Sauna in the garden
A sauna in the garden, without a building project.
The permit question
Do you need a permit?
The difference is permanent or temporary. A fixed sauna, a garden house with a sauna cabin or a sauna barrel on a foundation counts as a structure. In many municipalities that needs a building permit (an omgevingsvergunning in Dutch), and sometimes also permission from the owners' association or an aesthetics review.
A sauna tent you put up and take down again. No foundation is involved and nothing stays behind. That is why, as a rule, it does not fall under the permit requirement, just like a party tent or an ordinary tent in your garden does not.
That is the main rule, but municipalities may set their own, certainly in protected town and village centres or at listed buildings. One phone call to your municipality's permit desk takes five minutes and gives you certainty.
This is general information and not legal advice. Rules differ per municipality and can change. During dry spells a temporary fire ban often applies as well. More on this in our article about permits.
The right spot
Four things the spot must have.
Flat and stable
The tent stands on 180 × 180 cm. Find a flat area where the stove cannot tip over. Tiles or paving stones are ideal, short grass works too.
Non-flammable under the stove
The stove stands on a fireproof mat. On a wooden deck, artificial grass or bark mulch there should always be a non-flammable plate under that as well.
Nothing above the chimney
No overhanging branches, no roof overhang, no awning. The chimney must be able to vent freely upwards.
Room to walk
Keep at least half a metre free all around, so you can safely walk around the tent while firing and nothing touches the hot chimney.
All year round
In winter it is at its best.
A sauna in the garden is not a summer thing. The contrast between a hundred degrees inside and four degrees outside is exactly what it is about, and that works better in November than in July.
Because no water supply or electrics are involved, there is nothing that can freeze either. You fire it up, you use it, and then it goes back in the shed.
- Up to 100°C, even in frost
- Tested in Dutch rain and wind
- No plumbing that can freeze
- Fold up after use and store dry
And the neighbours
Smoke is the only thing anyone could mind.
A sauna tent makes no noise and is only up for a few hours. The only thing the neighbours notice is the smoke from the chimney, and that does not have to be a problem as long as you burn dry wood. Wet or treated wood is what causes stink and thick smoke.
Before you set it up, look which way the smoke blows. Straight at an open bedroom window or a terrace where someone is eating is asking for trouble. Moving it a few metres usually solves that completely.
And the simplest thing that works: tell them you are going to fire up. Most people mostly find it interesting, and some want to join in once afterwards.
One more thing
Questions about a sauna in the garden
Put it in your garden this weekend.
Complete from €1,349, at your door within 5 working days. No contractor, no foundation.