Do-it-yourself bathhouse in the country: step by step instructions. Stages of building a bath: from foundation to interior decoration Bath from start to finish with your own hands

23.06.2020

Building a bath from a log house is not an easy task, but the construction technology, the choice of materials, and even the exact sequence of actions have long been known and worked out by many craftsmen. This article explains all key points, which will help in the construction of a bath from a log house: from laying the foundation to interior decoration.

The steam bath has been known since the time of the Scythians, who carried with them special bath tents and camping stoves. And in the 21st century, the Russian bath did not become a kind of archaism, having successfully withstood centuries of competition with baths and showers. Get rid of many ailments, remove from the body harmful substances accumulated in urban everyday life, give the body a good rest - all this is achieved when visiting a bath for more than one and a half thousand years.

Which design is preferable, how to choose a place to place it, how it works in general - you will find answers to many "bath" questions in this article.

Location and layout of the bath

One of the important additions to the bath itself at all times was a reservoir with fresh water, located nearby - in the absence of another source of water supply, water was taken from it. A special charm in the proximity of such a reservoir lies in the possibility of a contrast bath - after taking a steam bath in a Russian bathhouse, run out of it and plunge into the cool water of the reservoir. In addition, a natural reservoir made it possible to quickly cope with the fire of the bath, which arose quite often due to violations in the construction of the stove.

Today, there is no particular need to link a country bath to a natural reservoir, but it is still convenient if it is located near, say, an artificial reservoir - the final decision always remains with the owner of the cottage.

The main criteria for choosing a place for a bath: distance from the road, the presence of a natural or artificial fence from strangers (dense bushes, tree crowns, a fence, outbuildings), a fire-prevention distance from the main residential building of at least 15 meters.

The main rooms of the bath are the dressing room, the washing room and the steam room (the last two rooms can be combined into one). The size of the dressing room is determined at the rate of 1.4 m 2 for each bather, the size of the washing room is 1.2 m 2 for one person. In addition, in the dressing room there should be a place for furniture (locker for clothes, benches for sitting) and for storing fuel (box for coal or firewood). In the washing room you will need a place for containers with hot and cold water, stoves and a place for sunbeds.

For example, for a small family (no more than 4 people), a bathhouse of the following sizes is suitable: external size - 4x4 m; dressing room - 1.5x2.4 m; washing - 2x2 m; steam room - 2x1.5 m. True, in a bath of this size you can’t really turn around - but it also takes up little space.

In general, the size of the bath is directly related to the size of the area that can be allocated for it. If the site is significant, then the bath can be expanded by adding a shower cabin, relaxation rooms, etc. to it.

In temperate and cold climatic zones, it will be correct if the entrance to the bathhouse is located in the south, and the window openings are on its western (southwestern) side. Such an arrangement of the entrance will greatly simplify the use of the bathhouse in the winter season, since the snowdrifts on the south side melt faster, and the direction of the windows will allow longer to illuminate its premises with sunlight.

Bath construction - stages

There are several of them:

Procurement of basic materials.
Selection and laying of the foundation.
Creation of a foundation for a stove-heater (if necessary).
Creation of the floor and sewer system of the bath.
Assembling the log cabin.
Roof construction.
Formation of a blind area around the perimeter.
Caulking bath walls.
Laying or installation of a furnace, installation of a chimney.
Electricity and water supply of the bath.
Installation of doors and installation of shelves.

Preparation of basic materials for the bath

The classic and most successful structural material for the Russian bath was and will be wood - wood easily copes with waterlogging of bath rooms, removing excess moisture to the outside.

What wood is suitable for building a bath? As a rule, baths are built from pine or spruce round timber with a diameter of no more than 250 mm - only wood will create an indescribable internal atmosphere in the steam room. However, in some places it is better to include wood of other species in the design of the bath - oak, larch and linden. For example, the lower crowns and logs for flooring, made of oak, will allow you to get a truly durable bath. Nuance - the oak must be cut down "in the juice itself" (that is, not dead wood) and dried under a canopy. The lower crowns (no more than 4), following the first oak, are best made from larch. The final crowns, elements of interior decoration and cladding should be made of linden or white spruce - their wood removes moisture better than others.

When do you need to store wood for building a bath? Round timber, wood for interior decoration must be cut down in winter, during the period when tree trunks contain the least amount of moisture - it is easier to dry. In addition, not the entire tree trunk is suitable for building a bath - only the middle part of the trunk is suitable, that is, the top and butt are not suitable.

An important criterion in the selection of wood will be the absence of cavities and streaks of resin on the round timber of coniferous species, dryness, a sanded surface, the absence of rotten areas and places of damage by woodworms.

Bath foundation

The main types of foundation for the construction of baths are strip and columnar, depending on local soils. Regardless of the chosen type of foundation, it is necessary to lay them with the utmost care - it is better if to the depth of soil freezing. Preliminary work before laying any type of foundation: clearing the site of debris, complete removal of the topsoil to a depth of 200 mm (we remove the fertile layer).

To choose the right foundation, you need to determine the type of local soil, which can belong to one of three main groups:

Weak soil consists of peat, silt, silty sand (contains a lot of water), fluid clay or fluid plastic.
Heaving soil (subject to seasonal swelling) consists of sand (dusty or fine), clay components (clay, loam and sandy loam).
Slightly heaving soil is formed by rocks, medium and large grains of sand.

Columnar (pile) foundation for a bath

Arranged on slightly heaving soils: it consists of pillars laid in the corners of the bath, as well as at the junctions of internal and external walls. If the distance between two adjacent foundation pillars is more than 2 m, another pillar is laid between them. The depth of laying the columnar foundation is at least 1.5 m.

Pillars for such a foundation are easy to make directly at the construction site of the bath; the material for them can be red brick, rubble stone, connected with concrete mortar. The main (corner) brick pillars for a columnar foundation are usually square in shape, with a side of 380 mm, auxiliary ones are rectangular, with a section of 380x250 mm. If necessary, the main pillars are made in two bricks - with a section of 510x510 mm. Saving rubble stone and brick during the construction of a columnar foundation is achieved by filling the foundation pits with sand - half their depth, coarse sand is laid in layers (each layer - 100-150 mm), filled with water and rammed.

Foundation pillars when building a bath with your own hands can also be done independently. This will require a collapsible formwork made of boards, smeared from the inside with a non-hardening lubricant of the Emulsol type. Inside the assembled formwork, you need to place iron reinforcement, then pour the concrete mixture.

For casting foundation pillars inside the pits dug for them, a sliding formwork made of roofing iron, plastic, roofing paper or thick cardboard is used. From the material selected for the sliding formwork, a pipe with a diameter of 200 mm or more is created, placed in a foundation pit of a larger diameter - from 300 mm. The free space around the formwork is covered with sand - it will act as a lubricant and prevent the concrete pillar from rising when the soil swells. Reinforcement tied with thick wire is inserted inside the formwork, then the concrete mixture is poured, which must be carefully compacted. For wire handles, previously fixed on the sliding formwork, it is lifted by 400 mm by rocking, sand is poured from the outside and a new batch of concrete is poured.

Asbestos-cement pipes can be used as a columnar foundation, they are durable, not subject to decay, and their outer surface is quite smooth, which allows them not to change their position when the soil swells. Asbestos-cement pipes are also filled with concrete, their underground part must be coated with a mineral-based construction lubricant to reduce the risk of freezing to the ground.

Between the foundation pillars of the outer walls of the bathhouse and the inner walls of the steam room, brick walls are laid out, their sufficient thickness is brick and even half a brick. Such brick walls must be buried in the ground by 250 mm.

Foundation pillars and brick walls between them are brought to a height of 300-400 mm from the ground level, they must be leveled with cement mortar and covered with roofing material for waterproofing. At the ends of the pillars, during casting, mortgages of the required shape made of metal are installed - they are designed to fasten the log cabin of the bath to the foundation.

When building a bath on heaving soils, it will be necessary to create a tape monolithic foundation.

Sequence of work:

Marking the construction site with twine stretched between pegs.
Digging a trench of the required depth (its size is related to the characteristics of local soils, at least 400 mm) and 300 mm wide.
Adding a layer of sand to the bottom of the trench, then gravel (each 70-100 mm).
Formwork installation.
Reinforcement tab.
Pouring concrete mix.

The reinforcement laid on the bottom of the foundation trenches must have a cross section of at least 12 mm, it is laid along each of the two sides of the trench and knitted into a frame, lifting it to its middle with the help of brick fragments.

The composition of the concrete mixture is calculated in a ratio of 5:3:1 (crushed stone:sand:cement), the sand used must be dry and clean (washed). Calculating the volume of concrete required to pour a strip foundation is quite simple, you just need to measure the width, depth and total length of the foundation. For example, with a width of 0.3 m, a depth of 0.4 m and a total length of 22 m, the following volume of concrete mixture will be required:

0.3 x 0.4 x 22 \u003d 2.64 m 3

One of the difficulties in the preparation of a dry mix of concrete is the lack of scales at construction sites. Therefore, this method of calculating dry components for concrete will come in handy: one 10-liter bucket holds from 15 to 17 kg of gravel, sand - from 14 to 17 kg, cement - from 13 to 14 kg.

The formwork is placed in such a way that the concrete foundation cast into it protrudes 100 mm above the ground level. As the concrete mixture is poured into the prepared formwork, its mass must be repeatedly pierced with a bayonet shovel or wire probe, tap the outside of the formwork with a hammer (we eliminate air pockets). Then you need to wait for the foundation to completely harden, about 5 to 7 days. When carrying out foundation work in the cold season, the formwork after pouring concrete must be covered with PVC film and covered with sawdust or other insulation on top.

After the period allotted for drying the cast foundation, we proceed to its waterproofing and lifting with brick rows (if the bath is not required, then, after waterproofing, we proceed to the cement screed). You will need the following materials:

Ruberoid.
Pipe about 2 m (plastic or metal), section from 32 to 57 mm.
The grid is masonry.
Red brick.
Masonry mortar.

Roofing material (roofing) is cut into strips sufficient for flooring on a concrete foundation, then laid out over the foundation on bituminous mastic(for roofing - tar mastic). The brick is laid in a single-row dressing method: a masonry mortar is laid out on a roofing material layer, the first brick row “in a poke” (across the foundation axis) is laid on it, then a masonry mesh is laid, the mortar and the next brick row are laid, but already “in a spoon” (along the axis foundation). Each new row of brickwork is accompanied by a laying of masonry mesh, laying "in a spoon" and "in a poke" alternate with each other. In the 3rd or 5th bonded rows of masonry, you need to install ventilation vents from pipe scraps - 5-7 vents are enough for the entire foundation. The number of brick rows depends on the desired height of the foundation.

The last row of brickwork is covered with a cement screed (the composition of the solution is sand:cement as 1:2 or 1:3), with a 20 mm layer.

Independent foundation for the heater and sauna floor

We create the foundation for the stove-heater and assemble the bath house. If a major laying of a heater is expected, it needs an independent foundation, that is, not connected with the main foundation.

The floor in the bath can be clay, earth, wood or concrete. By and large, it does not need thermal insulation, since the temperature at its level is practically no higher than 30 ° C. A wooden grate, cork mats or mats are usually laid on the surface of the bath floor - their task is to relieve bath visitors from the sharp feeling of cold caused by touching the floor at the exit from the steam room. For self-drying, the flooring rises above the level of the main floor.

The main disadvantage of the wooden floor of the bath is its frequent waterlogging - water, penetrating through the cracks between the boards, will accumulate in them, causing rotting and an unpleasant odor. wood flooring the floor wears out quickly, acquiring an unsightly appearance, after 6-8 years it may require replacement. More practical for bath flooring will be tile- it is easier to take care of it, it is not affected by moisture, which easily flows down its surface.

The floors in the bath rooms must be placed at different levels: the floor of the steam room is 150 mm higher than the floor of the washing room (we keep warm), the floor of the washing room is 30 mm lower than the floor level in the dressing room (we protect against water ingress).

Since the installation of a coated concrete floor ceramic tiles in the washing room and steam room it is more profitable than a wooden floor - we will consider this option.

There are several ways to arrange a concrete floor in a bath. First of all, we prepare the base for the formation of a warm floor - it consists of a 100 mm layer of sand and a 100 mm layer of crushed stone of the middle fraction, laid in series. Each layer should be well compacted and leveled. Then lay a roofing material on top, covering the walls with it to the height of the future floor.

Next steps:

First option- flooring of a 50 mm layer of felt, expanded clay or slag, on top of a 50 mm layer of concrete with the formation of a slope to the drain hole. After the concrete has set, it must be leveled with a cement solution, after which you can proceed to tile work.
Second option- 50 mm cement screed containing perlite (expanded sand). Composition of the mixture: perlite:cement:water as 5:1:3. After a full week from the moment of laying the perlite concrete, we apply a 30 mm layer of concrete on top with a slope under the drain. When dealing with perlite, you need to be especially careful - this material is extremely light, even a light breeze blows it away, so you need to work with it indoors without drafts. Correctly observe the proportion of water!

With a significant rise in the basement of the bath above the ground (from 300 mm), wooden logs of square section (side 150 mm) will be required for flooring. If the dimensions of the bathhouse do not exceed 2000x3000 mm, then the logs will be supported by the logs. For larger sizes, additional supports for floor logs will be required, they are pillars made of concrete or brick (250x250 mm) and are placed at a distance of 700-800 mm. Support pillars for logs must be placed on a multilayer base of sand, crushed stone and concrete - each 100 mm.

Important! Before forming the base for the support of the log, it is necessary to make a foundation for the stove-heater and build a sewerage system.

Wood for logs can be oak, larch or conifers, logs should be treated with tar or antiseptic before installation.

The solution for the flooring in this case is as follows: the concrete space between the foundation is covered with roofing material with walls overlapping to the height of the floor, covered with slag or expanded clay (a layer of 200 mm foam can be laid between the layer of roofing material and bulk insulation), a draft floor of 29 mm is attached to the underside of the logs edged board. Then a PVC film is laid, foil mineral insulation, again a layer of film - for vapor barrier. On top we pour a 5 mm layer of concrete with a fine fraction filler, create a slope under the drain hole - after 3-4 days we put ceramic tiles.

Do not forget to bring the foundation for the furnace to floor level.

The floor in the dressing room is made of 19-29 mm grooved boards made of softwood.

An important point: when finishing a clean floor, and indeed the entire steam room and washing room, do not use synthetic building materials - the condition is especially important for a steam room!

Bath sewerage system

To drain wastewater from the bath, you will need: a pit with a water seal, a sewage well and pipes that drain dirty water into the pit and then into the sewer well.

The pit is torn off outside the foundation of the bath, gravity pipes made of plastic, cast iron or ceramics are brought into it from the steam room and washing room (metal pipes will quickly rust).

The pit should be 500 mm from the foundation, its depth - 700 mm, section - 500x500 mm. The walls of the pit are covered with a 100 mm layer of concrete, a 110 mm drain pipe (pipes) from the bath is inserted into it under the foundation. The main well for drains, containing at least 2 m 3, must be dug at a distance of at least 2.5 m from the pit - the farther the better. A pipe is brought to it from the pit, laid under a slope at a depth of 1.5 m (below the freezing depth), its outlet from the pit must be located 100 mm from its bottom. After entering drain pipe, the main sewage well is filled with gravel or sand 1 m from the bottom, soil is poured on top - a layer of at least 500 mm. When laying, carefully tamp each layer.

Before the outlet of the drain pipe into the pit, a galvanized water seal is installed, located at an obtuse angle to the drain pipe from the bath. Its edges and upper side are hermetically attached to the walls of the pit, the distance from its lower edge to the bottom should be no more than 50 mm - thanks to this design, unpleasant odors and cold air do not penetrate into the steam room (washing room) through the drain hole.

To avoid freezing in winter period the pit must be closed with two covers of the appropriate size (wooden or metal), lay felt between them, and cover the top cover with expanded clay, slag or sawdust.

Shed, roof and blind area

It is better to make a log house for a bath to order from professional performers; its manufacture is quite difficult. The finished log house, disassembled, must be brought to the construction site and assembled according to the numbering of the logs. Crowns are fastened with 25 mm steel spikes with a total length of up to 150 mm, a tooth length of up to 70 mm.

The design of the roof of the bath includes rafters, a crate is attached to them, then roofing material. The choice of the final roof structure depends on the roof covering with which it will be covered. The rafters are attached to the last crown of the log house (better to the penultimate one) with the help of staples-thorns. As a rule, the construction of baths involves the arrangement of a single or gable roof, the slope angle (from 10 ° to 60 °) of which depends on the abundance and amount of precipitation in the area. Keep in mind - the steeper the roof, the more material is required to create it.

Shed rafters, located at an angle, are fixed with two external or internal and external supports. If the span of the rafters exceeds 5 m, they are supported with additional struts. The rafters of a gable roof rest with their lower ends on the walls, the upper ends are interconnected, forming a ridge.

The roof of the bath can be covered with any material (slate, tiles, roofing material, galvanized, etc.), with an overlap on the walls of at least 500 mm.

The attic space must be made ventilated, that is, equipped with two doors at opposite ends of the roof.

We carry out a blind area along the foundation perimeter: we completely remove the top layer of soil, deepen by 200 mm at a distance of 600-800 mm from the basement of the bath, lay a 100 mm layer of gravel (crushed stone, expanded clay) with its subsequent leveling. We lay the expansion joints (19 mm board coated with resin or bitumen, with a step of 2-2.5 m perpendicular to the foundation), pour a 100 mm layer of concrete. Before the concrete sets, its surface must be ironed - dry cement is covered with a layer of 3-5 mm. After 3 days, the line of contact between the blind area and the foundation of the bath must be covered with bitumen for its waterproofing.

Caulker of a bath house

It is carried out for warming the log house - sealing the cracks between its logs, flax tow, red moss, hemp hemp, wool felt are traditionally used for caulking. Natural materials for caulking can be replaced with factory-made materials made from jute and flax fibers: linen and felt - jute and flax-jute. The advantage of factory materials for caulking over natural ones is resistance to moth and fungus damage, and it is easier to work with factory material, because it is produced in the form of a continuous tape of a given thickness and width.

The caulking of the log house is carried out during its assembly - the caulking material is laid between the logs during their laying. After the roof is built, a complete caulking is performed - from the outside and inside a log house, a year later - repeated caulking (the log house settles down - the logs dry).

The main tools for caulking are a spatula and a mallet, you can make them yourself or buy ready-made ones. Both of these instruments are made of wood (ash, oak or beech). A caulking spatula looks like a wedge with a handle 200 mm long and a pointed blade 100 mm, handle thickness 30 mm, blade width at the base 65 mm, at the end - 30 mm. The wooden mallet has a rounded shape: the handle diameter is 40 mm, its length is 250 mm, the impact part diameter is 70 mm, and the length is 100 mm.

Caulking is performed in two ways - “in a set” or “in a stretch”. In the second way, we caulk like this: we collect the caulking material into a strand, lay it in the gap between the logs and push it in with a spatula, filling the gap completely, without gaps. Then we collect the tow with a roller, apply it to the caulked groove, take out small strands of material from it, wrap the roller around them and drive it into the groove with the help of a spatula and a roller - with force, until we are completely sure that the groove (slot) is filled.

The first method of caulking log cabins is designed to cover grooves (slots) of large width. We twist the material for caulking with 2 mm strands, form several loops from them and drive them into the slot. Loops are recruited in an amount sufficient to completely fill the gap.

Caulking rules:

first, the material is hammered along the upper edge of the log, and only after that - along the bottom;
we start work on caulking from the slots of the lower crown, on both sides. Then we move on to the lower crown of the adjacent wall and so on. Having finished caulking the slots of the lower crowns, we begin work on the next one in height, moving from this crown to the next one in the nearest wall (right to left or left to right, it doesn’t matter).

In no case do not caulk only one wall - it will rise and cause the log house to skew, you will have to disassemble / assemble it again. Recall once again: caulking is performed in the direction "from bottom to top" along the perimeter of the log house.

We put the oven

There are many design options for sauna stoves, they can be heated with wood, gas, liquid fuel or use built-in heating elements and be heated by electricity, they can be brick, cast iron or metal. Brick ovens in baths are made with a wall thickness of "half a brick" or "a whole brick", masonry joints must be bandaged especially carefully, striving for their smallest thickness in order to achieve the greatest efficiency of the furnace. Only red brick is used for laying stoves. The firebox of the stove is taken out into the dressing room, its remaining three walls are in the washing room (steam room), while the distance from them to the walls of the washing room should be at least 250 mm - in this case, the heat will not go “into the walls”.

For a cast-iron or metal furnace, the formation of an independent foundation is not required - only for a brick one.

The heaters installed for those who like to take a steam bath are equipped with a chamber containing stones of various weights (from 1 to 5 kg). But, pebbles, boulders and granite are suitable for filling the chamber of the heater. The design of these stoves is extremely simple - similar to stoves, heaters differ from them in a wider pipe or in the presence of a chamber with stones.

To obtain the highest temperature in the steam room, iron ingots must be added to the stones at a percentage of 80:20 (stones: ingots). For every 1 m 3 of a steam room, at least 6 kg of stones and cast iron ingots will be required.

If a distance of 40-50 mm is observed in the furnace between its walls and the water-heating boiler, the effect of a comprehensive blowing of the boiler with hot gases and the fastest heating of water is achieved.

For better draft, you need to bring the chimney as close as possible to the roof ridge. When passing the chimney through the attic space, be sure to fluff the chimney 380 mm. Remember that the pipe should not pass near the roof sheathing and rafters closer than 150 mm (fire regulations).

Electricity and water supply of the bath

At least 8 liters are required for washing one bath user hot water. There are several ways to provide such an amount: heat a container of water on the stove, use geyser, install an electric heater - boiler. If there is a central water supply, the pipeline to the bathhouse is led from the main house - water from such a pipeline system must be drained in winter, otherwise it will freeze and break the pipes.

Water can be taken from a well or well by installing submersible pump for its injection and supplying such a water supply system with cleaning filters. And in this case, in winter, the water must either be drained after each use of the bath, or the supply pipes must be insulated.

To the bath you need to stretch an independent line for supplying electricity and the easiest way is to do it by air (air). For air, you will need a special cable - we sweep away the “bare” aluminum cable right away, stopping at two options: SIP (self-supporting insulated wire) and VVGng. The first type of cable is very good, it has a long service life (more than 30 years), it is durable and does not need to be supported by a carrier cable. But it's extremely difficult to deal with him. installation work, because it is too thick (minimum cross section - 16 mm 2). Aluminum SIP cannot be pulled through the attic of the bath according to fire safety standards; it is required to mount it on special anchor clamps - in terms of the amount of costs and hassle with its installation, its cost will be expensive.

A simpler solution is an air duct with a VVGng copper cable fixed on a supporting steel cable. The cable is suspended from a cable on a wire insulated with plastic, its service life is up to 10 years, after which it must be replaced (!). For a single-core cable VVGng (of course, there must be two cores - each of them must be in an independent double braid), stretched through the air to the bath, the optimal section will be 2.5 mm 2 - it is not known exactly what kind of electrical equipment the owner of the dacha wants to power from it in the future.

All junction boxes, sockets and switches, electrical panel must be outdoor installation only. According to fire safety rules, it is forbidden to install junction boxes, switches and sockets in the washing / steam room - only in the dressing room. Do not joke with the possibility of a short circuit in a wooden structure - all internal wiring of the bath should be made only in a non-combustible corrugated hose, fixed to special clips, the cable passing through partitions - only through a steel pipe.

Try to arrange the cables in the junction box, socket or lamp so that they go there from below or from the side, but not from above - a drop of condensate sliding along the braid can cause a short circuit.

All electrical appliances must have a moisture protection class of at least IP44 (preferably the maximum - IP54). Install simple fixtures - a metal case, only a glass cover. All connections of the internal wiring of the cable are only on the terminal block, no twists. And install an RCD in the shield, setting it to 30 mA.

For work in the electrical panel and installation of RCDs, be sure to invite a qualified electrician if you yourself are not one!

Installation of partitions, ceiling, interior decoration, installation of windows and doors

The internal partitions in the bath can be brick or wooden, with subsequent heat and moisture insulation in both cases. The partition between the washing room and the dressing room, in which the stove is installed, must be brick, or brick inserts are made in it with masonry in one brick - on the sides in contact with the stove body.

Interior decoration is usually carried out in cases where the bath itself is built of brick, stone or timber - here the decoration scheme is classic: insulation, vapor barrier film and lining. In addition, when performing exterior and interior decoration, you will have to rebuild ventilation system baths, because the log logs will be covered with sheathing and will not be able to carry out full ventilation.

The ceiling is formed in two layers - draft and finishing. The draft ceiling is attached to the horizontal roof joists, if necessary reinforced with intermediate beams. Its area is covered with insulation - expanded clay or slag. From the inside of the washing / steam room, insulation and a vapor barrier film are attached to the draft ceiling, after which the ceiling is covered with a fine finish - lime, pine grooved board (from 20 mm thick - the thicker the board, the longer it will retain the woody smell).

Bathroom needs windows small size(on average 500x700 mm) and cut them low - enough so that you can look out through them to the person sitting on the bench. The windows in the bath are always double-glazed, depending on the size - with a window or fully hinged - for quick ventilation.

The doors in the bath rooms must be installed so that they open outward - for reasons of fire safety. The material for the door leaves is a tongue-and-groove board (40-50 mm) or a board with a selected quarter, the boards are fastened to the dowels. The size of the flaps must be deliberately reduced by 5 mm - more than necessary for the actual distance between the quarters of the jambs - otherwise, when the humidity rises, the flap will swell and it will be difficult to open (close) it. Optimal size door to washing department baths - 600x1600 mm, in the steam room - 800x1500 mm, with a threshold height of about 300 mm above the floor (it is uncomfortable to walk, but it will keep warm). Hinges for hanging door leaves - brass, going into the dressing room (washing room) and into the washing room (steam room). Doorknobs- wooden (especially in the steam room).

The material for the shelves is linden, pine, poplar or aspen. The minimum length of the shelves is 1800 mm, the width is 500-800 mm. The distance between the “floors” of two-row shelves should be at least 350 mm, the minimum distance from the second row to the ceiling is 1100 mm.

The surface for lying is formed by a board with a width of 80 mm, a thickness of 40 mm, a gap of 15 mm wide is formed between the boards. A distance of 10 mm is maintained from the wall to the shelf. Boards for sheathing shelves are attached to a frame made of timber with a section of 50x70 mm in two ways: from above - with the help of nails, the caps of which are recessed into the tree; bottom with screws. For fastening choose nails and screws made of stainless steel or copper.

All corners in the design of the shelves are rounded, the surfaces are carefully cleaned with zero sandpaper.

For greater convenience, the shelves in the steam room are equipped with a headboard: the height at the beginning of the rise is 30 mm, the length of the headboard is 460 mm, the final maximum height is 190 mm.

When choosing a material for creating shelves, be careful - it is believed that knotty areas have a higher density and can lead to skin burns. Therefore, try to pick up boards and timber without knotty areas at all or with a minimum number of them.

Fire fighting measures

Protect the bathhouse from the threat of fire - lay a stove in front of the firebox steel sheet, make sure that the stove doors are securely fastened, install fire extinguishing equipment nearby (a container with water, sand and fire extinguishers). Make sure that you can freely open the doors of the steam room and washing room when kindling the bath. Do not block passages, the space in front of doors and windows.

Bath, built in Russian traditions, is considered an ideal place to cleanse the soul and body. Regularly visiting it, it is possible to maintain health, preserve youth and get real pleasure. It is not surprising that many decide to build a Russian-style bathhouse with their own hands.

Features of the Russian bath

The Russian bathhouse, which was built by our ancestors, includes two sections: a dressing room and a steam room. The largest size of this room is 2.3x4 m, the smallest is 5x6 m. Baths with such dimensions are again popular.

1 - dressing room; 2 - steam room and washing; 3 - shelves; 4 - oven

The device of a primordially Russian bath implies:

creation of an unburied columnar foundation based on boulders, devoid of a base;
the assembly of a log house from selected wild logs, that is, material that has not been subjected to any treatment other than removing the bark and drying;
construction without the use of nails;
plugging cracks with moss and tow;
installation of a floor ceiling;
insulation of floor and ceiling coverings with moss and peat;
waterproofing the structure with resin and shoe pitch;
making a sod or shingle roof;
building a brick oven.

Preparation for construction: drawings and dimensions

When drafting a bathhouse, one should not forget that several people will use the steam room and the washing room at once. Therefore, the area and dimensions of the bath should be determined without making serious mistakes.

The second version of the bath differs in the arrangement of the shower

To make it convenient for each user to be in the bath room, he needs to allocate at least 1.8 m² in the dressing room and 1.5 m² in the steam room. The average indicator of the total useful area of a bath for a family is 10 m². At the same time, most of the space should be in the dressing room, and less - in the steam room and washing department.

In order to wash in Russian people of any height could, the ceiling should be built at a height of 2.4 meters.

When determining the height of the ceiling, take into account that the building will soon sit down

At the planning stage of the building, it is necessary to reflect in the drawing the area for arranging the vestibule. This room may be needed as a place to block the path of cold air from the street.

For a vestibule, 2.32 sq. m

Adherents of traditions are advised to build a bath from high-quality coniferous wood. This material is not fragile, and most importantly - it lasts a long time. And the needles are also environmentally friendly and have low thermal conductivity, that is, they do not release heat and at the same time interfere with air exchange. Unique property This tree is considered resistance to various manifestations of the climate.

Such a wooden building should stand on a solid foundation.

For construction, you can take one of two types of coniferous wood:

round logs;
whole bars.

Experienced builders advise building a bath from beams, since this material is cheaper, and it is much easier to build walls from it. In addition, the timber construction perfectly manages without a bulky foundation.

The timber structure looks simple, but it is easy to assemble

If you opt for rounded logs, then you can be severely disappointed: a log structure settles for a long time, which is why it will not be possible to put it into operation earlier than a year and a half after construction. Unlike a log bath, a timber building can be safely used six months after the completion of construction work.

When buying beams, you should use a tape measure to check the material for compliance with the specified dimensions, and then make sure that the building materials are of good quality. To do this, do the following:

List of materials and tools

To build a Russian bath, you need to stock up not only with beams and bricks, but also:

To carry out construction tasks, you should arm yourself with:

Do-it-yourself step-by-step construction of an object

Construction is taking place in stages:

along the perimeter of the future building and under its load-bearing interior walls create pits for the formation of a strip foundation;
sand is poured onto the bottom of the trench, the finished “pillow” is pressed and watered;
the pits are filled with reinforcing bars and liquid concrete, the layer of which is smoothed with cement mortar;
Before pouring concrete from the boards, formwork is being built.
concrete forms the base for a brick oven;
several layers of waterproofing material treated with bituminous mastic are placed on the platform;
they assemble a log house, connecting the beams according to the method “at the corners into a paw, and the ends into half a tree without a trace”, laying a heater between them and setting each row at a distance of 20 cm from the edge of the dowel;
The corners are connected in 4 steps, and the ends in 3 steps
prepare a platform for the floor, that is, pour a 10 cm layer of sand, press it, and then cover with a 10 cm layer of crushed stone;
crushed stone is covered with sheets of roofing material, adjoining edges for several centimeters;
cement is placed on the roofing material, creating a screed with a slope, thereby arranging the flow of waste water towards the sewer pipe built into the ground and leading to a separately dug pit;
glued onto a hardened cement screed facing material, on top of which a wooden crate is placed;
Wooden crates on the floor keep your feet from touching the cold floor
floor beams are attached to the upper bars of the walls in a horizontal position;
the installed beams are connected with iron brackets to the rafters - thick bars;
fasten the rafter legs to each other using ridge bars;
the rafters are covered with a rolled waterproofing sheet and wooden flooring - the basis for the roofing material;
create a ceiling, that is, non-bearing walls lay out boards every 2.5 meters;
a vapor barrier film is laid on top of the ceiling ceilings and heat-insulating material is laid.

Finishing

TO finishing work start after the shrinkage of the structure. First of all, all surfaces inside the bath are covered with an antiseptic composition.

Interior decoration includes the following tasks:

installation of the crate directly on the walls and ceiling;
laying in the gaps of the crate of insulation and vapor barrier material;
flooring lining or other facing material.

Lining is laid on the ceiling and wall

If only lining has become the most popular building material for the interior decoration of the bath, then many materials are in demand for facing the exterior walls of the building:

vinyl or metal siding;
plastic lining;
block house imitating the look of a log house;
edged or unedged boards, characterized by a low price.

The material extends the life of the structure

Search for stones for a bath room

In the steam room, it is customary to use igneous rocks. Formed during a volcanic eruption, they are resistant to extreme heat. The igneous rocks that positively affect the energy forces of a person include:

polished or chipped jadeite, the main feature of which is beauty;
talc chloride, which is able to absorb moisture and, evaporating it, create the necessary steam in the bath;
basalt that can withstand high temperatures.

In addition to the benefits, this stone gives aesthetic pleasure.

Metamorphic rocks can be laid on the stove, which tend to normalize blood composition and improve well-being. We are talking about such stones as:

white quartz, called hot ice, which releases ozone when cooled sharply;
crimson quartzite, the second name of which is the royal stone.

Such a stone is ideally combined with brickwork.

To create steam in the bath, you can use full-crystalline rocks, for example:

dunit;
serpentinite.

These stones are able to regenerate cells of the nervous system, increase immune strength and have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland.

The length of such a stone is about 20 cm

If you want to move away from traditions, then it is better to use cast-iron stones - balls produced by industry - as steam generators in the bath. They instantly heat the room and keep warm for long hours. True, cast-iron stones undergo rusting after a short service life and carry no properties useful to humans.

Definitely it is impossible to put stones of sedimentary and siliceous rock on the stove. Their structure is porous, which means that, when cooled sharply, they become covered with cracks and small particles scatter in a zone of one meter.

Exploitation

The main requirement for using a bath is to create the right temperature. In the steam room, this physical value should be within 55–77 degrees. The temperature indicator is selected individually, that is, it depends on the preferences of the owner of the bath. It is customary to heat the washing room up to 40 °, and the rest room - up to 20 °.

In order for the bath to serve for a long time and properly, you need to use it according to the rules:

put into the furnace only any dry fuel, except for firewood from coniferous wood;
keep the combustion chamber door closed, thereby avoiding the escape of hot sparks;
keep out of heat chimney before acquiring red;
do not touch hot surfaces, including the walls of the tank for heating water;
keep the bathrooms clean;
ventilate the bath sectors after each firebox for four hours;
try not to splash water on the glass surfaces in the room (windows and doors);
clean and inspect the chimney for holes at least once a quarter.

The owner of the bath will have to carefully care for wooden surfaces. Elements inside the bath, made of wood, are supposed to be coated twice a year with special agents to protect against fungi and decay. External processing wooden walls buildings are recommended to be carried out after two years of operation. To do this, it is better to use antiseptics, which include wax.

Wood deteriorates over time and therefore needs careful maintenance.

In order for the stove of the Russian bath to give the right amount of heat, one must be able to regulate the traction force. To do this, more or less open the door of the chamber for the accumulation of ash. Excessive draft will cause the furnace to heat up too much, and this will bring the equipment out of service. If the force that causes air to enter the furnace is normalized, then the stones in the bath are heated to a standard temperature.

During the combustion of the furnace, the operation of the chimney should be monitored. Firewood consumption can be minimized, and the efficiency of heat supply can be increased, just not completely covering the chimney damper. But this is allowed to be done only after the absolute closure of the ash chamber.

Video: building a bath from scratch

You can get real joy from the construction of a Russian bath. It is clear that this work is impossible without skills and labor, but the result causes pride. This feeling is even stronger if the object was built on its own.

After building a house on their site, most land owners think about how to build a good steam room there. At the same time, the work is supposed to be done by hand, and the bath should be built quickly, cheaply and very simply. Satisfying such criteria is not so easy, but still possible.

It is hardly worth relying on other people's projects or ordering overly expensive individual building plans. In most cases, a small building is required that will meet the needs of a family of 2-3 people.

The foundation is the basis of everything

For most autonomous buildings with little physical activity use the following types of foundations:

poured concrete;
support-columnar;
on pile-screw supports;
tape-block.

The simplest is the columnar base. It is used both for frame structures and for timber. A cheap frame bath, erected by oneself, begins with it.

For support, cement blocks (cinder block) with dimensions of 200x200x400 mm are used. They are mounted according to a prepared template at the corners of a 2x2 m conditional grid. Accordingly, in order to build a 12 m 2 bath with your own hands cheaply and in stages, as shown with us, you will need about 9 such supports. Each of them has 4 blocks.

Before installation, it is necessary to level the site, and laying should be carried out according to the building hydraulic level. First you need to fill a layer of sand under the base and compact it. From this stage, it is possible to provide for the installation of a spillway.

When using screw piles, it is unlikely that it will be possible to reduce the final cost less than the price of a strip foundation. However, for wetlands or for soil with high level groundwater this solution would be appropriate. In such a situation, you can save on self-assembly without the involvement of third-party specialists or equipment.

It will be cheap to build a bathhouse with your own hands on a strip foundation of blocks. Under a building of 12 m 2, an amount of 6,000 rubles will be needed, taking into account the fact that the laying is carried out independently, as well as the preparation of the solution. This will reduce the cost.

For most types of foundation, care must be taken to have a sand cushion.

Actual building materials

When building walls for a cheap bath with your own hands (the video is on the site), you can use a large number of modern materials. They have a lot of positive qualities, but the most accessible of them, and at the same time effective, are the following:

wooden beam;
wood concrete;
the use of an insulated frame.

In our country, it is enough to use a beam 100 mm thick for the outer walls of the bath, which will be operated from late spring to late autumn. During the installation of the timber, it is necessary to install the dowels at least every 0.9-1.0 m. For a classic size of 12 m 2, it will be enough to stock up on 62 bars. Such a do-it-yourself bath will definitely come out cheaper than its larger counterparts.

In the process, interventional insulation is used. The total amount of these materials will be about 25 ... 30 thousand rubles. If you take it all in a wholesale warehouse or directly from the manufacturer, you can save.

When building the cheapest arbolite bath with your own hands, you need to stock up on such an amount of material:

about 20 bags of cement;
a quarter or a third of a cube of sawdust;
sand 2.5-3.0 t;
about 1 m 3 lumber;
enough water.

When pouring a bath from sawdust material, each time 2-3 days are expected for the layer to harden, and only after that the formwork is rearranged. It should be noted that with this method, the maximum cost of building walls is unlikely to exceed 12,000-15,000 rubles.

When building walls from this material, it will take a lot of time to protect them from moisture in the steam room. Increased waterproofing will protect the material from destruction by water.

Construction from wood concrete

In addition to a cheap bath from a bar or wood concrete, you can build a frame structure with your own hands. In this case, it will need to be reliably insulated. For a calculated building of 12 m 2 of area, it is necessary to stock up on 3 m 3 of beams. Insulation will also need to be included in the estimate. In a lightweight version, 10 cm of thickness is enough. If basalt wool is used during construction, then the total cost of the walls will not exceed 25,000 rubles. At the same time, the advantage of this type of mineral wool is its maximum fire safety.

Floor arrangement

Any bathhouse built with your own hands cheaply and quickly will not do without a reliable floor. For its installation, various paired schemes tested by many owners are used. In most cases, you have to use the double base option.

A sand cushion of 150 mm is preliminarily arranged, which can be poured and rammed for better laying.
The base surface is then a 70-80 mm concrete pour.
top layer a mesh rail protrudes, knocked down into a rigid frame. This flooring can be moved and laid at your own discretion.

After every visit wooden frames from the floor it is desirable to dry and ventilate outside the walls of the steam room.

The total cost, which includes sand, cement and slats, will be approximately 3000-4000 rubles.

Even before laying and installing the floor surface in the bath, you need to make a drain and take it to the sewer to the street. For the absence of smell, it is necessary to use ready-made gutters with water seals.

Ceiling work

When working with the ceiling, it is necessary to adhere to certain tricks, only then will it be possible to build a bath with your own hands cheaply, as in the video. It is impossible to use an excessively thin lining to cover the ceiling, this applies to a thickness of about 15 mm, as it quickly absorbs moisture and dampens. It is necessary to take boards of about 30 mm thickness, which will save on insulation.

Scheme of a quality ceiling

In the old days, a composition of earth or clay mixed with dry leaves was used to insulate ceilings. This natural option remains in demand even today, when it is necessary to build a bath with your own hands cheaply, as in the photo. Instead of leaves, sawdust is suitable.

For a project of 12 m 2, it is enough to have 17 prepared boards with tongues to cover the entire ceiling. Before filling the insulation from the outside, a layer of glassine is necessarily laid.

On the shed roof it will take about 0.7 m 3 of wooden beams. They are covered with two layers of roofing material, and the seams are glued with bitumen. Such a roof can last up to five years without leaking.

VIDEO: Sauna for a summer residence - very fast and very cheap

For a Russian person, a bath is not a luxury, but a vital necessity. Even historians are convinced that love for a bath broom and good heat is literally in our blood, and even in the poorest villages nearby, next to rickety dilapidated huts, new steam rooms were regularly built every five years (the old ones burned down). And Peter I, during a trip to France, could not stand two days without his own steam, urgently ordering the construction of a Russian bathhouse right on the banks of a foreign river, which shocked the natives a lot. But what to do if it is so expensive to build today, and not everyone likes public steam rooms? And if rest in the steam room is not easy useful procedures, but also valuable communication with friends, barbecue and the opportunity to breathe fresh air? Then we will learn the cunning tricks of modern Russian masters who manage to build their steam rooms literally for vacation pay.

So, let's look at the most successful projects for the construction of baths and their implementation, where the main task was to save as much as possible, but at the same time not lose the comfort of bath procedures. After all, as they say, the most budgetary bath is the vestibule of a summer commuter train.

What can and cannot be saved on when building a bath?

Agree, not a single saving is worth the loss of health, property or life. But the saddest situations occur when the issue of cheapness is thoughtlessly approached: such baths first slowly poison their owners with the release of hazardous substances, and then either burn or quickly deteriorate. But this does not mean that it is better to give up all hard-earned money to the conscience of the construction team - it is better to simply refuse from the dangerous use in construction from the very beginning:

Non-certified materials and fakes, for which unscrupulous sellers ask many times less. And at the same time, they convince the buyer that “there is no difference with expensive material, there is simply no markup for the brand, my brother / matchmaker / son-in-law has had a bath with this for half a century, and nothing.”
Materials that are categorically not intended for the construction and decoration of baths. So, if it is impossible to insulate the walls in the sauna with foam plastic, then it is impossible, and this is not a whim of the manufacturer. Again, a neighbor who, at his own peril and risk, insulated in this way and now boasts is not an example.
Unsuitable components for conducting electricity in the bath (wires, sockets), unprotected lamps or cheap Chinese products.
Homemade stoves and water heaters that no one tested for fire safety.
Combustible materials and those that do not indicate that they can be used in conditions of high humidity and heat.

If you are building a bathhouse with your own hands and are forced to save as much as possible on materials, calculate your every step well, consult with experts and do not disregard anything “it seems to work”. And finally, save on a limited budget is better on cubic meters of the steam room, but not on the materials for its decoration. Such is the advice.

Let's look a little at affordable heaters. So, basalt wool is made from stone (basalt). Its main advantage is that the fibers inside the insulation are connected not by a chemical method, but by a different technology, and therefore, even when placed behind the foil, hazardous substances will not be released into the steam room. This insulation is not combustible and well insulates the firebox. For a bath - the best option. If you want to save money, then put one layer of basalt wool and a couple of layers of another, cheaper material on the ceiling.

Penofol is also used as an economical option - porous propylene with plastic wrap and foil spraying. You can buy it in roll form, and mount it directly on a bare wall. This material is a good bridge of heat between the wall itself and the insulation.

Buy a stove without an external firebox - this way it will take much less firewood to heat the steam room, and such a unit is inexpensive.
Be sure to install a water tank - this is the fastest and most economical way.
Make a cheap removable foundation for a bath: it is much cheaper and easier to carry out with it later repair work and change to another.
Pay maximum attention to the insulation of the bath - the less you “heat the street”, the more economical the heating itself will be.
Stick a wrapping film with bubbles on the window in the rest room in winter - this will retain at least 50% heat.
Instead of an ordinary shower or shower stall, put a traditional Russian tub. Yes, and healthier, by the way. And it is not at all necessary to pour only ice water into it.
When purchasing lining, take bars of short sizes - they are cheaper and look no worse.
Build a low roof near the bath, no more than a ratio of width and height of 1: 3. Such a design would take a lot less materials, and the chimney will also not need to be made high.

Project #1 - a compact sauna at a minimum cost

So the step by step process:

Step 1 - foundation. We will make the foundation columnar. To do this, you will need to get a 2 meter auger drill. As casing pipe take the regular cheap ones sewer pipes by 110 mm. Insert reinforcement from two connected rods.

Step 2 - strapping. Place 500 mm long studs under the harness. Assemble the harness 150x150, and prepare the frame racks with a height of 2200 mm. Treat the frame with Neomid 440 or some other suitable for the same purpose.
Step 3 - walls. You can finish the walls right on the strapping, and just lift them. We sew CSP. To do this, pre-drill the plates, and then fasten them with self-tapping screws with a semicircular head.
Step 4 - the roof. The roof is covered with eight-wave slate. Let's save!
Step 5 - warming. Now we put any inexpensive insulation that is suitable for a bath. In this project - Linerock Light.
Step 6 - oven. We put an inexpensive stove, you can make it yourself. But under any, we must additionally lay out a brick corner.
Step 7 - finishing. We fasten lining, plinths, cashers.

So a compact and inexpensive steam room is ready.

If the walls, due to economy, are not too strong, then the smaller the bath, the better - so its structural properties will be higher.

Project # 2 - wood concrete is used

But good example construction of a budget bath from wood concrete - the price is not much more expensive than frame technology. So, the outer walls of the steam room will be 20 cm thick, inside - a brick partition from the stove.

Here's what the build process looks like:

Step 1. We dig a drain hole with dimensions of 1.2x1.8x1.4 m. On both sides we fill up the OPGS with stones, make a formwork, fill it.
Step 2. We dig a foundation 30 cm wide, up to 50 cm deep. We fill it with sand and ram.
Step 3. We put the formwork, we reinforce two rods at the top and bottom. We put vertical bars through the meter. We pour the foundation.
Step 4. We put EPPS, mesh in the washing and steam room and fill the floors. In the washing room, we additionally organize a drain.

Step 5. We put the blocks, check the evenness of the walls with a level.
Step 6 We make a roof using 50x100 boards. The optimal distance between the rafters is 55-80 cm. We cover.
Step 7. We cook the oven or buy a budget ready-made one. The ventilation scheme is suitable as follows: from the outside, the air goes to the gap between the stove and brick wall where it is heated.
Step 8. We install a shower tank in the attic.
Step 9 We finish the walls from the inside. If possible, use Izospan FB - a material special for baths, plus heat-resistant tape. Isolon is good for the ceiling, which can withstand temperatures up to 150 ° C.

Such a budget and quite successful bath turns out.

When choosing wood concrete, pay attention: in terms of its density, it can be heat-insulating and structural. The first has a density of 400-500 kg / m, the second - 500-850 kg / m. This material is used for the construction of self-supporting walls and has good heat and sound insulation.

Project # 3 - a miniature bathhouse made of timber in the national style

And if you can’t imagine a Russian steam room from another material, like timber, you can build such a relatively budget option.

Step 1. We level the platform for the foundation from screenings, put together the “formwork” and leave only an opening for draining water from the washing room.
Step 2. Lay out the EPPS, knit the reinforcing cage. We fill it with concrete, make a slope for water and the foundation is ready.
Step 3. We lay the log house. Under the first crown we put a board treated with an antiseptic, which we close with roofing felt on three sides. You can put moss on the board itself - it has antiseptic properties, and therefore the crown of the bath will last even longer.
Step 4 We build the walls and leave it for several months to shrink.
Step 5 We fix the rafters and cover the roof. We make a pipe passage through the ceiling - it is easy to make it from metal corner and stainless steel sheet.
Step 6. Between the steam room and the dressing room we make a frame partition, we warm it mineral wool and sheathed on both sides with clapboard.
Step 7. We lay out the floor in front of the stove with porcelain stoneware. We leave a special hole in the floor - for forced ventilation.
Step 8. We bring the pipe from the furnace through the roof. The passage is made of Master Flush rubber, which is resistant to temperature. The joint with the roofing is sealed with MS-polymer.
Step 9 We fix the shelves in the steam room and conduct electricity.

Remember: the first step to huge savings when building your own bath is to build it yourself!

Project #4 - a steam room on a light frame from improvised means

Bars for the frame of the bath can be made even from the collected firewood, if desired. The main thing is to choose from them without defects and knots, and be sure to treat with an antiseptic.

So, we are building a budget bath from improvised means:

Step 1. We make bars for the frame, process and dry.
Step 2. We build a pile-rubble foundation: we tear out the ground with a drill for a meter, forget the thick pine stakes there and make a backfill of concrete and stones on top. Next, fill the pillars already to the top.
Step 4. We assemble the frame.
Step 5. We dig a hole under the drain, insert a barrel with broken bricks and rubble inside, and bring the ladder out there. This is a summer version that is not insulated, and for winter, you can lay a heater or a heating cable.
Step 6. and the ceiling, put a film on top of the insulation. On the walls and ceiling we put Finnish sauna foil paper.
Step 7. We put the oven. Take it with a register, because. you need water heating for washing - in order not to purchase a boiler separately. So, it has proven itself - inexpensive and warms well.

Such a bath surprisingly lasts a long time, steam pleases and spending time in it is a pleasure. And you can always find cons.

Mini-baths: cheap and cheerful

But if there are no funds at all for the construction of a steam room, you should not despair - today there are many options to build a steam room literally from nothing. Let's take a closer look.

Barrel bath

This is the most common, only more solid sizes. Part of it is covered by a wooden lattice screen, behind which the stove is hidden. There is a small bench in front of the screen. Even three people can steam at the same time in such a bath. But this option is only summer: they rolled it out to the site, put it horizontally, threw firewood into the stove and you can pour water on the stones. But as a low-budget option - very much even nothing.

Camping bath

Such a bath is taken mainly on a hike, but in the absence of another alternative, it can also be used on the site. It will be inexpensive, because it is an ordinary tent in which they put a stove or an electric one. This is no longer the same soft Russian bath, but as a temporary phenomenon it also has the right to exist.

Built-in mini sauna

There was also a fashion to do in the bathroom. So, we transfer the washing machine to the kitchen, and in its place we build something similar to a closet. This is a small structure, about 1.5 m high, made of a frame and upholstered with clapboard. Inside - one shelf for the seat and a built-in steam generator. The person sits down, closes the door, turns on the appliance. But his head remains outside - for safety's sake. When using special aromatic oils and other SPA elements, it is quite a good way to improve your health. We can say that this is the smallest and cheapest bath in the world.

Baths in the car

If you have the opportunity to get a non-working minibus or a car with a body, you can build a small bathhouse right in them. Our website even has detailed master classes how to do it, and such an undertaking will turn out to be much more profitable than starting the construction of a steam room with pouring the foundation. Experiment!

Do you want to build a bath, but do not know what material is best to use to implement your idea? Then be sure to pay attention to the beam. A bath made of this material will be environmentally friendly, reliable and durable. At the same time, you can handle the construction of such a structure with your own hands.

There is absolutely nothing complicated in the self-construction of a bath from a bar. This material has many advantages over its closest analogue - a rounded log (log). Among the main advantages of the beam, the following points should be noted:

However, in order for a bath from a bar to fully show all its advantages and serve for the longest possible time, you must approach the choice of building material responsibly and competently.

What kind of timber can be used to build a bath?

The most important operating parameters finished wig. First of all, pay attention that the logs are intact. No cracks or other defects are allowed. Even minor damage can lead to big trouble in the future, as a result of which the wood will rot and collapse.

Make sure that there are no blue spots on the surface of the wood. Such defects indicate the presence of rot inside the material, the development of which in most cases is provoked by a variety of pathogens. It is impossible to use such material for the construction of a steam room and any other building.

There should be no noticeable signs of damage by beetles and other pests on the timber.

A high-quality timber has a perfectly flat and smooth surface. It is strongly recommended to refrain from buying material with distortions and any other damage - when laying the crowns, all deviations will clearly appear.

Bath building guide

Pre-compile yourself, order or find a bath project in an open source. Calculate the required amount for the project building materials and start building a bath from a bar. Start by arranging the base.

The first stage is the foundation

The finished steam room made of wood will have a relatively small weight, which makes it possible to refuse the arrangement of monolithic buried foundation structures. A structure made of timber will feel great on an ordinary strip or column foundation.

To equip the base of the tape type, dig a trench around the perimeter and under the walls of the future building, fill the bottom of the pit with sand and gravel, lay the reinforcing mesh, install the formwork and pour concrete. The optimal foundation depth is 70-100 cm. When choosing a specific depth, be guided by the soil freezing rates for your region.

Strip foundation - the order of construction

The foundation should rise above the ground by at least 50 cm - this will ensure necessary protection lower rims from excessive dampness.

Inside the perimeter of the strip base, pour strips of sand and gravel. In the future, you can fill them with concrete or build a wooden floor - choose a specific option at your discretion.

For arrangement column foundation it is necessary to build supports made of bricks or concreted asbestos pipes around the perimeter, in the corners and under the future internal walls of the bath. Under each such support, a concrete “cushion” should be pre-arranged. Place the posts in 150 cm increments.

Regardless of the type of base chosen, it is necessarily subject to additional reinforcement.

Let the concrete gain strength for 3-5 weeks and proceed to further work.

The second stage - waterproofing the foundation

Apply molten bitumen to the surface of the base, and a layer of roofing material on it. Let the bitumen harden and repeat the operations. As a result, you will get a reliable two-layer moisture protection.

Before proceeding with further work, soak all wooden elements antiseptic. Such processing should be carried out after the preparation of cuts for fastening the beams, if such cuts were absent initially.

The third stage - the first crown

Proceed to laying the first crown of walls. To do this, first lay the slats up to 1.5 cm thick, pre-treated with an antiseptic, on a waterproofed base. Lay the slats in increments of about 30 cm.

Lay the first crown of bars on the slats. Thanks to the slats, the contact of the beam with the foundation of the bath will be excluded. This will provide additional protection against wood decay and will significantly extend the life of the material.

Lay the first crown so far without fixing. Make sure that it is laid correctly and evenly with a square and a level.

If necessary, align the lower crown beams, and then attach them to the foundation. There are several mounting methods. The most optimal and frequently used method involves fixing the beam with anchor bolts.

However, quite often, developers refuse to attach the lower beam to the foundation. In practice, the design stands perfectly even without fixing the lower crown, held by its own weight. The advantage of this solution is that in the future, if necessary, the beam of the lower crown can be replaced with much less effort.

Blow out the space between the first crown and the base with mounting foam.

Fourth stage - the rest of the crowns

For laying out the walls of the bath, a wooden beam with a section of 15x15 cm is perfect.

Cover the first crown of the beam heat-insulating material. For insulation, jute or moss is traditionally used. You can also use tow. In the case of moss or tow, the thermal insulation should be laid out with a 10 cm overlap at the edges. In the future, you will use the raised edges for the caulk.

Lay the second crown of the beam and fix it with wooden dowels. Pre-drill mounting holes of the appropriate diameter. Usually the length of one dowel is enough to fasten 2-3 rows of timber.

Lay out the walls of the required height. Every 3-4 rows, check the construction with a square and a building level. Place a sealant between the crowns.

The top two crowns do not need to be fixed. The wood will shrink. Ceiling beams can only be installed after the wood has dried. To install the beams, the upper crowns will need to be dismantled.

Fifth stage - door and window openings

There are two options for arranging openings for mounting doors and installing windows.

In accordance with the first option, the said holes are created after the construction of the log bath is completed. To do this, you must first leave small gaps in the crowns at the installation sites of doors and windows. The dimensions of the gaps depend on the dimensions of the installed products.

After the construction of the bath is completed, you will simply have to make openings for mounting doors and windows with a chainsaw.

In accordance with the second method, openings for doors and windows must be left during the construction of the bath. This option requires more time and effort. To accomplish the task, you will need to use special grooves and bars with end cuts.

The sixth stage - caulking

Leave the finished timber box for "wintering" for a duration of 6-7 months. During this time, the wood will give sufficient shrinkage. For the period of "wintering" cover the beam with boards and slate.

If you used tow or moss as an interventional sealant, you can skip this step in the instructions - you will most likely not need additional caulking for your timber bath.

However, experts still recommend studying the state of the structure. If noticeable gaps are found, be sure to caulk. To do this, twist the tow or moss into a bundle and twist the material into the gap, followed by compaction.

You can also use jute sealant to fill the gaps. By most indicators, this material is superior to tow and moss, but it costs a little more.

Stage seven - the roof

The roof should be reliable protection your log bath. The arrangement of the roof structure can only be started after the wood shrinks, otherwise the roof will lead and it will be significantly deformed.

First step. Lay wooden beams on top top harness walls.

Second step. Attach the rafter legs to the fixed beams in 100 cm increments. To connect the rafters in the ridge part of the roof, cut them at the required angle.

Third step. Nail a solid board deck to the rafters (if for finishing soft roll material will be used) or build a crate (if you plan to trim the roof with tiles, slate or other sheet material).

Fourth step. Mount the finish roofing in accordance with the instructions for the selected material.

Fifth step. Cover the roof ridge with galvanized iron. This will protect it from adverse environmental influences.

Sixth step. Sew up the gables of the roof with suitable improvised materials - clapboard, wooden board or siding. At this point, focus on your individual preferences.

After the completion of the roofing work, proceed to the insulation and other insulation work, interior decoration and arrangement of the steam room in accordance with your project.