Ari Leinonon's Floating Prefab Sauna
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11.29.06
Architect Ari Leinonon designed this houseboat-sauna for his parents, and since it is Europe and the prefab companies are a little more sophisticated than in North America, it got snapped up by Swedish prefabber Modern Living, which makes a whole range of interesting modern prefabs. (In North America, the Michelle Kaufmanns and Leo Marmols have to build their own factories because the existing prefab manufacturers won't touch them) The SeaSauna comes in three sizes, starting at 200 square feet for $30K to $45K. For those who insist, that is between $150 and $225 per square foot not including shipping and on-site assembly. It is made of native fir and has a wood-burning stove holding 90 pounds of granite. The architect was inspired by Eliel Saarinen' design for a sauna at Hvittrask from the early 20th Century. ::Modern Living via ::Metropolitan Home
A longstanding tradition among wandering Finns is to build a sauna and live in that space until the main house can be built. This looks like a good way to start.