Building a Sauna:: Step 3: Replacing the Ductwork

It was a few weeks into sauna planning, when my brother-in-law stood in the future-sauna room, that I noticed just how obtrusive the ductwork was. The biggest duct was 6" in diameter and hung low, taking up a lot of head space.

 

Once I noticed this, I couldn't brush it aside and started brainstorming solutions. The first question was, could we just remove the ductwork? Was it really necessary? One blew warm air into our guest room closet, the other was for cold-air return, also in the guest room. The answer was no, we could not remove it; yes, it is necessary.

The next thought was, is there more space-efficient ductwork available? It turns out that yes, you can use stack ductwork -- ducts that are wider but flatter. I priced out the pieces we would need, got a quote from a Heating & Cooling company to do the work (way too high!), then asked my dad if he knew how to install ductwork.

It was while the ductwork was haphazardly lying on the basement floor that I accidentally kicked it and cut my toe in May. Damn!!

Stumbled into it right there while messing around with pieces

The cut toe didn't stop me, my dad, and my mom from getting to work. Taking down the old ducts was quick and easy. The tricky part was creating the bends and angles at the lowest part, then connecting the flat to the circular at the top. This video really helped with learning how to connect the flat pieces.

All done!

It took a day and several band-aids on my dad's hands to get the job done (he kept "forgetting" to put on gloves). I forgot to take pictures of the flat ductwork from different angles, but rest assured it has made an impact, allowing us to raise our ceiling height by 5" and get more head space.

Thanks Grand-Papa!

The only downside: cutting my toe on the ductwork negatively impacted my frisbee playing! Not only did I have to take time off playing, but two weeks after getting back on the field, I sprained my ACL on the same leg, likely due to adjusting my steps to avoid aggravating the toe. That's a 6-week recovery time (I'm about halfway) where I haven't been able to jog or run at all. It's been tough.

Workplace hazards

Step 1: Planning & Pricing

Step 2: Designing a Floor Plan

Step 3: Replacing the Ductwork

Step 4: Purchasing a Heater

Step 5: Purchasing a Door, Light Fixture & Vents

Step 6: Framing

Step 7: Wiring by an Electrician

Step 8: Installing Insulation & Foil Vapor Barrier

Step 9: Wood Strapping, Paneling & Door

Step 10: Final Connections by an Electrician

Step 11: Building Benches

Step 12: Finishing Touches

Recap & Thoughts

Last Day of School

The girls had their last day of school yesterday!

All done grades 9 and 7

Emily and Jessi continue to amaze me with their positive experiences and attitudes towards school. Both girls thrived at their new schools -- making friends, succeeding academically, and participating in extracurriculars. Transitions are not always easy, but these girls made it seem like a breeze.

Now they are both looking forward to a relaxing summer break. The calendar looks pretty empty, save for our yearly visit to Cambridge/Waterloo, a 4-day math camp for Jessi, a 16th wedding anniversary for me and Steve, and a 15th birthday for Emily.

 

Hello Summer!

Building a Sauna:: Step 2: Designing a Floor Plan

 

Once the idea of building a sauna under our basement stairs was born, I couldn't stop imagining how it would look. I took measurements of the space and drew different layouts on graph paper, trying to find the best fit. 

A few key points were:

1. Location and size of the heater

2. Location, layout, and height of the bench(es)

3. Taking the sloped ceiling into consideration

4. Not obstructing the doorway

5. Location of the intake and exhaust vents

One of my initial designs tried to make use of the crawlspace at the back, but we quickly scrapped that idea given the challenges and cost of installing under there, the impracticability of the space (you could only ever lie down), and the fact that heat rises so the temperature in that area wouldn't be right. So the crawlspace would be closed off, giving us a footprint of 40" x 67" and a ceiling height that ranged from 50" to 85".

Goodbye crawlspace

Rough initial designs

Another design had the heater placed in the back corner of the room, where the ceiling is lowest and starts to slope upward. But from consulting with a sauna specialist at St. Lawrence Pools, I learned that heaters have minimum ceiling height requirements for safety, so that location was not suitable. The only place left to put the heater was the front left corner of the room.

I sketched out several more designs, each an improvement on the last. We re-worked the sloped ceiling to range from 55" to 91", instead of 50" to 85". I learned that bench height matters (the higher, the better for access to hot air), which led me to a double-bench design (one high, one low), instead of just one low bench. I also enjoy being able to put my feet up or lie down in a sauna, so two long benches would help with that. 

(source)

It is definitely a tight space, with room for just two people (who are hopefully well acquainted, given their proximity). The plan is for Steve to sit on the high bench, since he likes hotter sauna temperatures and would have more head space. I'd sit on the low bench, where temperatures are slightly cooler and where height is a bit more restricted due to the sloped ceiling. 

The heater we selected made an impact on the floor plan as well (more on that in Step 4); ultimately we chose the one that made the best use of the space.

The final sketch -- small edits to be made during construction

Figuring out the location of the intake and exhaust vents was the toughest part given the conflicting information out there. I think I got it right, minus one constraint since we don't have access to the wall opposite the heater. The intake vent is above the heater, about halfway between the rocks and the ceiling. We placed the exhaust vents on the door wall, as close to the opposite wall as possible, one below the lower bench and one near the ceiling. Fingers crossed we get good air circulation.

(source)

Overall, I really enjoyed this step of the sauna-building process! Much like when building our home, I was happy to spend time evaluating all the options.

Step 1: Planning & Pricing

Step 2: Designing a Floor Plan

Step 3: Replacing the Ductwork

Step 4: Purchasing a Heater

Step 5: Purchasing a Door, Light Fixture & Vents

Step 6: Framing

Step 7: Wiring by an Electrician

Step 8: Installing Insulation & Foil Vapor Barrier

Step 9: Wood Strapping, Paneling & Door

Step 10: Final Connections by an Electrician

Step 11: Building Benches

Step 12: Finishing Touches

Recap & Thoughts

Father's Day 2024

We might have briefly forgotten that it was Father's Day on Sunday, but we made up for it with a (late) loving card, two clean cars, and a beautiful day at Snug Harbour. Steve knows he is loved and we know we are lucky to have him!

Daddy & Daughters ♥

I was there too!

The minnows were acting strangely on Sunday. They kept swimming around our feet, even taking little bites out of them, then swarming the area where we had just been standing. Maybe they were extra hungry? They usually keep their distance.

My catch of the day

"Master Piece"

Maggie was a huge fan of uncle "Teve" and her Daddy playing 1-2-3-wee. What a sweet smile!

It was a Happy Father's Day indeed.