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The Jämsänen couple experienced their easiest building project last spring. A shore sauna without a building permit is naturally pleasant to carry out when there's no red tape. But the Jämsänens' sauna cabin appeared on their lakeside plot completely ready to use – even painted.
When your shore sauna is within walking distance of your front door, it usually means a separate sauna building in your own garden. But not always.
The Jämsänen couple from Heinola bought for their 30-square-metre sauna building their own, 4000-square-metre lakeside plot, which is a few hundred metres from their home. While the wood-fired heater in the shore sauna warms up, there's even time to pop home for a cup of coffee.
A large jetty has also appeared on the shore, with plenty of room for grilling. At the end of a relaxing sauna evening, it's lovely to stroll home to bed while the birds give a concert in the woods by the road.
The Jämsänens fell for Vasikkasaari – and that was that
Carita and Heikki moved from the Helsinki region to Heinola about ten years ago, having fallen for Vasikkasaari, an island a few kilometres from the town centre. It has some delightful lakeside plots.
Ruotsalainen is a large lake covering more than 7000 hectares. As well as stunning scenery, it offers plenty of opportunities for boating. The Jämsänens can set off on long boat trips from their own jetty.
Carita and Heikki have had several log houses and cabins built on the island. The houses have been designed precisely for two adults to live in comfortably. For their grown-up children who come to visit, they have bought a lakeside cabin where they can holiday in peace.
Carita is a passionate gardener who has made the garden of every house flourish. Their newest home was completed this year on an absolutely stunning rocky lakeside plot.
A 4000-square-metre plot almost next door was for sale. After buying it, the Jämsänens thought it would be nice to have a summer cottage close to home. The steam from the wood-fired heater would be enjoyed often, when getting to the cabin doesn't need a car. Just a walk.
How a ready-to-use shore sauna came about without a building permit
From dream to reality. But what does a ready-to-use shore sauna without a building permit mean?
For Carita and Heikki, it was a 30-square-metre sauna cabin, that was brought from the factory to the plot fully finished. Under the regulations that came into force at the beginning of 2025, a building of less than 30 square metres no longer needs a building permit – as long as it is not intended for permanent residential use.
The saunas, cabins and aittas made by Ehta Group in Perho are completely ready to use in the true sense of the word. Once the building has been lowered onto piers set on levelled ground, you can heat up the sauna the very same day.
You don't have to do anything yourself. The building is even painted on the outside at the factory.
Everything was taken into account in designing the sauna cabin, starting with where to store the firewood
The exact size of the Sauna Cabin 30 chosen by the Jämsänens is 29.6 square metres. The walls are 95 mm laminated log. In Carita and Heikki's cabin, there is an open canopy between the sauna and the lounge, designed for storing firewood. A shower room, bedroom or kitchen can also be built in this middle section.
Even though it is a ready-made building, Ehta always handles the design carefully, down to the details, with the customer's needs first. Ehta offers a wide range of options for fitting it out, including a ready-made kitchen and a bathroom. With these, a sauna cabin can even become a compact dwelling – although bringing it to the plot then requires a building permit.
Even the standard equipment is comprehensive. The idea is that the building can be used straight away, so, for example, the price of the saunas includes sauna benches and an efficient sauna heater. The price may come as a surprise: a 30-square-metre sauna cabin costs just over 30 000 euros.
To the standard equipment, the Jämsänens added, among other things, large panoramic windows, a convection fireplace in the lounge and, in front of the cabin, a patio spanning the entire building's width.
Carita and Heikki are 100% satisfied with both their lakeside sauna and Ehta's service and quality
The sauna cabin arrived and was put to good use last spring. Carita and Heikki are one hundred per cent happy with their choice. The cabin's delivery and construction quality get full marks from the Jämsänens.
As home is so close, there's no need to cook proper meals at the cabin. Snacks between sauna rounds are made on the outdoor grill, and drinks are kept cold in the fridge in the lounge. An outdoor toilet to suit the cabin has been put up behind the sauna cabin.
Life at the cabin is as effortless as the building project was.
