Saunas and plunges on Zanzibar, Stone Town to the east coast

Stone Town: shoulders, handcarts and a protected street face

Most old-town addresses cannot be reached by truck, so every crate is broken down at the nearest drop-off and carried in. We photograph the route first and size panels to its tightest corner; the carry appears as its own line on the quote, typically TZS 2–7 million depending on distance and floors.

Changes visible from the lane — a new flue, a condenser on a wall — need conservation consent and are often refused. Inside, thick coral walls and courtyards suit wet rooms well, so the plant is placed in a court or service room and the heat is rejected there.

The beaches: salt, sand and thatch

On the east and north coasts exposure takes over. Fixings are A4 stainless without exception, cavities behind cladding are deeper and drained, and makuti roofs are tied down against uplift. Cabins stand on a ventilated void, never flat on a deck, because moisture trapped between two boards on this island never dries.

Across the water, once

Crates clear at Dar es Salaam and cross to Malindi port in Stone Town by cargo vessel; the crossing is weather-dependent, so we send the whole project in one consolidated load, packed and checked in the factory, with a margin of fixings and a box of spares. A forgotten bracket would otherwise mean days, not hours.

The Unguja grid reaches the island by submarine cable from the mainland; when the old cable failed from December 2009 to March 2010, the island was without mains power for three months (reported by PRX's The World). Villas and hotels here plan for a generator, and we sequence the heater and chiller so both can run from it.

Island budget lines

The beach-house corner is the most common island request: a four-person cabin and a chilled plunge sharing one filtered plant cupboard, laid out so the plunge catches the evening light and the cabin glass does not glare.

Send photos of the house or deck and the route from the road; we will come back with an itemised quote and pictures of island projects.

In short

• Stone Town access is carried by hand and priced as its own line
• External changes are tightly limited; internal work is not
• A4 stainless, ventilated voids and makuti tied down against uplift
• One consolidated shipment across the water, with spares left on site