Only 30 meters to a summer retreat! This family built a backyard sauna where all the stress of the week melts away
The Sundman family’s weekend ritual is relaxing in their own lakeside sauna. The habitable sauna cottage was built by the father and is a place for the whole family to unwind.
As the week comes to an end and Friday evening approaches, the Sundman family from Kuopio, Finland, strolls across their yard in bathrobes to the sauna cottage by a small pond. Herding his pack, their dog Luca romps along.
Looking back over the week, the mother of the family, Essi, has been putting in long hours as CEO of the company Lasilinkki, while the father Walter has focused on his work as an autopsy coordinator at Kuopio University Hospital. Oliver and Rasmus have learned new things at daycare and preschool, and in the evenings, Walter and Essi have taken turns driving them to soccer and motocross practice. Their days have been full of hustle and bustle.
The stylish sauna cottage with terraces, built by Walter, serves as the family’s summer retreat right in their own yard. It’s a place to relax, cook together, play board games, enjoy the sauna, and sleep off the week’s pressures.
Ten years ago, on the site of the current cottage stood an old, dilapidated sauna, which Walter initially tried to renovate. In the end, the Sundmans decided to demolish it because the structures were rotten. It lacked running water, and washing water had to be carried from the pond. Initially, they planned a small barrel sauna for the spot.
“When we realized that the building had to be connected to municipal services anyway, that affected our plans. Our ambitions grew as the project went on, and we decided to build a habitable sauna cottage where we could spend time as a family,” the couple says.
Even though it’s only 30 meters from the family’s house to the sauna cottage, it feels like going to a summer getaway.
A cozy sauna was the most important thing for Essi and Walter from the start. They also wanted a spacious living area and large terrace areas. An architect friend of theirs drew up the sauna cottage. They were allowed to build it so close to the scenic shore of the pond Neulalampi since the previous sauna had already been on the same spot. Walter built the sauna cottage himself over one winter with help from friends.
The marshy soil on the shore of Neulalampi in Kuopio was so soft that they had to excavate a substantial amount of muddy earth. It was replaced with gravel, and pilings were used for the foundations. Larch was used for the sauna cottage’s exterior cladding, terraces, sauna benches, and interior ceiling of the sauna room. Outdoors, it weathers into a beautiful gray over time without needing any surface treatment. Only in the sauna was the wood coated with a wax meant for saunas. The cottage also has a large plank table made of larch by Walter.
Large windows enhance the brightness of the spacious living area.
The Sundmans envisioned together what their sauna cottage would look like. Natural materials like stone and wood, as well as glass defined the style. They had help from an interior designer who created plans based on the Sundmans’ wishes. The kitchen has everything necessary, including appliances.
The versatile sauna cottage has also been used as a party venue and guesthouse. For instance, Oliver’s and Rasmus’s christenings were celebrated there. Friends who stay overnight can sleep in peace, even if the Sundmans wake up early in the main house.
“A couple of our friends have even stayed there for longer periods during life phases when they’ve needed temporary housing.”
As soon as Walter got the building practically finished in spring 2012, the white sauna stones were heated up and the family took their first sauna.
“I was immediately surprised by how gentle the heat was. If you have the patience to heat the stove longer, you can get a sharper heat as well,” Walter says.
While the sauna warms up, the Sundmans lounge around or play chess or Uno. In the sauna, the boys like to draw with their fingers on the windows fogged by steam. The parents occasionally dip into Neulalampi, or if it’s winter, they go ice swimming. Sauna evenings are important for their relationship.
“In the sauna, Walter and I talk through work matters, or talk about raising children, for example.”
Alone time on the sauna benches is important for Essi.
The hot tub on the terrace is used in fall. Sauna evenings always include orange soda and campfire sausages, just like in Essi’s childhood.
When the men of the family are already heading back to the house, Essi often stays in the sauna. In the late hours of the evening, she can sit there in peace without glancing at work messages or fielding her lively sons’ endless questions. Personal time is a rare treat for Essi. That’s when she reflects on life and her dreams—or she tries not to think about anything at all.
“Every once in a while, I get the thought that there’s more to me than just being the mother to my children. I’m turning 40 soon and I’m pondering my dreams. I’m very happy with my life, but I would like to reduce my workload.”
After the sauna, sleep comes easily, and the whole family fits snugly on the large loft to spend the night. Even Luca, with his herding instincts, dares to drift off when his pack is together again.
