Garibaldi Highlands Sauna Install with Three-Story Crane Lift

Garibaldi Highlands Sauna Install with Three-Story Crane Lift

Our latest project brought us to a beautiful hillside home in Squamish for a sauna install. This challenging yet rewarding job required a 100+ ft crane lift to carefully lower the sauna into the client’s backyard, located three stories below the road where the crane was stationed. Meticulously color-matched to complement the property, this sauna stands out as one of the most stunning creations we’ve had the privilege to build.

Check out all the details and a ton of photos showcasing the project below! 📸

 

Project Details:

Location: Squamish, BC
Product: Mode Sauna
Special Requirements: Three Story Crane Lift & Custom Color Match

Contractors:
Black Tusk Cranes
🌐 Click Here For Website
🎞️ Click Here For Instagram

Product Details:

MODE Sauna
Size: 8.5' x 12'
Heater: HUUM Drop 9kw + WiFi Control
Cedar Finishing: Local Western Red Clear Cedar T&G (inside and out)
Flooring: Tile Flooring
Exterior Finishing: Grey Prolock Roofing and Trim with White Corrugated Metal Siding
➡️ Click Here To View The Mode Sauna Product Page

 

How It Started:

We were contacted by our client who wanted to add a sauna to his home in Garibaldi Highlands, but was questioning whether or not it would be possible due to the location and build of his home.

The client has a gorgeous home built into the hillside, which deceivingly appears as if it were a rancher from the driveway, but is actually three-stories tall with the backyard stretching out from the bottom story.

The crane would need to park in the driveway and complete nearly a 100-foot lift reaching up and over the clients home and lowering the unit down three stories into the backyard and placing it in location.

While we knew the crane lift might not be easy, we were confident that we could come up with a plan to make it happen for our client. 

We got straight to work, and made some important phone calls that we hoped would confirm our belief that we could make this happen! 

The first call was to Black Tusk Crane, a local Squamish crane company, to discuss weight limits and maximum lift distances, as well as what would be a viable crane size for the job.

After our call, Black Tusk Crane did a site visit to our client's home to confirm that the lift was possible and we could place the sauna in his backyard three stories below.

Black Tusk gave us two size options for cranes that could handle the job.

The first option was to use their largest crane that would surely be able to manage the weight and the lifting distances. The catch for this crane was that it would cost double the smaller crane due to the sheer size of the crane, and because it would require getting permits to close down the road since it is too large to fit in the driveway.

The second option was a smaller crane which would be able to park in the driveway and complete the lift without permits and road closures, but with a strict weight-limit restriction. If we wanted to use this crane, we had to ensure the sauna was less than 5,000 lbs.

We knew it would be tight to keep the weight to 5,000 lbs, and require detailed calculations. Using the smaller crane would not only be much more convenient for everyone, but also much more cost-effective for our client.

After completing some lengthy spreadsheet calculations adding up the individual weights of every single material used to build the sauna, we determined we would be able to come in just under the 5,000 lb limit.

Once we knew we'd be able to keep the weight under 5,000 lbs and had confirmation from Black Tusk Cranes that the lift was possible, we had the green light to move forward with the build.

It was time to talk details! 

The Build:

Our client wanted his new sauna to match the aesthetics of his home. In the initial planning stages, we talked about all of the customizable features, and discussed some options for roofing, siding trim, flooring and additional details that we could match to his home.

We went back and forth virtually on color palettes, but couldn't figure out the exact shade to match the house. We knew how important it was to find a perfect match, so we picked up some samples from our metal suppliers and drove to Squamish for a site visit. 

After holding up the individual metal samples to the house, we found the perfect color match for the white corrugated siding and a light grey for the ProLock roofing and trim.

For the flooring, our client chose to upgrade to a tile floor (instead of rubber flooring), and selected a high-end light grey tile. The tile color was selected to match the flooring on the inside of our client's home, while seamlessly integrating in with the exterior finishings. 

Since the full front wall of the Mode Sauna is glass and the winter temperatures at our client's location were consistently below freezing, we went with a dual-pane window upgrade to ensure heat retention all winter long.

Our next challenge was to source enough high-quality Local Western Red Clear Cedar Tongue and Groove for the entire interior and exterior patio. We weren't able to get it from the mill we normally source from, so we did some driving around to pick up samples from a few different local mills until we found what we were looking for. 

Opting for the clear cedar to match some interior accents in our client's home was not cheap, but truly elevated the look of the sauna and the clean and modern aesthetic.

The client wanted the sauna design to match his house as closely as possible, and the final product was nothing short of spectacular. Corrugated white metal sides that matched the exterior of his home, light grey ProLock trim and roofing, and clear cedar on the inside and outside of the sauna made for a stunningly aesthetic build and a perfect match to our client's home!

The Installation:

Leading up to the install, we were still a bit concerned about the weight of the sauna. While we had calculated it beforehand, sometimes there are unexpected discrepancies in material weights, and our margin of error needed to be very small. 

We had a bit more assurance after going over a scale on the drive to Squamish, but we wouldn't find out if we made the cut for sure until we attempted the lift the next morning.

The drive to Squamish was beautiful. We took the back route from the Okanagan Valley over the Duffy and into town, and it was smooth sailing all the way. We arrived in Squamish the night before the install to make sure we were ready for an early start on crane day.

When we got on site around 8:00 AM the next morning, we had a few hours to prepare before the crane was set to arrive.

Our first task of the day was to wash off any dirt the sauna picked up during transport and make sure it was spotless. We did a full hot rinse of the sauna until it was looking radiant, and then moved on to start preparing the sauna and the landing site area in our client's backyard for the lift.

We undid all of the strapping from transport, jacked it up, and blocked it so we would be able to slide the crane straps underneath when the crane arrived onsite. We placed strap guides to ensure the straps would stay clear of the exterior metal during the lift, and to keep them from pulling in or out once the crane started the lift and the straps had tension on them. 

Once we had the sauna ready for the crane lift, we moved all of our tools, jacks, straps, sauna rocks and other materials downstairs to the backyard where we would need them after the lift was complete. The distance from the driveway to the backyard included three stories of stairs, and we were definitely feeling the burn in our legs by the time we were done packing everything down! 

At 11:00 AM, the crane rolled in and we were ready for the moment of truth.

It was time to make the lift.

We got the spreader bar set up and secured all of the connections, and got it in the air for a test lift to find out the exact weight...

It was EXACTLY 5,000 pounds!!

The rigging and spreader bar added an extra 500 lbs making the total load 5,500 lbs, but thankfully, the crane was capable of handling the weight, and we had the crane operator's seal of approval to move forward with the lift.

With the crane in place, the load secured, and our tools where we needed them, we were ready to get started.

All of our planning and preparation paid off, and overall the lift went very smooth.

It took some small adjustments to position the sauna, but we soon had it precisely where the client wanted. Once we had it landed and in place, we levelled and shimmed it for stability.

By 3:00 PM, our client had a gorgeous new sauna installed.

The end result was nothing short of perfection–a beautifully placed, fully functional sauna ready to be enjoyed for years to come.

Check out the project photos below!! ⤵️

 

Ready to transform your dreams into your reality?

Whether it's a custom-crafted cabin or a serene sauna retreat, we're here to make it happen.

Let’s bring your vision to life—contact us to get started on your dream project today! ✨🏡🔥

Call or Text: 1-250-295-9082

Email: orders@elkridgecabinco.com

 

Install Photos:

 

 

Completion Photos:

 

Ready to transform your dreams into your reality?

Whether it's a custom-crafted cabin or a serene sauna retreat, we're here to make it happen.

Let’s bring your vision to life—contact us to get started on your dream project today! ✨🏡🔥

Call or Text: 1-250-295-9082

Email: orders@elkridgecabinco.com