Craig's Sauna & Cold Plunge
Sunroom-to-sauna retrofit, project proposal
OverviewProject Scope
This sunroom on the back of Craig's house is being converted into a full cedar sauna and cold plunge setup. It's currently an all-glass sunroom sitting over Craig's existing infrared sauna cabin, and the plan is to close in the walls and ceiling with insulated cedar tongue and groove, wire in an electric heater sized for the finished room, and build in a cold plunge with trapdoor style access. Exterior siding will be matched to the house so the outside reads the same as it does today, while the inside becomes a proper all-cedar sauna.
View 3D CAD Model Opens the live SolidWorks model in Autodesk Viewer, rotate/pan/zoom in your browser, no download or account neededBefore: Current Sunroom
After: Renders & Reference Photo
Proposed Sauna Lighting
The reference photo above (first slide in the render set) shows one way to light a cedar sauna without harsh direct glare: a low-voltage LED strip recessed into a routed reveal where the wall meets the ceiling, running the perimeter of the room, plus a second LED strip at floor level along the base of the wall. Both strips wash light across the cedar rather than pointing at anyone sitting on the bench. For Craig's room, the proposal is to mirror that approach: one continuous ceiling-line strip and one continuous floor-line strip, wired to a single switch, covered by the $350 electrical and lighting allowance in the materials list. Exact strip length and switch location will depend on final bench and door placement, so treat this as a starting point to confirm once framing is in.
Project Scope & Responsibilities
- Craig covers all hard material and hardware costs shown in this quote (materials, heater, and any add-ons selected).
- Lee provides all labor, engineering, and design work on this project at no charge. This build is a gift for a friend, not a billed job.
- Lee supplies his own tools and equipment for the build.
- Lee can pick up materials as needed.
- Lee covers his own travel and incidental expenses related to the project.
1Core materials
Cedar, insulation, vapor barriers, trim and framing already spec'd against your room's dimensions. Quantities are based on the current model and will be finalized before ordering. Full supplier links for each of these are on the Supplier Sourcing tab.
| Item | Qty | Unit Cost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Materials subtotal | |||
2Heater
All four run on a dedicated 240V circuit sized to the unit. Pick a starting point below, the total updates automatically. Click "View product" on any card to see it on the manufacturer/retailer's site. Rough electrician install estimate is shown separately and isn't included in the total, since it depends on your panel's distance from the sauna.
3Optional add-ons
Check the box to include either of these in your total. Click the product name to see it on the source site.
Sales tax estimated at Edmonds, WA's current combined rate, applied to materials, heater, and any checked add-ons (not to labor). Confirm the exact rate at dor.wa.gov before this quote is finalized.
Interior cedar (T&G paneling, trim)
Pricing in this quote now runs off Cedarbrook Sauna + Steam's real published rates instead of Superior Saunas (Minnesota). Cedarbrook is a sauna-specialty cedar supplier about 25 minutes from Edmonds, in business since 1971, and they cut paneling to your exact requested length rather than only selling fixed stock boards, so there's no cross-country freight on bulky lumber and no guessing at their pricing. The two additional local yards below are worth a call too, per Lee's plan to shop this around for a better price before ordering.
| Supplier | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Cedarbrook Sauna + Steam Local - Woodinville, ~25 min | Primary source used for this quote. Confirmed published pricing: 1/2"x4" T&G cedar paneling $18/sq ft (milled interlocking bundle), 1x3 S4S cedar board (bench tops, door trim) a flat $3.60/linear ft confirmed identical across every stock length 1ft-12ft, 1x1 S4S clear trim ~$1.29/linear ft. Sauna building is their core business. | cedarbrooksauna.com ↗ |
| Issaquah Lumber Local - Issaquah, ~25 mi | Custom mills paneling, ceilings, trim and flooring in-house; a customer review confirms they've sold 1x4 WRC T&G at this exact profile before. Worth a comparison quote. | (425) 392-3631, issaquahlumber.com ↗ |
| Wine Valley Siding Supply Local - Bothell, ~20 mi | Stocks Western Red Cedar including tongue and groove profiles, serves Seattle/Everett, delivers via their own boom trucks. | winevalleysiding.com ↗ |
Floor boards (plain, not duckboard)
Sourced from Superior Saunas specifically, not Cedarbrook, since Cedarbrook's plain (non-T&G) board sizes skip straight from 1x3 to 2x2 and don't include a plain 1x4. This is the original source used for this line before an earlier pass mistakenly substituted Cedarbrook's duckboard flooring kit (a raised, gapped grating system on hidden runner boards, never something Lee asked for) in its place.
| Supplier | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Saunas Price used in this quote | Western Red Cedar 1"x4", Surfaced 4 Sides, eased edges, true plain board (no tongue-and-groove, no gap/grating), actual size 11/16" x 3.5", $6.95/linear ft. Listed as a priced item on their cedar lumber page but not a standard "add to cart" checkout, call to confirm current stock before ordering. | superiorsaunas.com ↗ |
Exterior cedar shiplap siding (to match house)
Priced in this quote as raw board stock from Home Depot, rabbet-milled in-house rather than ordered pre-profiled. The three below remain the comparison path if a factory-milled finish is preferred instead.
| Supplier | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Home Depot National chain, price used in this quote | 3/4"x4"x12' rough cedar board, $19.24/board (San Luis Obispo pricing, confirm at a Puget Sound-area store before ordering, not stocked at every location). Raw square-edge stock, no shiplap rabbet cut in, needs milling in-house to the ~3.25" exposure target. 40 boards priced, each at the full 12ft length. | homedepot.com ↗ |
| Issaquah Lumber Local - Issaquah, ~25 mi | Custom mills 80% of what they sell in-house, can turn around non-stock profiles in a matter of days, delivered pre-profiled. Bring a sample board or photo for an exact quote. | (425) 392-3631, issaquahlumber.com ↗ |
| Wine Valley Siding Supply Local - Bothell, ~20 mi | Stocks Western Red Cedar T&G and shiplap siding, serves Seattle/Everett. | winevalleysiding.com ↗ |
| Sound Cedar Lumber Local - Mount Vernon, ~55 mi | Western Red Cedar specialist off I-5, convenient from Everett or Seattle. | soundcedar.com ↗ |
Gable louver vents
| Supplier | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Home Depot National chain, price used in this quote | Al's Millworks 16"x24" wood built-in screen gable louver vent w/ brickmould trim, $42.88 each, 2 needed. Wood species not specified by the manufacturer, likely paint-grade, may need staining/painting to match the cedar exterior. | homedepot.com ↗ |
Window blackout film (pre-insulation prep)
Temporary/removable static-cling film to black out the sunroom glass before it gets framed over with insulated cedar T&G.
| Supplier | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Kromapolis, price used in this quote | 17.5"x118.1" static cling blackout film, no adhesive residue, removable. $13.86/roll as a limited-time deal (typical price $18.99), 9 rolls needed. Reconfirm price before ordering since deal pricing can expire. | amazon.com ↗ |
Furring / nailer strips (interior air gap)
| Supplier | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Home Depot National chain | Confirmed match: 1"x2"x8' Premium Kiln-Dried Whitewood, Model 914584, actual 0.75"x1.5", untreated pine. $4.87/8ft length. | homedepot.com ↗ |
| Lowe's Local - Lynnwood / Everett | Lynnwood store (3100 196th St SW) and Everett store (2505 Pacific Ave) both stock comparable dimensional pine/whitewood boards. | lowes.com ↗ |
| Parr Lumber Local - Bothell, ~20 mi | Family-owned lumber yard since 1930, carries dimensional softwood. | 17617 15th Ave SE, Bothell, WA 98012 |
ROCKWOOL Comfortbatt insulation (R-15 walls, R-23 roof)
| Supplier | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Home Depot National chain | Confirmed models: RXCB351525 (R-15, 3.5"x15"x47") and RXCB551525 (R-23, 5.5"x15"x47"). Both sold by the single bag, not just by the pallet, buy only the 2 bags needed rather than a full pallet. | homedepot.com ↗ |
| Lowe's Local - Lynnwood / Everett | Carries the same Comfortbatt R-15 and R-23 SKUs (15.25"x47" batts). Worth a price check against Home Depot before ordering. | lowes.com ↗ |
| ROCKWOOL dealer locator Manufacturer | ROCKWOOL's own site can point to additional Puget Sound-area building supply distributors that stock Comfortbatt. | rockwool.com ↗ |
Vapor barrier (interior radiant foil)
Interior foil only. No exterior housewrap in this quote, the build doesn't touch the exterior wall assembly so there's no exposed exterior sheathing to wrap.
| Supplier | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Saunas Interior foil, national | Purpose-made sauna aluminum foil vapor barrier, 48" wide, sold by the roll: $59.95 for 250 sq ft or $89.95 for 500 sq ft. Price used in this quote: one of each roll size (750 sq ft, $149.90) rather than three 250 sq ft rolls ($179.85 for the same coverage). | superiorsaunas.com ↗ |
| The Sauna Place Interior foil, national | Alternate purpose-made sauna foil vapor barrier, Type C single-sided. | saunaplace.com ↗ |
Electric sauna heater
Switched heater sourcing to Cedarbrook Sauna + Steam (Woodinville, WA) so the heater ships or gets picked up alongside the cedar materials, one supplier, one trip, no separate national freight on a heavy item. All 9 options below are electric units verified direct from Cedarbrook's product pages on July 30, 2026; prices and specs can change, confirm before ordering. The Hive 15kW is a "just in case" oversized option, most rooms this size won't need it.
| Model | Price | Electrical service | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvia Cilindro 11kW Local - Woodinville, ~25 min | $1,323.00 | 240V - 43.75A load / 50A breaker / 6 AWG. Base price excludes controls. | cedarbrooksauna.com ↗ |
| Harvia Spirit 8kW Local - Woodinville, ~25 min | $1,595.00 | 240V, 1-phase - 33.3A load / 40A breaker / 8 AWG. Requires digital/WiFi control. | cedarbrooksauna.com ↗ |
| Harvia Club 12 Local - Woodinville, ~25 min | $1,670.00 | 240V or 208V, 1 or 3-phase - 52.7A load / 60A breaker / 4 AWG. 240V models need a load center. | cedarbrooksauna.com ↗ |
| Harvia Spirit 9kW Recommended | $1,930.00 | 240V, 1-phase - 37.7A load / 50A breaker / 8 AWG. Requires digital/WiFi control. | cedarbrooksauna.com ↗ |
| Harvia Virta 11kW Local - Woodinville, ~25 min | $1,960.00 | 240V - 52.5A load / 60A breaker / 8 AWG. | cedarbrooksauna.com ↗ |
| Harvia Club 10 Local - Woodinville, ~25 min | $2,315.00 | 240V or 208V, 1 or 3-phase - 41.7A load / 50A breaker / 6 AWG. 240V models need a load center. | cedarbrooksauna.com ↗ |
| HUUM Hive Mini 9kW Local - Woodinville, ~25 min | $2,657.00 | 240V - 37.5A load / 50A breaker / 8 AWG. Requires HUUM UKU control. | cedarbrooksauna.com ↗ |
| HUUM Hive Mini 10.5kW Local - Woodinville, ~25 min | $2,785.00 | 240V - 37.5A load / 50A breaker / 6 AWG. Requires HUUM UKU control. | cedarbrooksauna.com ↗ |
| HUUM Hive 15kW The big boy, just in case | $3,088.00 | 240V - 62.5A load / 50A+50A dual breaker / 8 AWG x2. Requires HUUM UKU Ext Box control. Biggest coverage in the lineup (530-1,050 cu ft). | cedarbrooksauna.com ↗ |
Cold plunge
Same Desert Plunge Wide Grizzly 450 unit, available direct or through two marketplace resellers.
| Supplier | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Desert Plunge (direct) Phoenix, AZ warehouse | $3,348.00 as of July 30, 2026 (promotional pricing, ends 7/31, regular price $3,798.00), plus $260 flat-rate shipping to WA. Price used in this quote is $3,608.00, unit and shipping combined. | desertplunge.com ↗ |
| Truemed Marketplace reseller | Same product, HSA/FSA eligible purchase path if that matters for Craig. | truemed.com ↗ |
| Stridekick Marketplace reseller | Same product, alternate checkout path. | stridekick.com ↗ |
Sauna-rated TV
| Supplier | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Parallel AV National | Current pitch to Craig. IPX4, heat tested to 175°F continuous, Google TV. $1,199.99-$3,999.99 depending on size/finish. | parallelav.com ↗ |
| AVEL National | Competing waterproof/marine-grade TV brand, worth a side-by-side comparison on price and heat rating before committing. | avel.co |
| SunBrite National | Well-known outdoor-rated TV brand. Caveat: built for weatherproofing, not confirmed to the same sauna heat spec as Parallel AV/AVEL, worth double-checking before use here. | sunbritetv.com |