Latest concession to extreme winter temperatures, and the eternal struggle for health in adverse climates? Sauna. This one is wood fired, built of 6×6 hemlock. My friend Luke at Rock an Inch Farm designed it and we put it together in a few days. This is an old Finnish design, built essentially like a log cabin, with overlapping logs, kind of like a Lincoln Log design. Difference from a log cabin: we didn’t use logs, but milled lumber with straight edges. We did not notch the ends of the timbers, just timberlock screwed them together. Yes, there will be some shrinkage as the hemlock dries, and probably some twisting; that’ll entail a little tweaking and caulking at some pont.
I still need to finish the floor with cedar and put in benches , but it all seems to be in working order.
Also to do: add a water barrel to complete the steam part of the sauna. The idea is that you effectively sweat out all of your toxins. 
