Acreage around Hamel Road and County Road 24
Much of Medina is zoned rural residential, and multi-acre properties are still common north of Hamel Road and along County Road 24. On a lot like that a sauna can sit well away from the house, at the edge of the woods or beside a pond, wherever the walk and the view are best.
Acreage is also where a wood-fired sauna fits best. There is room for a woodpile, and smoke has somewhere to go besides a neighbor's patio.
The tradeoffs are practical. A spot far from the house is a longer walk in January and a longer trench for power. If the property is on a well and a septic system, we need to know where the tank and drainfield are before we choose a route in. A long gravel driveway deserves a look too before a delivery goes down it.
Hamel and the neighborhoods off Highway 55
The east side of Medina is a different picture. Hamel is the old village center on Highway 55, and subdivisions such as Wild Meadows and Foxberry Farms sit nearby. Lots there are closer to suburban in size, and a neighborhood like that may have covenants or an association. The first call is to whoever enforces them. Ask what they need to see for a detached building before you pick a model.
Lake Independence, Baker Park Reserve and Medina's small lakes
On the west side, Medina reaches Lake Independence, where Baker Park Reserve and the Independence Beach neighborhood both sit. Smaller lakes such as Holy Name, Spurzem, Peter and School are spread through the rest of the city.
A sauna near any of them may fall under shoreland rules. Ask the city where a building can go before you plan around the water view.
Which sauna fits a Medina lot
Acreage gives you room for our 8x16 Superior, which seats eight or more, or a Custom layout with a changing room and a covered porch. In the neighborhoods around Hamel, the 8x12 Tuli is the more likely fit, with the 6x8 Kota for a smaller yard.
More on how we build them: custom outdoor saunas. What they cost: pricing.
Delivery and site prep in Medina
On a rural Medina lot the route in is usually the driveway and then open ground, so soft soil, septic locations and low branches matter more than gates. Power for an electric heater may be a long run from the house, and we coordinate that with your electrician early. We look at access during the site visit and plan the set around it.
Medina's planning and zoning staff at City Hall can tell you how a detached sauna is treated in your zoning district, and whether shoreland rules apply if you are near Lake Independence or one of the smaller lakes.
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 Medina
- Hamel
- Lake Independence
- Independence Beach
- Holy Name Lake
- Spurzem Lake
- Peter Lake
- School Lake
- Wild Meadows
- Foxberry Farms
Questions from Medina
Saunas in Medina, answered
We have several acres in Medina. Is a wood-fired sauna the right call?
On acreage, wood-fired is often the better fit. You have room for a woodpile and no close neighbors downwind, and the heat does not depend on a long electrical run from the house. We build wood-fired saunas with IKI stoves. If you would rather flip a switch than tend a fire, we build the same saunas with IKI electric heaters.
How far from the house can the sauna sit on a large Medina lot?
As far as you are willing to walk in January. The practical limits are the path you will shovel and, for an electric heater, the distance your electrician has to run power. We usually suggest a spot you can see from the house. We walk the property with you and mark a few options before you decide.
Have you built a sauna in Medina?
Not in Medina yet. Our nearest finished builds are next door in Plymouth and in Minnetrista, Mound and Minnetonka. Medina is about half an hour north of our shop in St. Bonifacius, so walking your property with you before you choose a model is an easy trip.
Our Medina neighborhood has covenants. What should we check before ordering a sauna?
Read the covenants for anything about detached buildings, including size, height, exterior materials and where on the lot they can sit. If an association or architectural committee reviews projects, ask what it needs from you. We can give you the dimensions and exterior details of the model you want, so the review is based on the real building.
Nearby
We also build for Orono and Plymouth. See everywhere we work, or the project map.