved. Even so, care needs to be taken to ensure that any cabin of this type is as tough as it looks and that a sauna kit lining can be applied to its internal surfaces.