Pelle Henriksson has recently added these wonderful pictures of his backyard sauna in Sweden (including the finished exterior with new decking). 
Below is the very attractive handmade door with live edging.
The hinges are creatively forged and add a unique dimension to the sauna. Note that the plexiglass is used as a barrier to keep the heat in the sauna itself.
The plexiglass forms a barrier between the hot sauna and the cooler changing room.
The sauna stove in the picture above is called Stoveman and is made in Estonia. Here is the link. https://www.stoveman.ee/en/
The foundation (ring beam), framing (post & beam) and cordwood infill are very well done using “best practices” throughout.
Pelle’s pictures tell the story very well.
The logs for the framework are 100 years old and were found in Pelle’s uncle’s barn. The photo shows the grade beam and part of the drain tile (orange colored pipe).
The foundation is a ring beam on a rubble trench with a drain tile sloped to a lower grade. Each post has a roofing shingle placed on the bottom to stop moisture from “wicking up” the post. 
Many of the older cordwood (kubbhus) buildings in Sweden use a clay-based mortar. Olle Hagman has been very instrumental in documenting the migration of cordwood throughout Sweden and has located 150 buildings. His excellent article is told in the Cordwood Conference Papers 2015. Online Bookstore
Note how the windows are placed within a post and beam framework. This is my favorite style of window framing. 
Pelle used keyways (vertical strips of wood on the posts) to hold his wall sections in place. The sauna will have a changing room and a sauna chamber. Putting the roof on first allows Pelle to work and store his materials out of the elements.
A beautiful flower motif chainsaw cut into a log end shows off the Swedish love of all things wooden. 
To fit glass into a cleaned out hollow center log. Cut out a sheet of glass after tracing and cutting the paper template.
This is how the finished product looks.
Hanging a wooden floor off a “grade beam” is done in the following manner. 
The door is handmade as is the wooden lock. Pelle is an excellent carpenter. 
Scribing log ends that protrude to make for a clean floor, wall or ceiling line can be difficult so Pelle put together a visual “how to” section. Pelle has a serious woodworking skill set. 
Pelle has become something of a cordwood rock-star in Sweden with articles being published in various newspapers. 
Many of these pictures and more are also on Pelle’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/Kubbhusbastu/ You may want to bookmark Pelle’s page and check back every now and again to marvel at his progress. Thank you Pelle for the explanation and the photos!
Should you wish to learn how to build a cordwood cottage, cabin or home, please visit www.cordwoodconstruction.org While you are there, click on the pictures, read the brief articles, check out the latest workshops and newsletter and if you are interested click the Online Bookstore to see all the cordwood literature available in print and ebook format.
If you have questions that aren’t answered on the website you can email me at richardflatau@gmail.com
Readers have requested a brief bio, so here goes:
“Richard & Becky Flatau built their mortgage-free cordwood home in 1979 in Merrill, Wisconsin. Since then, they have written books, conducted workshops, facilitated the 2005, 2011 and 2015 Cordwood Conferences and provided consultation for cordwood builders. Cordwood Construction: Best Practices DVD, Cordwood Construction Best Practices (print) and Cordwood Conference Papers 2015 are the newest publications available from their online cordwood bookstore. www.cordwoodconstruction.org
For more information on Cordwood Construction, click on the picture or visit www.cordwoodconstruction.org
