This was a Self-Build project with the client looking to build a stunning Scandinavian Sauna with a tradition log burner as the heat source just how it’s been done in the Nordic nations for years.
With the client’s house overlooking the Moray Firth, the location was stunning and I’m sure many a winters evening sitting in the warmth of 90 degrees when it’d a freezing winters night will certainly bring a relaxing smile to anyone face.
Mr Mc Vean approached Logie with a basic outline drawing and his vision of how he would like his sauna to look and working with our sales team compiled a cut list of timber required for the job.
Choosing the Right Timber for a Sauna
Traditionally for internal linings to a sauna you would look at species such as Alder, or Cedar and after some discussion we decided on cedar for two reasons,
1./ Like with all timber we sell at Logie, we only work with home grown Scottish timber that has been cut from the forest less than an 80-mile radius, this is our mantra, so managing to source Cedar from our neighbouring estate Altyre less than 10 miles away was a great choice.
2./ Whilst cedar when it’s first cut has a very high moisture content and requires many week in the Kiln prior to planing into the VT&G profile we were looking for, once the moisture has been reduced to a level it can be planed it will never take on any moisture through its life span making it ideal for a sauna.
We also used the cedar for the seating slats and planed Douglas fir for the framework for the seating.
The main structure itself was relatively easy to put together using our standard 150x22x4.8 Larch boards and 73x22x4.8 allowed a board and cover strip profile giving a great finished.
Costs and Finishings
Even the glass was bought locally from Pinefield in Elgin ,which had to be at least an 8mm Tempered Glass as a minimum.
Mr McVean, was at the time still holding down a full time job so was working on the project in the evenings from start to finish it took around three months to complete and at a finished cost of just under 3.5k which is considerably cheaper than buying one out of the show room as it were.
With the finishing touches completed after just 3 months from start to finish he is now enjoying the health benefit and well being of having a sauna three times a week.
