Alderley Residence
Sauna · Hybrid
A sauna at home, done properly.
Saunas for houses, apartments and gardens across South East Queensland, designed around the space you have.
At home
The right room is often smaller than you think.
A sauna is a compact, insulated room, so it can fit into many parts of a home. What matters most is not floor area but proportion: benches set high under a modest ceiling, a heater sized to the room, and enough bench length for the people who will use it.
Settle the location and size early — nearly every other decision, from power to ventilation and drainage, depends on them. If you are renovating or building, the best time to plan a sauna is while the drawings are still changing.
Where it can go
Four common places for a home sauna.
- 01
A spare room or under-used space
Protected from the weather, with an insulated build-up, a ventilation path and a dedicated power supply planned in.
- 02
Bathrooms and ensuites
Popular because the shower is close by. Waterproofing, exhaust and electrical zones are designed together with the sauna.
- 03
Pool houses and cabanas
A natural pairing with a pool, with extra attention to humidity, wet floors, drainage and the pool safety barrier.
- 04
Outdoors
A freestanding cabin or pavilion on a level, well-drained base, with weather protection and a power supply run.
Sizing
Capacity is set by the bench.
Use these as a starting point. The final layout depends on the room, the heater and how you like to bathe.
| Dimension | Typical guidance |
|---|---|
| Bench length per person | About 600 mm |
| Bench length to lie down | About 1.8–2.0 m |
| Bench depth | At least 500 mm; 600 mm or more to recline |
| Upper bench to ceiling | About 1,100–1,200 mm |
| Ceiling height | Commonly 1,900–2,300 mm, depending on the heater |
Planning
Five things to settle early.
Most of the work in a successful home sauna happens before construction: confirming power, the ventilation path, the floor and drainage, and any glazing. We work through these with you and your builder so nothing is left to chance on site.
- Power: a dedicated supply sized by a licensed electrician
- Ventilation: designed to the selected heater
- Floor: durable, easy to clean, heat-resistant under the heater
- Glass: tempered, outward-opening, allowed for in heater sizing
- Beside a pool: humidity, drainage and the safety barrier
Projects
Home sauna projects
Questions
Common questions
How many people will a home sauna seat?
Allow about 600 mm of bench per person, and about 1.8–2.0 m if someone would like to lie down. Retail "two-person" or "four-person" labels usually assume shoulder-to-shoulder seating, so bench length gives a more realistic picture of comfortable capacity.
What power does a home sauna need?
Home sauna heaters commonly range from about 3 kW for a very small room to around 10–11 kW for a larger family room. A heater normally needs a dedicated supply designed by a licensed electrician to the manufacturer’s data, so it is worth checking switchboard capacity early, particularly in an older home.
Sauna heatersDoes a home sauna need a floor waste?
Heater manufacturers genuinely differ. A floor waste is strongly worth considering where the sauna sits within or beside a wet area, or where the floor will be washed down; a small, dry residential sauna with a suitably detailed floor may not need one. Any floor waste is plumbing work for a licensed plumber.
Can a sauna go beside a pool?
Yes, with care. Never use pool or spa water on the stones — only clean household water. Plan for humidity, slip-resistant surfaces and drainage, and make sure the sauna does not compromise the pool safety barrier; the barrier and any building approval should be confirmed with your certifier or a pool safety inspector.
Does a sauna need ventilation?
Yes. Ventilation supplies fresh air, helps the room heat evenly, protects the heater and dries the room after use. Manufacturers place inlets and exhausts differently, so the final design follows the heater you choose, coordinated with the house’s own ventilation.
Sauna ventilation explainedFurther reading
- Planning a home saunaWhere a home sauna can go, how much space it needs, heat-up, power, ventilation, glass, floors and pool-side siting, and how a custom project runs.
- What affects the cost of a sauna or steam roomThe design, equipment, construction and site factors that move the cost of a sauna or steam room, and what to send for an accurate quote.
- Sauna benches, heights and heat layers: designing where people sitWhy the top bench is hottest, how high benches should sit, bench depth, steps and layouts by source, and why bench timber differs from wall timber.
- Sauna glass and doors: design, safety and heatHow glass doors and walls change a sauna. Openness, privacy, heater sizing with a worked example, safety glass, outward-opening doors, gaps, hardware and sun.
- Using your new sauna for the first timeThe first heats and the new-heater smell, loading stones, controls, your first session, water on the stones, drying afterwards, and what's normal.
- Caring for your sauna (and steam room)How to look after a sauna or steam room, from drying after use to stones, timber, heater checks and outdoor saunas, based on manufacturer instructions.
Planning a sauna at home?
Tell us where you are thinking of putting it and how many people will use it. We will advise on what is possible and what it would involve.