Who We Are

Places of permanence in a world of constant flux

The Sandhill Saunaworks is a Michigan based design + build + saunaworks company founded in 2016. We focus on building custom, Finnish style saunas. 

The Sandhill Saunaworks takes its name from the glacial erratics deposited throughout Southeast Michigan 12,000 years ago. As the glaciers retreated, they left behind immense repositories of sand, gravel, and rocks carried from vast distances. These sandhills represent a gathering point, and also an elevated viewing space to take in adjoining marshes, fens, and hardwood forests. We think of our saunas in the same way: as places of retreat, gathering, and perspective. 

Our comprehensive design approach and high quality craftsmanship help our clients find wellness and relaxation in their saunas. We use the best Nordic heaters available. Our finishing woods are sustainably harvested and FSC, Nordic Swan, and PEFC certified. We focus on creating sauna spaces that, like the land around us, might have a lasting impact for decades more.

Why Choose The Sandhill?

Experience

We have been building custom saunas for over a dozen years. Over this time we have honed our system and craft. We understand how and what makes them work.

Craft

We focus on craftsmanship, having spent over two decades as a carpenter. Our saunas are built with details in mind. We sweat the small stuff.

Quality

From using the best in thermally modified woods, to the best performing stoves and heaters, to state of the art lighting, we understand and know what products work in a sauna, and we know how to install them for peak performance.

Data-Driven

We pull from a long and proven history of Nordic sauna design to build our saunas, We also use modern technology to make sure tradition and performance intersect. We collect data on temperature, humidity, and CO2 in our saunas to maximize your experience. 

Trust

Like any project in your house, you need to trust the craftsmanship and quality of the work performed. We have a long and solid history of exceeding client’s expectations.

Design-Forward

Our background in design heavily informs our builds. We understand the importance good design can have on experience. We don’t build you a cedar box, we curate an experience, a place you can rejuvenate and relax.

our process

2. DESIGN

Our entire process is done in-house, and that means the construction of the sauna too. We are on site shaping and crafting the design into reality. Our build process is derived from the best and most innovative industry standards, which is a fancy way of saying we pay attention to the details. We focus on crafting your sauna like we would any house, focusing on waterproofing details and ventilation performance. But above all, we dedicate ourselves to excellent craftsmanship. 

The first step in the build process is the most exciting. We will schedule several meetings to explore your future sauna space as well as create a layout and review materials. We focus on making a space that will work for you and your family. During this phase we will also create a detailed budget for the project.

4. Performance

Just because the sauna is done, doesn’t mean our work is. We visit your sauna several times once it is complete to collect data about its performance, such as temperature stratification, humidity levels, and CO2 monitoring. We want to make sure your sauna is performing to its best and we believe a data-driven approach makes for the best experience.

1. Consultation

3. Construction

The first step is meeting you and exploring your space. We want to know what you are looking for and how you plan on using your future sauna. We also take this opportunity to locate your sauna, finding a space which fits your needs and budget. The initial consultation is completely free, and focused on creating a conversation about what we do and how we can help build your vision. 

Benjamin

PRINCIPAL, LICENSED CONTRACTOR, MASTER CARPENTER

Benjamin has been working on houses for over 20 years. His passion lies in working with good materials and implementing best building practices. He founded The Sandhill Saunaworks in 2016, with the goal of building custom saunas and other spaces we turn to for escape, relaxation, and rejuvenation.. He is the Lead Carpenter, onsite for the majority of a project making sure the vision becomes a reality. 

He was born and raised in Michigan, but has lived in California, Colorado, Maine, and Sweden where he cultivated a deep reverence for Scandinavian design and Bastu (Swedish for sauna, a shortening of the word Baststuga, or bath house). His background in the arts heavily informs his design process and his approach to building, believing good design speaks in narrative, that spaces and structures aren’t static. He holds a Bachelors and Masters of Fine Arts in Writing and has published a novel—which somewhere in the world—may still be in print.

vince

Project Manager, Designer

Vince brings a combination of design and technical expertise to every project. He holds Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Industrial Design and Sculpture, as well as having completed Washtenaw Community College’s residential HVAC program. He has worked as a footwear designer for Adidas in Portland, OR and spent time as a graphic designer at Pewabic Pottery in Detroit which fostered an appreciation for high quality hand-craftsmanship. Vince strives to create work that is simple, functional, and blends seamlessly with its environment.

Since joining the trades, Vince has worked as an HVAC technician and installer in Southeast Michigan. He focuses on mechanical performance and efficiency, making sure our saunas work as they should. .

Outside of work, Vince devotes as much time as possible to the mountains. This love informs and inspires his design, drawing him to natural material, simple palettes, and purposeful forms.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Cost varies by the type of sauna you are interested in. Our kit saunas start at about $8,000 and go up from there. A custom sauna, by its nature, costs more. Most interior saunas start at about $20,000 and go up from there. However, there is no set price for a custom sauna since the final price is determined by the client’s design choices.

  • Kit saunas are a prefabricated sauna which is built on site. We don’t recommend kit saunas lightly. We find most kit’s underperform for the client, leaving them with an unsatisfactory experience, and eventually abandonment. However, we do think the Squared Sauna by Thermory breaks this stigma. We love using Thermory’s products, not only for their quality and aesthetic appeal, but also for their proven longevity when exposed to nature. We also feel that the Thermory Squared Saunas can create a good Löyly, the cornerstone of any quality sauna experience. A kit sauna is best for those who are working with a limited budget, and have outdoor space for the sauna. 

    Custom saunas are just that, a custom designed and built sauna to fit your design wants and needs. We build our custom saunas to your specs, whether they are inside or outside. Unlike a kit sauna, every detail and material is chosen based on the clients wants. A custom sauna is unique, and built with the intention of seamlessly melding with your home. A custom sauna is best for those who demand an elevated sauna experience, and who prioritize daily sauna sessions.

  • We believe a sauna is as important as any other room in your house, and as such, it should be treated, and built, with similar care. Just look to Finland for this. In a country of 5 million people, they have over 3 million saunas! If not uncommon to find a sauna in even the simplest apartments. Pulling from this tradition, we too believe a custom sauna should be part of the whole house, and part of our collective living experience. 

    Our custom saunas spare no detail. They are built with the craftsmanship and quality of any other room in your house. Our custom saunas, whether located outside or inside, comply with all local and regional building codes and use industry standard best practices, the same as you would expect from any home build. A custom sauna is a serious investment, and we treat it as such. Custom saunas also often perform better than a kit sauna. Because our custom saunas are air sealed and insulated, and because we custom design a ventilation system for each sauna based on its overall design and performance needs, they operate better than kit saunas. Part of our built process includes a performance evaluation, in which we monitor the performance of your sauna once it is built, gathering data to help you get the most out of your space.

  • This can vary depending on the type of sauna you are building. A kit sauna can be built on site in 1-3 days. Our custom saunas take much longer. Interior saunas usually take us about 2 weeks, and exterior saunas can take up to 6 weeks. It all depends on the level of detail.

  • Kit Saunas: We are a proud retailer of Thermory Squared Kits, a kit we believe performs very well for the average sauna-goer. We offer services from only delivery to full installation and set up, as well as custom modification, such as custom benches and additional mechanical ventilation systems. We work closely with trusted subcontractors and can provide the required electrical services needed to run the sauna as well as site preparation. Reach out to see what specific services might work best for your location. 


    Custom Saunas: Our custom saunas are a full service build. We work with you to understand your wants and needs, create a detailed plan and, if needed, construction documents, and complete built services, including any electrical, and or plumbing requirements. 

A simple sauna manifesto

My first sauna was a rustic affair. It took place in Northern Wisconsin, several miles from the Brule River in flat, scrubby pine country where the earth is iron red. It’s the type of place you count deer by the dozen. Remote, quiet, brilliant. The winter was only beginning to wear off, snow clung to the shadows. At the edge of an old horse pasture a chimney puffed from a log cabin— old, weathered white, and capped by a sloped metal roof. The night was clear as glass.

Inside the sauna warmed. The cedar benches, worn smooth from years of use, rose against the walls in rings.. The whole thing was new to me—the ritual, the etiquette—but most of all the heat. Within minutes it had penetrated my core and everything I had ever stewed on or clung to vanished. There was nothing but the sweat, the howl of the wind, and the crackle of logs heating river rock. I paused for a break, stepping out into the night. Steam rolled off my body, the cold winter air meant nothing. The world vanished. 

I set to build my first sauna weeks later. I had been in the trades for well over a decade, but I hadn’t built a sauna before. It was as foreign as the place—Finland—of its origin. But I gathered cedar tongue and groove, insulation, and chimney pipe. My wife and I drove on our honeymoon to northern Wisconsin to buy a Finnish sauna stove. Then I set about squaring and sawing and nailing the thing together. That first iteration is long gone, having been built and rebuilt many times as we worked to refine the structure, but the practice remains. Since then there has hardly been a week I haven’t sat in a sauna. 

And then I had the idea, why not build these for other people? I had framed houses and remodeled homes and done work in many trades, but there seemed few builders who specialized (at least in our area) in saunas. So I gave it a go. That was nearly a decade ago. Today, I’ve been fortunate enough to have built many saunas, from the rustic to the luxurious. 

All these years later I have come to see the value of the sauna like those who have it embedded in their culture. It’s a place to relax, unwind, and rejuvenate. But it’s also a place of conversation and intimacy, a place impervious to the technical world which saturates our lives. It’s organic and human and quiet. 

I think of saunas as more than a hot room. A cookie cutter box tucked in some remote corner of a yard or corner of a basement. We see saunas as an integral part of your home, as valuable as any bathroom or kitchen or bedroom. Whether they are built within your house or adjacent to, their value is the same. Our saunas are custom made, and built as your house was—with intention, precision, and dedication. We tailor them to your design preferences, we build them not to stand apart from your home, but to seamlessly integrate into them. 

After years of experience, we understand how to build a great sauna. Our custom saunas are built to withstand the elements. We use thermally modified woods and Finnish designed lighting. We source our heaters, and most importantly their stones, from Northern Europe. We integrate technology only to aid in the experience, using mechanical ventilation when needed. We monitor the air quality of your sauna after its construction to make sure it’s performing at its peak. But above all we design our saunas as a place of quiet.

And though it has been years since that first sauna in the northern woods of Wisconsin, I can still see a memory of fogged breath, the night sky flickering with each new heating. My skin still cools and pricks when I step into winter air. Behind me the sauna still smokes, as it has done for decades. Waiting to gift itself anew. 

—Benjamin