Questions we’re asked

Saunas range from $45,000 to $90,000 + GST. Size, interior timber, cladding and site access have the most effect on the price, and the site visit confirms your final figure.

Every Heritage sauna is designed for the property it sits on. We start with your site and how you’d like to use the sauna, and design from there.

A 5% deposit covers design. Once the design is approved and the proposal signed, 50% is due to order materials and start the build. The remaining 45% is due on completion, when the sauna is built and working on your property.

From a signed proposal to handover takes 10 to 16 weeks. Builds are scheduled in the order proposals are signed.

Yes, during the weeks before fabrication begins. Changes after that point affect materials already ordered and cut, so they may add cost and time, and some changes may not be possible.

Yes. We build for hotels, lodges and commercial spaces as well as private homes. Architects, builders and designers can apply for trade terms.

Yes. The site visit is free anywhere in New Zealand.

Not at the moment.

We’re the official New Zealand distributor of HUUM and specify HUUM heaters as standard. If you’d prefer another brand, we’ll fit it.

Both are available, and the choice follows how you’ll use the sauna. At a main home, people often choose electric, since it can be started from an app on their phone. At a holiday home, many prefer a wood-burning heater for the soft light of the flame and the sound of the wood. An electric heater is wired and commissioned by a registered electrician, while a wood-fired heater needs no wiring apart from lighting.

It depends on your site and what you’d like. We choose the structure and materials to suit the setting and match your home, so a coastal garden sauna and an alpine one may be built quite differently.

Yes. We build indoor and outdoor saunas. Indoors, the design works around the constraints of the building. Outdoors, we like a bench long enough to lie down on, so the interior sits at around 2100 x 1800 mm, with the depth adjusted to suit the site.

An outdoor shower, a cold plunge, a changing room, a deck, lighting and glazing can all be designed in.

A single-storey detached building under 10 m² doesn’t need building consent under Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004. Between 10 and 30 m², it must sit at least one metre from the boundary and be built by a licensed builder, which we are. An outdoor shower fed from an existing hose tap doesn’t need consent either.

A slope is rarely a problem, and we often use screw piles on tricky ground. An existing deck may need structural upgrades first, and on a roof terrace we review the building’s plans with our architect to confirm it can carry the load.

The timbers we use are naturally durable and never need refinishing. A gentle wipe with a soft cloth and water is enough, with a mild detergent if needed. Please don’t sand the timber: it’s finished with a blade in our workshop, and sanding opens the fibres so moisture gets in far more easily.

Each sauna carries a 5-year warranty on manufacturing defects from the date of installation. HUUM heaters carry a 1-year warranty through us, then HUUM’s own warranty: 3 years for private use, 1 year for commercial. Your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 apply in addition.

Contact us at info@heritagesaunas.co.nz and we’ll work through it with you, alongside the electrician who installed your heater. We handle all HUUM warranty claims directly.