Bathhouse for a summer residence: simple diagrams, step-by-step description for beginners, instructions for building it yourself

It would seem that the idea of building a bathhouse with your own hands is difficult; there are many ready-made projects, sketches, standard solutions and recommendations. Just use the suggested options correctly, choose the best one and implement it exactly in practice. In fact, building a bathhouse with your own hands is a rather complex, almost creative process, requiring a thoughtful approach and taking into account all the nuances associated with arranging a steam room, stove, foundation and insulation.

The timber version of the bathhouse will last at least ten years before renovation

Place for a bath

When choosing a place to build a bathhouse, you should take into account the terrain, geometric dimensions and shape of the land plot. It is desirable that the structure be located on a hill.

In this case, it is easier to organize the drainage of used water. The bathhouse is located on a self-constructed site so that the entrance to the building is visible from the house

What to heat - choosing a stove

When choosing a stove for a sauna, first of all you need to pay attention to the power. This indicator must correspond to the volume of the steam room. The presence of uninsulated areas and the material used to make the door are also taken into account. According to the type of fuel, sauna stoves are as follows:

Wood-burning. The classic version of the firebox allows you to create a special atmosphere. A ubiquitous tree does not require additional communications. You can independently prepare all kinds of varieties to create different effects.
Gas. Units of impressive size can only be connected by a qualified gas technician. In such stoves there is no need to constantly add firewood and control the flame. They have no firebox or ash pan. Gas furnaces significantly increase the fire hazard of the entire structure.
Electric furnaces. Miniature devices heat the room evenly and quickly. The installations are absolutely safe, with great functionality. Due to the high electricity consumption, the operating cost will be high.

Design work

The construction of the bathhouse must be carried out in compliance with the requirements of Building Codes and Regulations 02/30/97. The building assumes the presence of: a covered canopy, a relaxation room, a washing room, a steam room, and a bathroom.

The design stage includes the development of working drawings for the general construction part, special interior finishing work, water and electricity supply, sewerage system, natural and forced ventilation system.

How to choose a developer for a bathhouse

One of the most optimal ways to acquire a bathhouse is to build it on a turnkey basis. You can choose a developer using the advice of friends and acquaintances. Reviews about the company on the Internet are also important. But do not forget that the presence of only positive reviews is alarming, because negative ones can be deleted by the company itself. The downside is that some companies may deliberately spread negative reviews about their competitors. (you can read more about competition in our article: “Unfair competition. What risks does it pose for the consumer?”).

Another way to choose a developer company is to see and touch the actual bathhouse they built. This opportunity is provided by the exhibition “Low-Rise Country”. Having arrived here, you can evaluate the quality of the bathhouse construction and even consult on lending with banks - partners of the exhibition.

Selection of basic materials for construction

Construction industry enterprises have a wide arsenal of building materials for building a bathhouse in the country. A frame-type bathhouse has the lowest level of labor costs during construction.

The most common material is still natural wood. The cost of the timber is not cheap, but the performance characteristics cause puppy delight. Brick is often used for construction.

Questions and answers

In the case of using boards to build a bathhouse, is it possible to use unedged material or will the quality of the structure suffer from this?

No. You can safely use unedged boards if you have no complaints about their appearance. The main thing is that the wood itself is strong and dry.

Why do you need a vapor barrier if insulation is already used to lose heat?

Insulation and vapor barrier perform different tasks. Vapor barrier prevents the destruction of wood due to constant ingress of water and exposure to high temperature.

Does the wood need to be treated again after some time has passed since it was put into use?

Necessarily. To prevent the wood from drying out, use antiseptics and fire retardants from time to time. To be on the safe side, all wood can be varnished again once a year.

What is better: an individual project or a standard building?

An individual project is much more expensive, so if you are building a budget bathhouse, you should focus on standard small-sized projects.

Where is the best place to install the door?

It makes no difference what kind of bathhouse you are building. Always install the door on the south side if you plan to use the steam room in winter. This way the snowdrifts will melt quickly and will not block the entrance.

A budget sauna is a reality that everyone can implement on their own site. Careful familiarization with the characteristics of materials for construction, as well as knowledge of where costs can be reduced, allows you to build a durable structure for relatively little money.

Bathhouse construction technology

Work on the construction of a simple bathhouse at the dacha is carried out in stages and begins with preparing the site. After laying out the site, the strip foundation is concreted on pillars made of polyethylene pipes. For the construction of walls, 150x150 mm softwood timber is used. The roof traditionally has two slopes and is covered with wavy slate.

The next stage of construction is interior work. Partitions between rooms are made of timber with a section of 100x100 mm. The stove can be made of ordinary red brick. It would not be a sin to use an electric heater or a steel stove.

Advantages and disadvantages of self-building

Building a bathhouse with your own hands in the garden is a complex, but creative and constructive process. Self-construction is quite popular. Among the main advantages of doing work on your own are:

the ability to use a project developed in accordance with personal needs, taking into account the preferences of all family members;
saving money, the owner manages the allocated budget himself, rather than paying the amount announced by the contractor;
it is possible to build in stages, investing small amounts;
confidence in the quality of purchased building materials;
gaining and accumulating experience, it will be useful in the construction of other buildings;
pride in a structure you built yourself, which you can show off to your friends and relatives.

The disadvantages of building a bathhouse yourself include:

the need to study existing projects, draw up your own scheme;
acquisition, transportation of building materials and equipment, costs of purchasing tools required to perform the work;
low speed of construction; experienced builders will build a steam room much faster;
full responsibility for all stages of work, from the poured foundation to the construction of walls and roofs, installation of windows and doors;
complexity in the location of heating equipment and utility wiring;
You should be completely confident in your abilities; if you don’t have enough time, patience, and funds, then as a result, an unfinished object may appear on your personal plot.

Recommendations from specialized experts

It is advisable to locate the building for bathing procedures as an independent building on an elevated site, which is remote from outbuildings and will not be at risk of being flooded by flood waters.

When determining the size of the bathhouse at the design stage, it should be taken into account that according to sanitary standards, one person must have at least five square meters of the total area of the building. Wooden structures must be impregnated with fire-retardant saline solutions.

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Requirements for the future bathhouse project

There cannot be just one correct bathhouse design. Planning requires an individual approach, since everyone has different preferences.

The most important thing you should pay attention to when choosing a project is that the bathhouse should have as few doors and turns as possible on the path from the steam room to the street. And for fire safety purposes, all doors in the bathhouse from the steam room to the street must open outward during evacuation.

What is the area of the bathhouse? This is the first question people ask when choosing a project. There is no clear answer. You need to take into account how many people it is designed for, the height of the tallest member of the family, whether you need a veranda, whether you are planning a plunge pool, a swimming pool, whether you want to organize a kitchen in the bathhouse, and maybe a second floor as a bedroom to accommodate guests.

Steam room in a wooden bath Source catalog-plans.ru

Foundation

A fairly common foundation design for a sauna house is reinforced concrete supporting pillars and a grillage. First, plastic pipes are buried into the ground to a depth of one and a half meters. Support pillars are placed around the perimeter and, without fail, at the corners of the building.

Frames made of class A3 corrugated reinforcement are inserted into the pipes and concreted, leaving the upper part of the reinforcing bars exposed. Now, along the perimeter of the house, formwork is made of multilayer plywood for the grillage, into which steel frames are inserted. After attaching the frames to the rods of the support pillars, the entire formwork is filled with concrete mixture.

Rules and requirements for fire safety during the construction of a bathhouse

Fire safety standards define these buildings as buildings of class F3.6. Therefore, during construction the following standards must be observed regarding the distance of the object from the residential premises:

if the roof of the house and bathhouse is made of non-combustible raw materials, and the buildings themselves are stone or brick, then the distance between them is eight meters;
if the roof of a particular object is made of flammable material, then the distance will be ten meters;
if the house and sauna are wooden or made of materials that quickly ignite, then a ten-meter indentation is needed;
if the objects are multi-story (from two floors and above), then the distance will be fifteen meters.

If the bathhouse is connected to a sewer and drainage is installed, then the distance from the border will be one meter. Three meters, if this is not provided.

The distance from the neighbor's brick bathhouse will be six meters. If both buildings are made of wood, then the distance from each other will be fifteen meters. Local regulations should also be taken into account. The distance may be increased, so you need to send a request to clarify this data to the administrative regional center to which the site is assigned. You can also find out details from the head of SNT.

Sewage system

When constructing the foundation, installation holes should be provided at the required level for laying sewer pipes. A drainage well up to one and a half meters deep is installed not far from the bathhouse. Then they fill it with large crushed stone to one third of the depth of the well, cover it with a wooden lid and install a ventilation mushroom.

The receiving manifold is made of plastic pipes with a diameter of 100 mm with a natural slope of five degrees. Wastewater receivers are installed from the washing department, sanitary unit, and only then proceed to the installation of floors.

Permission to build a sauna

Any structure with a foundation that is erected on the territory of a dacha or non-profit garden association has the status of development without the purpose of carrying out commercial activities. This project requires permission. The bathhouse also belongs to such objects and requires legalization.

If the project is not approved, then it is defined as a self-construction, which means it will not be possible to register the building in the real estate cadastre.

List of documents required for construction approval:

you need to fill out an application either on the state resources “Rosreestr”, “Gosuslugi”, or visit the MFC and submit there;
original documents that identify the owner of the dacha territory;
original documents that can confirm ownership of the plot;
a topographical diagram indicating the distance of the bathhouse (in meters) from a residential building, fence, well or other source of water supply, outbuildings, a neighboring residential building and other objects located on the territory. This paper must be attached to the master plan of the relevant area;
cadastral diagram of the land plot indicating the dimensions;
documents on real estate valuation, which are issued by authorities in the BTI;
a diagram of the location of utility networks, on which the places of their connections with centralized communications should be marked, if they are present;
drawing of the future object on the site.

If the planning is carried out by a company specializing in such services, then the owner will not need to prepare all the necessary papers and independently obtain permission to build a bathhouse. All this will fall on the shoulders of the person hired by him class=”aligncenter” width=”769″ height=”513″[/img]

The project must contain the following parameters:

presentation of a new building indicating its purpose;
determining the exact dimensions along the entire perimeter, designating the layout inside the building;
type of steam room and heating equipment used;
a list of materials that will be used for construction and finishing work, indicating the quantity;
it is necessary to indicate what methods of supplying clean water and drainage will be used;
what kind of air conditioning system is planned, indicate the type and power;
indicate the distance from the bathhouse to the boundary and buildings on the owner’s territory, as well as on the neighbors’ plots.

Energy supply for the bathhouse

It should be remembered when designing a bathhouse that these are several rooms with a fairly high degree of humidity. Therefore, electrical equipment is subject to increased requirements for the degree of protection from elevated temperatures and moisture. Electrical work in the sauna house must be carried out in accordance with GOST 50571.7.702-2013.

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For the recreation area, you can use LED lamps. The heaters in the steam room are connected with a copper cable in silicone insulation using high-speed protective shutdown devices for the current-carrying part. A properly installed energy supply system for a sauna house will protect users from electric shock.

What you can't save on

Even if the budget is very limited, it is strictly forbidden to save on the following points:

Use of construction products without a quality certificate . Such building materials are several times cheaper, but there is no guarantee that they will not emit harmful fumes during use, especially when exposed to high temperatures. In addition, such materials can quickly fall apart and become completely unsuitable for further use.
Saving on electrical wiring and related elements . You should not buy the cheapest sockets, hang uninsulated lamps and unsuitable wires. Such things will not only quickly fail, but they also increase the risk of fire and accidental electric shock several times.

Use of unsuitable materials . If you want to save money, you should not replace recommended products with those that cost an order of magnitude cheaper, but at the same time, due to their performance characteristics, cannot be used in a bathhouse. This applies to insulation, flooring, and some types of wood. Unsuitable materials for specific conditions will not fully perform their task and will quickly deform or rot.
Sauna stove and water heater . You should not buy handicraft products. They are not always safe; they may not be tightly sealed enough, which can cause a fire or burn.

Attention! Also, do not skimp on fuel for your sauna stove. Do not throw flammable materials into it that are not intended for use in enclosed spaces with high humidity and temperature. They can saturate the air with harmful substances, which will cause poisoning and even death.

Swimming pool in the bathhouse

Installing even a small pool in a bathhouse will require certain additional labor costs. The material for the pool can be reinforced concrete, plastic, metal, wood. The size of the pool depends on the financial capabilities and area of the premises. The reinforced concrete structures of the pool bottom and walls are plastered and decorated with ceramic tiles.

Oak boards prepared in a special way are used to make unique fonts up to one and a half meters deep. The most common pool metal is stainless steel. Drainage from such pools is periodically carried out by deep pumps into a nearby pond.

What kind of bathhouse to build - types of steam rooms

Many peoples of the world, in the process of their development, have developed their own unique traditions in the arrangement and use of baths. Among the most common types are Russian, Finnish, Roman, Turkish, Irish, Japanese, and Chinese bath complexes. Each of them is characterized by its size, shape, design, air temperature, and humidity. Let us dwell in more detail on the most common types of these structures in the world.

Russian

The main feature of the Russian bath is that the body is steamed in warm air saturated with water vapor. Its temperature is 50-70 degrees and humidity 40-65%. Traditionally, a classic building consists of a dressing room, a washing area, and a steam room. The steam room is the main place in the building. The main attribute is the stove. Only firewood is used for its combustion.

To maintain the temperature, the hot stove is watered with water and infusions of medicinal herbs, which creates “light steam”, after which it becomes easier to breathe in the humidified room. Larch boards are used to decorate walls and shelves. The shelves themselves have the shape of steps and are located near the stove. Temperatures on the lower steps are 50 degrees, while the highest ones can reach 100 degrees or higher.

In the washing room there are usually buckets of water, showers, if space allows, they are equipped with swimming pools and even swimming pools are built. Previously, the dressing room was used as a locker room. Now it is equipped with a recreation room, divided into different functional areas, and used as a place for a comfortable and cozy time with family or friends.

Finnish

The main distinguishing feature of a Finnish sauna is that it is heated using dry steam. This type of sauna is the hottest. In the steam room, the air temperature reaches 70-100 degrees, while its humidity rarely exceeds 8-20%. It is low humidity that allows a person to withstand high temperatures, while increasing it by 5-10% can lead to skin burns and, in the worst case, death.

Another characteristic feature of a sauna is the stove. Nowadays, a conventional wood-burning heater is rarely installed here; instead, compact electric stoves made of stainless steel and galvanized alloys are used. Unlike the Russian bathhouse, the stones here are not placed inside the stove, but on its surface. This arrangement provides faster heating, and therefore cooling occurs much faster.

The duration of the first entry into the steam room should not exceed 3-5 minutes, so as not to overheat. Afterwards, it is recommended to take a shower, take a dip in the pool and relax in the relaxation room. Starting from the next approaches, their duration can be gradually increased, but the maximum period of time should not exceed 15 minutes, even for experienced people, and their total number is 3-6 times.

Chinese

There is a whole bath culture in China. The main components of the sauna are wooden sandals and massage combined with manual therapy. The bathhouse begins with a bathroom in which there are several Jacuzzis. In each individual bath, the water has a different temperature: cold, warm, hot. Aromatic oils and rose petals must be added to the water.

In the same room there are also special steam cabins. Unlike Russian steam rooms, special steam generators are produced here that are not capable of producing the hot heat emanating from traditional heaters. Some bathhouse projects include special snow rooms, where the air temperature is maintained at minus 10 degrees and artificial snow is produced.

After visiting the steam room, a person should go for a massage. The procedures begin with dousing with warm water, after which the bath attendant begins to rub the entire body with a towel or sponge wrapped around his hand. This procedure lasts at least half an hour. After the body is covered with a cool towel, the back massage begins. Upon completion of the procedures, you can go back to the steam room, after dousing yourself with milk and honey.

Hammam

The main distinguishing feature of a Turkish bath is the high humidity in the steam room, it reaches 100% at relatively low temperatures of 45-50 degrees. As a result, a person is completely immersed in steam, all his muscles relax, and blood circulation normalizes. In addition to the traditional warming up of the body, a visit to the hammam includes a number of additional procedures: peeling, wrapping, massage.

Wood is not used in the construction of the steam room. Ceramic tiles are used to decorate the steam room; in more expensive versions, natural marble is used. It is very comfortable to lie on the heated marble. The bath can be heated in two ways, using water or electric heating. The first option is the most profitable; all surfaces are heated using pipes laid under the cladding.

A mandatory attribute for a hammam is a steam generator that provides increased humidity. The device is equipped with a special sensor; it automatically turns off the system if the room temperature exceeds 55 degrees. Thanks to this steam room device, hair and skin are moisturized, the existing tan is not washed off the body, but, on the contrary, is fixed on it.

Small bathhouse in the country

Quite often there are cases where the size or topography of a summer cottage does not allow the construction of a full-fledged bathhouse. To realize your desire, you can agree to a small bathhouse in the country, the size of which in plan will be 3x3 meters, consisting of a steam room and a dressing room.

It is worth noting that a state of bliss can be achieved in such a small cozy bathhouse, if you do not elevate the degree of comfort of bath procedures to the rank of priority values. As a roofing material for a small bathhouse building, the most optimal solution would be polycarbonate sheets.

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Tips and tricks

Regardless of whether you are building an expensive or cheap bathhouse, you can use a number of effective tips:

Choose the right bathhouse design, taking into account how many people are going to use it. The best option is 10-15 sq.m. Such dimensions allow you to equip all the necessary rooms and not spend a lot of fuel on heating.
All boards and wooden bases must be treated against pests, mold and fungi. If this is not done, the bathhouse will last only a few seasons and will quickly require repairs.
The ceiling is not made very high. Measure how much height you need to sit freely on the shelf and add 15-20 cm from above so as not to touch the ceiling with your head while floating.

Doors should be installed with a high threshold. This speeds up the heating of the room and prevents the heat from quickly leaving the steam room. Be sure to seal the door to minimize heat loss.
If possible, try to make the outer wall at least 30-35 cm thick. This will keep the heat in the steam room for a long time, which is especially important in winter, when the bathhouse cools down much faster.
Windows are more than just decoration. They are recommended to be used as an additional fire exit. They should be placed on the western side, where there is the most sun in the afternoon, when the bathhouse is mainly heated.

Attention! Be sure to protect the bathhouse from drafts. To do this, you will need not only to properly insulate the seams, but also to correctly mark the doors. To prevent drafts inside, they should not be placed perpendicular to each other.

Bathroom decoration

Working on the interior design of a homemade bathhouse in the country does not involve the use of expensive finishing materials. At the trade union price you can purchase finishing boards at any woodworking enterprise.

The flooring in the steam room and relaxation room is usually made of tongue-and-groove floorboards. Wood finishing materials when decorating the interior of bathhouses are not covered with paints and varnishes.

Do-it-yourself bath, step-by-step instructions

Of course, the most difficult and important part of construction is the construction of the bathhouse box. The higher the walls and the heavier the roof, the stronger the foundation must be, so in some cases it is not possible to build a building in one season. We have to lay the foundation of the bathhouse in the winter and assemble the walls from timber. And only in the spring, after all shrinkage processes have been completed, will it be possible to build a steam room and even put it into operation.

Preparing the area

The required amount of work associated with the construction of a bathhouse box depends on how lucky you are with the soil on the site. Since most owners plan to build a bathhouse not far from the main household, the foundation and frame should not create problems primarily with the drainage of groundwater on the site.

The approximate amount of preparatory work is as follows:

Marking is carried out at the site of laying the foundation, the direction of water flow is determined;
The fertile layer of soil is removed and removed; the foundation and the bathhouse itself can only be built on a base with a depth of at least 30 cm; everything higher will need to be removed and removed;
If the terrain of the site is flat and there are no natural conditions for water drainage, then drainage will be required. The design of such a system can be copied from home.

Important! It is extremely important to build a drainage system, since baths have always been a source of water. Upon completion of construction, after the foundation shrinks, the soil will subside and a puddle of rainwater will form around the bathhouse.

Project of a foundation with a “patch” for a steam room

The final stage of preparation is pouring a sand-crushed stone cushion under the slab for installing the stove. The foundation for the furnace will need to be built in advance and strictly according to the project.

Pouring the foundation

The best foundation option would be a strip foundation reinforced with steel or fiberglass rods. At first glance, it is possible to build a foundation using a simpler scheme. Well, this impression is erroneous, since the box in the bathhouse is very light, and if the walls are made of foam blocks, then the entire building will be supported precisely by the rigid reinforcement of the foundation.

Easiest to build on a concrete strip

For a standard bathhouse 6x6 m or 6x4 m, shallow types of foundation strips laid on a sand cushion are used. After the trench is dug, a sand-gravel mixture is poured to the bottom, waterproofing and a reinforcement frame 25-30 cm wide are laid. For a bathhouse, you can do a direct pour into the ground; the strength of such a tape will be enough to support the weight of the walls and roof. In this case, the rigidity of the base is considered more important than its load-bearing capacity.

The concrete-filled strip is covered with film and left for at least a month. And if, for some reason, you have to build in winter, then for at least 3 months, to gain strength and shrinkage. The upper basement of the bathhouse foundation will need to be built from red brick. The concrete is pre-treated with mastic waterproofing or sheets of roofing material are laid, only after this it is possible to build a base up to 30 cm high.

Construction of the foundation is considered one of the most expensive. For example, if you order the construction of a foundation strip for a 6x6 m bathhouse, then most companies will agree to build for a price tag of at least 1.8-2 thousand dollars.

Communications supply

In order for the bathhouse to be used normally, it is first necessary to provide for the presence of sewer pipes and water supply. All other communications, including electricity or gas, are supplied “over the air”. Therefore, before building a brick bathhouse base, pipes are laid in its wall, through which water supply and sewerage will be installed in the future.

If you do not do this, then after erecting the walls you will need to drill holes in the base using special carbide annular drills. The technology is quite mature, but requires certain costs and equipment.

Construction of bath walls

With the laying of foam concrete blocks everything is quite simple; the first row is laid on waterproofing with the obligatory jointing with a reinforcing belt. Foam blocks are easy to process, so building a wall from foam block material is not particularly difficult; you just need to monitor the level and vertical deviation of the masonry.

According to the design, the box should shrink

Assembling walls from timber is somewhat more difficult. First, you need to decide on the selection of material for the first three crowns. It is this part in any bathhouse project that is considered the most vulnerable; the timber often rots and is damaged due to the large amount of moisture and poor waterproofing between the base and the crown. You immediately need to decide how to seal the gaps between the foundation and the timber. Polyurethane foam or any other mixture is not suitable for this purpose; the gap can only be sealed with mastic waterproofing.

Building a bathhouse box from timber is no more difficult than from foam blocks. Another thing is that the walls are less rigid and require additional packing of the cracks with special jute material or dried moss. The technology looks antediluvian, but in fact this is the best option for a bathhouse if you need to build a room that will last at least 20 years.

Creating partitions in the bathhouse

After assembling the main box, there is often a need to redesign the interior, build additional partitions, and separate part of the space for household purposes, storage of firewood and equipment.

According to the project, up to 80% of the surface of the bathhouse walls is covered with clapboard

Capital partitions inside the bathhouse are installed during the construction of the walls, all the rest are made using a frame method, for example, in a timber bathhouse they are sewn from wooden slats or remnants of timber. For foam block buildings, the partition can be built from a profile and plasterboard sheets. There is nothing unusual in this; a foam block box, as a rule, does not shrink, so there is no threat of destruction of additional partitions.

Bath floor

First of all, the soil must be isolated from the bathhouse premises, otherwise moisture and water vapor will penetrate and destroy wooden structures. The earthen base is covered with sand and laid with an insulating film, after which the question of how to build insulation and drain water into the sewer can be decided.

The simplest way is to lay a layer of expanded polystyrene sheets at least 100 mm thick. Waterproofing is laid on top of the insulation and a concrete screed is made. This is the so-called subfloor, through which dirty water will be discharged into the sewer receiving collector. Wooden joists are laid on top of the subfloor and the finished floor is laid. Traditional planks are laid with a gap between the floorboards to allow for ventilation and removal of moisture from the underground.

Creating a bathhouse roof

The humid atmosphere inside the bathhouse requires special measures to protect the ceiling. The ceiling has to be made double, in the form of a sandwich. In the lower part of the ceiling, covered with cladding, a layer of reflective thermal insulation is laid and vents are made, thanks to which it is possible to ventilate the room and remove condensation that has accumulated after bath procedures.

Metal slate roof

The roof structure of a bathhouse can most often be single or gable, usually uninsulated, with a cold attic. The main part of the thermal insulation is laid directly on the ceiling, so the rafters and roof sheathing are protected only by waterproofing and roofing. Moreover, the roof gables are made with enlarged ventilation windows in order to improve the removal of water vapor accumulating in the under-roof space.

It is better to build the ceiling and roof with backfill insulation

For large-sized bathhouses, the design often sets the roof in a hipped pattern, thus reducing the pressure on the walls and reducing heat loss due to improved wind flow.

Oven and shelves

It is impossible to build a comfortable and at the same time warm bathhouse without the right choice of stove. For modern projects, metal and cast iron wood-burning stoves, similar in design to potbelly stoves, are most often used. They warm up quickly, provide a huge amount of heat, and most importantly, you don’t need to try to build a particularly strong foundation; it will be enough to lay a sheet of thermal insulation on the floor.

According to the project, a gas stove-stove can be simply embedded into the partition

The second most popular is the electric heater. Its use solves a huge number of problems, for example, there is no need to look for a way to build a safe chimney. At first glance, it’s a trifle, but according to statistics, it is the incorrect arrangement of the chimney in the ceiling and on the roof that is the main cause of fires in a wooden bathhouse.

The use of electric heating elements will require making a separate project and building the grounding of the bathhouse in accordance with all the rules of the PUE. Otherwise, the slightest violation of the insulation can become deadly for the owners and visitors of the steam room. If we compare the economic part, then the use of firewood is considered more profitable than electric heating.

Internal equipment

The walls inside the bathhouse require additional thermal insulation and vapor barrier. It is necessary to insulate both foam block and timber buildings, regardless of the thickness of the walls. In addition, it will be necessary to build a ventilation gap between the outer wall and the insulation layer, otherwise the condensation that falls will quickly lead to the destruction of the timber or foam blocks.

The inner surface of the walls of the steam room and relaxation room must be finished with lining made of linden, aspen or cedar. Often, the design of a steam room is selected in such a way that the consumption of quite expensive cladding is minimal. It is necessary to construct the finishing of the shower room, dressing room and auxiliary premises from coniferous trees. In modern projects, this part of the cladding is usually made of waterproof MDF boards.

Additional accessories

In addition to the stove, the design of the bathhouse must be equipped with a full-fledged washing room and dressing room, so you have to purchase at least a shower stall, plumbing for the toilet and a boiler or heating tank for hot water.

Most connoisseurs of hot steam prefer to build and equip a full-fledged relaxation room with furniture, a sofa, room heating, and most importantly, effective ventilation.

Oddly enough, a long stay in a relatively small room with heated air and a large amount of water vapor is only possible with a normal flow of fresh air. Therefore, in any project it is very important to provide and build full forced ventilation, and not rely on simply ventilating the room using windows, vents and vents.

Photo of a bathhouse in the country

Construction of brick walls

For a bathhouse, it is better to use red brick, which has undergone heat treatment and has a lower thermal capacity. To calculate the amount of material needed, you need to calculate the area of each wall. To do this, the width is multiplied by the length. Then you need to divide this number by the area of one brick. The area of the masonry joints can be neglected, because you will still need to make a reserve in case of battle or marriage.

Calculation of the number of bricks

The wall can be erected using several methods:

in two bricks with external insulation.
with air gaps, they are about 6 cm;
with a layer of insulation between two rows of bricks.

Work begins with the construction of corners. This is an important process because... It is they who will subsequently ensure the correctness of the entire structure. In order to maintain the vertical level of the future walls, two metal profiles of 5x5 cm and a length equal to the height of the future walls are dug into the corners. They are leveled and secured with jibs. A fishing line is stretched between them to the height of one row. After it is laid, the line is rearranged to the height of the next one. The thickness of the seam should be about 20-25 mm. It should be applied at a distance of no more than a meter so that it does not have time to dry. Additionally, the plane is checked using a bubble level. If the second and third types of masonry are chosen, then it is necessary to ensure a bandage between the two walls. This is achieved by laying two bricks transversely opposite each other at certain intervals. Also, each row should be offset by half a brick to ensure the overall interweaving of the entire plane.

Brick wall laying

A lintel must be installed over windows or doorways. Usually it is reinforced concrete. You can purchase it ready-made or pour it directly on site. It should extend beyond the openings by at least 25 cm. Supports are installed and a wooden board is mounted on them. Two rows of bricks are laid out on edge. Between them there are reinforcement rods, which should also extend 25 cm beyond the opening, and it is better to bend them to intertwine them with the existing masonry. Concrete is poured inside. After complete hardening (usually 10-12 days), the lower supports can be dismantled and the logs removed.

Brick lintel

Roofing device

We lay beams (mauerlat) on the last crown of the log house. We install rafters on the mauerlat. We fasten with crossbars. The distance between a pair of rafter legs is from 0.8-1.5 meters.

We nail a sheathing of 25 mm boards to the rafters with a sheet of slate supported on three crossbars. Slate is laid on the sheathing. We cut off the slate overlaps with a grinder, fit them tightly and nail them with slate nails.

Frame walls

After the foundation is erected, an additional foundation is made for such a structure. It is carried out according to the example of the grillage discussed above. For the corner posts we will need exactly the same timber as for the base. In addition, you will need to stock up on edged boards with a length equal to the height of the future walls, a width equal to the width of the grillage and a thickness of 5-10 cm.

Construction of a bath frame

At the base, it is imperative to check the diagonals so that they are the same. It is attached to the concrete foundation using anchor bolts. It is advisable to recess the head. For this purpose, a countersunk groove is made in advance. Waterproofing made of bicrost or roofing felt is laid under the grillage on a concrete foundation.
Pie wall frame bath
To secure the corner posts, a tenon with dimensions of 5x5x5 cm is made at the end. A corresponding hole is made in the base. The beam is installed and leveled. It is fixed using metal corners. Jibs are also installed that will hold it.
The top trim is made. This is a beam that will connect the racks together.
Additional vertical beams are installed every 50–60 cm. They are strengthened with oblique struts.
At the locations of windows and doors, embedded lintels are installed for rigidity.
Floor joists are installed. For them, you can use a beam measuring 15x10 cm. In order for them to be secured in the best possible way, a cut is made in the grillage to half the width of the board. A cut is made in the joists and placed into the cut. Fastening is carried out with self-tapping screws; additionally, internal metal corners can be installed.
The floor is insulated. In the case of a strip foundation, waterproofing in the form of a membrane or film is placed in the resulting space. Expanded clay is poured from above up to the beams. A separate layer of hydrobarrier is laid on the logs; it is secured to the boards using a construction stapler. Insulation is placed in the cavity between the joists. This can be mineral wool, polystyrene foam or penoplex. Everything is covered with a finished floor on top. If the foundation is columnar or pile, then first you will need to hem the beams from below, and then lay the hydraulic barrier and insulation.
The outside walls are covered with facing material.
A hydraulic barrier is laid on the inside. Insulation is inserted into the space between the vertical boards. You can use the same as for the floor. Finishing can be done using a block house or other suitable material.

Frame on a pile foundation

Bath shelves

Their width is about forty centimeters. They are usually made from pine or oak.

How to make a steam room

Linden and aspen boards are used to decorate the steam room. Stone and ceramics are also suitable.
Coniferous wood is not used because it releases resin when heated.

Walls made of foam blocks

The general installation principle will be the same as in the previous case. You should also start with the corners, which must be accurately and clearly set.

Laying walls from foam blocks

In the same way, guides are made from profiled pipes. But there are some nuances:

In order to achieve the best adhesion, the base row is laid on cement mortar. It is better to make the ratio with sand 1:3. It is very important to maintain a horizontal plane so that all other rows also lie correctly.
All other rows are fixed with special glue.
The thickness of the adhesive layer should not exceed 5 mm. Only in this case will it be possible to achieve ideal thermal insulation.
Every 3 rows, a metal mesh is placed in the seam, which serves to provide additional rigidity.
Foam blocks are placed on the edge.
Lintels over doors and windows are made in the same way as in the case of brickwork.

Log walls

Construction of walls from rounded logs

This is exactly the option that pops up in the imagination when it comes to a bathhouse. To make it, you will need to stock up on rounded or profiled logs. It is better to make external walls from this material. Because the structure is small, it is good if the partitions are framed.

In order for the walls to be consistent and even, the difference between the diameters of the beams should not exceed 30 mm.
Before laying, the wood is treated with an antiseptic compound that will prevent the appearance of parasites. Be sure to remove any remaining bark.
In the paw
The method of ligating the log house is chosen - in a bowl or in a paw. If the first option is used, then the total length should be approximately 60 cm longer than the length of the walls. For the second method there is no need to increase the dimensions.
For the first crown, the most massive components are selected. They are laid with the sealing rings facing outwards to ensure good thermal insulation. A plane is made on the bottom side so that the log does not roll off the base. Waterproofing made of bikrost and roofing felt is laid under it. You can make it from foam. To do this, bars measuring 3x5 cm are filled every 50 centimeters. The space between them is foamed.
Each element has a lunar groove along its entire length. Its width is equal to the radius of the log, and its depth is half the radius of the element on which it will rest. It is most convenient to select it with a chainsaw, but it is better to do it with an axe, because... it clogs the pores, which prolongs the service life.
To mark the binding, a special tool is used - a dash. First, the timber is tried on, marks are made on it, after which it is removed, trimmed and put in its place.
Tape insulation is laid in two rows in the groove and the joint element so that it partially hangs over the edges.
To prevent horizontal movement of the walls, wooden dowels are driven in every 80–100 cm. They need to be recessed to a depth of 2.5 crowns. They must also be installed at a distance of 10 cm from the window or doorway.

Into the bowl

After the construction of the walls is completed, primary caulking is performed. During which the hanging insulation is simply driven into the joints. Complete shrinkage of the building can last more than 1.5 years.