Customer Build: A Kuuma BigBlu Powers an Owner-Built Lakeside Sauna
Some sauna builds are defined by a single feature. This one brings together an expansive cedar hot room, a 6-foot-by-8-foot window overlooking the water, an elevated lakeside setting, and one of the first Kuuma BigBlu wood-burning sauna stoves ever built.
Kean designed and constructed the sauna largely himself, but the project began long before the first wall was raised. Its roots trace back to a Finnish exchange student who lived with Kean’s family for a year—and to the family’s later visit to Finland, where they experienced sauna as part of everyday life.
That experience stayed with them. When it came time to build their own sauna, they did not think small.
A Sauna Inspired by Finland
Kean’s family in Finland initially encouraged them to use a Harvia wood-fired heater with an attached water tank. But the proposed hot room—approximately 12 feet by 12 feet with an 8-foot ceiling—quickly narrowed the field. Very few readily available wood-burning sauna stoves were designed for a room of that size, especially one with such a substantial glass surface.
During his research, Kean discovered Lamppa Manufacturing and the Kuuma BluFlame. The stove’s clean-burning design immediately appealed to the family, particularly because they wanted to be considerate of their neighbors.
There was only one problem: the Medium Kuuma BluFlame was not recommended for the size of the planned room. Kean called Garrett Lamppa to ask whether Kuuma offered anything larger. At the time, Lamppa Manufacturing was prototyping the Large Kuuma BluFlame—the stove now known as the Kuuma BigBlu.
“I called Garrett and asked if Lamppa offered a larger stove. He shared that they were prototyping the Large Kuuma BluFlame—BigBlu—and the rest is history.” |
An Ambitious Owner-Built Sauna
Construction began over Thanksgiving weekend in 2025. The full structure measures approximately 12 by 20 feet and includes a 12-by-12 hot room, an 8-by-8 cool room, a 4-by-8 covered porch, and an 8-by-20 deck.
The walls are framed with standard 2×6 construction and insulated with R-23 Rockwool. Inside, Western red cedar was installed with a clean nickel-gap detail. The sauna has 8-foot ceilings, a 4/12-pitch metal roof and a tapered tile floor over cement board using the “Ben Square” drainage method described in Glenn Auerbach’s Sauna Build book.
Kean works in software and does not come from the professional trades. He received professional help with the stone walkway and patio, exterior siding and chimney installation, but otherwise completed most of the project himself—with some timely assistance from his neighbors.
Raising the first wall became one of his favorite memories. Neighbors gathered to help lift it into place, creating what Kean described as an old-fashioned barn raising. Falling off the roof was also memorable, although for considerably different reasons.
A Wall of Glass Overlooking the Water
The room’s defining architectural feature is its 6-foot-by-8-foot tempered-glass window. The half-inch-thick panel weighs approximately 312 pounds and turns the view into part of the sauna experience.
A window that large naturally adds to the heating demand, but Kean reports that the BigBlu has no difficulty bringing the room to temperature. The thick glass also holds heat well. During sauna, the family manages humidity to prevent condensation from obscuring the view.
BigBlu Performance in a 12×12 Hot Room
The Kuuma BigBlu Banya Edition is surrounded by approximately 500 pounds of sauna rocks in this installation. Together, the substantial stove body and rock mass create the capacity required for the large room while giving the family control over both temperature and steam.
Despite the room’s size and large window, it is typically ready for sauna in about one hour to one hour and 15 minutes. The family currently enjoys temperatures around 150°F to 160°F with relatively light steam.
“It’s super gentle for 15-minute sauna and three-minute cold-plunge cycles.” |
Kean expects their preferred temperature may rise as the family becomes accustomed to the new sauna. For now, the combination of controlled heat, gentle steam and repeated cold-plunge cycles provides exactly the experience they were hoping to create.
The fire itself contributes to the atmosphere. From the benches, the BigBlu’s glass door keeps the flickering flames visible beneath the rock mass, while the enormous window opens the room to the lake beyond.
More Than a Hot Room
The completed retreat extends beyond the sauna itself. It includes a cool room, covered porch, outdoor shower, stone patio and cold plunge. The plunge was a later addition to the plan and has quickly become Kean’s wife’s favorite companion to the sauna.
Kean admits that he would make the cool room somewhat larger if he were starting again, and a few small adjustments remain on his future project list. But he has no interest in allowing those details to overshadow what the family created.
“I’m not going to let perfection get in the way of my joy.” |
Built for the View—and for Winter
The family is already enjoying the sauna, but Kean is especially looking forward to its first full winter. As the leaves fall, the view will open farther across the water. Snow, cold air and a glowing wood fire should bring the entire project back to the Finnish experiences that first inspired it.
For a largely self-built project undertaken by someone outside the building trades, the finished sauna is an extraordinary accomplishment—and an excellent example of what the Kuuma BigBlu was created to do: cleanly heat a substantial sauna room without sacrificing the character, steam or firelight of a true wood-fired experience.
“The whole thing brings us joy. BigBlu is amazing with its flickering flames visible. The view is amazing, and we can’t wait to see how things will be in winter with the leaves off.” |
Interested in a Kuuma BigBlu for a large residential or commercial sauna?
Learn more about the Kuuma BigBlu or contact Lamppa Manufacturing to discuss your project.