From abandoned to beloved: Päivi and Petri turn a rundown sauna into a hot tub oasis with terraces
A run-down sauna building sat neglected in the overgrown yard. Finnish couple Päivi and Petri renovated it into a functional and spacious sauna lounge. In the yard, they built a partially covered terrace featuring a hot tub.
Päivi and Petri Laamanen dreamed of having a cottage they could enjoy even on short weekend visits. Because they live in Helsinki, they hoped to find one in the Uusimaa region. Their wish list also included an indoor toilet, a sauna, and a good spot for a summer kitchen.
At first, Päivi didn’t even want to see the black cottage that Petri had found online. The neglected and run-down property started to seem more promising only on their second visit, when Päivi’s father came along as an expert. He had previously carried out renovations on Päivi’s childhood cottage and volunteered to lead the work.
The Laamanens purchased the black cottage, the sauna building, and an old house used for storage.
The couple wanted more space in the sauna, so they moved it to where the old dressing room had been. The previous sauna area became the washing area. The new sauna lounge, which also doubles as a dressing room, was once empty space.
Because the stove would now be heated from a different direction, it had to be rotated. Päivi’s father managed to do this without moving the chimney. As a result, he built a new brick wall behind it.
The old dressing room floor was flat, but once it became a sauna, it needed a slope for drainage. The floor had to be re-poured.
After the sauna floor dried, Päivi’s father waterproofed and tiled it. He added insulation and aluminum foil to the walls and ceiling, then fastened battens and finally the wood paneling. He finished the surfaces with a clear sauna protectant.
The washroom is also newly upgraded, as Päivi’s father tiled both its walls and floor.
There was also a large main room in the building that got a complete overhaul. In addition to the walls, the ceiling and floor were renewed. The person handling the ceiling work installed new paneling and finished it with panel varnish.
Practicality was improved by adding a sleeping loft. There was enough free space above the sauna and washroom that they decided to build a cozy loft area.
While renovations continued, Päivi and Petri also worked on the yard. They had trees cut down and cleared out overgrown meadows near the sauna building. They brought in gravel and spread it over landscaping fabric. Where they planned terraces, they placed concrete block pillars on the gravel. Finally, their renovation lead attached pressure-treated deck boards by screwing them onto the frame.
The sauna building became both more beautiful and much more functional thanks to the renovation. The spaces were made practical by rearranging the rooms and doors, and by removing one of the old exterior doors.
A shelter was built to protect the terrace area, completing its polished look. The support beams for this shelter were installed on the load-bearing rafters before the terrace was constructed, and horizontal battens were attached before the roofing went on.
Finally, the sauna building was finished on the outside too. New paneling was installed on the exterior walls and painted with a red ocher-toned exterior paint.
The Laamanens’ renovation experiences
- Our budget was about €10,000. The biggest expense was lumber, which cost €5,000. The second-largest expense was the €2,500 hot tub.
- What surprised us most was how tilted the wall was between the sauna, the washroom, and the main room. It required a lot of extra work.
- Good helpers made it easier to keep everything on track.
- The concrete floor took five weeks to dry and slowed things down.
- We learned how to install paneling and use a circular saw, along with other construction machinery.
- We’d encourage everyone to hold on to their dreams and make them happen. If you want to do things yourself, never hesitate to ask professionals for help and advice.
