Fitting a sauna on a built-out Edina lot
Edina is a first-ring suburb, and nearly all of it is developed. That shows up in the back yard. Between the garage, the patio and a few big trees, the open ground that is left is often a strip along the back fence. Our 6x8 Kota goes where an 8x12 will not. It seats four to six and takes up about as much ground as a garden shed.
Close neighbors also steer the heater choice. An electric heater makes no smoke and comes on with a switch, which is usually the easier fit on a city lot. We think about sight lines too. The window should face your own yard, and the door should not open toward the neighbor's deck.
Country Club, Indian Hills and Parkwood Knolls
Edina's neighborhoods are not all alike. The Country Club District is a historic district on the National Register, and the city has a heritage preservation review for certain work there. If you live in the district, ask the Planning Division whether a detached sauna needs that review before you order anything.
On the west side, Indian Hills wraps around Arrowhead Lake and Indianhead Lake, and Parkwood Knolls sits just north of it. A yard near either lake, or one that backs onto a pond, raises shoreland questions that only the city can answer.
Yards along Minnehaha Creek and Nine Mile Creek
Two creeks cross Edina: Minnehaha Creek and Nine Mile Creek. Lots that back onto either one, or onto water such as Lake Cornelia or Melody Lake, can have floodplain or shoreland limits on where a building sits. That is a question for the Planning Division, and it is worth asking before you fall for a spot near the water.
Low ground by a creek also tends to stay wet in spring, so we look at drainage when we choose the pad location.
Which sauna fits a Edina lot
The 6x8 Kota is the model we suggest first for a tight Edina yard. Where the lot allows it, the 8x12 Tuli is still our most popular model and seats six to eight. The 8x16 Superior needs more open ground than many Edina yards have, and a Custom build is the answer when the only available spot has an odd shape.
More on how we build them: custom outdoor saunas. What they cost: pricing.
Delivery and site prep in Edina
A finished sauna has to get from the street to the back yard, and in Edina that usually means past a fence and under mature trees. An electric heater needs power at the pad, which we coordinate with your electrician. We look at access during the site visit and plan the set around it.
Edina's Planning Division is the place to ask how a detached sauna is treated on your lot, including creek, pond and historic district questions. We do not quote the city's rules for it.
We can also handle the site work: the gravel pad or piers, the electrical trench and hookup, and building on site where a finished sauna will not fit through. The full rundown is on our site work, delivery and installation page.
Around Edina
- Country Club District
- Morningside
- Indian Hills
- Parkwood Knolls
- Arrowhead Lake
- Indianhead Lake
- Lake Cornelia
- Melody Lake
Questions from Edina
Saunas in Edina, answered
Is there room for a sauna in a typical Edina back yard?
In most cases, yes. Our 6x8 Kota seats four to six and fits where an 8x12 will not. How close it can sit to a lot line or another building is the city's call, so check with Edina's Planning Division first. After that we measure your yard and tell you plainly which model fits and which does not.
How do you get a finished sauna into a fenced Edina back yard?
We work that out in person before you order. On the site visit we measure the gate and the side yard and check for low branches and overhead wires. You will know the route, and anything that has to move, before delivery is scheduled.
My neighbors are close. Should I avoid a wood-fired sauna in Edina?
We usually suggest electric on a close city lot. There is no smoke to drift next door, and the heat comes on with a switch. Wood-fired is still possible where you have space around the sauna, and the city can tell you about any rules on wood smoke. We build both with IKI heaters and will give you a straight opinion once we see the yard.
Have you built a sauna in Edina?
Not in Edina yet. Our nearest finished build is in Minnetonka, the next city west, and we have also built in Plymouth and Chanhassen. Photos of each are on our projects page. Edina is 35 to 40 minutes from our shop in St. Bonifacius, and we come out to measure the yard before you order.
Nearby
We also build for Eden Prairie and Minnetonka. See everywhere we work, or the project map.