Garden and barrel saunas: find the sauna, then get it into your garden
A garden sauna arrives as one heavy, awkward piece or as a kit that needs a flat, solid base. Before you order, check how it gets from the road to its final spot.
Buying the sauna is only half the job
The price of a sauna doesn't always include:
- Delivery to your property
- Moving it from the road or driveway to the back garden
- A crane lift, if there's no side access
- The base it sits on
- An electrician to connect an electric heater
- Any planning or building checks
Ask the seller what's included, and get it in writing.
Four steps
- Choose the sauna. Barrel, cabin or pod style. Note the length, width, height and weight.
- Prepare the base. Level and solid, built to the seller's instructions.
- Arrange delivery. Check the vehicle can reach your entrance and unload safely.
- Get it into position. By hand, on rollers, with machinery, or by crane if there's no route through.
Will it fit through the side gate?
A barrel sauna is round and wide. A gate that suits a wheelbarrow may not suit a sauna. Measure the narrowest point of the route, then compare it with the sauna's widest point, not just its length.
Check for:
- Side gate and passage width, including downpipes and bins
- Steps, slopes and soft lawn along the route
- Overhead cables and low branches if a crane may be needed
- Space to unload at the front of the house
Some saunas come as kits and are built in the garden. That avoids the access problem but adds assembly time. Ask which version you're buying.
What base does a sauna need?
It depends on the sauna's weight, size and the seller's instructions. Common options:
- A concrete base
- Paving slabs on a prepared sub-base
- Ground screws with a timber or steel frame
No one base suits every sauna. Confirm the base design with the seller before work starts. Find base and ground screw firms.
No side access? A crane lift
A seller may deliver to your gate and leave the rest to you. Moving the sauna into the back garden may need a separate siting crew or a crane, and they're often different companies. Crane firms lift; hauliers deliver. If you need both, book them for the same day.
Do I need planning permission?
A garden sauna is a small garden structure, not a garden home, so the 45m² garden home exemption doesn't apply to it. Small garden structures have their own exemption conditions on size, height, position and use. Confirm the current conditions with your local authority before you buy. If you're also planning a 45m² garden home, existing garden structures count towards that 45m² cap.
Questions to ask the seller
- What are the exact length, width, height and weight?
- Does it arrive built, or as a kit?
- Is delivery included, and where will it be unloaded?
- Is moving it into the back garden included?
- What base do you require?
- Does the heater need an electrician, and is that included?
- What happens if it can't reach the garden on the day?
Common questions
Does PodMove sell saunas?
No. PodMove is a directory. We list the firms that prepare bases, deliver and lift garden buildings, and pass on quote requests only with your consent.
Will a barrel sauna fit through my side gate?
Only if the clear width of the gate and passage is wider than the sauna's widest point, with room to steer. Measure first. If it won't fit, a kit built in the garden or a crane lift are the usual answers.
Can a sauna be lifted over the house?
Often, by crane. It depends on the sauna's weight, how far the crane has to reach and where it can set up. A crane firm needs to see the site before quoting.
Who prepares the base?
It varies. Some sellers include it, many don't. Ask before you buy, and get the base design from the seller.
Do I need planning permission for a garden sauna?
A garden sauna is a small garden structure, not a garden home, so the 45m² garden home exemption doesn't apply to it. Small garden structures have their own exemption conditions on size, height, position and use. Confirm with your local authority before you buy.
Sell, deliver or install garden saunas? List your business free until 31 January 2027. List your business.