When we were house hunting, one of our must-haves was a backyard with enough room for a sauna. We’d been wanting one for quite a while, so when we bought our new house in February, we already knew a sauna was going to be one of our first backyard projects!
After doing some shopping around, we ordered a kit from Salus Saunas. It arrived with all the boards and materials needed to assemble it, so once everything was here, it was time to get to work!
Now, when I say it came with all the materials, don’t picture an IKEA furniture assembly situation. 😂 There were no pre-drilled holes, and the manual mentioned several times that construction experience was required. To make things even more interesting, the instructions weren’t exactly clear in several places, so there was quite a LOT of figuring things out as I went.
Timmy carried the heavy boards over as I needed them, and I got to work assembling everything. That’s usually how our home projects go. I handle the building, he helps with the heavy lifting, and between the two of us, we get things done! Oh, and I can’t forget to mention that Timmy always made sure I was adequately hydrated and caffeinated while I worked. Peep the iced coffee he brought me on the table in the photo below. ❤️
The biggest challenge wasn’t even putting it together. It was the fact that I was building a SAUNA in the middle of summer, in the DESERT, when it was 115 degrees outside! Apparently, it wasn’t hot enough already. But hey, what better way to prep my body for daily sauna use, right?
Of course, the kids got recruited, too! At one point, Sami and Harrison were holding the walls upright while I worked on attaching the front and back sections together. It was definitely one of those moments when having a few extra sets of hands came in handy!
By the end of day one, most of the sauna was already built!
Day two was spent finishing the side boards and cutting the two top boards to fit just right. It took some careful measuring and cutting to get everything fitting the way I wanted, but it was really starting to come together!
Unfortunately, this was also the day I underestimated the desert sun. I spent a little too much time working outside before finally putting on my sun shirt and hat, and ended up with a pretty gnarly sunburn. 0/10, do not recommend.
Day three was roofing day! I installed the asphalt shingles, which provide an extra layer of protection against rain and weather. Even though the sauna itself was already assembled, I definitely didn’t want to skip that final step.
And just like that, after three days of working in the ridiculous desert heat, our sauna was officially finished!
It’s pretty cool looking out into the backyard and seeing something that was just an idea a few months earlier.
And yes, the irony of spending three days sweating in 115-degree heat just to build a little wooden room where we could voluntarily sit and sweat some more was not lost on me. 😂
Next up: the paver walkway! Stay tuned!!