Free fragment - Practical guide to building a bathhouse from adobe

I heard from my friends that you can build a clay bathhouse from adobe. Honestly, my imagination immediately drew a possible picture... An ordinary bathhouse, only its walls inside are not covered with clapboard, but covered and coated with clay.

However, my assumptions turned out to be extremely far from the truth, because a real adobe building looks completely different...

What is adobe

Adobe is not produced in factories, nor is it purchased abroad. Its production does not require any special substances or materials.

Adobe is a multicomponent mixture that consists of a plastic base (clay, sand, earth), reinforced filler (straw) and water.

Translated from the Turkic language, adobe means straw.

Rye or wheat straw is perfect for adobe. It should be a good, healthy color, without the slightest hint of rot or mold.

Is it possible to build any building, much less a bathhouse, from such material?! It must be said that people erected buildings from a mixture of water, clay and straw back in the 4th century BC!

The most interesting thing about this is that I myself, with my own eyes, saw such outbuildings and know how they were erected. Only I could not even imagine then that it was adobe.

Material classification

Modern production methods, which are based on the traditional use of clay soil in Asian countries, make it possible to obtain this material of two types:

1. Light adobe is its most common variety, the production of which does not use sand. It is considered warmer and easier to manufacture, which leads to lower cost. After installation, you should wait about 2-3 months, and the use of clay as a base requires good protection of the constructed walls from moisture. That is why surfaces created from this material are covered with wood paneling.
2. Heavy adobe - made using sand. In this case, sand makes up approximately 80% of the total composition, and the rest is clay and straw. It is quite difficult to install, which requires certain skills in handling it. However, there are also positive qualities: it dries quickly thanks to the use of sand as a base, and its ability to hold its shape allows you to create buildings with walls of various shapes.

How I met Samana

My acquaintance with him began in the Belgorod region, where my grandfather in the 80s of the last century began construction of a new barn.

In the courtyard of the house, a horse was walking through a pile of clay, sand, straw and horse manure, and my uncle was sitting astride it. This is how the unusual building material for the future barn was mixed.

When a lot of adobe was needed for construction, horses were used to mix the mixture. If the amount of work was small, then they kneaded the adobe themselves - they simply walked on it, trampling and mixing straw, clay, sand and horse manure.

By the way, horse manure has always been added to adobe, but you can knead the mixture without adding manure.

In the North, we have never had problems with building materials in the form of wood - there is enough wood. But in the central region of Russia, using wood to build an entire barn is an unaffordable luxury.

For this reason, almost all of my grandfather’s outbuildings were made of adobe.

There are two types of adobe: heavy and light.

Types of dome structures

According to the method of construction, there are the following types of domes:

• geodetic;
• stratodesic;
• sprayed.

The so-called sprayed dome is an object characterized by simplicity, reliability and beauty. Most often, insulation is performed with sprayed polystyrene foam. A frame made of fiberglass reinforcement is mounted on a lightweight base, after which a pneumatic frame is placed inside it, then a layer of polymer foam is applied. The technology, as you can see, is extremely simple, but unusual.

It won’t be difficult to build this miracle with your own hands. But some experts argue (and I completely agree with them) that this type of dome should not be used to build a bathhouse. The reason is simple: polymer walls allow air to pass through extremely poorly, which is not good. This type of building is perfect for gazebos, summer kitchens and greenhouses.

Stratodesic domes are famous for their exquisite and graceful appearance. Their assembly is carried out on the basis of ribs (bent) having a meridional direction. Doors and windows are extremely easy to install in such a dome, and a veranda, terrace, gazebo, etc. can also be easily added. However, the price of bent-laminated timber is incredibly high.

The geodesic dome has been popular for many years. The geocell (the second name of this design) was invented in the 40s by the American inventor Fuller. The basis of geodetic construction are equilateral triangles. This dome structure is incredibly strong and rigid.

In order for such a creation to please with reliability, it is necessary to ensure the quality of fastening in the nodes and fix the basis of the structure. This type of dome is the best for constructing a health resort, as it demonstrates first-class technical and amazing aesthetic characteristics.

Spherical houses of purity will decorate the countryside and delight the owners with healing steam!

Heavy adobe

These are real brick blocks made of dried clay, straw and sand. In order to make a brick, you need to independently build a mold from planed boards without a bottom. For small blocks it may contain several sections.

The inside of the mold can be lined with polyethylene for easy removal of adobe bricks. For the same purposes, you need to fill the ends of the molding box with handles.

There are no exact proportions for heavy adobe mixture; it is prepared experimentally.

The mixture should be homogeneous, thick and mushy; it is collected in a heap and allowed to stand for a day.

Then the mixture is filled into the mold and the already formed brick is taken out of it.

The blocks need to be dried in a place well protected from moisture; good ventilation is required. When the blocks have dried, you can check their quality.

You should not form all the blocks at once; to check the quality, it is enough to prepare one brick.

• If the adobe brick is broken by hand, there is not enough straw.
• If the brick crumbles, there is a lot of straw and little clay.
• The brick block is covered with cracks - a lot of clay and little sand.

Preparing heavy adobe is a longer and more labor-intensive process. The blocks take a long time to form; in addition, they must dry out.

It is better to start building buildings from heavy adobe in the spring, when weather conditions allow it to dry well.

Heavy adobe makes interesting, sometimes intricate buildings, since the blocks can be shaped into very different shapes.

A bathhouse can be fashioned as if from plasticine and even without corners, but this type of masonry requires experience and skills in construction. If you don’t have the skills, you can practice on a small structure, such as a doghouse.

We insulate the house

The ceiling is insulated with sawdust only from above.
The first thing to do is to stitch the floor beams with wide boards. Their thickness should be from 25 to 35 mm. The cheapest option is to take simple planed ones and dry them to natural moisture. But experts advise using sheet piling, this option is more expensive. The boards can be attached to the beams using nails or screws. But sawdust insulation is heavy and the boards need to be secured in a special way. Nails or screws are driven in at an angle, each time changing the angle in the opposite direction. Nails take 100 mm, screws 50 mm. The next step is to treat the beams and boards with an antiseptic. This way they will be less susceptible to rotting and fungi. A vapor barrier is spread on top. Roofing felt or PVC film is also suitable for home use. It is attached over the entire surface with an overlap of 10-15 cm. All joints are glued with bitumen or tape. In this case, the edges of the vapor barrier should extend 10-15 cm onto the walls. If there are voids on the sides, then they need to be covered with polyurethane foam. The bends must be attached to the walls using a stapler.

The sawdust is laid out in layers, constantly leveling and compacting. The height of the embankment usually reaches the upper level of the ceiling. Experts recommend scattering a thin layer of ash on top. It plays a protective role against fungi, mold and bugs. After spreading, the composition is allowed to dry for 2-3 weeks and covered with a vapor barrier on top, which prevents moisture from getting to the insulation and excess evaporation. You need to attach the vapor barrier to the floor beams using a stapler. As a result, the sawdust should be wrapped in an envelope of lower and upper layers of vapor barrier.

Then the floor beams are extended, and sheathing is made for the finishing or subfloor. Or a metal mesh is laid on top of the beams, and a cement screed is made. It all depends on the choice of material for the floor in the future.

Light adobe

A strong frame is the key to a durable building; without it, it is impossible to build a barn or a bathhouse from light adobe. That is, trees must be used for support.

When the walls of a building consist of a wooden frame in the form of shingles made from dry driftwood and branches, the voids are filled with light adobe. In this case, adobe does not play the role of a load-bearing wall, it is its filler.

Light adobe is prepared in almost the same way as heavy adobe. The difference is that blocks are not formed from it, but the prepared mixture is rubbed and hammered into the frame of the walls.

The result is a clay-straw monolithic wall that fastens and holds the wooden frame of the building.

The straw is impregnated with clay milk and reliably connects the fibers.

Light adobe buildings do not require pre-drying; they are open on both sides. High air temperature, low humidity and a good draft will dry adobe walls in a matter of days.

Construction technology

When considering the technology of building a bathhouse made of adobe, the following main stages can be distinguished:

1. A strip foundation should be used as the foundation for the building. It is ideal for such a structure and can provide the necessary degree of reliability. However, before choosing this type of foundation, you should make sure that it is suitable for a particular site (the presence of unstable soil or rocky terrain makes it impossible to use the type of foundation in question).
2. A wooden beam is laid on top of the strip foundation as a strapping and a wooden frame is installed. Almost any tree can be used. It will serve as a reinforcing element of the structure, which will be filled with adobe.

Materials for building a bathhouse - see here

In conclusion, we note that a do-it-yourself bathhouse made of adobe can be built using formwork or monolithic masonry. The use of formwork occurs using light adobe, and monolithic masonry is carried out using a material in the production of which sand is used. The second option is the most difficult to implement, but the work can be done much faster. To use heavy adobe, you must have experience handling it. Therefore, it is recommended to practice in advance on the construction of, for example, a small decorative fence or other structure.

Source: https://postroimdoma.com/Bany/vidy-ban/osobennosti-bani-iz-samana/

Bathhouse made of adobe

It is possible to build a bathhouse from adobe, construction experts assure us of this. You don’t need to have a lot of knowledge in construction; everything can be learned during the construction process.

To build a bathhouse, you will need a solid foundation, and a massive brick stove and chimney are optional. During the work, it is necessary to leave small holes for pipe exit and ventilation.

It is important to consider the climate of the area where you want to build an adobe bathhouse.

For example, if we talk about our Far North, then, most likely, such a construction will not justify itself and will be unreasonable.

Clay is an amazing building material. Like wood, it is capable of absorbing and releasing excess moisture. That is, the clay bath will not be too humid, it breathes!

Only with all its undeniable advantages, the lack of resistance to water casts doubt on its use for building a bathhouse in a rainy, humid climate.

The enemy of adobe is high humidity and rain.

Even if there is a high-quality roof and wall protection, the constant humidity from the proximity of the sea will do its dirty work and the adobe will soften.

Even my grandfather’s buildings are all reliably protected from adobe, the walls are sheathed and upholstered with slate.

The inside of an adobe clay bath can be lined with clapboard and a small metal sauna stove can be installed. It's only up to your imagination!

Recommendations for using a black steam room

It is necessary to heat a black sauna only with dry larch wood: birch, alder.
There is an opinion that it is better to use firewood from the same wood that was used for the interior decorative lining of the bathhouse. It is necessary to heat the steam room several hours before the time you are supposed to visit the steam room. During heating, all windows and doorways are opened wide. Hot smoke will initially rise to the ceiling space, warming it up, and then will be drawn out through window and door openings to the street. To prevent the smoke and the room from cooling, you must carefully seal all wall and ceiling surfaces of the bathhouse. It is unacceptable to leave even small cracks.

After the steam room heats up, extinguish the flame and ventilate the steam room for another half hour. Don't be afraid, the steam room will not cool down, but carbon monoxide will leave the room. You can burn to death, and very easily, so you need to heat the bathhouse in compliance with the rules.

The canopy is wiped down during ventilation, and the walls where the steamer will lean are also wiped. You can see more details on how the process of heating a black bath goes in the video:

The black sauna is assembled with your own hands and ready for use. After ventilation, the doors are closed tightly and the heated room will pleasantly exude a woody aroma, and the walls and ceiling will remain warm for a long time. Warm air in a heated black steam room penetrates the human body and has a relaxing effect. According to its therapeutic characteristics, the black bath ranks first among other types of steam rooms. In Rus', babies were even given birth in such a bathhouse. And sterility, like in a surgical office, high temperature and hot water will make the process easier. Lovers and connoisseurs of a real black sauna will never choose a traditional steam room. There is less benefit from it, and the consumption during combustion is much greater. A properly built bathhouse, and even done with your own hands, will bring health to your loved ones and become a place of relaxation and treatment for the whole family.

Possible problems of an adobe bath

Of course, humidity will do its job over time and the lower rows of the adobe wall will begin to wash out. This is the problem with all bathhouses, be it a clay building or a log building.

In my bathhouse, the lower rims of the logs were turned into dust by ants and had to be replaced. Raise the bathhouse and change all the lower crowns.

In an adobe bathhouse there will be no such global construction costs. It is enough to start repairing damp adobe in time; it must be replaced with a new one.

The key to protecting an adobe bathhouse is a high-quality roof. The roof should cover the walls from rain as best as possible, that is, be low and wide. Therefore, if you do not have construction experience, it is better to entrust this part of the work to professionals...

People have been building from adobe for a long time; it is an affordable, natural, environmentally friendly material. Buildings made from it do not require the use of special tools, equipment or chemicals. All family members, young and old, can participate in this unusual construction!

How to build a sauna with your own hands: projects and photos

In fact, for home needs, it is best to opt for one of the projects for a timber building or a bathhouse made of foam blocks. The currently advertised options made from sandwich and SIP panels can be considered not as successful as timber and block projects, primarily due to the extreme fire hazard of such material. It only makes sense to build a bathhouse with foam insulation and OSB panel cladding if, according to the design, the steam room is connected to the water or steam heating of the main house; in all other cases, even if you use an electric boiler, the risk of fire remains too high.

Projects of steam rooms and baths made of timber and logs

One of the best existing projects for a full-fledged bathhouse with a steam room and a relaxation room is shown in the diagram below.

Project of a log house with a steel stove

The size of the building is 4.6x5.6 m. The bathhouse can be built either from logs or from profiled timber. The second option is even more preferable, since the optimal size makes the room compact and warm. If you choose projects in the bathhouse with the goal of building almost all the parts with your own hands, then perhaps this one will be the most interesting and promising. If you plan to build a bathhouse in full, without saving on any elements, the average cost will be no more than $3,000 without connecting communications.

A more complex version of a timber bath is shown in the diagram below.

Project of a wooden bathhouse with an increased level of comfort

Unlike the previous one, in this project the main emphasis is on maximum comfort, that is, the rest room has been increased to the size of a full-fledged room.

Advice! It makes sense to build a bathhouse according to such a project if the room is also used as a place to relax, for example, in a country house or on a country site.

If desired, it can be easily converted into a guest house or even an impromptu summer kitchen.

Projects for bathhouse buildings made of foam blocks

This is a more complex and costly level of construction. It will take about 30% more money to build a bathhouse box from foam blocks. In addition, it will be necessary to more carefully prepare the foundation and wall cladding.

As a rule, in foam block bathhouse projects the level of comfort is much higher than in timber steam rooms; it is possible to equip a full-fledged bathroom, and even build a full-fledged toilet in the bathhouse.

Block bath project

The disadvantages of such projects include the unsightly appearance of the building. Therefore, if you need to equip a place to relax, you will have to build it in the form of a wooden canopy or covered terrace. To get rid of the unsightly gray cinder block look, the facade and walls are usually finished with siding or clapboard.

All these are real projects, repeatedly implemented by ordinary private developers without the involvement of construction firms and companies. One of the options for building a bathhouse with your own hands from scratch is shown in the video:

Installation

Before discussing the construction of a domed bathhouse, I would like to introduce you to the design, whose name is “Dobrosfera”. The Dobrosfera spherical steam room is an ordinary frame bathhouse that anyone can assemble using the instructions from the manufacturer according to the construction kit principle. The object is self-supporting. Therefore, it is possible to make any layout in the steam room.

Floor joists are made using ordinary boards, which are not included in the assembly kit. The frame is made of coniferous trees - spruce, pine, etc. The raw materials undergo thermal drying, but are not treated with antiseptic compounds. The price of the set is from 32,000 rubles. Of course, this is the price of the frame only. All other materials are purchased separately. Assembling this innovative construction set will not be difficult, since the kit includes detailed instructions.

Let's get to work already. To build this bathhouse, we perform the following steps.

• We take measurements.
• Leveling the place.
• Let's make the foundation. A strip base or pile base is suitable.
• Select the type of fastening of the ribs. There are two types - connector and connectorless.
• We install communication systems.
• We assemble the frame according to the diagram.
• We carry out external cladding (most often with OSB boards).
• We install windows and doors.
• We install the roof (it is reasonable to use flexible tiles).
• We fill the frame with heat-insulating raw materials (you can actually use ecowool or mineral wool boards).
• We make the internal lining of the bathhouse and do not forget about the vapor barrier.
• We lay floors, erect partitions and shelves.
• We install the stove and install the chimney.
• We carry out interior finishing.
• We arrange interior items.

That's all. We admire the charming spherical bathhouse.

There is another option for constructing a domed steam room.

• We take measurements.
• We choose a site for the construction of a bathhouse.
• We clear the working area of ​​debris, remove the soil cover, and fill the area with crushed stone and sand.
• We install a supporting decagon (instead of a foundation).
• We make trapezoids from boards.
• We place roofing felt and trapezoids on the sandy “foundation”.
• We connect the trapezoids with self-tapping screws.
• We make walls from bars connected with self-tapping screws.
• We make frames for windows and doors.
• We cover the walls with boards.
• We make frame ribs from bars.
• We coat the wooden elements with an antiseptic and fire retardant.
• We take a break - a day.
• We make plate connectors from metal.
• Fill the connectors with foam or resin.
• We are erecting the frame of the dome. We connect the elements with self-tapping screws.
• We line the inside of the dome with plywood.
• We insulate the walls.
• We clad the outside of the dome with OSB slabs and tiles.
• We lay the floors.
• We install communication systems.
• We install a stove-stove.
• We carry out interior finishing.
• We arrange interior items.

That's all. Enjoy the beautiful spherical steam room!

As you can see, the technology for assembling a dome bathhouse is not very simple. I would say - unusual and unusual. And if you doubt your construction abilities, seek help from specialists.

The steam room-dome is the “pearl” of a suburban area, giving heavenly pleasure!

Happy assembly, dear readers. See you again!

Wisdom Quote: What is absurd to some is proof to others (Shaftesbury Ashley Cooper).

I'll tell you everything I know

Selection of building materials.

Below is a list of materials that will be needed to build a bathhouse from timber:

a) timber 150x150 mm, although it is possible to use timber with a cross-section of 100 mm or 200 mm;

b) floorboard (edged board 150x50 mm 4 meters long is excellent);

c) hardwood boards for ceiling construction (usually lining with a width of 100 mm and a thickness of 20 mm or more is used);

d) material for wall decoration (as a rule, the same lining is used);

e) material for vapor barrier (an excellent option would be to use a vapor barrier film);

e) waterproofing (it is advisable to use penofol, although polyethylene film is suitable);

g) ceiling insulation (mineral wool materials are a good option);

h) sheet asbestos for insulating wooden structures from temperature influences, including for walls near the stove and elements located next to the chimney;

i) cement, sand and crushed stone for foundation construction (recommendation - cement should be purchased before starting construction);

j) roofing material for the roof, which can be selected based on personal preferences and the main thing is that it fits seamlessly into the surrounding roofs of other buildings;

A thatched roof is convenient, unusual and cheap. Roofing a bathhouse made of shingles. Polycarbonate roofing for a bathhouse.

l) insulation for the inter-crown space (it is better to use jute, although moss or tow are perfect).

The best time to start construction is spring, since after completion of the main construction work it is necessary for the timber to dry and shrink. This requires at least 6 months.