By Karina Jacobsen
Is the prohibitive costs of a contractor dissuading you from installing a sauna in your home ? Now you can install one at half the price. Get yourself a sauna kit or a pre-built sauna.
In fact, installing a sauna kit or a pre-built sauna is really a easy job. If you have proficiency in handling some basic tools, this should not pose any problem for you. The pre-built saunas are even easier than a kit – you simply assemble it with the help of an Allen key.
What's the Difference?
In a sauna kit, there are some simple precut pieces which have to e put together with the help of some tools. The pre-sauna is even easier since it contains two or three large pieces which have to be assembled to get the sauna ready for use.
Since in the pre-built sauna, all the assembly has been previously done, the cost of this is slightly higher than a sauna kit of the same size. This extra cost is nothing compared to the time you save in assembling the kit. The pre-built saunas can be set up in less than an hour.
Sauna Kits
Sauna kits require some levels of skill in handling tools. It is cheaper than if you were to install a sauna from the beginning. It also saves time. The wood and other materials are all pre-cut. So simply read the instructions and fit them together.
One of the biggest advantages of a sauna kit over pre-built saunas is that it can fit into any closet or a small room. The pre-built saunas are bigger in size and can not fit into existing places. Hence they are used as freestanding saunas.
Sauna kits come in all convenient shapes and sizes. You could even have a custom-built sauna kit to accommodate your sauna in the space available.
You have to provide the framework and electrical wiring, before you install a sauna kit. If you are thinking of converting a small room into a sauna, you have to take off the existing wall boards from the frames. After this, the frame work has to be insulated. A plastic vapor barrier needs to be installed over the insulation to restrict the vapor flow.
To install the sauna heater, you may require an electrician. Then the sauna kit is fitted onto the frame work and electrical connection is given to the heater. This could take a days work, of course everything depends on the size of the sauna and the time you can devote to the installation.
Prebuilt Saunas
Pre-built saunas, also called modular saunas are much easier to install. It contains two or three pieces which have to be connected together. It can be accommodated anywhere. The wiring and lighting are already pre-built. Some saunas carry the heater and other related accessories as well.
If you have decided to go for the pre-built saunas, make sure that the individual pieces can be taken through your doorways. Most companies marketing pre-built saunas specify the door sizes required to the pieces through comfortably.
One of the biggest advantages of the pre-built saunas is that they are portable. You may not like to carry it with you for your vacations, but if you ever decide to sell your house, you may easily dismantle it and take it along to your new home.
Likewise, a permanent sauna may increase the re-sale value of your home and the extra money can enable you to install a new sauna in your new home.
About the Author: Karina Jacobsen is a staff writer at Everything Spa and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Alternative Health Advisor.
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