About
Rick Hill has spent over 20 years building high-end homes across New Zealand, the UK, and France. Drawing on this experience, he founded Made by Hideaway — a company focused on designing and constructing refined small-scale structures with strong architectural intent, premium materials, and high-performance building techniques.
Over the past six years, Made by Hideaway has evolved to specialise in custom outdoor saunas, with a keen emphasis on sauna tradition, build quality, thermal performance, airflow, and most importantly the overall sauna experience.
Our Saunas
From the smallest residential back garden to a large scale commercial sauna fit out, we approach each sauna as a response to its surroundings — and to the people who will use it. Every project begins with understanding the space, its character, and how you hope to enjoy it.
Design, proportion, and detailing are central to every sauna we create. From the outset, we carefully consider orientation, materials, and placement to ensure each structure sits naturally within its surroundings, performs efficiently, and withstands our typical New Zealand weather and climate.
Timber is at the forefront of our saunas; we use premium-quality Western Red Cedar throughout our saunas, carefully selected for its durability, resistance to moisture, and excellent thermal properties. The timber is Clear Grade so free from knots and defects, providing maximum stability, a uniform yet tonal appearance, and a beautifully straight grain. Sourced from old-growth trees, it offers superior longevity, a consistent rich color, and a refined finish that enhances the overall design.
Thermal efficiency is built in from the start. Our saunas feature carefully constructed walls with high-quality insulation, robust timber linings, and strategically placed vents to ensure the sauna heats quickly, retains warmth effectively, and distributes a gentle, even heat throughout the space.