If you're starting a remote sauna design project, the first thing we need from you is measurements and photos of your space. This is the part that replaces an in-person site visit, and getting it right makes a big difference in how smoothly the design process goes.

The good news: you don't need any special skills or tools. A tape measure, your phone camera, and about 10-15 minutes will cover it. Here's exactly what to do.

What Tools You Need

Three things:

• A tape measure (25-foot is ideal, but anything works)
• Your phone camera
• Something to write on, or just text yourself the numbers as you go

That's it. You don't need a laser measure, a level, or architectural software. If you have a laser measure, great — they're faster for longer distances. But a standard tape measure is perfectly fine.

Measurements We Need for Indoor Conversions

If you're converting an existing room — a spare bathroom, a closet, a section of your garage, a basement corner — we need these dimensions:

The room itself:

• Length of each wall (measure at floor level)
• Width of the room
• Ceiling height (measure in at least two spots — older homes aren't always level)

Existing features:

• Location and size of any windows (width, height, and distance from floor)
• Location and swing direction of the existing door
• Any plumbing lines, vents, or fixtures in the room
• Ceiling joist direction and spacing, if visible (this matters for ventilation routing)

Electrical:

• Distance from the room to your electrical panel — this doesn't need to be exact, but within a few feet helps. Walk the path the wire would take, not straight-line distance.
• A photo of your electrical panel with the door open (we need to see if there's space for a new 240V, 40-50A breaker)

Climate context:

• If you know your home's existing wall insulation type and thickness, that helps. If not, we'll work with standard assumptions and spec accordingly.

Measurements We Need for Outdoor Builds

Outdoor saunas give you more flexibility on sizing, but the site itself creates constraints. Here's what we need:

The footprint:

• Measure the area where you want the sauna to sit. Length and width of the available space.
• Note any setback requirements you know about (distance from property lines, other structures). If you don't know your local setback rules, just give us the available space and we'll discuss.

Ground conditions:

• Is the site flat? If not, roughly how much does it slope across the footprint? A couple inches is nothing. A foot or more means we need to plan for it.
• What's the surface now? Dirt, gravel, concrete pad, deck, grass?

Overhead clearance:

• Anything above the build site? Tree branches, eaves, power lines? Measure the clearance if so.
• For standalone structures, we typically design with interior ceiling heights of 7.5 to 8 feet, which means the exterior structure will be 8.5-10 feet tall depending on roof style.

Electrical:

• Distance from the build site to your electrical panel. Again, measure the path the wire would take — through the wall, along the house, underground to the sauna location. A 240V dedicated circuit (40-50A for most 6-9 kW heaters) needs to be planned early.

Access:

• Can materials be delivered close to the build site? Or does everything need to be carried through a narrow side yard? This doesn't change the design, but it affects construction planning.

How to Take Useful Photos

Photos fill in the gaps that measurements can't. We use them to understand the space, spot potential issues, and make design decisions about layout and orientation.

Here's what to shoot:

For indoor spaces:

• Stand in each corner and photograph toward the opposite corner. Four corner shots give us a complete view of the room.
• One photo looking straight up at the ceiling. We need to see the ceiling surface, any light fixtures, vent openings, or exposed framing.
• One photo of the floor. We need to see the current surface and condition.
• Close-up of any existing features: windows, doors, plumbing stubs, electrical outlets, vents.
• Your electrical panel with the door open. Snap a photo of the breaker labels too if they're legible.

For outdoor spaces:

• Stand where the sauna will sit and photograph outward in each direction. This shows us the surroundings, any obstacles, and the view from the sauna.
• Stand 20-30 feet away and photograph the build site from multiple angles. This shows us how the sauna will relate to your house and yard.
• Close-up of the ground surface at the build location.
• The path from your electrical panel to the build site (even just a photo down the side of the house showing the route).
• Your electrical panel with the door open.

Photo tips:

• Daylight is better. Morning or afternoon light, not direct overhead noon sun.
• Landscape orientation. Wider shots are more useful than tall narrow ones.
• Don't worry about tidying up. We're looking at the space, not the stuff in it.
• If something seems like it might matter — a vent, a pipe, an odd bump in the wall — photograph it. We'd rather have too many photos than too few.

Common Measurement Mistakes

We've received thousands of measurement sets at this point. These are the mistakes that come up again and again:

Measuring the wrong wall. In an L-shaped space or a room with an alcove, people sometimes measure the longest dimension but miss the jog in the wall. Measure each wall segment individually and note which wall is which. A quick sketch on paper with dimensions labeled is worth a thousand words.

Forgetting ceiling height. This is the most commonly omitted measurement. People send length and width but not height. Ceiling height directly affects bench design (the upper bench should be 40-48 inches below the ceiling), heater sizing (1 kW per 45 cubic feet), and the overall thermal performance of the sauna. We can't design without it.

Not measuring to the electrical panel. Electrical is one of the biggest cost variables in a sauna project. A panel that's 20 feet away is a very different situation from one that's 150 feet away on the other side of the house. We need to know the distance early so we can factor it into the design and budget.

Not photographing the electrical panel. We need to see the panel itself. How many open breaker slots are there? Is it a 100-amp or 200-amp service? Is there room for a new 40-50A double-pole breaker? These questions determine whether you need a panel upgrade, which can add $1,000-2,000 to the project.

Assuming the space is square. Walls in real buildings aren't always parallel. Corners aren't always 90 degrees. In older homes especially, measure both ends of a wall — it might be 8 feet at one end and 7 feet 10 inches at the other. This matters for bench fitting and panel layout.

Ignoring what's above and below. For indoor conversions, what's above the ceiling? If it's an attic, ventilation routing is easy. If it's a finished room above, we need to plan differently. Similarly, what's below the floor? A concrete slab in a basement is different from a raised floor with a crawlspace.

What Not to Worry About

People sometimes overthink this part. Here's what you don't need to do:

• You don't need to produce drawings or sketches (though they're welcome if you have them)
• You don't need exact measurements to the quarter-inch — within an inch is fine for initial design
• You don't need to know your local building codes or permitting requirements — we'll help with that
• You don't need to know what heater size you need — that's our job
• You don't need to decide on wood species, bench style, or fixtures yet — that comes later in the design process

What Happens After You Send Everything

Once we have your measurements and photos, here's the process:

We review everything. We go through the photos and measurements to understand the space and flag any questions or concerns. This usually takes a day or two.

We ask follow-up questions. Almost every project has a few. Maybe we need a measurement you missed. Maybe a photo raises a question about existing framing or plumbing. These are quick — usually resolved over email or text.

We schedule a discovery call. A 30-45 minute video call where we talk through the design direction. We've already reviewed your space by this point, so the call is focused on goals, preferences, and design options rather than basic information gathering.

Design begins. From the discovery call, we have everything we need to start producing the design package — floor plans, bench layouts, ventilation diagrams, heater specs, material recommendations, and construction notes.

The measurement step is the foundation of the whole process. Spending 15 minutes being thorough here saves back-and-forth later and means we can start designing sooner.

Ready to Start?

If you're planning a sauna project and want to work with someone who does this every day, take a look at our remote sauna design service. We work with clients across the country, from Pacific Northwest rain to Florida humidity to Colorado altitude.

You can also check out our sauna design checklist to get a sense of everything that goes into a well-designed sauna. And when you're ready to discuss your project, head to our design page to get started.