Swell Sport · Practical guide

What should an outdoor sauna purchase specification include?

An outdoor sauna purchase specification should identify exactly what you are ordering, the documents that govern it and the work left outside the sale. Use it as the agreed description of the purchase—not as a substitute for installation drawings.

Swell Cedar Cube 2 in a home setting.

Start with a controlled document

Put the buyer, site address, seller, quote reference and revision date at the top. Name the cabin model and selected package exactly as they appear on the accepted order. Leave a space for the final order number. Send the schedule to the seller for confirmation before treating it as agreed; your private notes alone do not show that both parties accepted the same specification.

Use a simple status beside each entry: confirmed, awaiting answer or not applicable. Record the person who confirmed it and attach the supporting document. If the heater choice changes, issue a new revision and retire the old one. Avoid a folder containing several plausible versions with no indication of which was purchased.

Describe the physical cabin

Record timber identity, stated thickness, roof system, glass specification, bench layout, finish and selected colour. Include dimensioned drawings with their revision or issue date. For example, Cube 2 is listed as solid 38 mm Japanese cedar; carry that exact material description into its schedule rather than shortening it to a different cedar species. ^[1]

Distinguish the finish you have ordered from the appearance in a lifestyle photograph. Ask what is supplied finished, what work remains for the owner and which instructions govern care. Attach a marked image only to communicate appearance; use written specifications and drawings to define the actual components.

Separate equipment from site design

List the heater manufacturer and model code, controller, control accessories, lighting and any separately purchased items. Request the instructions for the actual equipment. Do not fill gaps using another package that looks similar. The purchase schedule should identify the equipment; the relevant installer should confirm the site design.

Create an exclusions block for freight conditions, unloading, base, assembly, electrical work and waste removal. Beside each excluded task, name who will arrange it. This prevents a clear product order from being mistaken for a complete installation contract. A document reference is more useful than a general promise that everything needed will be included.

Resolve substitutions before acceptance

In a hypothetical order, the cabin stays the same but the buyer changes from heater-mounted controls to a separate controller package. Revise the equipment lines, price reference and applicable instructions together. Ask whether anything else in the order changes. Do not let an email about one upgrade silently become the only record of the final specification.

Keep the accepted specification with the order. Ask the seller to resolve discrepancies in writing before you pay, and identify which revised document supersedes an earlier brochure or quotation.

Use the schedule at delivery

When the order arrives, compare labels and visible components with the schedule and packing list. Record discrepancies for the seller without attempting electrical testing. Keep the original order description intact and add a separate delivery record: changing the purchase schedule to match an unexpected item would obscure the question you need answered.