Home Sauna

Building the room

What Is Included in a Sauna Kit - and What Do You Still Need to Buy?

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Summary

"Sauna kit" can describe anything from a nearly complete panel-built room to an interior materials package for a room you still have to frame and insulate. Do not assume the heater, controls, stones, electrical work, floor, roofing, or installation are included. Compare kits by the complete installed project, not by the headline price.

First, find out what kind of kit you are looking at

Finnleo sells both types. For its custom modular (free-standing) rooms it delivers pre-built panels and components, ready for final assembly. For its custom-cut kits it cuts the tongue-and-groove boards to your room and pre-builds the benches, backrests, headrests, and duckboard, while the framed and insulated shell is left to you or your contractor.

The heater is not always part of the price

Both Almost Heaven and Finnleo include one. Almost Heaven says every kit comes with the pieces to assemble the room, a heater, stones, and a light. Finnleo's custom-cut and custom modular kits both list a Finnleo heater, rocks, a heater guard, and a SaunaLogic2 control.

Other sellers can differ, so check the bill of materials. If the heater is not included, find out whether the control and stones are separate purchases too. A lower-priced kit can stop looking inexpensive once the operating equipment is added.

Most site work stays outside the box

Electrical circuits, permits, foundation or floor preparation, ventilation work, professional labor, and other site-specific work are normally project costs rather than kit contents.

Almost Heaven's heaters, for example, are hard-wired to a 240-volt circuit, and the company tells buyers to hire a licensed electrician unless they are one. Its indoor saunas do not come with a floor, so the existing floor becomes the sauna floor.

Small missing parts can still stop the installation

Heater guards, lighting, backrests, floor grids, exterior stain, trim, sealants, hardware, and other accessories may be included, optional, or model-specific.

Almost Heaven lists backrests, leg rests, a bucket and ladle, rain jackets, and wooden doors as extras, while Finnleo's custom-cut kit includes a sauna bucket and ladle. A missing part can leave an installer unable to finish the job, so confirm the package before the delivery date.

Compare installed cost, not kit cost

Write down the room or kit, heater, control, stones, freight, foundation or floor work, electrical work, ventilation, finish materials, accessories, and labor.

That list gives you a fair comparison between a kit that arrives almost complete and a cheaper materials package that leaves most of the project to the site.

Sources

  1. finnleo.com/custom-freestanding-saunas
  2. finnleo.com/custom-saunas
  3. almostheaven.com/pages/faq

Specifications, prices and installation requirements are as the makers published them on these pages on the date above and can change. Check the current manual and the retailer before you buy.

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