Increasingly, land owners are thinking about building a wooden bathhouse on their land. And there are reasons for this. Few would refuse the pleasure of taking a steam bath after a tiring day, taking a cool shower and relaxing in the fresh air. Today, anyone can realize the old idea of a bathhouse, because there are many different schemes for developing summer cottages.
Even if your site does not have a large area, then for it you can choose the optimal design for a bathhouse made of timber measuring 3 x 4 meters . It is ideal for compact areas due to its rational layout and convenient operation. Due to its small size, this building will fit compactly into a small area along the fence or corner of the yard.
Making the foundation
Strip foundation Next, you can begin making the foundation of the building. A bathhouse made of wooden beams has a relatively light weight, and therefore in this case several foundation options can be used.
- Shallow strip foundation. It has good load-bearing properties and is quite simple to manufacture. Does not require the mandatory use of technology. Among other things, this option is quite economical.
- Columnar foundation. Like the previous option, it is quite simple to manufacture and affordable, and is also less prone to deformation due to soil displacements.
It is necessary to decide which of the options to use in a particular case individually, but since the context implies independent performance of work without the use of special equipment, the first option will probably be easier. To do this, first a trench is dug inside the marked perimeter, after which a sand cushion is poured onto its bottom, and then the formwork is assembled. Reinforcing strapping is performed inside the formwork, then the foundation itself is poured.
Important points
Before starting all construction work, the design of a 3x4 frame bathhouse (and any other as well) must contain a number of technological and construction solutions.
For example, these:
- Thermal insulation. High-quality measures for sealing and insulating the bath will guarantee good air exchange. For these works, fiberglass or mineral wool is most often used, because they have excellent characteristics;
- Vapor barrier. The main disadvantage of frame construction is the appearance of condensation. This is explained by the fact that moisture penetrates into the frame through cracks during rains and snowfalls. Therefore, in order to avoid such a phenomenon, you need to carry out this stage of work well.
A good solution would be to use a vapor barrier film or glassine; they are placed between the layer of inner cladding and insulation. Experts do not recommend using roofing material, since when heated it emits an unpleasant odor;
- Choosing the right wood. Only good dried boards are suitable for construction work. Aspen, larch and linden are ideal for these tasks.
They have a low thermal conductivity and are almost not deformed. The lining itself must be without flaws and of the highest quality.
Foiled mineral wool
Interior of a 3x4 bathhouse: layout, photos, ideas
When designing a bathhouse, special attention should be paid to thinking through the interior and arranging furniture for the bathhouse. It is recommended to make two-tier shelves or compartments in the steam room, in which case its capacity will increase
The shelves should be of such length that you can lie on them at full height.
It is also important to maintain a distance from the shelves to the ceiling: it is unacceptable that when you get up, you touch the ceiling. It is recommended to make two-tier shelves or compartments in the steam room, in which case its capacity will increase
The shelves should be of such length that you can lie on them at full height. It is also important to maintain a distance from the shelves to the ceiling: it is unacceptable that when you get up you touch the ceiling
It is recommended to make two-tier shelves or compartments in the steam room, in which case its capacity will increase. The shelves should be of such length that you can lie on them at full height.
It is also important to maintain a distance from the shelves to the ceiling: it is unacceptable that when you get up you touch the ceiling
In the washing room you can put a shower stall or a tray with a tub. Create small shelves to store shower accessories.
The rest room must have places to sit and a table. It is better to place benches rather than chairs as they take up less space but have more capacity.
A folding table can help save space. If necessary, you can always fold it, thereby freeing up precious meters in the room.
If the project provides for a dressing room, then you need to hang clothes hooks in it; if there are none, then they need to be installed in the rest room.
Be sure to add small little things for decoration: paintings, bath caps (they are used not only for decoration, but also protect the head from overheating), various figurines and other details. Little things like this help create an atmospheric and cozy environment that sets you up for relaxation.
Below are projects of a 3 by 4 bathhouse in the country (photos and interiors):
What must be in the bathhouse
The presence of bath paraphernalia depends on the preferences of the owner.
In the traditional version, there must be a soap set for both sexes, if there are preferences in products. The sink should have a washcloth for each family member, sheets and sheet set. A basin, tub or font must also be present. The presence of logs, bath caps and a broom will create coziness and completeness of the interior. A thermometer is necessary if there is a person in the family with heart disease. Scents are not required, but you can purchase flavors or use spruce branches to lift your mood. The necessary premises include a wash room, a steam room and a dressing room. The rooms are connected to each other or lead out into the main corridor onto the terrace. A living room or block house is located in large saunas.
The canopy should not occupy more than a third of the steam room or sink. In some bathhouses, the floor is cold or does not warm up enough, so they came up with a ladder or foot tray that can be removed if there is not enough space. The steam room requires a separate tub with a broom and stones for supplying steam. A water supply is installed for hot water and a tank is installed, which takes up unnecessary space.
Interior arrangement
After installing the walls and roof, wiring is done. Lighting depends on the number of windows, ceiling height and future interior wall decoration. In the steam room, it is customary to install ceiling lamps, LEDs or corner light in the form of a light bulb with a grid. The point is to provide diffused light that will help relax the body and eyes. Canopies and benches are placed around the perimeter for ease of movement around the washing room.
The sauna stove is placed in the far corner or near the entrance to provide quick access to the steam supply. A tank with cold and hot water is installed in the upper part of the room above the stove or replaced with a broiler from the outer wall of the washing room. A bathhouse with an attic looks more modern; a dining or coffee table is installed on the site. The glassed-in terrace is furnished with armchairs and a sofa.
Features of a 3x3 bath
A small room is always an option reduced in functionality. It is worth choosing if:
- the bathhouse will be used by no more than a couple of people at the same time;
- the size of the plot does not allow the placement of a larger building;
- The owner's main priority is saving money.
With a 3 by 3 layout, the bathhouse can consist of only two rooms inside - a combined steam room and sink, as well as a changing room. It’s impossible to fit anything more into such a minimal area.
The option with an attic is also not worth considering. In this case, you will have to at least expand the room to accommodate the stairs.
The optimal solution would be to create a bathhouse with only a steam room and a sink. The recreation area with a swimming pool, billiard room and dining room will have to be abandoned. Another option is to place them indoors or outdoors.
Also read: How to make a garden bench with a backrest with your own hands
But the layout of a 3 by 3 bath will allow you to save on equipment for the steam room and use higher quality materials for finishing inside and out. This way, the building will last longer and will be less susceptible to the negative effects of high humidity and temperature changes with little financial expenditure.
Necessary materials with current prices
| Material | Price (per cubic meter) |
| Concrete | from 2000 rubles |
| Profiled timber | from 11,000 rubles |
| Lining | from 200 rubles |
| Board | from 190 rubles |
| Vapor barrier | from 400 rubles |
| Mineral wool | from 200 rubles |
| Metal tiles | from 300 rubles |
Original layouts of Russian baths
In suburban areas, some of their owners turn such bathhouse buildings into residential buildings. Thanks to this, the area of the dacha and the cost of building materials will be saved, since it will be necessary to erect one multifunctional building, and not two separate buildings, each of which requires a foundation.
In such bathhouses, the staircase leading to the upper floor is mounted into a recreation room. To prevent the wooden structure from hanging over the heads and blocking the light source, a modern staircase made of durable architectural glass is installed. In the evening, it can be illuminated by colored spot lighting. Some projects involve the use of attic space for a gym.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LnXxlNIZo4E
The process of building a small bathhouse
When building small baths, savings can be seen at almost every stage of the work. This applies to both the construction of the foundation and the finishing work inside the premises. For a small bathhouse project, a lightweight strip base is most often chosen. Serious cost savings can be achieved at the stage of purchasing building materials. Although the buildings being erected are oversized, most often the expected difficulties do not arise during the connection of rows of logs during their laying and selection of suitable lumber.
Small baths provide an undeniable advantage to the owner, which is associated with the heating process. For such structures, minimal power equipment is sufficient, which costs much less than traditional furnaces. An additional opportunity for savings opens up when choosing the technical support for a bath. As a rule, the most primitive and easy-to-manage option is chosen here.
Work order
Consistent execution of construction processes is necessary to obtain a reliable structure that will last at least 20 years. Check out the step-by-step construction of the bathhouse in the video, which shows the main points of the construction of the structure.
The process of building a bathhouse consists of the following important steps:
- drafting;
- obtaining permission to construct a facility (for construction work on urban lands);
- calculation of construction materials estimates;
- purchasing everything necessary;
- preparation and marking of the territory;
- arrangement of a drainage pit or wastewater disposal structures;
- organization of the foundation, including for a heating stove;
- assembling a box from timber;
- construction of a rafter system;
- roof installation;
- building shrinkage;
- installing doors, windows, installing a stove;
- electrification works;
- construction of shelves, static structures;
- finishing activities.
Consistent implementation of all activities will allow you to independently build a small bathhouse for comfortable relaxation and washing procedures in a short time. Pay attention to every step to satisfy all requests. Subsequently, you can add a veranda, porch, or terrace to the structure.
Examples of projects
A small bathhouse can also look different. When choosing the optimal option, you should take into account the distinctive features of typical bath complexes.
Project of a simple small bath
A compact log house for a bathhouse made of 3x4 timber with a price ranging from 190-250 thousand rubles, depending on the materials used. The peculiarity of the project is that it involves dividing the entire area into 2 parts - a steam room and a dressing room. In this case, the dressing room is more spacious. It can accommodate a more comfortable place to relax. But a shower room with a changing room will also need to be installed in the dressing room, and this is not an acceptable option for everyone. This solution for the arrangement of rooms is also suitable for a 2 by 4 bathhouse, the layout of which will include the same elements in a proportionally compressed form.
Layout of a bathhouse made of timberSource autogear.ru
Bathhouse project with terrace
In this project, the architects managed to fit 3 separate rooms and a terrace into the dimensions of the bathhouse. The main advantage of this layout is the organization of the entrance to the steam room through the washing room. This technique made it possible to successfully distribute the usable area of the complex. But the rest room here is quite miniature. It will be possible to change clothes and put things away in it. It will be possible to relax between visits to the steam room only on the terrace.
Small bathhouse with a terraceSource nap.ketadilo.ru.net
Design of an optimal small bathhouse
In this project, everything is planned according to the standard scheme. Entrance to the steam room and washing room is through the relaxation room. In this case, part of the washing room will serve as a locker room. If you install a corner shower stall in it, you can leave all your things here so that there is more space left in the rest room.
Layout of a comfortable compact bath Source oteplicah.ru
4×4
A 4 by 4 m frame bath will allow you to lie down.
With the same layout (a transverse hallway, right behind it is a washing room, from which the door to the right or left leads to the steam room), the size of all rooms increases.
Each room has a wall close to 2 meters in length (“close” - since we subtract the thickness of the walls from the external dimensions of the building).
A locker room, a water treatment room, and a steam room will already accommodate a bench commensurate with a person’s height.
The wall of the stove with the combustion door in a 4 × 4 room can be taken out into a dressing room (the warmer it is, the more comfortable it is to undress, the drier the removed clothes).
Room layout
Since 4x3 meters is not so much, it is difficult to place all the necessary rooms in such an area
First of all, you should pay attention to the most necessary premises:
- Waiting room. This room is considered an integral attribute of the bathhouse. But at the same time, in some cases this room is sacrificed to save space. The purpose of this room is to leave all your belongings, shoes, etc. in it. Essentially, this is a room that functions as a locker room.
- Washing room. The sink is a room that you need to enter before moving into the steam room. Usually there is a minimum of furniture in it - only neat benches. In some cases, the interior of the room is also complemented by shelves.
- Steam room. The most important room in any bathhouse is the steam room. After all, this is where all the main processes take place. Often inside this room there is a stove or fireplace. In addition to them, there should be many other little things in the room. First of all, these are lounge chairs and shelves.
To understand what you should focus on when arranging a bathhouse, you can consider several interesting layout examples:
A simple two-room option. To save space, you can opt for a regular bathhouse, consisting of two rooms - a steam room and a dressing room. The plan for such a building is very simple. The bathhouse space is divided into two main rooms: a steam room and a dressing room. There is a place to store things in the dressing room. If necessary, you can also place a table with chairs there to relax with company during the cold season. At the exit from the bathhouse it is worth setting up a terrace where chairs can be taken out in the summer. As for the steam room, for convenience it is divided by a partition into a steam room and a sink. In this situation, inside the bathhouse there will be a place for everything you need and there will be no unnecessary parts.
Roof
After the log house is assembled, ceiling beams are laid and the roof is installed. It is better to make the roof from beams of a smaller cross-section, mounted using metal brackets or nails. To cover the roof, metal corrugated sheets or slate are usually used.
Roof with conventional sloping rafters
Features of designing a small bathhouse
Visiting a steam room is considered one of the pleasant activities that has a beneficial effect on human health. But for many people, having a country house is not just a way to improve their health, but a real necessity. A 3 x 4 bathhouse would be an ideal option for a family. Due to its small size, it will fit perfectly in a green area near a fence or in the corner of even a small summer cottage.
In such a small area it is necessary to accommodate all the necessary rooms, so first of all it is important to take care of the correct layout of the bathhouse
A special feature of a 3x4 bathhouse is its compactness. Therefore, in order to ensure maximum functionality and comfort, it is necessary to calculate in advance the area of the entire structure and the dimensions of each room. This process should be approached with special care. An error in calculations can significantly affect the speed of the construction process and the quality of the structure itself.
Also, do not forget about fire safety. Therefore, plan the correct location of the bathhouse in advance, securing nearby buildings. According to state regulations, the structure must be located at a distance of 3 meters from the fence and at least 8 meters from the living area. And if there is a well on the site, then the distance from it to the bathhouse should be at least 12 meters, since the steam room pollutes the ground drains around the building, and all the dirt can get into the source, contaminating the water.
Insulation
The following can be used as insulation:
- tow,
- moss,
- jute.
It is more convenient to use rolled jute, which is unwound over the beams and attached to them with nails or a construction stapler. The advantage of jute is that there is no need for caulking.
Insulation process
If tow or moss are chosen as thermal insulation, then after the log house shrinks (6 - 7 months), the cracks between the crowns must be caulked. To do this, during the installation of insulation, a few centimeters of reserve are left, extending beyond the edges of the log house.
After the moss or tow has dried, they are first twisted into a rope and, using a hammer and caulk, pushed into the gap between the crowns.
