Saunas & cold plunges in Karen

Space for the whole sequence

With a garden to work in we build the complete arrangement — cabin, plunge, rinse shower and a shaded bench — without losing the lawn. That completeness is what turns a room used twice a week into one used most evenings.

The old shade trees here are worth real money. A plunge under a mature jacaranda holds temperature far better than one on an open terrace, and the chiller runs correspondingly less.

Level ground, plinths instead of steel

Most Karen plots are flat enough for a stone or brick plinth rather than a steel sub-frame, which takes cost out of the structure and puts it into the finish. We decide on the site visit rather than assuming.

Dust from the murram

Several access roads here are unsurfaced, and red murram dust is what clogs a chiller condenser. Washable pre-filters, units sited away from the approach, and a half-yearly service that becomes quarterly if the road is particularly bad.