Start a project

Sheet 00Comox Glacier · Strathcona Park, BCContours 40 m · index 200 mElevation: Terrarium tiles (Mapzen / AWS Open Data), incl. CDEM © Natural Resources Canada

01Home

Saunas built for the site, the heat and the wood.

Custom wood-fired and electric saunas, designed and built by hand in the Comox Valley.

Start a project See the approach

02Approach

Designed for the place it stands.

No two sites are the same, so no two saunas should be. Every build starts with three questions: where it sits, how it heats and what it’s made of.

  1. A small log sauna raised on stones in a birch and pine forest.
    Photo: Antti Leppänen · CC BY 4.0

    02.1

    Site

    Every build starts on foot. Sun, wind, drainage, the view from the top bench and the walk from the back door set the footprint before anything is drawn.

  2. Inside a wood-heated sauna: weathered benches, a stone heater and stacked firewood.
    Photo: Periegetes · CC BY-SA 4.0

    02.2

    Heat

    Wood-fired or electric, the stove is sized to the room. A low ceiling, stepped benches and a clear path for fresh air keep the heat where you sit.

  3. Tall western red cedar trunks in Strathcona Provincial Park.
    Photo: Ymblanter · CC BY-SA 4.0

    02.3

    Wood

    Cedar inside, because it stays comfortable to the touch at temperature. Clean joinery and hidden fixings: finish carpentry, applied to a hot room.

ChangeHot roomStoveUpper benchLower benchAA2AA23600120024002400N
1Plan1:50
600105021502400Ceiling at 2150keeps heat at the benchLow window,seated eye levelUpper benchclear cedarVentilated flooron piers
2Section A–A1:50
36003600450
3South elevation1:50
Glacier & Cedar
Comox Valley, British Columbia
Drawing
Outdoor sauna, 3.6 × 2.4 m
Sheet
A-101
Scale
1:50
Units
mm
Date
2026-10
Status
Concept · not for construction
Concept drawings for a 3.6 × 2.4 m sauna with a change room. Every project gets its own set.

03Process

Four steps, one builder.

You deal with the person who designs your sauna and builds it, from the first site visit to the first fire.

  1. 01

    Consult

    A site visit and a conversation about how you’ll use it: who, how often, wood or electric, and budget. Honest advice on what the site allows.

  2. 02

    Design

    Plan, section and elevation drawings, a materials list and a clear quote. Permit and setback requirements are checked before work starts.

  3. 03

    Build

    Foundation, frame and envelope, then the interior: benches, lining, stove and venting. Regular updates, with photos, as it comes together.

  4. 04

    Commission

    The first fire, together. Stove operation, care and seasonal maintenance, walked through on site.

Timelines depend on the site and the design, and are set out with the quote.

The Comox Glacier above a bank of low cloud, with dark forest in the foreground.

Comox Glacier · namesakePhoto: paulhami · CC BY-SA 2.0

04Builds

The first build.

Glacier & Cedar is new. The first sauna is underway, and this is where it will be documented from footing to first fire.

400 o.c.36002310
01Framing, south wallDrawing shown until progress photos are ready

In progress

01Build 01

Location
Comox Valley, BC
Heat
Wood-fired
Size
To be confirmed
Wood
Western red cedar

Progress photos will be added here as the build moves along.

Only Jamie’s own work appears here. Finished builds will be added as they’re completed.

05About

Jamie Branch, Red Seal carpenter.

Jamie is a Red Seal carpenter from the Comox Valley. His work covers carpentry, cabinetry, tiling, project management and design.

Glacier & Cedar puts that experience into one kind of building: the sauna. It’s a small room that asks a lot of a builder. Heat, moisture and moving wood leave no room for shortcuts.

Trade
Red Seal carpenter
Skills
Carpentry, cabinetry, tiling
Also
Project management, design
Based
Comox Valley, BC
Serving
Comox Valley and north Vancouver Island
In the trades
[X] years

06Contact

Start a project.

Tell Jamie about your site and what you have in mind. You’ll hear back within two working days.

Phone
250-000-0000
Serving
Comox Valley and north Vancouver Island

Town or area is enough.

Sauna type

The site, how you’d use it, and anything you’ve already pictured.

Your details are used only to reply to this enquiry. Prefer the phone? 250-000-0000.