To ensure that the barrel sauna remains intact after a year, we follow the technology

Russians' addiction to the bathhouse is one of the features of the national mentality. Many summer residents dream of having a small wooden or stone bathhouse on their plot. High costs, construction time and lack of free space are stopping the owners of small country plots. You can solve the problem if you purchase or construct a barrel sauna yourself. A barrel-shaped building can be placed on any site.

The barrel sauna is a design that is both original and practical. It fits laconically into the landscape and attracts the attention of neighbors and friends with its unusual shape. Such a building has a large number of advantages.

Features and appearance

Having your own bathhouse on your summer cottage is the dream of every second landowner. For many, it is unattainable, since implementing the idea requires money, time, and free space. However, there is a solution - building a bathhouse in the form of a barrel. Peculiarities:

• Dimensions – the structure can be placed within a small area;
• Warm-up speed – the sauna owner saves fuel for kindling.

Despite its compactness, all the primary attributes are located inside: steam room, shower room, place to relax. If there is a pond on the site or nearby, then it’s better not to imagine: you can go straight from the bathhouse into a cold ice hole.

Another feature is that the construction of an oval building requires the use of high-quality materials. For a simple bath, the requirements are not as stringent, but the barrel does not have extra space and cannot be decorated from the inside.

Additional reviews about the benefits

The barrel bath, reviews of which will be useful to read before going to the store, also has many additional advantages. Among them, ergonomics and efficiency should be highlighted. Such buildings are easy to warm up, and the heat inside lingers longer, because the design has the effect of a thermos, as well as the properties of natural wood.

According to buyers, the savings on fuel are quite impressive. A transportable bathhouse can easily be heated even in severe frosts, and the time of the bathhouse attendants is saved, which is why such structures are considered specially created for the harsh winters of Russia.

If you want to move from one house to another, you can take your favorite bathhouse with you. Today, several models of such buildings are known; they differ from each other in the following factors:

• material of manufacture;
• appearance;
• planning;
• dimensions.

The barrel sauna, reviews of which often help consumers, is a very convenient structure, because it comes assembled. According to buyers, installation does not take too much time. There will be no construction work on the site. This indicates that the bathhouse can be installed on a completed landscape; the design will not damage plants and decorative elements, and will not damage aesthetic beauty.

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Depending on the size of your site, you can choose a bathhouse for a certain number of steamers. Consumers emphasize that if the budget is insufficient, you can choose the smallest option - economy. It is also suitable for a family of two or three people.

Advantages and disadvantages

The pros and cons of a barrel bath depend on the dimensions and materials of assembly. Advantages:

• Warms up quickly;
• Consumes little fuel;
• Can be placed anywhere;
• Easy to install;
• It is not necessary to pour the foundation.

The main disadvantage of such a bathhouse is that there is little space in it.

Compactness is one of the features of the barrel sauna Source megalife.com.ua

No. 5. Form

The standard shape of a barrel sauna is round, hence the name, but some manufacturers offer their own variations. The most popular forms are:

• round barrel sauna - the standard and most common option. It looks original, requires a small area for installation, and warms up quickly;

• an oval (elliptical) barrel sauna does not take up much more space on the site, but at the same time the internal usable space increases significantly, and the steam room warms up almost as quickly as in a round barrel;
• A square, or more precisely semi-circular-semi-square , barrel sauna in cross-section looks like a square with rounded corners. It has the largest usable area among other buildings; here you can comfortably place more benches, tables, shelves, etc. The room warms up relatively quickly. Such a bathhouse will look great on the site.

Device

The barrel sauna consists of end walls assembled from tongue-and-groove boards. The frame is rounded. The top of the base is finished with boards. For strength and reliability, the structure is tightened with metal rings.

The dimensions of the barrel bath may vary. Dimensions are calculated at the design stage and depend on factors:

• The number of people who will be inside;
• Budget of the site owner;
• Free space allocated for construction.

Inside the barrel bath, shelves are equipped to accommodate the attributes for the steam room (brooms, towels, detergents). The heater stove is responsible for heating - it should be located at the end, opposite the front door.

Inside there can be a tank with hot water and a shower. Tempered glass doors are usually used to separate sections of a bathhouse - they let in light and visually expand the limited space.

How a barrel sauna works Source stroyfora.ru

The smoke exhaust pipe is directed under the roof or exits through the end wall. Mobile baths are additionally equipped with a wheelbase - they cling to the car and can move without problems. The entrance door is mounted in the end part, but can also be installed on the side.

Design

The bathhouse looks like a barrel overturned on its side. There is a door at one end and a stove at the other. The cylinder itself is assembled from fitted boards held together with a hoop. The length of the barrel is from 2 to 6 m, there are models of 6-8 m. The length determines how many sections can be made, as well as how many people can visit the steam room. The diameter of the barrel varies from 2 to 2.5 m. A smaller size of the structure will make it difficult to use the bathhouse, since even short people will have to bend down. And excessive ceiling height is impractical, since it increases the time for heating the bathhouse and the fuel consumption to maintain the desired temperature in the room.

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Another option for a barrel bath is a single vertical steam room placed on the end. There is a hole in the second end for the head. Instead of a heater, a steam generator is installed in such a barrel. You won’t be able to take a steam bath with a group in such a barrel, but for single use this option is more profitable than a classic barrel sauna. After all, a vertical barrel takes up less space, and a steam generator is easier to use than a stove.

Varieties

The peculiarity of a round bathhouse is that it can be equipped for any type of steam room. The design is universal: Finnish, Russian - whatever pleases the arc. If the owner often goes outdoors with friends, it doesn’t matter. He can set up a mobile sauna. Varieties:

• Finnish . Drier steam is formed inside - this is its main difference from the Russian one. A section for washing in such a bathhouse is not required; it is usually arranged near a reservoir or an additional font or swimming pool is built nearby.
• Japanese – Asians are famous for their love of cleanliness. The bathhouse should become the center of unity of the energy of the elements. The Ofura barrel is a vertical structure: that is, a cylinder that is heated at the bottom by the firebox. You can’t take a steam bath in such a bath, but relaxing in the water is no problem.

Japanese barrel sauna Ofuro Source forestlumber.com

• Russian . The bathhouse consists of two sections: a steam room and a shower. For convenience during construction, an elongated shape is used. It is important to design the water drainage. The firebox is usually located outside to keep the steam moist.
• Mobile . It should be compact. It is important to equip a full-fledged mobile drain and wheelbase.

If necessary, mobile baths can be easily transported in a trailer Source mordvinov-wood.ru

How to organize water drainage

Such a need exists for a design in which a lot of water will be used.

Lattice floor in a barrel sauna

Of course, if the bathhouse is used infrequently, then it is enough to make holes in the floor through which the liquid will flow out and go into the soil. But if you plan to use the structure frequently, then the water drainage system needs to be thought out in more detail. Otherwise, the water may stagnate under the bathhouse, which will have a bad effect on the bathhouse. The first sign will be the appearance of an unpleasant odor. This means that a fungus has appeared under the knowledge and it begins to rot. After this, the floor begins to deteriorate, become unreliable and, ultimately, may collapse.

To build proper water drainage, the barrel sauna is placed at a slight slope. This way the water will drain towards the end of the sink. There you need to make a hole in the floor and attach a pipe to it that will go into the drainage hole. To prevent this pipe from cracking due to temperature changes in winter, it must be insulated.

Inside the bathhouse itself, a floor is made in the form of a lattice. This is necessary not only to make walking more comfortable. Thus, water will not linger on the surface and the floor will dry out on all sides.

Dimensions

The construction of a barrel bath requires taking into account parameters. The cylinder should not be longer than 6 meters - this is enough to accommodate a steam room, a washing section and a relaxation room. It is impossible to place a pool inside a barrel. If your budget allows, you can build a porch, a swimming pool, a canopy, etc. next to the bathhouse.

The most compact barrels are 2 meters. They only accommodate a compartment for the stove and steam room. Separately, it is worth considering barrels with water or oval shapes. They can be built in a ratio of 4*4 or 2.4*4 meters. A standard barrel is up to 2.2 meters high. This is enough to be inside without hesitation.

The massiveness of the structure depends on the foundation for the barrel bath, cladding materials, and the number of sections. Typically the weight ranges from 400 kg to 1.5 tons.

Stationary barrel sauna on a prepared base Source prom.st

See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in the design and construction of baths of any complexity

Approximate prices

The cost of a barrel sauna directly depends on its size and configuration. The turnkey price for a 2-meter-long structure (diameter 2.1 meters, pine material) in the basic configuration starts at an average of 130,000 rubles.

If the body is made of cedar, then the total amount will increase noticeably and add up to 25%. If you want the bathhouse to have an open mini-veranda with a canopy, be prepared to pay another 15-20 thousand rubles. The insulated version will cost 20-25% more than the standard one.

Those who like to take a steam bath in the lap of nature are offered a sauna on a trailer. The cost of such a trailer starts from 50,000 rubles.

Mobile mini-sauna

The average price of barrel saunas 3 meters long with 2 compartments (steam room and changing room), built from spruce, is 160 thousand rubles. A six-meter pine “maxi-bath” with a washing compartment can be purchased from 300 thousand rubles.

Materials

A standard Russian bathhouse is not so fancy - it can be built from any material. The inside of the structure is lined with wood and everything is ready. A board for a barrel sauna is a different matter, since here the materials need to be selected at the design stage. The following trees are suitable:

Oak

Oak boards are more durable than others. The strength of wood allows it not to be afraid of humidity and mechanical stress. On the contrary, water only strengthens the oak surface. The boards have an impressive appearance and a beautiful cut pattern - the finished barrel will look more expensive than it actually is.

The oak bathhouse looks massive and impressive Source ruskemping.ru

Linden

Linden is famous for its natural healing properties. This steam room is recommended for people suffering from respiratory diseases. Linden baths have an effect on skin elasticity. The boards retain heat, are easy to process and are cheaper than oak. The only drawback is that the linden quickly fills with water and begins to rot.

Linden barrel sauna Source kavkazlipa.ru

Aspen

It's cheap material. Aspen is not inferior in strength to linden, but is not as susceptible to impact and moisture. The wood does not become cracked as it is used, so it is well suited for a bathhouse.

Aspen barrel sauna Source osinavam.ru

Cedar

Coniferous trees are considered reliable for building a bathhouse. All thanks to the features:

• Durability - wood lasts for several decades without losing its external luster;
• Siberian cedar is considered a medicinal plant, because the steam room has a healing effect (makes the skin elastic, calms the nervous system);
• Heat capacity – a wooden bathhouse quickly warms up and does not release heat;
• Resinous tree species do not absorb moisture well, so they do not rot or collapse;
• Cedar is characterized as an antiseptic, due to which odors and bacteria do not spread inside;
• The beautiful wood structure looks beautiful even without additional finishing on the outside.

The cut of cedar boards looks colorful Source sklad-pilomaterialov.ru
However, the material also has disadvantages. For example, due to the heterogeneity of color, boards must be selected so that together they do not form too bright a color. A cedar sauna is more expensive, but lasts longer. Wood is not recommended for lining a steam room - the resins are too viscous. If they fill the air inside, the pores on the skin will begin to clog. People with respiratory diseases may feel ill inside such a bathhouse.

Stage 1 - preparing the base

Creating the base of a barrel sauna

As already mentioned, there is no need to dig a pit and pour a foundation. It is enough to install it on a flat surface so as to prevent contact of the tree with the soil. Preparing such a site is quite simple if you compact and level the area and fill it with gravel or crushed stone.

The base for such a bath can be made from floor slabs.

If there is no such level area, you can make a base of concrete. To do this, remove the top layer of soil, 15–20 cm deep. Install the formwork, pour sand into the base, making a cushion of 5–10 cm, and compact it. Then lay the reinforcement and fill everything with concrete. After 3 weeks you can assemble the bath, that’s when the solution will completely strengthen.

Now you need to make a wooden base. Transverse parts will be made from edged boards 200 mm wide. If you decide to cut them yourself, then cut a rounded notch in them that follows the contours of the barrel. To ensure everything is even, use the pattern as a reference. The workpiece should be cut no more than half the width, that is, 100 mm. The number of such boards is determined by the length of the bath. As professionals advise, they need to be installed in increments of 1–1.5 m.

For reliability, the transverse parts can be connected with boards, which are screwed along the embedded boards using screws.

Bath stove

Assembling a barrel sauna allows you to use a wood-burning or electric stove. Advantages of stone structures:

• Compact and small in size - they are easy to assemble and install, if necessary they can be moved inside the bathhouse;
• There is no need to install a chimney;
• The steam room warms up faster than with wood – you just need to turn on the appropriate mode;
• Safety – the electric furnace will not become a source of fire;
• Cleanliness - no ash, soot or smoke is formed around.

An electric stove is not as healthy as a wood stove. In addition, the design does not consume much energy. If there are power outages, the bath will take longer to warm up or even remain cold. The design is not suitable for summer cottages that are not connected to a general power supply.

The electric oven is compact - it does not take up extra space Source pechiexpert.ru

Wood-burning stoves are considered a classic option and are more popular for Russian baths. They have advantages:

• Possibility of installation on any site, even if electricity is not supplied to it;
• The cost of fuel is lower than electricity;
• Environmental Safety;
• The ability to assemble the stove with your own hands (you need to be careful, otherwise there is a risk of fire).

Fire hazard is the main disadvantage of wood stoves. In addition, the bathhouse will need a chimney. Fuel has to be prepared in advance and stored in a special dry place, which takes up additional space on the site.

A wood stove requires a chimney. Source slovyanka.com

Another arrangement option is a boiler. They are:

• Solid fuel (firewood, coal, briquettes);
• Electrical;
• Gas;
• Liquid fuel (diesel fuel, oil, kerosene, etc.).

You can make boilers yourself, but this requires skills and experience.

Compact sauna

A sauna differs from a bath only in the temperature regime and the type of steam used. In order to monitor the volume of steam generated, it is enough to additionally install an electrical steam generator device, a special boiler or an electric masonry stove in the room. It is recommended to use alder, linden or pine as interior decoration. It is recommended to make small saunas that are used in summer cottages virtually airtight. In this case, special attention is paid to the thermal insulation layer. This will allow you to maintain and maintain optimal temperature conditions for a long time, while energy costs will be minimal.

Bath assembly

The owner of the site can buy a ready-made kit for turnkey assembly. When placing an order, he indicates dimensions, materials and other characteristics. You can also build a barrel with your own hands. First you need to prepare materials:

• You need dried and solid wood, pre-sawn into bars;
• Board width – 9 cm, thickness – 5 cm;
• If you choose boards with locks (tenon and groove), then assembly will take less time (you can make the locks yourself);
• You need to purchase or weld steel hoops (they strengthen the barrel around the perimeter);
• You will need insulation (mineral wool).

The bathhouse is being built in stages, starting from the foundation Source houser.su
Assembly consists of the following stages:

1. The foundation for a barrel sauna is made of crushed stone and concrete screed. Base thickness – from 10 cm.
2. A frame wooden support is mounted on the leveled area.
3. Direct construction begins - first the steam room. 5*20 boards are cut into pieces around the perimeter of the bathhouse. The number of supports is determined taking into account the length of the building.
4. The connection is made by cutting grooves in the upper ends of the boards (they follow the circumference of the cylinder).
5. Next, the internal partitions and ends are designed - a tongue and groove board is useful for this. They are fixed to each other using transverse bars. They should not interfere with the installation of windows and doors.
6. The tongue and groove board is cut taking into account the length of the building. The ends are polished. The boards are treated with an antiseptic.

Flaws in the structure

The steam room can be used all year round, and the cost of its construction will be relatively lower than a regular bathhouse. The use of natural wood allows you to make your rest complete and healthy. The disadvantages include:

1. Lack of opportunity to relax with a large group.
2. Inability to use strong chemicals to treat the surface outside.
3. Controversial wall insulation. Many owners of such structures believe that this is a summer option. Manufacturers, in turn, claim that the required temperature is maintained due to powerful stoves, high heat capacity of wood and special installation technology that eliminates cracks. All these parameters allow you to maintain the desired temperature even in severe frosts.

Such a steam room is allowed to be used in regions with a harsh climate, but in this case, it may take a little more time to kindle.

Those who want to have a warmer room should pay attention to the products of manufacturers who produce baths with an additional layer of thermal insulation. In this design it will be possible to steam all year round, despite the sub-zero temperature outside.

Video description

The step-by-step assembly of the bathhouse is shown in this video:
You need to install the supports:

1. It is important to maintain an equal step. The bottom of the barrel, made of boards fastened to each other (tongue and groove), is placed on them.
2. After a sufficient circle shape has been formed, the end walls are laid out.
3. The circle is completed. Now the structure needs to be secured with metal hoops. Next, windows and doors and a roof are installed.

A font or rinsing pool can be installed nearby. During the construction of the floor, it is worth calculating the slope towards the drain (1 degree for each meter).

After the main part is ready, you can begin the roofing Source mainavi.ru

Characteristics

There are many options for round baths, each of which has its own characteristics, ranging from size to internal arrangement. Thus, after going through all the possible options, you can choose your “ideal” barrel sauna.

Dimensions

The smallest bathhouse, located horizontally, is 2 meters long. Its design implies the presence of 1-2 rooms. You can undress here at the entrance if the bathhouse has a porch with a canopy. The weight of such a building is about 1.5 tons.

The largest barrels reach a little over 6 meters. There can already be up to 3 rooms: a dressing room (with a well-thought-out resting place, a table, clothes hangers, benches), a wash room (with a shower or water containers), a steam room (with comfortable benches and loungers); or in the case of a sauna, the washing room can become a relaxation room. On average, the length of each room will be 1-2 meters.

Classic round baths can be of the following sizes - up to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 meters in length, about 2 meters in diameter (1.95 m is the internal diameter). Quad and oval baths may have slightly different parameters: 4x4, 3x6. Almost any bathhouse can accommodate comfortable sun loungers with a width of 500 mm.

In two-meter baths there is only one room. In the three- to four-meter ones there are already two – a small locker room and a steam room. The largest ones have space for three rooms.

Forms

The classic shape of a barrel bath is a circle, or rather a cylinder, located horizontally.

Less common are oval, square or rectangle shapes with rounded corners. In addition, there are options for baths with a semicircular top and rectangular bottom.

The entrance to both oval and quad baths can be from the front or the side. The entrance can be framed by a canopy or equipped with a gazebo. And the barrel sauna can be additionally enclosed in the frame of a gable roof.

Double-rounded baths have a rectangular outline. Vertical barrel baths are most often round-shaped buildings, less often oval or rectangular with rounded corners.

Materials

The main performance characteristics of a bathhouse depend on the materials from which it is made. The bathhouse is built from wood, or rather, specially processed profiled timber with a moongroove or tongue-and-groove fastening. The following types of wood are usually used for construction:

• Oak is a very high-quality material that becomes even stronger when exposed to water. It has excellent properties and can serve for many years. It has a beautiful structure, but is very expensive.
• Linden is an excellent material for a bathhouse. Known for its medicinal properties. Unfortunately, poorly treated wood of this species is easily susceptible to rotting and other negative effects.
• Aspen is an analogue of linden. With its help you can also create a favorable microclimate. But unlike linden, it is more resistant to harmful effects.

• Larch is a material that does not rot, and therefore will last a very long time. True, the price for round timber of this breed is quite high.
• Cedar is the only conifer that is highly recommended as a building material. It can also be used to create a healing microclimate. It has a beautiful unique structure. It has one drawback - it is quite expensive.
• Spruce, pine and other conifers are not recommended as building materials for baths. This is due to the fact that when exposed to high temperatures, wood is capable of releasing resins, which can cause burns. However, this effect only occurs from temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. Moreover, if such wood has undergone good chamber drying, then this process is minimal.
• Alder and birch are not suitable for building a barrel sauna, as they get very hot.

In addition to wooden elements, you will need ties, which are made from iron tape (strip), or steel hoops. Of course, metal corners, screws and other fasteners will be needed.