The Deck

We installed 6" fiberglass insulation in all the framing cavities. I was careful to make sure the moisture barrier backing was tight. In retrospect I might have added some poly sheeting over the insulation. I call it visqueene. That's what we called it in Alaska. Since the floor will be tiled I didn't think this was necessary. Things to consider: The location of the drain in the steam room. You don't want a joist right where the drain has to go.

We use about 5 gal. of water per person for a typical sauna. Usually an empty joint compound plastic bucket. All this water has to go someplace as you splash it around, so a floor drain is necessary. In other saunas I've built I simply put shower drains in the two back corners and tilt the whole building with a jack so the water runs out. Works great for what it is. This sauna is going to be a bit different. A regular shower drain will be built. That means a shower pan. I came up with a great solution for that but I'll talk about that later.

Oh yes, at some point we had to give up the long extension cords all over the place and install proper power to the sauna. That meant a ditch and underground conduit. This was well worth the effort and expense if you plan on going this route. It keeps the building site tidy and you are not tripping on cords all the time.

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