More woods than lakeshore
Despite the name, only the eastern tip of Lake Minnetonka is inside the city: Grays Bay, where Minnehaha Creek leaves the lake, and Libbs Lake beside it. The rest of Minnetonka is tree-covered neighborhoods around smaller water, including Glen Lake, Shady Oak Lake, Lone Lake, Lake Rose and Wing Lake, with the creek winding past Minnetonka Mills.
That shapes sauna projects here more than shoreline does. The city treats trees and woodlands as part of its identity and has ordinances covering trees, steep slopes, wetlands and floodplains. So the usual questions are which trees stay and what route a finished sauna can take into the yard without tearing it up.
The Tuli we built in a Minnetonka backyard
Our Minnetonka project sits under a canopy of mature trees. The exterior is dark vertical siding with a warm cedar soffit, recessed lighting and a natural wood entry door. Inside, tongue-and-groove cedar covers the walls, ceiling, floor and benches. The benches are tiered, and a large picture window keeps the room from feeling closed in.
Heat comes from an IKI electric heater. We chose it for soft, even heat and good steam without a fire to manage. The Tuli is 8x12 and seats 6 to 8: enough for a solo session after work and enough when friends come over.
Four watershed districts in one city
Minnetonka is divided among four watershed organizations: Minnehaha Creek, Nine Mile Creek, Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek and Bassett Creek. Which one covers your lot depends on where in the city you live.
It only matters if your sauna would sit near a wetland, creek or lake. The city's planning staff can tell you quickly whether it does, and which district to talk to if so.
Which sauna fits a Minnetonka lot
The Tuli (8x12, 6 to 8 bathers) is the model we built in Minnetonka and the one that suits most wooded backyards here. Where trees or wetland edges squeeze the buildable spot, the Kota (6x8, 4 to 6 bathers) fits a smaller clearing. Larger lots can take the Superior (8x16, 8 or more bathers), and a Custom build handles a site that needs its own answer.
More on how we build them: custom outdoor saunas. What they cost: pricing.
Delivery and site prep in Minnetonka
Tree cover is the main delivery question in Minnetonka: limbs over the driveway and trunks along the route. We look at access during the site visit and plan the set around it. The sauna needs a level, solid base, and an electric heater needs a circuit run by an electrician, which we help coordinate.
Ask the City of Minnetonka's Community Development Department; its planning division handles zoning, wetland and shoreland questions. Depending on your address, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District or one of three other watershed organizations may also be involved near water, and the city can tell you which.
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 Minnetonka
- Grays Bay
- Libbs Lake
- Minnetonka Mills
- Minnehaha Creek
- Glen Lake
- Shady Oak Lake
- Lone Lake
- Lake Rose
- Wing Lake
A build in Minnetonka
Questions from Minnetonka
Saunas in Minnetonka, answered
Have you built a sauna in Minnetonka?
Yes. We built a Tuli in a Minnetonka backyard, set under mature trees. It has dark vertical siding, a cedar soffit with recessed lighting, and tongue-and-groove cedar on the walls, ceiling, floor and benches. Heat comes from an IKI electric heater, and a large picture window brings in daylight. Photos are on our projects page.
Can a sauna go into a wooded Minnetonka yard without taking down trees?
Often, yes. Our Minnetonka Tuli sits under a canopy of mature trees. What decides it is the route in, since the sauna arrives finished and needs a clear path to its base. Minnetonka also has a tree protection ordinance, so ask the city's Community Development Department before removing anything. We look at access during the site visit and plan around the trees.
Can I put a sauna near Minnehaha Creek or a wetland on my Minnetonka lot?
Possibly, but check first. Minnetonka regulates building near creeks, lakes, wetlands and floodplains, and one of four watershed organizations may also be involved depending on your address. The city's planning staff can tell you what applies to your lot. Once you know the limits, we fit the sauna's size and position to them.
Does a backyard sauna in Minnetonka get used in January?
That is what it is built for. Our saunas are made for year-round use in Minnesota, and the Minnetonka Tuli runs an IKI electric heater that gives soft, even heat and good steam without a fire to manage. Keep the path from the house short and shoveled, and winter is likely to be the season you use it most.
Nearby
We also build for Wayzata, Deephaven, Chanhassen, Edina, Eden Prairie and Plymouth. See everywhere we work, or the project map.