Hello friends,
We are currently planning a single-family house and want to create a large "recreation" area in the basement next to the utility room and technical room, where people will enjoy spending time.
We have planned a large room with a whirlpool/sauna and a small fitness studio. I wanted to ask here if anyone who has done this before might have tips on what works well and what you definitely should or should not do?
Here is what I have gathered so far:
Sauna:
- A 2-person wooden sauna is planned → Requires a high-voltage power supply
- A bathtub/whirlpool is planned → Needs water supply and drainage, possibly a lift station; is that always necessary?
- Underfloor heating is a MUST (no one wants a cold wellness basement) and of course at least one window/light well, preferably two, to allow air to circulate and prevent dampness
- I will consider a network connection for a Sonos speaker or similar for relaxing music
- As much tiling as possible is preferred
- Does anyone have further tips or information?
Fitness studio:
- A small setup with short and long dumbbells, weight bench, one cardio machine (stepper or treadmill), mats, and wall mirrors is planned
- I’m unsure here: tiles or laminate? I plan to cover the entire floor with a protective mat anyway, but which option is more resistant if a heavy weight accidentally falls? Could tiles break?
- We also plan to have a window here, as it might get stuffy during workouts 😀
I would really appreciate any tips and DO’s and DON’Ts!
Best regards
Elias
We are currently planning a single-family house and want to create a large "recreation" area in the basement next to the utility room and technical room, where people will enjoy spending time.
We have planned a large room with a whirlpool/sauna and a small fitness studio. I wanted to ask here if anyone who has done this before might have tips on what works well and what you definitely should or should not do?
Here is what I have gathered so far:
Sauna:
- A 2-person wooden sauna is planned → Requires a high-voltage power supply
- A bathtub/whirlpool is planned → Needs water supply and drainage, possibly a lift station; is that always necessary?
- Underfloor heating is a MUST (no one wants a cold wellness basement) and of course at least one window/light well, preferably two, to allow air to circulate and prevent dampness
- I will consider a network connection for a Sonos speaker or similar for relaxing music
- As much tiling as possible is preferred
- Does anyone have further tips or information?
Fitness studio:
- A small setup with short and long dumbbells, weight bench, one cardio machine (stepper or treadmill), mats, and wall mirrors is planned
- I’m unsure here: tiles or laminate? I plan to cover the entire floor with a protective mat anyway, but which option is more resistant if a heavy weight accidentally falls? Could tiles break?
- We also plan to have a window here, as it might get stuffy during workouts 😀
I would really appreciate any tips and DO’s and DON’Ts!
Best regards
Elias
E
Elias_dee19 Jan 2022 15:19Hmm, okay. Then I guess I need to rethink the whole concept. I’m really just at the very beginning of the house construction process, and – a quick side note – the decision for a decentralized ventilation system is currently based only on the limited knowledge I’ve picked up from friends. For example, one of them who recently built their house told me that a central ventilation system has to run continuously because of mold and bacteria, and that mold can even develop otherwise. But I’m open to changing my view on this 🙂
Regarding the sauna and fitness area: okay, understood. What you say about size and fire risk makes sense. Another option could be to make the fitness area in the basement bigger and move the sauna to the garden (which was already another idea). That would probably be better in terms of fire risk / escape routes as well. I’ll have to think it over again :p
Regarding the sauna and fitness area: okay, understood. What you say about size and fire risk makes sense. Another option could be to make the fitness area in the basement bigger and move the sauna to the garden (which was already another idea). That would probably be better in terms of fire risk / escape routes as well. I’ll have to think it over again :p
A garden sauna is certainly more enjoyable.
Yes, a central controlled mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery is always running. That is its purpose.
Thanks to heat recovery, it is financially a break-even situation while providing increased comfort.
Keep reading here and feel free to ask questions. Have you already presented your building project? That would be helpful, giving you a central place to ask questions.
You are putting the cart before the horse. First, you need to know what you want, need, and can afford. This should then result in a design that is permitted to be built on your plot. Only once all of that is settled should you start thinking about floor construction and coverings, electrical work, and networking...
Yes, a central controlled mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery is always running. That is its purpose.
Thanks to heat recovery, it is financially a break-even situation while providing increased comfort.
Keep reading here and feel free to ask questions. Have you already presented your building project? That would be helpful, giving you a central place to ask questions.
You are putting the cart before the horse. First, you need to know what you want, need, and can afford. This should then result in a design that is permitted to be built on your plot. Only once all of that is settled should you start thinking about floor construction and coverings, electrical work, and networking...
E
Elias_dee19 Jan 2022 15:56rick2018 schrieb:
A garden sauna is definitely nicer.
Yes, a central controlled ventilation system with heat recovery runs constantly. That’s the purpose behind it.
Thanks to heat recovery, it’s financially a break-even situation while providing increased comfort.
Just keep reading here and feel free to ask questions. Have you already introduced your building project? That would be helpful and give you a central place to ask questions.
You’re putting the cart before the horse. First, you need to know what you want/need/can afford. This should then lead to a design that is allowed to be built on your plot. Only once that is settled should you think about the floor construction or covering, and plan the electrical system and network… Hi, thanks! No, I haven’t introduced my building project yet. I’ll do that right away. I appreciate any tips, as I’m still a beginner 🙂
I’m quite sure it’s possible to build a small sauna and a bit of a fitness area in the basement. It depends on how you plan it.
However, I fully agree with @rick2018 that if you approach it like it initially sounded, it needs to be really important to you.
That’s why I warmly recommend presenting your project and not putting the cart before the horse.
It simply doesn’t work otherwise. Developments are so significant, and the scale of building a house is very hard to imagine if you haven’t had much prior experience.
It was the same for me. At first, I had all kinds of ideas about what would be great and what could be done. Some of it was actually realized, but much had to fall victim to the budget in ways I couldn’t have imagined at the beginning.
However, I fully agree with @rick2018 that if you approach it like it initially sounded, it needs to be really important to you.
That’s why I warmly recommend presenting your project and not putting the cart before the horse.
It simply doesn’t work otherwise. Developments are so significant, and the scale of building a house is very hard to imagine if you haven’t had much prior experience.
It was the same for me. At first, I had all kinds of ideas about what would be great and what could be done. Some of it was actually realized, but much had to fall victim to the budget in ways I couldn’t have imagined at the beginning.
E
Elias_dee19 Jan 2022 17:38rick2018 schrieb:
Having a sauna in the garden is definitely nicer.
Yes, a central controlled ventilation system with heat recovery always runs. That is its purpose.
Thanks to heat recovery, it is financially a break-even situation while also increasing comfort.
Just keep reading here and feel free to ask questions. Have you already introduced your building project? That would be helpful and give you a central place to ask questions.
You are putting the cart before the horse. First, you need to know what you want / need / can afford. This should then result in a design that is permitted to be built on the plot. Only once that is settled should you start thinking about floor construction or covering, electrical work, and network planning… Similar topics