sauna build

What a Permit Actually Cost Me for My Backyard Sauna

By Laura B. · Seattle, WA · Mild, wet winters climate

$3,600.00
Total cost
10
Days to build

The Build

My city required a permit since the sauna counted as an accessory structure over a certain square footage, plus a separate electrical permit for the dedicated circuit. Permit fees and the required inspection added a few hundred dollars and about two weeks of waiting versus just building it.

Genuinely worth checking your local rules before you buy — a neighbor of mine had to modify his after the fact when code enforcement flagged it, which cost him far more than a permit would have.

Materials List

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