Bringing Hygge and Health to the Burrows Haus

Given that I am a hygge and health-obsessed human and Erick is originally from a line of Fins, it only made sense that we include an element of both in the exterior and interior of our home - and from the day we went and toured the house, we knew exactly how we would achieve that: a Finnish style barrel sauna, which would offer a cozy respite tucked away in the woods, ready to fire up at a moment’s notice. Enter: the Almost Heaven Grandview barrel sauna.

The day we first toured our house, before it was even officially ours, we walked in the forested side yard of the Burrows Haus and told our realtor, “we’re going to build a sauna out here… it will be our little escape from the inevitably rainy and low mood winters.” He smiled and nodded, likely doubting our ability to deliver on our dream… but he clearly didn’t know how committed we are to both hygge and health.

Over the coming few months, we would chip away at our dream, little by little. Erick’s background in landscaping as a teen meant he knew exactly how to tackle the project, and I’m sure glad he did, because it was a bit overwhelming to me at first… mainly, the very thing we love about our house can also at times be a vice: it is built on a sloped, steep hill, which meant all of our side yard was also sloped and tricky to build a flat platform on. But Erick was on the job and by taking it one step at a time, we were able to make the dream come to life.

Step One: Hack away all of the weeds, stake out the perimeter of base.

Creating a level base that is strong and porous (this is the PNW after-all) is important for this project. Removing as much organic material before putting down the gravel base ensures stability for decades to come.

Scoping out the space in the Spring

Fern identification and removal planning

Staking out the space

Raking out the ground cover

Step Two: Build a retaining wall and build a platform to be level, settle in the platform materials

We used a gravel paver base from Home Depot. For a typical project, a few inches over flat ground will suffice for a stable platform. We went above and beyond to build the entire platform with the material because it reduces the risk of damage from water runoff.

Buying many, many bags of base material

Retaining wall is critical for rainy Seattle

Laying the foundation

Step Three: Assemble the components, install the doors, complete the stave installation

You will need at least 2 people to install the doors, but it was easier than expected. Patience is a virtue, double check all of your work and make sure the staves align as best as possible.

Contrary to initial instincts, we found it particularly useful to install the benches during this phase due to added light and more space for the install.

Installing the top half of the staves is where you should slow down, and use the rubber hammer to lock them in gently. From time to time, we would bring out a level to make sure there were not any unintended changes.

Installing the last stave was one of the most challenging points of the install, but this was because of the height of the pad and a poor angle to get the final staves into place. It should have a slight outward bow, and then the straps will help seal the structure into a uniform cylinder.

Drilling the walls together

Taking in the "convertible" sauna

Testing out the back support height

Taking in the beautiful cedar exterior

First views of a standing sauna structure

Carefully installing the door into its grooves

Step Four: Install the stove, install the chimney, reduce any fire hazards

We had to troubleshoot this step a few times and learned some critical things along the way. Installing a wood stove (Harvia M3) isn’t as well documented as the electric stove install. We pieced together some information to include a few more steps/improve the order of operation.

FIRST, install the stove and install the stove’s heat shield. Attempting this after the chimney was installed is not worth it (ask us how we know). Make sure you use the chrome chimney base provided, not the one that comes with the Harvia M3. Make sure to plug the chimney exit on the back of the stove, and if the screw to the metal flap is stripped, rip it out the flap with pliers.

Once the stove is sorted, then work on the chimney. The provided instructions are very clear on the necessary steps, and cutting a hole into the ceiling isn’t as scary as you’d think. Just reminder to measure twice (or 5 times) and cut once.

Once installed, carefully trim any branches/trees within a 5 foot radius of the chimney.

Surprisingly, the Harvia M3 is able to accept typical length firewood. With that being said, you will want a lot of kindling sized logs to get it doing, and I do not recommend overly thick logs. Slight smoke upon ignition is normal as the flume heats up!

Identifying branches to remove

Blending the pad into the slope

Step Five: Finesse the landscaping to make for the ultimate hygge forest entryway

Finished product!

Gorgeous Harvia stove installed

View of sauna from house

We found it really important to buy natural materials for the walkway so as not to contrast the natural beauty of the sauna. Flagstone provides a great natural look.

Tools needed for the project:

• Hammer

• Sizable rubber mallet

• Large & small level (we used the large one to make sure the pad was level, as well as the staves)

• Nail-gun (it makes things a lot easier, but isn’t required)

• Drill

• Jigsaw (if you have a wood stove)

• Measuring tape

• A few friends

Reasons we think everyone should get an Almost Heaven barrel sauna:

• Because look at it! So cute. So hygge. Very demure.

• The health benefits are undeniable: improved cardiovascular health, blood pressure, joint function, breathing, and don’t get me started on the effects on mental health. As a person who is still in the tail stages of recovery from a significant mold exposure, all these benefits just from… sitting… are music to my ears!

• We all need a lot more rest in our lives, particularly during the slower, darker seasons. Having a “third place” to escape to allows us to do that, and have a dedicated place for doing so.

• Community: being able to partake in an activity like this with people we care for is a rewarding experience. In the Nordics, there is an entire social component around sauna life, and we are entirely here for it. You are invited to sauna at our house any time… but only if we can join!

As always, we are forever grateful to our partners who support us on these projects. Almost Heaven Saunas has been helpful and supportive every step of the way, and you can feel their excitement for their products, which trickles down to the customer experience. Bravo!

No dogs allowed :)

In love with each other AND our sauna! 

Brands we are loving for Burrows Haus

A quick blog post as I wanted to give a quick shout out to some of the brands we are loving for furnishing the Burrows Haus… they are classy, have colors that complement the midcentury vibe, and are well-made, often handcrafted.

Mantle Furniture

The Layton chair has made quite the impression on our space with the beautiful yellow color complementing the primary colors in the Kennedy poster in the corner of the living room. Mantle has been kind enough to gift me an influencer code of LL15 for anyone wanting to make a purchase from them through November 2024. Mantle custom makes every piece of furniture in their shop out in North Carolina and boy does it show. The quality is top notch and the chair is just ever so comfy!

Room & Board

These guys just have a way of making things that are high quality and dependable. Every. Damn Time. You know that is going to look good in the space, and that reassurance when purchasing from them goes a very long way. Our R&B Reese Sectional has become the centerpiece of our living room. It is super comfy and blends beautifully into the nature beyond, so as not to distract from our greenery and view. We also are loving the Camber floor lamp in black in the photo above with our Mantle chair… it adds the perfect modernity + a nice contrast of color, and creates the perfect cozy reading corner!

Schoolhouse

This brand has been my favorite since the beginning of time and it shows by how their rugs, pillows and home accents are peppered throughout the house. I always get excited to see what they have new as they regularly partner with interesting creators, and always hit the ball out of the park. I’ve had their pillows in the rotation in my house for years and the soft texture of them and pops of color just do SO MUCH for the room. And look at that green Sidnie floor lamp… pure ecstasy!

We also love many of Schoolhouse’s lighting fixtures and extras like this cute wall hanging unit in our kitchen. Just a perfect landing spot for a couple of coats and a hat to grab on your way out the door.

Burrowing into a John Burrows 1975 Midcentury gem

For years I’ve been in search of the perfect place to call home and have certainly tried on many. I started searching more seriously in the Pacific Northwest over the past few years, as I grew up here & while admittedly biased, I think this part of the world truly has the best of everything.

An embarrassing amount of hours were spent on Zillow over the past couple of years, & I just never really saw what I was looking for. You know what I’m talking about… an absolute refusal to settle until you find the kind of home that feels like it was made just for you, the one that gives you all the warm fuzzies. I became resigned to the fact that maybe home ownership just wasn’t for me.

Then in December, I first learned about John Burrows, a renowned architect/builder in the Seattle area. He built 35 absolutely impeccable homes in the area in the 60’s and 70’s and then stopped cold turkey. I had seen a few of his homes in midcentury features in design magazines and every time, found myself saying “wow, now *that* is a dream.”

John was famous for designing and building homes in an almost impossible manner always on a sloped hill, tucked into the woods, and in a style as sturdy and mid mod as houses come. They just don’t build them like that anymore.

A few weeks back, a John Burrows house popped onto the market. It was giving “the one” vibes from first glance so I rallied Erick and we drove up (and back) to Seattle on a Saturday, 14 hours round trip all in. We prepared ourselves to be let down… rationalizing all the ways the house would be probably be “bad” on the way there. But it wasn’t… it was even better in person. Original kitchen, funky bathroom fixtures, skylights all intact and spotless.

During the showing, the agent could tell I was a serious buyer (you mean my John Burrows obsession was a tell?!) and pulled us aside to share some of these typewritten notes from meetings between Burrows and Christiana, the original and only owner, from when the house was first built. The critical eye, the self destructive thinking, the meticulous attention to detail… it’s almost like the blond woman who owned this house prior reminded me of someone I knew 😏

Owning *this* particular house feels so “me”, like owning a little piece of Seattle history, and like caretaking Christiana’s history too. We are so so excited to transform this museum piece into something incredibly special.