“It’s a shame you don’t like baths, you fool!” - Galina smiled playfully and ran into the bathhouse

“It’s a shame you don’t like baths, you fool!” - Galina smiled playfully and ran into the bathhouse

Returning from the bathhouse, Galina threw the basin into the corner with anger. Oleg, of course, knew what he would hear next, so he automatically lowered his head into his shoulders and, just in case, covered himself with a newspaper in anticipation of the next debriefing about the ill-fated bathhouse.

They got this wreck at one time along with the house. And at the same time a couple of sheds, which my wife was not particularly interested in. At least for now, thank God. But, unfortunately, she always only dreamed of a real Russian steam room. Therefore, as soon as it became clear that the bathhouse was practically unsuitable for its intended purpose due to terrible disrepair, “bathhouse scandals” began in the family, as Oleg called them. To himself, of course, because he understood perfectly well that Galina was right, and he could have found the time long ago to take care of this unfortunate building, bring it into decent shape, pleasing the woman he loved. And who cares if he himself hates steaming? The family did not accept such excuses.

- And when do you think about doing the renovation? Once again some rubbish fell on my head. What I washed, what I didn’t wash! – the wife was clearly waiting for an answer and was not going to back down.

Oleg had to put the newspaper aside:

- Darling, well... You understand that we need to order building materials, hire workers, and in general, can’t we just be patient?

The blush from the steam room somehow very quickly disappeared from his wife’s cheeks, and Oleg realized that his answer was not the most successful.

- So that’s how it is? – she was clearly holding back her rage, “At first it was winter, and it was cold for you to take a bath.” Then spring - and it was damp. Now, apparently, it is too hot to buy materials and hire a couple of workers. What if the ceiling collapses on my head one day? Will you be glad that you no longer have to deal with all this and will get a new wife who doesn’t go to the bathhouse?

Oleg, of course, could laugh it off, but he understood perfectly well that the result could be unpredictable. Besides, all his excuses were already starting to look ridiculous. And, of course, he didn’t want a new wife, even one who hated all these baths and steam rooms.

“Gal, I’ll think of something, I promise!” – with the most humble look of which he was capable, Oleg answered, “Well, just let’s not in the next few days.” Otherwise I still have a lot of problems to sort out at work. The boss is angry as hell, he wants us to submit all the reports in the coming days. Just be patient for a little while, a week, no more, and I’ll start the repairs.

Galina clearly cooled down a little when she heard the clear deadlines:

“Okay, I’ll believe you, but keep in mind that how our personal relationships will develop depends on the speed of fulfillment of the promise.” By the way, I read here that the steam room has a surprisingly beneficial effect on male strength and more.

- So that’s where we had to start! – Oleg laughed.

- Well, I didn’t think of something right away! - Galya ran up to her husband and kissed him tenderly, - Come on, finish with your reports and fix the bathhouse for your beloved wife!

The passions for the bathhouse subsided, which Oleg was immensely happy about. He returned to reading his nightly newspaper, and his satisfied wife ran off to cook. Having prepared dinner, Galina shouted loudly from the kitchen:

“It’s time for you to eat and wash the dishes, by the way.” - But noticing the sour expression of Oleg as he entered, she added. - That’s it, keep quiet, eat calmly, so today I’ll wash it myself. Advance payment for the bath.

Oleg adored his wife - she could scold and be harsh, but she was definitely not one of those grumpy and always dissatisfied wives about whom some of his friends and colleagues so often complained. Her rather strict disposition was surprisingly combined with incredible charm, a wonderful sense of humor and gave her that very zest for which he once fell in love with his Galya. They had just finished dinner and sat down to watch their favorite science fiction series when someone knocked on the window. Oleg looked out: standing on the street was the public’s favorite and the main weirdo of their village, as well as his friend from school, Vitek.

- Wow, Vitek, why are you so late? - Oleg was surprised, - Did your wife kick you out to get some air?

He chuckled:

- Yes, I haven’t drunk for five days, well. Why are you clinging? That’s what I came in, come out, let’s get up and sit, there’s a deal worth a million.

Oleg turned to his wife:

“I’ll go out to Vitka for half an hour, no more, you won’t even have time to get bored!” And don’t even think about watching the series any further without me!

Galina rolled her eyes, but waved her hand in agreement. Oleg quickly put on his windbreaker and left the house. Immediately, an excited Vityok jumped up to him right from the porch and dragged him towards the gazebo, tightly clutching his sleeve.

- Such a thing, Oleg! Everyone's business! I come to you first, as to my best friend. You'll probably go crazy when I tell you!

Oleg sighed heavily, but realized that there was no point in resisting anyway, and he would obviously have to listen to his old comrade. Vitka’s deeds, as everyone knew, were always grandiose and the most ingenious: for example, collecting road signs around the village and selling them for scrap metal, or building a factory and officially distilling his branded moonshine there. And what? He's the best in the area. Or breed ostriches in an old barn. It’s impossible to count everything. In principle, Oleg was mentally ready for anything and understood that most likely he was simply wasting half an hour of time on his favorite TV series, exchanging it for the great fantasy of his comrade.

- Well, tell me, what are you thinking? Just let’s get down to business, I have to get up very early,” Oleg said when they finally sat down on an old bench in the gazebo and started smoking.

Vitek looked around warily, for some reason looked under the bench and, moving closer to Oleg, whispered in his ear:

— I have information about the old farm. No one is roaming around there now, you can check it out.

- For what? - Oleg was surprised, - we have already decided that it is not worth breeding ostriches, they will not tolerate our climate.

- What kind of ostriches? – Vitek was surprised and thought for a couple of seconds. - And those! No, ostriches are not interesting, let them live for now. This is a completely different matter. Anyway, there's an abandoned farm, and there's probably some equipment left there. No one needs it anymore. Here, we will take him with you and place him in good hands.

Oleg grinned:

- Well, of course, who would doubt that Vitya would offer some decent business. However, with ostriches, perhaps, it was somehow more reliable. Do you really want us to illegally enter someone’s abandoned farm, get caught by the watchman, and then the whole village is buzzing about us? Well, I do not. By the way, I still have to submit reports and watch the second season with Galka. And here you are telling me about illegal entry.

Vitek pouted:

- I was afraid, that is. And he is also called a friend. And which of us is the ostrich here?

Oleg could not stand it:

- What does it have to do with chickening out? I don’t want to embarrass the whole neighborhood if we get caught.

But Vitka already had a ready answer to this:

- Do not worry! We will go in the evening, when everyone has gone home. In addition, there are definitely no guards there, I have already found out everything - the last time Uncle Vanya guarded this farm, then they sadly gave him his salary in half. And then it was closed completely. And nothing was taken out of there. This means that there is equipment, different instruments, and a lot more!

“Yeah, and the batch’s gold in bullion,” Oleg chuckled.

“Maybe gold, the devil knows...” Vitek scratched the back of his head and clearly thought about the market rate of gold.

“Okay,” Oleg said it so unexpectedly that Vitek jumped, “to hell with you, let’s go to this farm.” But look, if something goes wrong, I wash my hands of it. And then figure out for yourself how you ended up there and what kind of Uncle Vanya was guarding her in the nineties. But my name should not be mentioned, get it on your nose.

Vitek nodded in agreement:

- Well, that’s it, tomorrow evening we’ll start, why wait? Just don’t tell your Galka anything, otherwise she’ll tell all her friends about our gold.

Oleg laughed:

- I won’t! I promise! And, by the way, about Galka - I still need to decide on repairs here, the roof on the bathhouse is crumbling. And I’ve been promising her to fix it for a long time. Today, I walked into it and almost picked up all the dirt on myself. Let's do it this way. Tomorrow you will help me dismantle the roof, I don’t want to hire workers for this, but I’ll go with you to the farm to get the shipment’s gold.

Vitek raised his index finger up and said:

- Do you see how convenient I am with my proposal? And then, on the farm, we’ll take the necessary tools - there’s probably a lot of them left in the shed. Just what you will need for the bath! Well, okay, we’ll separate, and tomorrow we’ll meet at your place after work and we’ll dismantle the roof.

Satisfied, the conspirators went home. Of course, Oleg understood perfectly well that he was allowing himself to be drawn into an adventure. And that they will definitely not find anything decent on this abandoned farm. However, he knew what golden hands Vitka had. And that he is simply an ideal candidate for help in fixing the bathhouse. This is exactly what Oleg was thinking about as he crossed the threshold of the house where he ran into his wife. And then he breathed on her:

- We didn’t drink and didn’t intend to! Our Vitka is in trouble again.

“Wow,” Galya chuckled, “what did you want then?” Let me guess... Another brilliant plan?

Oleg laughed:

- Almost. He wants to appease his Nadka. She loves fish pies. Well, he invites me to go fishing with me so that I can distract him from harmful thoughts. At the same time, we agreed that tomorrow he would help me dismantle the roof. Maybe it will be possible to tidy up the bathhouse together with him. Why hire someone if both have their hands growing from the right place?

The wife was clearly delighted:

- Brilliant barter!

And Oleg became sad. He never lied to Gala, but he understood that if he told the truth, there would be no limit to her indignation. It’s clear that you can hardly expect trouble on that farm, but it’s better to tell it later.

The next day, returning from work. Oleg already saw Vitka from afar. He sat on their yesterday’s bench of conspirators and cheerfully whistled a song from “The Elusive Avengers.” Oleg sighed - it had been a terribly hard day and all he wanted now was to eat Galkin’s borscht and lounge in his favorite chair with a newspaper. But, alas, he had already made a promise and there was nowhere to go. Vitek, seeing him, jumped up joyfully:

- Finally! I've been waiting here for an hour now. Go quickly change clothes and let's take care of the roof.

“Uh-huh,” Oleg muttered in response and trudged towards the house.

- Chin up! - Vitek was clearly wildly inspired by their plan and wanted to finish the roof as quickly as possible in order to rush to the mysterious abandoned farm - treasures await us!

Dismantling the roof of the bathhouse turned out to be not as easy as Oleg imagined; he already regretted a hundred times that he decided to do it himself, saving on the crew. Part of the roof was rotten almost to the base, so we had to work very slowly, supporting each other. Yes, the bathhouse was clearly built well from the very beginning, just like their house. After all, they used to know how to build well. But if all its previous owners obviously looked after the house - they changed the roof, strengthened the foundation, etc., then it seemed that no one really cared about the bathhouse. It’s a pity, because they were all built in the century before last.

Meanwhile, Galina, cheerfully singing along to commercials from TV and periodically glancing out the window towards the bathhouse, was preparing dinner. She was already looking forward to how she and her neighbor Ninka would relax on the weekend: they would steam with new brooms, and after the steam room they would drink something stronger with Vitka’s fish. Maybe he didn’t work out well with ostriches and a moonshine factory, but he smoked fish perfectly, mmmmm delicious! Her thoughts were interrupted by a wild roar from the street and the loud scream of her husband. Galina's heart sank somewhere...

“Lord, if only they didn’t hurt themselves,” she jumped out of the house and ran towards the bathhouse.

A swearing Vitka crawled out from there, covered in wooden dust, while her husband ran around the yard with frightened eyes. Galina exhaled:

- Well, okay, at least they're alive. There was such a loud noise, what happened here?

Vitek got up from the grass and began to actively shake his head like a wet dog, trying to get rid of the remnants of wood chips and dust in his hair:

“Well, Gal, the roof collapsed, and there was some kind of chest there.” The big one, along with the roof, collapsed from the attic, and skulls fell out of it. Well, we couldn’t stay on the board and also fell down – Oleg had clearly already come to his senses.

- That's right, Gal, a chest with skulls, do you understand?! – Vitek stopped shaking his head – I saw them too, the real ones and a lot of them! It smells like dark things here, oh dark!

“Yeah, it still hit you on the head, but it’s obvious,” Galya sighed.

Vitek grabbed her hand and dragged her into the bathhouse:

- Let's go show you!

Oleg entered after them. Vitek scattered the remains of the collapsed roof to the sides:

- Look, look!

In fact, a slightly open chest appeared in front of them, and nearby there were skulls with strange seals on their foreheads. From the impact, the fastenings of the rusty padlock were turned outward and Vitek immediately began to knock them down with a poker lying nearby. The rather large, old and slightly rotten chest finally gave in, but with great difficulty.

- Wow, this is a castle! – the friend managed to cope with the obstacle, Vitek somehow opened the lid and whistled in disappointment. - Hey, there’s a skull again... Some books... Well, then you’ll heat the bathhouse.

The couple sat down next to Vitka and began to sort out the contents of the chest. There really was a bunch of old books: some were well preserved, some had rotten covers.

- Trotsky, Gumilev... one thousand nine hundred and thirteen... Some kind of old stuff. Who is this anyway? Hmmm, such a treasure and some other skulls, obviously fake and made of clay - Vitek was very disappointed - What is this? - He pulled out a small bundle tied with a rope from the mountain of books and rubbish. He quickly unwound it and exclaimed. - Treasure map!

Oleg and Galya looked into the shabby paper that Vityok took out of the package. There were some strange numbers, arrows and crosses. Galya chuckled:

- Well, it doesn’t really look like a map. Keep it if you want. - she stood up, dusted off her skirt - put everything in the chest and bring it into the house, I’ll sort out what goes into the firebox and what goes where. As I understand it, it’s better to finish the bathhouse for today.

“Yes, we’d better go fishing, we’ll finish with the bathhouse tomorrow,” Vitek thoughtfully turned his “treasure map” in his hands.

- Maybe tomorrow? — Oleg asked with hope in his voice.

“No, today,” Vitek clearly had no intention of bargaining with him and was categorical.

“Okay,” Oleg sighed heavily, “Galchonok, will you get us something to eat with you?”

She nodded in response and went into the house.

- So! “Vityok suddenly came out of his reverie and ran up to Oleg with the paper he found in the chest. - Has Galka left? “Just in case, he looked out of the bathhouse and glanced around. - Yeah, she left. Look what! – he pointed his finger at the small cross on the paper and the numbers next to it. – I may not be good at your Yesenins, but there were so many lightning flashes in my childhood, wow! And in geography I actually got a straight B, remember!

“I remember,” Oleg nodded, “but I still don’t understand it.”

- Ugh! – Vitek was clearly disappointed that his friend turned out to be such a slow-witted person – it’s a map! With coordinates! And I already looked on the Internet where it is. Guess what!

- Well??? – Oleg is tired of guessing.

- Wildebeest! – Vitek retorted. – This is right on the territory of our abandoned gold farm! What's it like, huh? What did I tell you? It’s good that Galka gave you a hassle with the bathhouse! Otherwise we wouldn’t have found this map! They would only take the instrument out and rejoice like fools. And now we know for sure that there is something hidden there! – Vitka’s eyes were burning. - So, whatever you want, we have “fishing” today!

Oleg thought:

- Maybe you're right. Can anything happen? OK. Moreover, I promised you anyway.

Vitka carefully folded the map, put it in his breast pocket, and the treasure hunters went to the house, where Galya was already waiting for them with her borscht, famous throughout the village.

As soon as it got dark, we gathered in full, with gear, a tent and other equipment, and moved towards the abandoned farm. Of course, Galya finally grumbled a little for the sake of decency about their night “fishing”. But Vitek was absolutely inexorable: his wife loved pike and only pike. And pike, as everyone knows, can only be caught well at night. Galya, of course, had no arguments for this. Therefore, all that remained for her was to provide her beloved husband with a bag of sandwiches and finally read a brief lecture to his unlucky friend about the dangers of alcoholism. And a word given to someone is a law. Since the husband has promised something, let him fulfill what he does.

The friends found the farm quickly - not according to the mysterious map, of course, but according to Vitka’s knowledge. It was located just a few kilometers from the village, behind a forest belt, which perfectly hid it from the eyes of all potential treasure hunters. And, what pleased Oleg most of all, it was truly completely abandoned. Still, Oleg doubted this information until the last moment. There were no traces of the recent presence of people: empty barns and sheds looked at them from the darkness with the black eye sockets of their windows, and the thorny bushes that had grown throughout the yard brazenly bit into the clothes of their friends, as if trying to stop them. Of course, they didn’t find any tool or anything useful at all. However, Oleg had no doubt about this - well, who would leave something valuable there? It is clear that everything was removed long ago when the farm was closed.

“Well, okay,” after an hour of wandering around the farm, Vitek also realized that they would have nothing to profit from here. – To hell with them, with tools and junk. Let's go dig up the treasure. Judging by the coordinates, he is somewhere near the barracks.

The friend jogged towards the building, which was dark against the starry sky. Vitek took a small shovel from his backpack and stuck it into the ground.

- Here!

And then he started digging. Oleg, crouching close, thoughtfully watched as his friend actively wielded a shovel. Not that he really hoped they'd find the treasure. Of course, Vitka had a B in geography, but this whole treasure hunt story still looked somehow unconvincing. On the other hand, look how inspired Vityok is. It’s better to dig holes in search of gold than to spend all day brewing and tasting your own moonshine. His thoughts and Vitka’s loud sniffling were interrupted by a sharp sound - the shovel bumped into something.

- Bingo! - Vitek turned to Oleg, - why are you sitting? Let's help!

A few minutes later, a small metal box was brought to the surface, closed with a small lock, which Vitya immediately knocked down with a shovel. Having opened the lid, the friends looked at each other in bewilderment - in front of them again lay a bundle tied with a rope.

“A card again or something...” Vitek was clearly annoyed. “We’ll probably be looking for gold for the rest of our lives.”

However, the new package contained not a map at all, but a note...

“We, the cadets of the corps...” Oleg began to read aloud, “Oh, Vit, this is not a map...”

However, he himself already understood. Friends read to the end and thought about it. Of course, what they found was not any great treasure, and even if they wanted to, they would not have been able to make money on this obviously ancient piece of paper. However, it still had a certain value - it was a real letter, from the cadets of the military corps, located on the territory of their village at the beginning of the last century. This Oleg had heard about the building; after the revolution, the House of Pioneers was in its building for some time, then a local ensemble rehearsed there, well, then, as was common then, it was simply demolished as unnecessary. Several young cadet friends wrote a message to themselves in the future - each about who they see themselves in that very future, agreeing to gather together in the same place, like musketeers, twenty years later to read this letter.

“Why didn’t you dig it up?” – Vitya looked at Oleg with concern.

“So remember what the times were like - the revolution, the civil war, all these white, red and lilac...” Oleg thought, “let’s take it to the regional local history office?” Still, this is part of the story... And I’ll tell Galka in the morning. And about the map, and about this farm. I don't like to lie.

Vitek agreed. Taking the letter along with the box, they left the abandoned farm and went towards the river. After all, we took our equipment with us, it’s a shame to just go back like that. And they both loved fishing. There was no big catch, but it was enough to appease Vitkina Nadya. She really loved baking fish pies.

In the morning, Oleg told his wife everything, who, oddly enough, was not offended by his little deception and did not swear. On the contrary, she only scolded him for not telling her anything, because night fishing was not interesting. But she could easily go with them to look for treasure.

“I’ll take the letter to the museum myself today; I’ll go to the center on business anyway.” Well, while you’re at work, I’ll sort this out,” she said.

Once again Oleg became convinced of how lucky he was to have Galya next to him. The other one would have screamed for sure. Although, of course, I was still a little surprised by her reaction. However, the main surprise was ahead.

Returning from work in the evening, Oleg saw a company of some unfamiliar men who were clearly tearing apart their bathhouse. And Galya, who led this entire work process.

- Olezhek! I hired a crew here after all. And, yes, we won’t fix it, we’ll tear it down and install a new one.

- And what kind of big deal... Did you spend our money set aside for vacation? — Oleg began to get angry.

- Of course not! – the wife laughed. - Well, what kind of nonsense? In general, how it all turned out: I took this letter from you to the museum. You can’t imagine how surprised they were by this whole find! And then I went to an antique store. Well, with the books and shards from the chest... - the wife obviously paused on purpose in her narration.

- Well!!! – don’t languish already! – Oleg exclaimed.

“Well, so,” the wife continued, “the shards turned out to be someone’s homemade clay, but the books, although shabby, are valuable, Gumilyov alone is worth something.” We have enough not only for a bath...

“Well, well,” Oleg, stunned by the news that had fallen on him, sat down on the bench, “here, this is the story... Now, this is, indeed, a real “Treasure Island”!

Galya laughed:

- You see, you, fool, don’t like baths!

Zen stories, read life stories on Zen, real cases from the lives of people in the bathhouse. Village funny incidents read Yandex. Revelations touching to tears. Stories of betrayal, love, betrayal. Father-in-law and daughter-in-law. Mother-in-law. Astrology. Horoscope. Snow Maiden. New Year. Daughtership. Grandmother and granddaughter. Wife and husband. Treason. Here you can read online for free.

What is the difference?

The main difference between both types of baths is the structural features of the building.

As mentioned above, the old baths had only one window. In many cases, they did without it, making a small hole in the ceiling or simply opening the door slightly.

Everything is wrong in the bathhouse. There must be a chimney through which the smoke comes out. In addition, it is melted in a real oven. There is always a waiting room.

In a black sauna, the hearth is located directly in the steam room. A large number of stones are placed on it. Thus, when the wood burns, it heats the stones. The smoke goes directly into the steam room and evenly warms the entire room.

Often in such baths there is no waiting room. Sometimes they simply put the fifth wall as a partition. But in the old days, peasants, for example, undressed right at the entrance.

Method #2. Complete replacement of the lower crowns

A complete replacement of the crowns can be performed not only in the manner described above (with the gradual removal of all parts of the damaged log). The new crown will be more durable if it is made from whole logs rather than from pieces. To do this, the walls of the log house are raised using jacks, the damaged lower crowns are removed, and new logs are installed in their place.

This method involves displacing the entire structure of the sauna log house, and therefore requires preparation.

Preparatory work before raising the frame

• Window glass and frames, door frames are removed so that they do not crack during the lifting of the frame.
• All heavy furniture is removed from the bathhouse; ideally, the log house should remain empty.
• If the floor joists are embedded in the lower crown, then they are dismantled. In structures where the logs are laid above the lower crown, the floor can be left untouched.
• The chimney is separated from the ceilings and roof. Otherwise, in the process of raising the log house, they may be damaged by the heavy chimney pipe.
• Those crowns of the log house that will not change are secured and fixed. To do this, at a distance of 50 cm from the corners of the log house, on each wall, boards (bars) 40 mm thick are nailed vertically. The lower edges of the boards should end at the level of the end of the logs of the crown that is not subject to replacement (second from the bottom). The upper edges are fixed on the logs of the uppermost crown. The boards are nailed both on the external and internal walls (across the entire log house - 16 boards, 4 on each wall). From below and from above, each board is secured with through dowels. Such fixation is necessary so that the walls of the log house do not move when they are lifted on jacks.

Once all the preparatory work is completed, the walls can be raised and the repair of the lower crown can begin.

Progress of work on replacing the lower crown of the log house

If the log house stands on a strip foundation, proceed as follows:

1. A log frame consists of two logs (top and bottom) connected in a corner joint. The first step is to determine which logs in the crown being replaced are the top ones. Jacks will be installed underneath them. Here, retreating 0.7 - 1 m from the corner of the house, an opening 40 cm wide is knocked out in the foundation. Opposite the opening, a part of the lower crown log is cut out. The overall height of the resulting niche should allow a jack to be installed there.
2. Two such niches are cut out on two opposite walls, at equal distances from the corners.
3. Install jacks, from 2 to 4 pieces. The available quantity will allow you to either lift the entire frame at once, or each wall one at a time. Less distortion can be achieved if you lift all the walls at the same time - by installing 4 jacks under two opposite walls (2 pieces on each).
4. Using jacks resting on the upper logs of the crown bandaging, the frame is raised by 7 - 10 cm.
5. The lower logs of the dressing are released and removed. Temporary supports (logs, concrete blocks, bricks, boards, etc.) are installed under the opened lower logs of the second crown.
6. The jacks are lowered. The upper logs of the crown being repaired are also lowered along with them. They are also removed. Instead, new logs are installed and immediately pressed with jacks.
7. Temporary supports under the lower logs of the second crown are removed. New logs are laid on the foundation (the lower ones are tied).
8. The jacks are lowered slowly and synchronously, placing the upper logs of the dressing on the lower ones. The gaps between the new logs and the second crown are sealed with tow, moss or jute (caulking is performed).

This completes the replacement of the lower crown.

If the log house is on a columnar foundation, replacement is easier:

1. Jacks are installed between the foundation columns on which the upper logs of the lower crown frame rest. 2 pcs. on the wall. In this case, the jack must be installed on a solid base, for example, on a board made of boards (dimensions about 50x50 cm). The head of the jack rod should rest on the log through the metal plate.
2. The jacks are lifted. Next, perform the same steps to replace the lower crown as in the presence of a strip foundation. That is, the difference in replacing the crowns of log houses with strip and column foundations is only in the method of installing the jacks. To do this, the strip foundation must be partially destroyed. There is no need to destroy the columnar foundation. It is “intermittent” in design, so there is enough space between the posts to install jacks.

See the diagrams below for more details.

ANTISEPTIC AND BLEACHING OF WOOD

Today, antiseptics and wood bleaches are available with different compositions and effects. There are light antiseptics for wood with slight darkening. There are antiseptics with deep (up to 20 mm) penetration. In our case, the depth of the lesion in some places reached 40-50 mm. We selected several strong antiseptics and conducted trial tests on our wood. Having determined a suitable composition, we began chemical treatment. For better penetration, paint brushes were used.

After two treatments, much of the blackness had disappeared, but the surface of the cedar logs had acquired a grayish-pale tint. After the antiseptic had dried (2-3 days in good weather), the logs were sanded with fine-grained sandpaper.

The logs looked noticeably refreshed, but the blackness in the cracks and in some local areas still remained. For preservation (protection from rain and sun) until the next stage (final painting), the frame was covered with paint in one layer.

Why is a black sauna healthier?

Surprisingly, the main benefit of a black bath is associated with its unsightly appearance.

Due to the nature of the kindling, soot settles on the walls, but tar also settles. This is a hydrocarbon compound known for its disinfecting properties.

In fact, he is active against:

• Gribkov.
• Actinobacteria.
• Cellular protozoa

So it turns out that microorganisms that were not killed by the heat die from the soot.

Thus, the space is sterilized, just like the human body. It is not surprising that in the old days they gave birth and washed the dead in the bathhouse. By the way, for the same reason, Russia was spared the plague epidemic that struck Europe. Every peasant must visit such a bathhouse.

Another plus is the humidity of the room. In white saunas it is possible to reach 70% humidity. Some commercial projects even use a dry bath. But the benefits of such vaping are minimal.

Black sauna vapors have a wonderful effect on the respiratory system. In addition, only in such a room the aroma of the trees and herbs used for the fire is preserved. The soot-black walls of the steam room better collect and release heat.

Otherwise, a black sauna has the same health benefits as a white sauna:

Fatigue is relieved.

Vessels dilate.

Intracellular processes are activated.

Toxins are removed.

Immunity increases.

The psychological state is normalized.

Benefits of a black sauna

Thus, a black bath has undeniable advantages:

• Quick heating of the building.
• Savings on construction.
• Saving on fuel.
• Ease of installation. There is no need to even lay boards on the floor.
• Long service life. Such a bathhouse can easily last 15-20 years.
• High temperature and humidity, which provides maximum heating of the body.
• Undeniable health benefits.

Tree protection

I started treating the wood with a protective coating from the ceilings. The ceiling in the steam room was treated with linseed oil. The ceiling in the washing room and dressing room was covered with a scuba tank with Eurotex-sauna wax. Then the walls, door and window openings are the same, the steam room is linseed oil, the dressing room and washing room are Aqualak, only in three layers. At the last stage, the floor, as I already said, had to be sanded in places. The floor was treated with Eurotex-sauna, also three times in all rooms.

The baseboards and corners were treated separately, the “spare parts” from the steam room were treated with linseed oil, the rest with scuba diving. Eurotex dries quickly, the next layer must be applied half an hour after the previous one.

Water supply

An old bathhouse, which has been on the site for a long time and is not used, is unlikely to have a water supply. To steam and wash comfortably, you need to correct this misunderstanding.

The bathhouse can be connected to any water source, from a well to a central water supply system. The main thing is to lay the pipeline correctly. Pipes should be installed in the ground no higher than the soil freezing level. In the underground area they must be carefully insulated. If the steam room is not heated in winter, care should be taken to install a device that allows water to be drained from the system. Otherwise, the pipeline will defrost.

If the water comes from a well or well located on the site, then this problem can be solved quite simply. All that is needed is to install the pipeline with a slope towards the water source. We should not forget about the tap for draining water from the heat exchange and heating system.

Inspection of the structure

The purpose of the event is to identify faults, determine a method for correcting them and compile a list of necessary materials and work.

The audit is performed as follows:

• inspection of external walls - the condition of the insulating material, the presence or absence of cracks, crevices, gaps, rot, the integrity of corners and other wall structures is checked;
• inspection of the base - checking for the presence or absence of flaws;
• inspection of the roof and ceiling - the general condition of heat, water and thermal insulation materials is checked, as well as the presence or absence of defects;
• inspection of the stove and chimney - the presence or absence of certain damage or burnout is checked, as well as the condition of the lining, if any;
• inspection of doors and windows - checking the presence or absence of distortions, cracks, chips, gaps, cracks, as well as tightness;
• inspection of the floor - the general condition of the insulating materials is checked, the presence or absence of fungus, termites, cracks, crevices and other defects, as well as the “health” of the finish, if any;
• inspection of internal walls - the presence or absence of cracks, cracks, chips, gaps and other defects is checked, as well as the condition of the facing material, if any;
• inspection of interior items;
• inspection of water supply and drainage systems;
• inspection of electrical wiring.

After assessing the condition of all elements of the structure, an estimate is drawn up, materials are purchased, and repairs are made.

Disadvantages of a black bath

The only significant drawback of a black sauna is the need for proper kindling. As mentioned above, when wood burns, carbon monoxide is released. It is important to follow all the rules so that vaping does not harm your health.

Advice! If you need to go into the bathhouse during the kindling, it is better to bend down as close to the floor as possible and cover your head with some kind of cloth. Carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air, so most of it accumulates at the top of the building.

Otherwise, a black bath can be harmful in several cases:

• Intoxication . Alcohol increases the load on the heart. In combination with heat and high humidity, the “motor” has to work with triple effort.
• Vaping after overeating . The body requires a lot of energy to cope with digestion. But in the bathhouse, metabolic processes are also launched, consuming it. As a result, a person may feel dizzy or even faint from a lack of body resources.
• Presence of diseases . You should not steam if you have hypertension, coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, or cancer.
• Wet hair . With a wet head, there is a risk of heatstroke, since water accelerates the passage of heat.

But it is worth noting that in the above cases, an ordinary white bath can also cause harm.