In the “What does it cost to build a Finnish sauna in Germany”-article, I will tell you a little bit about our sauna construction project and what it all cost.
I started the World of Sauna blog to help expatriate Finns and other sauna fans to build their own Finnish sauna. I really hope my blog has helped you with your sauna related questions and that this post will be helpful to you too.
How much does it cost to build a sauna?
I have recently come across questions about the costs of sauna construction. How much does it cost to build a Finnish sauna and where can you get one cheaply? To this I say, cheap is not what you want.
It is not possible to build or buy a “cheap” Finnish sauna. And I think that is a good thing.
A Finnish sauna that is built properly will cost money.
There is a sauna construction boom in Germany
There has been a real sauna boom in Germany for the past year. I must admit that at times I’ve been downright horrified. I have seen some very inexperienced builders and odd, even dangerous building solutions.
I have more than once asked myself; are there no good sauna construction books available in German? Apparently, the sauna building manual by Rakennustieto has been published in German. However, it is already sold out and secondhand copies are very expensive and hard to come by. I think this is where the Germans are going wrong. They try to “save money” and do not invest in a good instruction manual. That’s perhaps the worst mistake you can make.
Without good instructions, you can make major mistakes. For example, someone on Facebook proudly showed how he had put black garbage bags behind the insulation. I could not believe my eyes; I was so shocked.
The price of wood in Germany
Right now, the price of wood is incredibly high, and wood is running out everywhere. This partly explains why sauna prices have risen. In addition, the demand for saunas has also increased. It’s a seller’s market.
Sauna is a big business in Germany
There are many different options available for someone who wants to build their own sauna in Germany. Some of them are great but some (unnamed) companies are not. They try to sell their customers low-quality saunas for low prices; some of these saunas cost only € 2,000. Every Finn knows that you can’t get a real Finnish sauna at that price. These saunas
are so-called bathroom saunas, which (in the worst-case scenario) are put in the corner of the bedroom or living room.
At what price do you get a good sauna?
Last winter, I had a conversation with a Finnish Sauna representative. He stated that it is impossible to build a good Finnish sauna for under 5,000 €. He said it is a fact every sauna builder should know before starting the process.
I would argue that you can’t get a Finnish sauna for less than € 10,000. Or, perhaps it is even more, something like € 15,000? Let me know what you think about my estimations in the comments.
What does it cost to build a sauna in Germany?
We did indeed build a Finnish sauna in Germany in 2015-2016. Construction of the sauna began in 2015 with cast-in-place. Everything went smoothly and we almost finished our sauna in one week.
However, the concrete floor had to dry, and then we needed to order more wall panels. Building materials for a sauna are not available at every hardware store and custom items take a long time to arrive. In the end, we had to wait till the next a year before the sauna was finally ready.
My partner and my father were primarily responsible for building the sauna. My husband did all the budgeting and kept records of what everything cost. Of course, this was some years ago so some bills and receipts may have gotten lost along the way.
How long does it take to build a sauna? What about the costs?
Only the building materials are included in this calculation. We did not have any labour costs because my husband and father did most of the work. The hourly wage of a carpenter, electrician and plumber is usually about 50 -100 € in Germany.
Building the sauna took approximately one week. My father and husband worked about 8 hours a day. They did work less on some days so it is not an accurate number, but I would argue that it took a little over a week. I think they could have made it in one week without the delays.
Concreting, bathroom building materials and the construction of the sauna lounge are not included in this calculation. The lounge was a big project; first, a 3 x 5 meters deep hole was dug, then came the concreting, doors, panels, etc.
Also, the wooden foundation of the sauna is not included here. I did not find any receipts so I cannot say what that cost.
I will try to write another post where I go deeper into the lounge and bathroom projects. It is a bit harder to find all the receipts and old bills for them, but I will try my best. However, my
partner said that the entire sauna project (including the shower and lounge) has cost over € 15,000. This estimate still excludes salaries and rental equipment.
Building a sauna is not cheap, nor should it be.
The size of the sauna
Our sauna is quite small, designed for three people. However, we have really put it to the test and noticed that six Finnish women fit in the sauna at the same time. Four on the upper benches and two on the lower benches.
The sauna is 160 cm long, 180 cm wide and 190 cm high.
What it costs to build a sauna in Germany:
- Stove, Tulikivi Sumu, with remote control 1325 €
- Stove stones (66 kg) € 80.55
- Wall, and ceiling panel – Alder (15 x 90 mm, 1800mm) € 377.58 (without the second order)
- Heat-treated bench, backrest, and front bench -Apple 285 €
- Glass door (70 x 190 cm) € 112.81
- Corner rail – Alder (14 x 30 mm, 2400 mm) € 4.86
- Aluminium paper and tape € 33.92
- Supi sauna wax 8.04 €
- Ventilation grille € 8.39
A total of € 2236.15
What does it cost to build a sauna in Germany?
€ 2,500 sounds very cheap to me. However, this number only covers the raw materials for the sauna. Bathroom and sauna tiles, floors, floor drains, sealants, etc. are not included in this estimate.
If I had to calculate the working hours, I would say they were around 2 x 40 h, i.e., 80 working hours in total. That would make € 4,000€ with an hourly wage of 50 €. And I do not think this includes all the work that went into the sauna.
I hope this “What does it cost to build a Finnish sauna in Germany?”-article helps you to better estimate the costs if you are thinking about building your own sauna. Please share your experiences in the comments and (if you feel like) tell us how much your sauna cost.
Sauna regards, Kati
