← Back to context

Comment by KellyCriterion

5 hours ago

Is it true that new houses are constructed/architectured as "sauna first" and then everything else is planned around the sauna?

or is that just an urban legend claim?

9 comments

KellyCriterion

Reply
silvertaza  3 hours ago

Not around the sauna per se, but sauna is often built first because it serves as a place to live while you're building the house!

  • mesrik  3 hours ago

    Yes, that it was especially rural environments and not having much options otherwise to live around while building.

    Sauna that was built then wasn't just one hot room, but it also had at minimum small changing room dressing/undressing, relaxing between turns in steam room. Also if it was first building made then adding also lounge which served as living space with beds and cooking stove while building house was common. With sauna you had place to stay warm first winter, able to get warm water, wash clothes, yourselves and even a give birth old times. Building sauna first made lot of sense.

    These days sauna for home builders is more about getting sauna somewhere in that floorplan where works well for the intended users of that house.

  • fsckboy  3 hours ago

    >sauna is often built first because it serves as a place to live while you're building the house

    wouldn't a kitchen accomplish that goal better?

jedberg  3 hours ago

I have no idea if that claim is true, but what I did love about visiting Finland was the even the small apartment I rented had a sauna in it! It seems like it's a non-negotiable for even the smallest accommodations.

ascii0eks84  5 hours ago

While it's true something like 90% of the accomodation have a sauna it's not like everything is planned around it. It's more like that it's the ONLY well soundproofed space, with nice atmosphere, that makes life enjoyable when your neighbors suck.