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It is not an easy task to build a bathhouse from a log house, however, the construction technology, the choice of materials and even the exact sequence of actions have long been known and worked out by many craftsmen. This material explains all the key points that will help in the construction of a log bath: from laying the foundation to interior decoration.

The steam bath has been known since the times of the Scythians, who carried with them special bath tents and camp stoves. And in the 21st century, the Russian bath did not become a kind of archaism, having successfully withstood the age-old competition with bathrooms and showers. Get rid of many ailments, remove from the body harmful substances accumulated in urban everyday life, give the body a good rest - all this is achieved when visiting the bath for more than one and a half thousand years.

Which construction is preferable, how to choose a place for its placement, how it generally works - you will find answers to many "bath" questions in this article.

Place and layout of the bath

One of the important additions to the bath itself at all times was a reservoir with fresh water located nearby - in the absence of another source of water supply, water was taken from it. A special charm in the proximity of such a reservoir lies in the possibility of contrasting ablution - after steaming in a Russian bathhouse, run out of it and plunge into the cool water of the reservoir. In addition, the natural reservoir made it possible to quickly cope with the fire of the bath, which occurred quite often due to violations during the construction of the stove.

Today, there is no special need to link a summer cottage bath to a natural reservoir, but it is still convenient if it is located near, say, an artificial reservoir - the final decision always remains with the owner of the summer cottage.

The main criteria for choosing a place for a bath: distance from the road, the presence of a natural or artificial fence from outside spectators (dense bushes, tree crowns, a fence, outbuildings), a fire distance from the main residential building of at least 15 meters.

The main premises of the bath are the dressing room, washing room and steam room (the last two rooms can be combined into one). The size of the dressing room is determined at the rate of 1.4 m 2 for each bather, the size of the washing room is 1.2 m 2 per person. In addition, the dressing room should have a place for furniture (locker for clothes, bench for sitting) and for storing fuel (box for coal or firewood). The washing room will need a place for containers with hot and cold water, a stove and a place for sun loungers.

For example, for a small family (no more than 4 people), a bath of the following sizes is suitable: external size - 4x4 m; dressing room - 1.5x2.4 m; washing room - 2x2 m; Steam room - 2x1.5 m

In general, the size of the bath is directly related to the size of the area that can be allocated for it. If the site is significant, then the bathhouse can be expanded by adding a shower cabin, recreation rooms, etc.

In temperate and cold climatic zones, it will be correct if the entrance to the bath is located in the south, and the window openings are on the western (south-western) side. This location of the entrance will greatly simplify the use of the bathhouse in the winter season, since the snowdrifts on the south side melt faster, and the direction of the windows will allow illuminating its premises with sunlight for a longer time.

Bath construction - stages

There are several of them:

1. Procurement of basic materials.
2. Selection and laying of the foundation.
3. Creation of the foundation for the heater-stove (if necessary).
4. Creation of the floor and sewerage system of the bath.
5. Assembly of the bathhouse.
6. Roof construction.
7. Formation of a blind area along the perimeter.
8. Caulking the walls of the bath.
9. Masonry or installation of a stove, installation of a chimney.
10. Bath electrics and water supply.
11. Installation of doors and installation of shelves.

Preparation of basic materials for the bath

The classic and most successful constructional material for a Russian bath was and will be wood - wood easily copes with waterlogging of bath rooms, removing excess moisture to the outside.

What kind of wood is suitable for building a bath? As a rule, saunas are built from round timber of pine or spruce with a diameter of no more than 250 mm - only wood will create an indescribable inner atmosphere in the steam room. However, in some places it is better to include wood of other species in the design of the bathhouse - oak, larch and linden. For example, the bottom rims and logs for flooring, made of oak, will allow you to get a truly durable bath. Nuance - the oak must be cut down "in the juice itself" (that is, not dead wood) and dried under a canopy. The lower crowns (no more than 4), following the first oak, are best made of larch. The final crowns, elements of interior decoration and cladding should be made of linden or white spruce - their wood removes moisture better than others.

When do you need to store wood for the construction of a bath? Round timber, wood for interior decoration must be cut down in winter, when the tree trunks contain the least amount of moisture, it is easier to dry. In addition, not the entire tree trunk is suitable for building a bathhouse - only the middle part of the trunk will do, that is, the top and butt are not suitable.

An important criterion in the selection of wood will be the absence of cavities and streaks of resin on the round timber of conifers, dryness, sanded surface, the absence of decayed areas and places of damage by the woodworm beetle.

Bath foundation

The main types of foundations for the construction of baths are strip and columnar, depending on the local soil. Regardless of the type of foundation chosen, it is necessary to lay them with maximum accuracy - it is better if to the depth of soil freezing. Preliminary work before laying any type of foundation: cleaning the site from debris, completely removing the topsoil to a depth of 200 mm (removing the fertile layer).

To choose the right foundation, you need to determine the type of local soil, which can belong to one of three main groups:

1. Weak soil consists of peat, silt, silty sand (contains a lot of water), fluid or fluid-plastic clay.
2. Heavily soil (subject to seasonal swelling) consists of sand (silty or fine), clay components (clay, loam and sandy loam).
3. Slightly heaving soil is formed by rocks, medium and coarse sand grains.

Column (pile) foundation for a bath

They are arranged on slightly weeping soils: it consists of pillars laid in the corners of the bath, as well as at the junction of the internal and external walls. If the distance between two adjacent foundation pillars is more than 2 m, another pillar is laid between them. The depth of the pillar foundation is at least 1.5 m.

Pillars for such a foundation can be easily made directly at the construction site of the bath, the material for them can be red brick, rubble stone, connected with concrete mortar. Basic (corner) brick pillars for a columnar foundation, usually square in shape, with a side of 380 mm, auxiliary - rectangular, with a section of 380x250 mm. If necessary, the main pillars are made in two bricks - with a section of 510x510 mm. Saving rubble stone and brick during the construction of a columnar foundation is achieved by filling the foundation pits with sand - half their depth, coarse sand is laid in layers (each layer is 100-150 mm), filled with water and rammed.

The foundation pillars when building a bath with your own hands can also be made independently. This will require a demountable formwork made of boards, coated from the inside with non-hardening grease such as "Emulsol". Inside the assembled formwork, you need to place iron reinforcement, then pour the concrete mixture.

For the casting of foundation pillars inside the pits opened for them, a sliding formwork made of roofing iron, plastic, tar paper or thick cardboard is used. From the material selected for the sliding formwork, a pipe with a diameter of 200 mm or more is created, which is placed in a foundation pit of a larger diameter - from 300 mm. The free space around the formwork is covered with sand - it will act as a lubricant and prevent lifting concrete pillar when heaving the soil. Reinforcement tied with thick wire is inserted inside the formwork, then a concrete mixture is poured, which must be carefully compacted. For the wire handles, previously fixed on the sliding formwork, it is raised by swinging it by 400 mm, sand is poured on the outside and a new batch of concrete is poured.

As a columnar foundation, asbestos-cement pipes can be used, they are durable, not subject to decay, and their outer surface is sufficiently smooth, which allows them not to change their position when the soil swells. Asbestos-cement pipes are also filled with concrete, their underground part must be coated with mineral-based construction grease to reduce the threat of freezing to the ground.

In the intervals between the foundation pillars of the outer walls of the bath and the inner walls of the steam room, brick walls are laid out, their sufficient thickness is brick and even half a brick. Such brick walls must be buried 250 mm into the ground.

Foundation pillars and brick walls between them are brought out to a height of 300-400 mm from the ground level, they must be leveled with cement mortar and covered with roofing material for waterproofing. During casting, the pillars of the required shape are made of metal into the ends of the pillars - they are intended for fastening the frame of the bath to the foundation.

When building a bath on heaving soils, it will be necessary to create a strip monolithic foundation.

Sequence of work:

1. Marking the construction site with twine stretched between the pegs.
2. Digging a trench of the required depth (its size is related to the characteristics of local soils, not less than 400 mm) and 300 mm wide.
3. Adding a layer of sand to the bottom of the trench, then gravel (70-100 mm each).
4. Formwork installation.
5. Reinforcement tab.
6. Pouring concrete mix.

The reinforcement, laid on the bottom of the foundation trenches, must have a cross section of at least 12 mm, it is laid along each of the two sides of the trench and knitted into a frame, lifting it to its middle with the help of brick fragments.

The composition of the concrete mixture is calculated in a ratio of 5: 3: 1 (crushed stone: sand: cement), the sand used must be dry and clean (washed). Calculating the volume of concrete required for pouring a strip foundation is quite simple, you just need to measure the width, depth and total length of the foundation. For example, with a width of 0.3 m, a depth of 0.4 m and a total length of 22 m, the following volume of concrete mixture will be required:

• 0.3 x 0.4 x 22 = 2.64 m 3

One of the difficulties in preparing a dry mix of concrete is the lack of weights on construction sites. Therefore, this method of calculating dry components for concrete will come in handy: one 10-liter bucket holds from 15 to 17 kg of crushed stone, sand - from 14 to 17 kg, cement - from 13 to 14 kg.

The formwork is placed in such a way that the concrete foundation poured into it protrudes 100 mm above the ground level. As the concrete mixture is poured into the prepared formwork, its mass must be pierced repeatedly bayonet shovel or with a wire probe, tap with a hammer outside formwork (we eliminate air cavities). Then you need to wait for the foundation to completely harden, about 5 to 7 days. When carrying out foundation work in the cold season, after pouring the concrete, the formwork must be covered with PVC film and covered with sawdust or other insulation on top.

After the expiration of the time allotted for drying the cast foundation, we proceed to its waterproofing and lifting with brick rows (if lifting the bath is not required, then, after waterproofing, we proceed to the cement screed). You will need the following materials:

1. Roofing material.
2. Pipe about 2 m (plastic or metal), cross-section from 32 to 57 mm.
3. Masonry mesh.
4. Red brick.
5. Masonry mortar.

Roofing material (roofing felt) is cut into strips sufficient for laying on a concrete foundation, then laid on top of the foundation on bituminous mastic (for roofing tar mastic). The brick is laid in a single-row method of dressing: it is laid out on a layer of roofing material masonry mortar, on it - the first brick row "in a poke" (across the foundation axis), then a masonry mesh is laid, mortar and the next brick row are placed, but already "in a spoon" (along the foundation axis). Each new row of brickwork is accompanied by a laying of masonry mesh, laying "in a spoon" and "in a poke" alternate with each other. In the 3rd or 5th stitch rows of masonry, it is necessary to install ventilation ducts from pipe scraps - 5-7 ducts are enough for the entire foundation. The number of brick rows depends on the desired foundation height.

The last row of brickwork is covered with a cement screed (the composition of the mortar is sand: cement as 1: 2 or 1: 3), with a 20 mm layer.

Independent heater base and sauna floor

We create the foundation for the stove-heater and assemble the sauna blockhouse. If the main masonry of the heater is supposed, it needs an independent foundation, that is, not connected with the main foundation.

The floor in the bath can be clay, earthen, wood or concrete. By and large, it does not need thermal insulation, since the temperature at its level is practically not higher than 30 ° C. A wooden grate, cork mats or mats are usually laid on the surface of the sauna floor - their task is to relieve the visitors of the bath from the sharp feeling of cold caused by touching the floor at the exit from the steam room. For self-drying, the flooring is raised above the level of the main floor.

The main disadvantage of the wooden floor of the bath is its frequent waterlogging - water, penetrating through the cracks between the boards, will accumulate in them, causing rotting and the appearance of an unpleasant odor. Wood covering floor wears out quickly, acquiring an unsightly appearance, after 6-8 years may require replacement. Tile will be more practical for a bath floor covering - it is easier to care for it, it is not susceptible to the effects of moisture easily flowing down its surface.

The floors in the premises of the bath must be placed on different levels: the floor of the steam room is 150 mm higher than the floor of the washing room (we keep the heat), the floor of the washing room is 30 mm lower than the floor in the dressing room (we protect against water ingress).

Since the device is a coated concrete floor ceramic tiles in a washing room and a steam room is more profitable than a wooden floor - we will consider this option.

There are several ways to arrange a concrete floor in a bath. First of all, we prepare the base for the formation of a warm floor - it consists of a 100 mm layer of sand and 100 mm of a layer of crushed stone of the middle fraction, laid sequentially. Each layer should be well tamped and leveled. Then lay roofing material on top, covering the walls with it to the height of the future floor.

Next steps:

1. First option- flooring of a 50 mm layer of felt, expanded clay or slag, on top of a 50 mm layer of concrete with the formation of a slope to the drain hole. After the concrete has set, it must be leveled with a cement mortar, after which you can start tiling.
2. Second option- 50 mm cement screed containing perlite (expanded sand). The composition of the mixture: perlite: cement: water as 5: 1: 3. After a full week has passed since the installation of perlite concrete, we apply a 30 mm layer of concrete on top with a slope under the drain. When dealing with perlite, you need to be especially careful - this material is extremely light, even a slight breeze blows it off, so you need to work with it in closed room no drafts. Observe the exact proportion of water!

With a significant rise in the basement of the bathhouse above the ground level (from 300 mm), wooden logs of square section (side 150 mm) will be required for flooring. If the dimensions of the premises of the bath do not exceed 2000x3000 mm, then the logs of the frame will be the supports for the logs. For large sizes, additional supports for floor logs will be required, they are pillars of concrete or brick (250x250 mm) and are placed at a distance of 700-800 mm. The support posts for the lags must be placed on a multi-layer base of sand, crushed stone and concrete - each 100 mm.

Important! Before forming the base for the support of the lag, it is necessary to make the foundation for the stove-heater and build a sewage system.

Wood for logs can be oak, larch or conifers, logs should be treated with tar or antiseptic before installation.

The solution to the flooring in this case is as follows: the concreted space between the foundation is covered with roofing material with an overlap of walls to the height of the floor, covered with slag or expanded clay (between the layer of roofing material and bulk insulation you can lay a layer of 200 mm of foam), a sub-floor of 29 mm edged board is attached to the underside of the logs. Then a PVC film is laid, foil-clad mineral insulation, again a layer of film - for vapor barrier. On top, pour a 5 mm layer of concrete with a fine filler, create a slope under the drain hole - after 3-4 days we put ceramic tiles.

Do not forget to bring the stove foundation to floor level.

The floor in the dressing room is made of 19-29 mm softwood grooved planks.

An important point: when finishing the clean floor, and indeed the entire room of the steam room and the washing room, do not use synthetic building materials - this condition is especially important for the room of the steam room!

Bath sewerage system

To drain waste water from the bath, you will need: a pit with a water seal, a well for Wastewater and pipes that drain dirty water into a pit and then into a sewer.

The pit comes off outside the basement of the bath, from the premises of the steam room and the washing room, gravity pipes made of plastic, cast iron or ceramics are brought into it ( metal pipes quickly rust).

The pit must be 500 mm apart from the foundation, its depth is 700 mm, and the section is 500x500 mm. The walls of the pit are covered with a 100 mm layer of concrete, and a 110 mm drain pipe (s) from the bath is inserted into it under the foundation. The main drainage well, containing at least 2 m 3, must be dug at a distance of at least 2.5 m from the pit - the further the better. A pipe is brought to it from the pit, laid down a slope at a depth of 1.5 m (below the freezing depth), its outlet from the pit must be located 100 mm from its bottom. After entering the drain pipe, the main drainage well is filled with gravel or sand 1 m from the bottom, and soil is poured over it - with a layer of at least 500 mm. Tamp each layer thoroughly when laying.

Before the outlet of the drain pipe into the pit, a galvanized water seal is installed, located under obtuse angle to the drain pipe from the bath. Its edges and upper side are hermetically attached to the walls of the pit, the distance from its lower edge to the bottom should be no more than 50 mm - thanks to this design, unpleasant odors and cold air will not penetrate into the steam room (washing room) through the weir opening.

To prevent freezing in winter, the pit must be closed with two covers of the appropriate size (wooden or metal), between them to lay felt, and the top cover must be covered with expanded clay, slag or sawdust on top.

Log house, roof and blind area

It is better to make a log house for a bath to order from professional performers, its manufacture is rather difficult. Ready log house disassembled must be brought to the construction site and assembled according to the numbering of the logs. Rims are fastened with steel 25 mm spike staples total length up to 150 mm, tooth length up to 70 mm.

The roof structure of the bath includes rafters, the crate is attached to them, then roofing material... The choice of the final roof structure depends on the roof covering with which it will be covered. The rafters are attached to the last crown of the log house (preferably to the penultimate one) using spike staples. As a rule, the construction of baths involves the arrangement of a single or gable roof, the slope angle (from 10 ° to 60 °) of which depends on the abundance and amount of precipitation in a given area. Please note - the steeper the roof, the more material is required to create it.

Angled single-pitch rafters are attached with two external or internal and external supports. If the length of the span of the rafters exceeds 5 m, they are propped up with additional struts. The rafters of the gable roof rest on the lower ends on the walls, the upper ends are connected to each other, forming a ridge.

The roof of the bath can be covered with any material (slate, tiles, roofing material, galvanized, etc.), with an overlap of at least 500 mm on the walls.

The attic space must be ventilated, i.e. equipped with two doors at opposite ends of the roof.

We carry out a blind area around the perimeter of the foundation: we completely remove the top layer of soil, go deep 200 mm at a distance of 600-800 mm from the basement of the bath, lay a 100 mm layer of gravel (crushed stone, expanded clay) with its subsequent leveling. We lay expansion joints(19 mm board, covered with resin or bitumen, with a step of 2-2.5 m perpendicular to the foundation), fill with a 100 mm layer of concrete. Before the concrete sets, its surface must be ironed - covered with dry cement with a layer of 3-5 mm. After 3 days, the line of contact between the blind area and the basement of the bath must be covered with bitumen to waterproof it.

Sauna log caulking

It is carried out to insulate a log house - to seal the gaps between its logs, traditionally serve as a material for caulking linseed tow, red moss, hemp hemp, wool felt. Natural materials for caulking can be replaced by factory-made materials made from jute and flax fibers: linen and felt - jute and flax. The advantage of factory-made materials for caulking over natural ones is resistance to damage by moths and fungi, and it is easier to work with factory-made materials, since it is produced in the form of a continuous tape of a given thickness and width.

The caulking of a log house is carried out during its assembly - caulking material is laid between the logs during their laying. After the construction of the roof, a complete caulking is performed - from the outside and inside log house, after a year - repeated caulking (the log house is upset - the logs dry).

The main tools for caulking are a spatula and a beater, you can make them yourself or purchase ready-made ones. Both of these tools are made from wood (ash, oak or beech). The caulking blade looks like a wedge with a 200 mm long handle and a 100 mm pointed blade, 30 mm thick handle, 65 mm blade width at the base, 30 mm at the end. The wooden mallet has a rounded shape: the handle diameter is 40 mm, its length is 250 mm, the diameter of the striking part is 70 mm, and the length is 100 mm.

Caulking is done in two ways - "in a set" or "in a stretch". In the second way, we caulk as follows: we collect caulking material into a strand, lay it in the gap between the logs and push it there with a spatula, filling the gap completely, without gaps. Then we collect the tow with a roller, apply it to the buried groove, take out small strands of material from it, wrap the roller with them and drive it into the groove using a spatula and a roller - with force, until we are fully confident that the groove (gap) is filled.

The first method of caulking log cabins is designed to cover large grooves (slots). We twist the material for caulking in 2 mm strands, from which we form several loops and drive them into the slot. The loops are collected in a quantity sufficient to completely fill the gap.

Caulking rules:

• first, the material is hammered along the upper edge of the log and only after - along the lower;
• We begin the caulking work with the slots of the lower crown, on both sides of it. Then we move on to the lower rim of the adjacent wall and so on. Having finished caulking the slots of the lower rims, we begin work on the next in height, moving from this rim to the adjacent one in the nearest wall (from right to left or from left to right, it doesn't matter).

Do not under any circumstances caulk only one wall - it will rise and cause the frame to be skewed, you will have to disassemble / assemble it again. Let us remind you once again: caulking is carried out in the "bottom-up" direction along the perimeter of the log house.

We put the stove-heater

There are many design options for stoves for baths, they can be heated with wood, gas, liquid fuel or use built-in heating elements and be heated from electricity, they can be brick, cast iron or metal. Brick stoves in baths are made with a wall thickness of "half a brick" or "a whole brick", masonry joints must be tied up especially carefully, striving for their smallest thickness to achieve the highest efficiency of the stove. Only red bricks are used for laying the stoves. The furnace firebox is taken out into the dressing room, its remaining three walls are in the washing (steam room), while the distance from them to the walls of the washing room should be at least 250 mm - in this case, the heat will not go “into the walls”.

For a cast iron or metal furnace, the formation of an independent foundation is not required - only for a brick one.

The heaters, installed for lovers of steam, are equipped with a chamber containing stones of various weights (from 1 to 5 kg). For filling the stove chamber, rubble, pebbles, boulders and granite are suitable. The design of these stoves is extremely simple - similar to kitchen stoves, stoves differ from them with a larger pipe or the presence of a chamber with stones.

To obtain the highest temperature in the steam room, cast iron ingots must be added to the stones in a percentage ratio of 80:20 (stones: ingots). For every 1 m 3 of the steam room, at least 6 kg of stones and cast iron ingots will be required.

Observing a 40-50 mm distance in the furnace between its walls and the water-heating boiler, the effect of all-round blowing of the boiler with hot gases and the fastest heating of water is achieved.

For better traction you need to bring the chimney as close to the roof ridge as possible. When passing the chimney through the attic room, be sure to fluff up the chimney 380 mm. Remember that the pipe must not pass near roof sheathing and rafters closer than 150 mm (fire safety standards).

Electricity and water supply of the bath

To wash one user of the bath, at least 8 liters of hot water are required. This amount can be provided in several ways: heat a container with water on the stove, use gas water heater, install an electric heater - boiler. If there is a central water supply, the pipeline to the bath is led from the main house - water from such a pipeline system must be drained in the winter, otherwise it will freeze and burst the pipes.

Water can be taken from a well or well by installing a submersible pump for pumping it and providing such a water supply system with purification filters. And in this case, in winter, the water must either be drained after each use of the bath, or the supply pipes must be insulated.

You need to extend an independent line to the bathhouse to supply electricity and the easiest way is to do it by air (air). For air, you need a special cable - we sweep away the "bare" aluminum immediately, stopping at two options: SIP (self-supporting insulated wire) and VVGng. The first type of cable is very good, it has a long service life (over 30 years), it is strong and does not need to be supported on a supporting cable. But it is extremely difficult to spend with him assembly work, because it is too thick (minimum section - 16 mm 2). The aluminum self-supporting insulated wire must not be pulled through the attic of the bath along fire regulations, it is required to fasten it to special anchor clamps - in terms of the amount of costs and hassle with its installation, its cost will be expensive.

A simpler solution is an air duct with a VVGng copper cable fixed to a supporting steel cable. The cable is suspended from a cable on an insulated plastic wire, its service life is up to 10 years, after which it must be replaced (!). For a single-core cable VVGng (of course, there must be two cores - each of them must be in an independent double braid), stretched through the air to the bath, the optimal section will be 2.5 mm 2 - it is not known exactly what electrical equipment the owner of the cottage will want to supply from it to the future.

All tuso-junction boxes, sockets and switches, electrical panel should be outdoor installation only. According to the rules against fire safety it is forbidden to install junction boxes, switches and sockets in the washing / steam room - only in the dressing room. Don't mess with the possibility short circuit in a wooden building - all internal wiring baths should be made only in a non-combustible corrugated hose, fixed on special clips, cable passage through partitions - only through a steel pipe.

Try to arrange the cables in a junction box, socket or lamp so that they go there from the bottom or from the side, but not from the top - a drop of condensation, sliding along the braid, can cause a short circuit.

All electrical appliances must have a moisture resistance class of at least IP44 (better than the maximum - IP54). Install simple lamps - a metal body, only a glass shade. All connections of the internal cable routing - only on the terminal block, no twists. And install an RCD in the shield, setting it to 30 mA.

For work in the electrical panel and installation of the RCD, be sure to invite a qualified electrician, if you are not one yourself!

Installation of partitions, ceilings, interior decoration, installation of windows and doors

Internal partitions in the bath can be brick or wooden, followed by heat and moisture insulation in both cases. The partition between the washing room and the dressing room, in which the stove is installed, must be brick, or brick inserts are made in it by laying in one brick - on the sides in contact with the stove body.

Interior decoration is usually performed in cases where the bath itself is built of brick, stone or timber - here the finishing scheme is classic: insulation, vapor barrier film and lining. In addition, when performing external and internal decoration, you will have to rebuild the ventilation system of the bath, because the log logs will be covered with casing and will not be able to carry out full ventilation.

The ceiling is formed in two layers - rough and finishing. The draft ceiling is attached to the horizontal roof joists, if necessary reinforced with intermediate beams. Its area is covered with insulation - expanded clay or slag. From inside the washing / steam room, a heater and a vapor barrier film are attached to the rough ceiling, after which the ceiling is overlapped fine finish- linden, pine grooved board (from 20 mm thick - the thicker the board, the longer it will retain the woody smell).

In the bath, you need to arrange windows of a small size (on average 500x700 mm) and cut them in low - enough so that through them you can look out to the person sitting on the bench. The windows in the bathhouse are always made with double glazing, depending on the size - with a vent or fully hinged - for quick ventilation.

Doors in the premises of the bath must be installed so that they open outward - for reasons of fire safety. Material for door leaves a grooved board (40-50 mm) or a board with a selected quarter is used, the boards are fastened to the dowels. The size of the flaps must be deliberately reduced by 5 mm - more than is necessary for the actual distance between the quarters of the jambs - otherwise, when the humidity rises, the flap will swell and it will be difficult to open (close) it. Optimal size doors in the washing section of the bath - 600x1600 mm, in the steam room - 800x1500 mm, with a threshold height of about 300 mm above the floor level (it is inconvenient to walk, but it will keep warm). Hinges for hanging door leaves - brass, going into the dressing room (washing room) and into the washing room (steam room). The door handles are wooden (especially in the steam room).

The material for the shelves is linden, pine, poplar or aspen. The minimum length of the shelves is 1800 mm, the width is 500-800 mm. The distance between the "floors" of two-row shelves must be at least 350 mm, the minimum distance from the second row to the ceiling covering is 1100 mm.

The surface for lying is formed by a board with a width of 80 mm and a thickness of 40 mm; a gap of 15 mm in width is formed between the boards. A distance of 10 mm is maintained from the wall to the shelf. Shelving boards for shelves are attached to a frame made of timber with a section of 50x70 mm in two ways: from above - with the help of nails, the heads of which are sunk into the wood; from below - with screws. For fastening, nails and screws from stainless steel or copper are chosen.

All corners in the structure of the shelves are rounded, the surfaces are carefully cleaned with zero emery paper.

For greater convenience, the shelves in the steam room are equipped with a headboard: the height at the beginning of the rise is 30 mm, the length of the headboard is 460 mm, the final maximum height is 190 mm.

When choosing a material for creating shelves, be careful - it is believed that knotty areas are more dense and can lead to skin burns. Therefore, try to pick up boards and beams without knotty areas at all or with a minimum number of them.

Fire-fighting measures

Protect the bathhouse from the threat of fire - lay a steel sheet in front of the furnace firebox, make sure that the oven doors are securely fastened, install fire extinguishing equipment nearby (a container with water, sand and fire extinguishers). Make sure you can freely open the steam room and washroom doors when firing up the sauna. Do not obstruct passages, spaces in front of doors and windows.

Rest without a bath is not a rest. Neither can replace the bathhouse in a suburban area Summer shower nor bathing. Of course, if the budget is very limited, you should not aim at building a two-story bath complex with a swimming pool. But it is possible to build a small cozy bathhouse on a suburban area with minimal investment.

In this article, we will look at how a budget bath is built with our own hands, we will reveal the secrets of choosing and saving building materials, we will tell you how to prevent oversight and mistakes for novice craftsmen.

The most popular materials for building baths are wood, bricks and blocks. A wooden bathhouse can be in the form of a log house or frame.

Wood

Wood is a classic material for building baths. Wood is prized for its environmental friendliness and ease of processing. Wooden baths warm up quickly, and essential resins released into the air have a beneficial effect on the well-being of visitors.

However, wood is far from perfect option for construction. In order for the walls of the bath to be even, you need to choose a high-quality bar or log. Don't forget about shrinkage. The better the wood is dried, the lower the percentage of shrinkage and the risk that the frame will "lead".

It is important to be able to work with an ax and a saw, to have sufficient physical strength and endurance to cut down locks for connecting corners, external and internal walls, floors. Of course, you can buy a ready-made log house with delivery to the site, but this is associated with additional costs and is not relevant for the construction of a budget bath. It is best to build at least two people, because alone it is extremely difficult to lay the crowns, especially the upper ones.

Hardwood, such as linden, is best suited for building a bath. This material is considered relatively light, therefore, if the geological conditions of the area permit, you can save on the foundation and limit yourself to a lightweight tape option (monolithic or prefabricated).

What else can you save on? For example, for insulation and decoration. If the bath will be used for its intended purpose only in the warm season, there is no need to purchase insulation, battens for lathing, steam and wind insulation, finishing decorative material for the facade of the bath. Wood, if it is properly sanded and coated with a protective impregnation, varnish, is quite aesthetically pleasing and fits perfectly into the landscape design of private land plots.

In a budget bath, you can save on the organization of a full-fledged sewerage and water supply system. Since ancient times, in Russian baths, the floors were made pouring, and water was carried in buckets in advance. Yes, this causes some inconvenience, but it will not spoil the overall pleasant experience of bathing procedures.

What can you not save on? Wood is a highly flammable material. It is worth a little oversight, not closing the blower door, as a falling-out red-hot coal will lead to a fire and damage to property. A similar situation is possible in case of neglect of fire safety rules when installing the furnace and therefore, in no case should you save on:

• fire-retardant impregnation;
• fire-fighting cutting;
• materials for insulating the floor in front of the firebox and

We strongly do not recommend saving on fasteners. Firstly, the difference will be insignificant, and secondly, low-quality metal hardware will quickly begin to rust, and ugly black smudges will appear on the walls. The worst thing that rusted fasteners will lead to is the collapse of building elements due to the loss of nodes of their strength.

It is very important to properly organize ventilation in wooden baths. Even if the bath is only 4-6 square meters. Visitors are unlikely to enjoy the musty and mildew scent, and the owner will not be pleased with rotting floors and walls.

Now more specifically about the prices of timber, in order to roughly calculate the costs of construction.

Lumber	Breed	Section or diameter, cm	Price in rubles per cubic meter
Profiled timber	Pine, spruce	140x140	From 11.5 to 14.5 thousand rubles.
Profiled timber	Larch	140x140	From 16.5 to 18.5 thousand rubles.
Round timber	Larch	180 to 460	From 8.5 to 10 thousand rubles.
Carriage	Larch	150x250	From 15 thousand rubles.

* The average cost of building materials is actual for 2017.

Based on the cost of new sawn timber, a budget bath will definitely not work. The way out of the situation is to buy a used timber at a price of 1000 rubles per cubic meter or from 80 rubles per 1 piece. Used pallets can also come in handy if used correctly.

Bricks and Blocks

A block or brick bath will undoubtedly turn out to be more durable than a wooden one. And a fire that suddenly broke out is not terrible stone walls... To your taste and discretion, you can build a bath of any size and shape, as long as funds and personal time allow.

Brick manufacturers always have a large assortment of products of the most different forms, shades, textures. For example, by combining bricks of two different shades when building walls, you can build a bathhouse that looks very neat and aesthetically pleasing.

On a note! In a brick bath, the window can be replaced with glass blocks. They have sufficient light transmittance. But in this case, it is important to take care of the arrangement of effective ventilation.

A brick bath warms up longer than a wooden one, and cools down much faster. Brick walls need finishing, and this adds cost items to the overall estimate. Used for brickwork cement-sand mortar, which can be bought ready-made and simply diluted with water in the right proportions, or you can prepare the mixture yourself and spend less money.

How much will it cost to build a bathhouse from a private M100 brick?

Building material	Description	Price
	Width 120 mm, height 65 mm, length 250 mm.	From 6.20 rub. for 1 piece.
	Has the same dimensions as a private. It is used for laying those walls that are directly heated. For example, from fireclay bricks lay out the base for the oven and the protective screen.	From 41 rub. for 1 piece.
	River sand for the preparation of masonry mixture or concrete mortar for pouring the foundation	From 68 rubles for 30 kg
	The purpose is the same as that of the sand. Crushed stone fraction 5-20 mm.	From 86 rub. over 30 kg
	M400	From 195 rub. over 50 kg

For an example of calculating the cost of masonry, take single brick and laying in one brick (wall thickness will be 25 cm). Using the data in the table, we get:

• taking into account mortar joints per 1 sq. m of masonry, 102 bricks are needed;
• 102 bricks x 6.20 rubles. = 632.4 rubles.

Brick prices

Usually brick is purchased with a margin of up to 15%, taking into account possible marriage. And to the cost of masonry 1 square meter of the wall, you need to add the cost of the mortar. Do not forget that you may need a concrete mixer, jointing for joints, a set of mason's tools, etc.

Foam blocks and gas blocks are materials that are increasingly used for the construction of baths. Their main advantage is their high construction speed. The disadvantages are similar to those of bricks.

Blocks are laid with reinforcement of rows, fixation is carried out with special glue or cement-sand mortar.

For the construction of a bath, blocks with dimensions of 200 x 300 x 600 mm are often used. One such block costs from 93 rubles. For internal partitions, blocks of lesser thickness are suitable - 100 or 120 mm and cost from 50 rubles per 1 piece.

The number of blocks in 1 sq. m the following:

• with a wall thickness of 20 cm, there will be 5.5 blocks in one square meter of the wall (5.5 x 93 = 511 rubles);
• with a wall thickness of 30 cm, in one square meter of the wall there will be 8.33 blocks (8.33 x 93 = 774.69 rubles).

We conclude: for the construction of a budget bath, it is preferable to use not bricks, but blocks of 200 x 300 x 600 mm, construction should be carried out with a wall thickness of 20 cm.It is necessary to take into account the cost of glue for blocks (from 155 rubles per 30 kg, consumption is about 1.2- 1.4 kg per 1 sq. M of masonry) and do not forget that the blocks are purchased with a margin.

Important! In an effort to save money, you should not sacrifice the reliability and durability of the bath. You can always buy, for example, a second-hand brick for a penny, but there is no guarantee that in the next decade such a brick, and with it the walls of the bathhouse, will not begin to collapse.

A big plus of building a bath from blocks is the high strength of the walls, which is achieved by reinforcing the rows. Provided that the reinforcement is done correctly, the walls will not crack. Even during the construction of a budget bath, you should not neglect the safety margin of the walls, so as not to start overhauling the bath in the next few years.

Prices for foam blocks

foam block

Construction of a bath from aerated concrete with a brick base

We will consider the process of building a bath with dimensions of 6x5 m. This area is enough to equip three main premises: a rest room or dressing room, shower room, steam room. If the free area on the site does not allow the construction of a 6x5 m bathhouse, the dimensions can be reduced to 4x4 m, and the internal space can be divided into a dressing room and a steam room, without a shower and other amenities.

So, let's begin. Inspect your land plot, prepare a site for construction. It is necessary to remove debris, uproot stumps, remove the top layer of soil with grass growing on it, level and tamp the area.

In advance, you need to prepare a bath project with a masonry order. According to the drawings, it is easier to calculate the amount of building materials and carry out construction.

Make markings on the ground, dig trenches, fill in the shallow strip foundation. Don't forget about the air. You can read more about the filling technology.

It is important, already in the process of pouring, to especially carefully level the upper surface of the foundation. If, nevertheless, the base has horizontal deviations, it is necessary to level everything with a cement-sand mortar.

Step 1. We put a waterproofing material on the foundation strip, for example, strips of roofing material.

Roofing material prices

roofing felt

Step 2. We mix the cement-sand mortar for brickwork. To prepare the solution, we use the proportions:

• cement M400 - 1 bucket;
• sifted river sand - 2 buckets;
• dishwashing liquid or any similar - from 50 to 100 ml.

Important! We recommend that you first add water and detergent to a concrete mixer or mortar container, then add cement and sand, with constant stirring. The consistency of the finished solution will resemble thick sour cream, and if you run your finger over the mixture, a clear, non-spreading mark will remain. Mixing should be carried out for 3 to 5 minutes.

We transfer the finished solution into buckets and transport it to the construction site.

Step 3. We start laying a brick base. We will carry out the work from the corners of the bath.

Apply the mortar with a trowel to the brick. We lay the brick at the corner of the foundation (along the outer edge). Place the bubble level on the brick and, if necessary, tap the brick with the handle of the trowel. We repeat the procedure on next corner bath foundation.

It is important that the bricks laid at the corners are at the same level. To check, we pull the mooring thread, additionally check the position of the bricks with a water level. We put the second brick at each of the corners perpendicular to the first one.

We carry out the laying of the basement "in one and a half bricks". With standard brick sizes, the total width of the basement will be 38 cm. This width is the sum of one brick length (25 cm) and one brick width (12 cm), 1 cm is a connecting mortar joint.

Spoon out the first outer row. We lay the bricks on the mortar previously applied with a trowel, pressing into the mortar and slightly moving back and forth. We leave a gap between the adjacent bricks, into which we add the mortar with a trowel. Remove excess mortar immediately with a trowel. We knock out the bricks so that they are all in a single plane (the reference point is a stretched thread-mooring). As a result, if you look at the base from the "street" side, you will see a row laid "in half a brick".

We lay the inner row with a jab towards the future premises of the bath. Further, the laying is carried out according to the ordering scheme, observing the dressing of the seams.

We lay out 2 rows of bricks and proceed to the arrangement of the floor overlap.

Step 4... To equip the floor overlap, you need to prepare the beams.

The beams must be fixed in the "sockets" of the base to a depth of 10 cm. We measure the width of the interior room, add 20 cm, we get the length of the beams. The section of the beams can be selected using the table.

* The section is indicated in millimeters. The beams are laid on the edge. Maximum floor load 400 kg / m 3.

We cut the roofing material into rectangular pieces 15 cm wide. We wrap the ends of the beams with roofing material, fix it with a construction stapler.

We lay the beams on the ends, observing an equal distance between them.

We continue to carry out the brickwork.

We lay out two more rows, observing the dressing. We also lay the brick between the beams, sawing it with a grinder if necessary.

The height of a single ordinary brick is 65 mm. Accordingly, two rows of bricks plus two mortar joints in height will be 150 mm, the upper surface of the beams will be flush with the surface of the brickwork.

Fourth row masonry

Recommendation! If the brick is pre-moistened with water (without soaking it), it will not absorb moisture from the solution. The masonry will turn out to be very strong. The recommendation is relevant for work in hot weather.

Step 5. The basement has been completed, we proceed to laying the walls from aerated concrete blocks.

We lay a layer of roofing material on the brick over the entire surface of the external and internal walls of the bath.

We start work again from the corners of the bath. Knead the solution, spread the layer on top of the roofing material.

We level the solution with a notched trowel. Install the first block.

Similarly, we install the second block on the adjacent corner of the base. The hardest part is to bring both blocks to zero. The check is carried out by the hydro level, bubble level, if any laser level, it is better to use it.

Haste is inappropriate here. If necessary, you can remove the block, remove excess solution, or add more solution. The horizontal deviation should not be more than two millimeters.

We spread the first row of blocks on the solution. If the distance between adjacent blocks does not allow installing the whole block, it is necessary to cut with a hacksaw with fine teeth. After cutting from the block, we sweep the dust with a brush.

Laying out the blocks, do not forget about the doorway.

Step 6. We pass to the reinforcement of the first row of blocks.

Prepare a set of tools for work in advance.

Tool	Approximate minimum cost, rub.
	450
	490
	500
	600
	365

* Used tools will cost less.

For reinforcement we use corrugated rods of class A3. The diameter of the bars is 8 mm. It is not advisable to take reinforcement of greater thickness.

Using a manual wall chaser, we cut two grooves for the reinforcement. For convenience, you can draw two parallel straight lines along a ruler on the surface of the blocks in advance with a pencil. At the corners of the bath and at the junction of the inner partitions with the outer walls, the grooves are rounded, parallel.

We clean the surface of the strobe from dust using a damp brush.

We take the reinforcement and put it in the grooves. We bend the reinforcement at the corners. Pay attention that the reinforcement bars are not connected at the corners. The connection of rods is possible at a distance of more than 30 cm from the corners.

We take out the reinforcement from the grooves, put it on the surface of the blocks.

We knead the glue for aerated concrete ( approximate cost for 25 kg - 220 rubles).

Pour water into the bucket, then pour the dry mixture from the bag. We mix the glue with a drill with a mixer nozzle at low speed (up to 800 rpm). The consistency of the glue should be similar to thick sour cream. The glue should not flow.

We fill the grooves with glue. We spread the glue with a spatula. We embed the reinforcement in the glue. If necessary, add more glue on top of the laid reinforcement so that the surface of the gas blocks turns out to be even, without grooves or bumps.

Step 7. We proceed to laying the second row of gas blocks. We start traditionally from the corner. We proceed to applying glue under the block.

Important! Do not forget about the need to lay blocks with a bandage similar to that of half-brick masonry. The offset of the upper block relative to the lower one should be between 15 cm and ½ the block length.

It is most convenient to apply the glue with a bucket (trowel). The working width of the trowel must match the width of the block. This will allow the adhesive to be applied quickly and accurately. But sometimes builders use homemade gadgets, for example, as in the photo. The main thing is to evenly apply a thin layer of glue over the entire surface of the blocks.

On a note! The applied layer of glue can be continuous, but it is the use of notched trowels or special buckets that reduces the consumption of glue.

We continue laying the blocks of the second row. We check the correctness of the installation of the blocks in two planes - in the vertical and horizontal. If necessary, we grind the surfaces of the blocks.

For the convenience of tying blocks, you can start laying from half of the block. We cut the gas block with a hacksaw. We brush away the dust. Apply a thick layer of glue (2-3 mm) to the ends of the block. Installing the block.

We continue laying the blocks of the second row. We check the correctness of the installation of the blocks in two planes - in the vertical and horizontal.

Important! If the bath is more than 6 meters high, it is recommended to reinforce every fourth row of masonry.

Prices for cement M600

cement М600

Step 8. We pass to the laying of the lintels, their reinforcement.

There must be reinforced lintels above the window and doorway. The easiest way is to use U-boxes, but this comes with additional costs.

To save money, you can manually make recesses in conventional gas blocks. To do this, make two cuts with a hacksaw across the width of the groove on the block, then remove the excess material using a chisel and a hammer.

For stacking blocks, we make formwork from boards. Blocks will rest on the top of the formwork. We fix the horizontal board with props, fix the elements with ordinary self-tapping screws.

The armopoyas should protrude at least 15 cm beyond the window and door opening. We install the blocks on the formwork. We fasten the ends of the blocks with glue.

Inside the blocks, closer to the outer edge, we lay pieces of EPS (Penoplex) 50 mm thick.

We start knitting an armored belt. For the bundle, we use plastic clamps (ties). Armopoyas consists of four long parallel rods, and every 0.5 m - vertical sections of reinforcement. In section, the armopoyas should form a square.

Important! You cannot lay the armopoyas directly on aerated concrete. Plastic retainers must be used. Without clamps, the reinforcement cage will not take the correct position and will not be filled with concrete mixture on all sides.

We install the frame with clamps and fill it with concrete flush with the edges of the gas blocks. We compact the concrete mixture by piercing it with a bar or wooden lath... We level the surface as carefully as possible.

Now you need to make a technical pause and wait for the solution to set. This will take from 10 days to two weeks.

Step 9. So, the concrete in the lintels has frozen, we continue construction. If the height of the walls is not enough, lay out another row of blocks. In our case, this row will be the final one on the ground floor and at the same time perform the function of an armored belt.

We make the armopoyas on the floor using the same technology as the lintels, but with one difference. Now the armopoyas will be poured along the entire perimeter of the outer and inner walls. For the sake of economy, we do not use U-blocks, but we cut and hollow out solid wall blocks.

1. We put the whole row of prepared blocks on the glue.

   

   

   

2. We install expanded polystyrene plates. We cut them carefully, along a ruler, so that the edges are even.
3. We knit a reinforced frame.

   

   

4. We put the clamps, put the frame inside the blocks.

   

   Pour concrete.

5. Align the surface.
6. We are waiting for the concrete to harden.

Step 10. The first floor cannot immediately end with a roof, of course. We turn to the arrangement of the interfloor overlap. It will be wooden. We put antiseptic beams with waterproofed ends on an armored belt. A similar technology was discussed above when the basement was being built.

But since now we are putting not a brick, but an aerated block, we make cuts in each block under the ends of the beams.

It is important to accurately measure the distances between the beams and carefully select with a chisel and hammer even rectangular niches in the blocks. We lay blocks in the standard way, observing the dressing, applying glue to the previous row and the ends of the blocks.

Important! In our example of construction, the bath will be with small balcony... Therefore, several beams are carried out beyond the walls of the bath.

Step 11. We lay the rough floor. We lay the edged board on top of the beams. We fix the boards to the beams with self-tapping screws through the board. If the board is 50 mm thick, we take the hardware with a length of 8 cm.

We leave a rectangular opening in the floor for access to the attic.

In the future, when the floors are ready, windows and doors are inserted, decorative finishing will be done, foil vapor barrier will be stretched in the steam room, lining or a simple hardwood board will be nailed.

Step 12. Usually a one-story bath is enough for the owners for a comfortable pastime. The space under the roof is often used to store fragrant bath brooms.

Sometimes in the bathhouse on the second floor they put a small sofa, a table, equipping the rest room. Our project provides just such a room on the second floor. After the bath procedures, it will be pleasant to relax, cool down, going out on small balcony... A window on the second floor will increase ventilation efficiency and reduce the cost of building materials.

The roof has a complex configuration. On both sides there are two trapezoidal pediments, tightly laid with a gas block. And if you look from the side of one of these gables, perpendicularly located roof slopes are clearly visible on both sides.

Advice! If you are not confident in your abilities, limit yourself to the construction of a simple shed or gable roof.

The main stages of work during the construction of the second floor and roof:

• installation of vertical racks from a bar;
• installation of horizontal piping;

  

• flooring of floor beams on top of the strapping;

  

  

  

• installation of extreme trusses along the gables;

  

  Floor beams and rafters

  

  

• installation of intermediate roof trusses;

  

• masonry of gables from blocks;

  

  

• installation of vapor barrier from the side of the room;

  

• filing the ceiling, slopes from the inside with a board;

  

• laying of mineral wool in two layers;

  

• installation of a windscreen over insulation;

  

• installation of counter-lattice for metal tiles;

  

  

• assembly of a gable canopy over the balcony, installation of a windproof membrane and counter-lattice on the canopy slopes;

  

• installation of metal tiles and additional elements.

  

  

  

  

You can watch the video about how a roof of a complex configuration is being erected.

Gas block prices

gas blocks

Video - Roof construction

Video - Erection of gables

Video - Rafters, armopoyas

Video - Completing the installation of rafters, laying aerated concrete walls of the second floor

Video - Overlapping, vapor barrier

Video - Roof insulation

Video - Counter grill for metal tiles

Video - Washed down the ends of the counter-lattice, filing the ceiling of the ceiling

Video - Laying metal tiles

Shed roof for a budget bath

Step 1... We fasten the Mauerlat on top of the armored belt. It is a board fixed with dowels (wood grouses).

We drill holes in the boards, and then in the blocks. We hammer in the dowels. We lay a layer of roofing material as waterproofing. We put the Mauerlat board, screw in the screws (capercaillie).

Step 2... Install vertical posts and a horizontal strapping bar. The height of the front part is 130 cm, from the rear of the bathhouse - 30 cm. The slope of the roof will be 18 degrees.

We fix the beams with metal perforated corners and wood screws.

On a note! To prevent the racks from loosening from gusts of wind, we temporarily fasten the boards connecting the front and rear frames with self-tapping screws.

Step 3. We lay the rafters (we put straight boards on the edge and fasten with perforated corners to the horizontal beams of the front and rear frames).

Step 4. We mount counter-lattice boards perpendicular to the rafters.

Step 5. We fasten the sheets of corrugated board. Cut off the counter-lattices sticking out at the edges of the board.

Step 6. We strengthen the frame with jibs. On the sides we install posts from a bar and one additional jib in order to attach the sheathing in the future.

Step 7. We hem the rough ceiling.

Step 8. We sheathe the frame with plywood. We treat plywood sheets with protective impregnation.

Step 9. Foam the gaps between the blocks and the plywood.

Step 10. If the decorative finishing of the facade is not yet planned, we attach the protective canopies made of tin.

As decorative finishing the facade of the bath, you can use plaster. It is necessary to choose a mixture for aerated concrete. Conventional cement-sand mixture are not suitable for this purpose. Aerated concrete quickly absorbs all moisture from the plaster, the decorative coating cracks and falls off.

To plaster the facade, you need to clean it from the remnants of glue with a float, grind off irregularities, if any. After sanding, the walls should be primed with Aerated Concrete-Contact. The plaster mortar is applied with a wide trowel over the fiberglass mesh fixed with self-tapping screws. After the plaster has dried, you can paint the facade or simply apply a water repellent agent.

You can build a Russian bath with your own hands from beginning to end, independently mount windows and doors, put your own assembled wooden font, furniture. But first, you need to competently raise the log house, lay the floor, sew up the ceiling, build a stove. Studying step-by-step instructions and professional advice will help with this.

Russian bath: features of its action

The body temperature of a person does not exceed 40 °, because he sweats, due to which he gives off excess heat to the surrounding air with the release of excess liquid. This is the basis of the principle of operation of any type of bath. The differences are only in the ratio of temperature and humidity.

In a Turkish bath (hammam), the humidity reaches 100%, and the temperature of the air, stone floor and benches does not exceed 40 °. In a sauna (Finnish bath), this ratio is completely opposite. At 120 ° the humidity is only 40%.

But the combination of temperature and humidity that is optimal for health (and there will be no negative consequences from such a procedure) can be maintained only in a Russian bath, but only if it is correctly designed and built.

The bath cannot be called a cheap pleasure. If you order its turnkey construction, the amount can be overwhelming. With average prices for materials and work of specialists, you will have to pay from 7 to 22 thousand dollars. The simplest bathhouse can be built on your own, significantly saving money.

The device of a steam Russian bath

Russian baths, as close as possible to traditional ones, are returning to fashion. They have their own characteristics:

• foundation - boulder stone, which does not require a base;
• walls - log house, wild, debarked and dried, selectively chopped logs that have not undergone any other processing;
• assembly without metal parts such as nails or corners;
• caulking with natural materials such as tow and moss;
• warming natural materials, for example, peat or moss;
• waterproofing - natural resin;
• roof - tattered, sod or shingle;
• the oven must be made of stone;
• a font - a barrel, a pool (you can always run out into the street and plunge into a river, lake or rub yourself with snow).

All this creates a lot of unnecessary difficulties, the bath itself as a whole is flammable and short-lived. But there is every opportunity to independently build a bathhouse with the same qualities, but much more practical, modern. It is recommended to make a bathhouse not only with a steam room, but also a washing room, where there is a font, a tub for bathing or showers, and a dressing room.

Dressing room

They undress in it, store towels, sheets, gangs and brooms, rest between visits to the steam room, drink tea. This room serves as a barrier to cold air. There is a window (for security reasons, and for beauty).

Steam room

It has a heater with a water tank and built beds or shelves for lying. The furnace provides uniform strong heating and exposure to superheated steam without convective mixing of the air. There may be a small ventilation window in the steam room, which will help to avoid waterlogging (for the same purpose, one or two ventilation holes can be made).

Washing room

The heat in this room comes from back wall ovens. After visiting the steam room, it is necessary to cool off in the font or under the shower, thereby removing toxins and toxins from the body. At the same time, sweating does not stop, but due to high humidity it also intensifies. The washing room is similar in principle to a hammam.

Preparation for construction

On the small area can build small bath, which can comfortably fit three to four people.

Seat selection

If the site is small, then you don't have to choose much. But if it is spacious, then there is an opportunity to use all possible advantages.

The simplest and cheapest foundation can be limited if the site has good solid soil and deep groundwater. The bathhouse should not stand close to the well, since it is considered a source of pollution, the house (so that moisture from the drain does not damage the foundation), toilet and compost pit(so as not to blur their content).

The choice of material for the walls

Although a bathhouse can now be built from anything, for example, brick, polystyrene concrete, aerated concrete, expanded clay or foam blocks, there are physical laws that confirm the appropriateness of the conservative practice of our ancestors. And all due to the fact that it heats up a lot, and then cools down, high humidity is created in it, and after airing the room, it dries quickly. Blocks and bricks in this mode must have a special multi-layer cladding.

The tree, on the other hand, may not have any veneer. In addition, it is this material that, when warmed up, gives an exceptionally healthy and beneficial heat. Therefore, for aesthetic and practical reasons, it is recommended to dwell on it.

Choice of wood species

The intensity of the steam depends on the wood from which the walls of the steam room are made:

1. Linden with its low heat capacity gives light, non-load steam. In such a bath, the air is always hotter than the walls, and besides, they are very useful. But you won't find lime logs anymore, they are practically not harvested.
2. Oak with a high heat capacity gives a "vigorous" steam, hard to bear. Plus the walls add temperature. Oak logs are incredibly expensive, so they are usually used only as lower crowns.
3. The best option is conifers. The heat from the walls and the air in such baths is about the same. In addition, the material is quite affordable. The best conifer tree for a bathhouse - larch, but you will have to fork out for its purchase. If this is not possible, then a pine or spruce will do.

What you need to look for when buying wood:

How to choose the right type of lumber

Glued imitations are suitable for any building, except for a bath. The lamellas from which the timber (or log) is made, warp and deform from the temperature.

Solid timber can be profiled or ordinary edged. The main disadvantage of the second type is frequent warping as a result of air drying. Profiled timber is expensive, besides, not every one is suitable for the construction of a bath, for example, material with recesses at the top is not suitable due to the collection of condensate in them.

Therefore, most often it is a log that is used for the construction of a bath. Raw, or wild, is difficult to buy. Therefore, it is recommended to choose a rounded log: it is well dried, even. It should not have radial cracks, as condensation accumulates in them, and this leads to decay. Likewise, it should not have cuts in the upper part. For cutting into a bowl, the log must have a so-called moon groove at the bottom.

In advance, you need to choose a felling method. There are several options for decorating the ends of the logs and collecting them into a structure:

• "Into the bowl";
• "In the paw";
• canadian cabin.

How to make a drawing of a bath

Since the length of a rounded log is 6 meters, it would be logical to take this into account when designing a bath, making its side exactly like this. The building should have a steam room, a washing room, a dressing room and an oven. The height of the bath is usually determined solely by the possibilities, but traditionally it should be 220 or 230 cm from floor to ceiling.

Coordination of the project in the administrative authorities

This is a key step. Without the approval of the project before the start of construction, an already built bathhouse can be demolished due to any complaint from neighbors, and you will lose the invested labor and money. The project should include the following points:

Approximate calculation of the material

To carry out the calculation, you need to take into account what diameter the log will have. For a bath, a larger one is better, but it is more expensive. The optimal diameter is 280 mm. The cost of 1 m 3 of such logs with cups is on average about 8 thousand rubles.

Now you need to determine the height of the pediment. For this, it is recommended to focus on natural conditions... With a large amount of precipitation, the pediment should be high, and the roof should be steep so that the snow does not linger badly on it, and in case of strong winds, on the contrary, so as not to create excessive windage. The average is the height of the pediment equal to 1.5 m.

Photo gallery: drawings of a log house and necessary parameters

Top view and section parameters of logs A drawing of a log house will help in filling out the initial data To calculate the amount of material, you must fill in all the initial data A special calculator can help in the calculation. All values ​​can be entered into a special table

What tool do you need

To build a bath with your own hands you need:

• electric saw;
• grinder with a set of discs;
• drill with various drills and grinding nozzles;
• planer, jointer (or electrical analogs);
• axes;
• scrap, crowbar;
• pliers, nail puller;
• bayonet and shovel;
• hydro level;
• hammers;
• mallet;
• bit;
• a set of chisels;
• files;
• caulk tool;
• tape measure and carpentry meter;
• buckets;
• wheelbarrow;
• stairs;
• construction goats;
• container for concrete or construction mixer.

Now you can start directly with the construction.

DIY step-by-step instructions for building from scratch

All work can be conditionally divided into stages that follow each other. Between some of them it is necessary to make a certain time interval.

Foundation construction

First you need to select its type:

1. The foundation is made of natural boulders. Large stones with a cruciform notch are specially selected in the corners.
2. Shallow or shallow strip foundation. Marking is made on the ground, a trench of the required width and depth is dug, formwork is made, filled with mortar, covered with film, dries. Advantages - comparative lightness and low cost of the structure. Disadvantage - cannot be used on unreliable soils with close groundwater, clay and sandy.
3. On unreliable soils and on a slope, it is recommended to mount a columnar pile foundation from asbestos-cement pipes, concreted into the soil with a stone filler. Advantages - resistance to subsidence and soil creep. The disadvantage is that it is more difficult to insulate the underground.
4. Metal welded pile-grillage foundation. Dignity is beauty and functionality. Disadvantage - it requires special equipment for manufacturing.
5. Most best foundation for small bath- shallow columnar. It is made of ready-made concrete blocks 200x200x400 mm in size. Advantages - ease of construction, low cost, versatility for any soil. There are no downsides.

Waterproofing and foundation lathing

All types of foundations, except for boulder ones, need waterproofing between. Usually they do it with roofing material or bitumen.

The lathing with thin slats on top of the waterproofing is needed to prevent capillary seepage of moisture into the frame. However, the columnar block foundation does not need it.

Drainage system device

This stage takes place immediately after the foundation, before the construction of the log house, simultaneously with the insulation of the subfloor.

In the old baths, the drain went straight through the plank floor to the ground, so the building was placed on a natural slope. Now such a drain is prohibited, but the idea itself can be used both in the steam room and in the washing room. It is recommended to organize the drain through the entire floor or to collect it at one point, where to install the grate-ladder. But the first option will be more environmentally friendly.

Important! In no case should the bath drain be connected to a common septic tank, it will simply choke due to volley discharges. You need to dig a separate drain hole.

The subfloor is preliminarily insulated with expanded clay, then it is done concrete screed downhill. This work can only be done in the summer, as concrete will not be strong if it is poured in the cold. The cement is mixed with the addition of a water-polymer emulsion (at the rate of 200 ml per 10 liters of concrete). The dried and already hardened foundation is coated with bituminous mastic, then kept for a week. It is advisable to build a primitive odor trap that can eliminate unpleasant odors.

Features of the floor in the bath

It cannot be rigidly connected with a log house. The ends of the logs, on which the floor is laid with slots, are led into the slots of the lower crown. It is advisable to make lags from tar. The floor can be with slots or with a ladder. In the vestibule, it is always solid. It is recommended to use a tongue-and-groove plank for the floor.

Raising a log house

It is placed sequentially, each crown is fixed with dowels - round dowels (preferably oak). Through the log, through and through, a hole is drilled for fasteners half the thickness of the previous one. Take it off. Put caulk. Insert the dowel, piercing the caulk with it. The upper log is strung onto the dowel. Repeat staggered.

Do not forget to take out a piece of log in those places where there should be openings for windows and doors on their upper side.

Between the logs, hemp is laid in a stretch, and then the finished log house is caulked with a cord.

Residential buildings are insulated with synthetic waterproofing agents, but this is not suitable for a bath. Jute will replace traditional moss and hemp. It literally fuses with the tree and seals the room perfectly. This hemp is sold in sets (tape and cord).

Do not forget about the so-called technological break. The finished frame is sewn up from above with any auxiliary material up to cardboard, and covered with a film for drying and shrinking. The process can take from six months to one and a half years. Only after this period is it possible to continue construction.

Cutting openings for doors and windows

The openings are cut down from the marks left with mandatory control of the hydraulic level. The scraps will go to the ceiling and furniture. You can immediately make a jar doorway... Since the log house "walks" constantly, the usual door frame will not withstand the changing load. There is a special technology by which only vertical parts are fixed, which neutralizes its deformation. To do this, a hole is marked for the door along the hydraulic level or plumb line, the tree is taken out according to the intended profile. The opening height must be more doors 5–7 cm so that there is room for deformation. It is then recommended to lay this gap with tow, and then close it with a platband. The edges of the logs are undercut so that the platbands can be fixed.

What should be the ceiling

It is recommended to stop at a false ceiling due to its strength and economy. This structure consists of beams connected with a log house, which also serve as rafters. After the construction of the ceiling, it is caulked with jute, covered with roofing material and insulated with mineral wool.

Roof installation

The roof is suitable for a gable. The rafters are mounted from a bar.

All work takes place in several steps:

1. First, the central posts are placed at the height of the pediment.
2. Then the ridge and rafters are mounted, a light crate.
3. A covering is put on it. For a bath, it is better to use traditional materials for the roof, for example, metal tiles, corrugated board, galvanized iron, slate. Surprisingly, the most durable and stylish coating is shingle. But if earlier it was material for the poor, now it is not at all like that.

Exterior and interior decoration

If the frame was correctly raised, it had a bottom time for shrinkage, then no interior wall decoration would be needed.

Doors and windows

You can buy these parts or make your own (from grooved boards with dowels).

Installation should be carried out according to the following plan:

1. A door frame with a door is inserted into the finished window.
2. The vertical is adjusted and verified along the hydro level. Fixed with self-tapping screws.
3. The upper slot is laid with tow, pushed around the perimeter of the door, if necessary, and platbands are mounted on both sides of the door.
4. Handles and locks are installed.

Bath furniture

Bath furniture is for a steam room (shelves) and a washing room with a dressing room (benches, table).

The shelves are different in width. It depends on personal preference, although there are some design traditions that allow you to calculate the minimum size suitable for a person of average height and build. It is customary to increase the average sizes to comfortable ones.

The minimum distance from the shelves to the ceiling should be at least 110 cm. In such a bath, you will not overheat on the upper tier, while there will be enough space to sit or lie with your legs raised. There are people who love to wave a broom very actively. Then it makes sense to leave more space at the top (up to 1.5 m). The lower tier is traditionally located no lower than 30 cm from the floor of the steam room.

It would be advisable to make the shelves not from pine, but from linden, since it has a lower thermal conductivity, moreover, it does not emit resin. The frame can be made from a bar, then sheathed it with prepared boards.

Even at the construction stage, it is necessary to use modern impregnating compounds that can withstand high fever and humidity without harming human health. So you can protect the building from fungus and rot. Those that are suitable for the ceiling may not always be used for covering furniture.

Manufacturers of varnishes and paints (Senezh, Empils, Rogneda, Dulux, Tikkurila, Nobel, Belinka, Teknos) produce many such products with water-repellent natural substances such as paraffin, wax, oil. They are divided into those suitable for external walls, internal surfaces to which a person does not touch the body (ceiling) and furniture.

Pyro-protective and antiseptic impregnation logs are usually made at the timber processing plant, but it needs to be done again after construction.

The first application of the compositions to furniture is carried out immediately after its manufacture on a dry and clean surface, or even before manufacture (on wooden blanks). Spread the product evenly with a sponge, soft cloth or with a brush. Due to the thick consistency, the spray gun will not work.

How to build a stove in a sauna

For all sauna stoves there is a single condition, the fulfillment of which is mandatory - lengthening the combustion channel so that the door is in the dressing room (firewood is put into it in that room).

You can put a metal stove by buying it in finished form, or fold the brick on your own (it is much better due to its slower heating and prolonged heat release). The most difficult thing in this case will be to correctly remove the chimney through wooden roof, insulating it with special metal sheets and vermiculite.

The stones must be chosen as carefully as possible. They must have the following qualities:

• heat resistance (not destroyed by temperature drops);
• heat capacity (give off heat for a long time);
• environmental friendliness (when heated, they do not emit harmful substances);
• homogeneity and the same coefficient of thermal expansion (foreign inclusions with a different thermal expansion can explode when heated);
• round shape (it improves the hot air circulation process).

The stones must be:

• up to 13 cm for the first layer on the wire rack;
• up to 9 for an intermediate layer;
• up to 6 for the top layer.

When done correctly, the stove will create unforgettable steam moments.

Features of operation

Only the steam room provides the healthiest and the only correct ratio of humidity and heat. But even there there are extreme values. This is also scientifically supported. The best feeling for a given combination of humidity and temperature is graphically expressed by the homothermal curve. Below the first of the curves is the optimal combination of temperature up to 90 ° and humidity up to 80%, which is provided by a Russian steam bath.

While in the steam room, hot humid air is poured over the body, especially when exposed to it with a broom, due to which everything heats up. In this case, there is a constant flow of oxygen to the tissues.

After being in the steam room, you need to plunge into the ice plunge pool.

Video: building a bath from a log

Steam in a Russian bath trains blood vessels, increases immunity, reduces weight and pleases the soul. And if it is also built with your own hands, then the pleasure increases many times over.

Since ancient times, the bathhouse has been a place where you can relax and unwind. These ancient buildings bypass even outdoor recreation in popularity.

How to build a bathhouse yourself?

Building a bath with your own hands is a difficult task and its implementation will require a certain amount of knowledge, which you will soon learn about.

To build a bathhouse with your own hands, you will need to familiarize yourself with the action plan:

• Design a bathhouse;
• Understand the stages of construction;
• Get a building material;
• Connect communications;
• Arrange the bath from the inside.

After getting acquainted with the stages of construction, it is necessary to determine the place where the bathhouse will be located, since a lot also depends on the location.

The best option would be if:

• the bath will be located on a hill, this will greatly simplify the installation of the water drain;
• there will be a river or a reservoir next to the bath;
• the window in the bathhouse will be located opposite the house, which will allow you to observe its firebox.

For a garden house, the distance will be no more than 3 meters, and for buildings such as a bathhouse, this distance should not exceed 1 meter.

It is best to order the design and drawings of the bath from local designers, it will cost about 5,000 rubles. You can also search for ready-made sketches and photos of the bath on the Internet that best suit your preferences.

Bath made of bricks, stones or blocks

Brick, stone or blocks can be used directly as materials for a brick bath.

To build a bath, it is necessary to dig a pit and fill it with 20 cm of sand, then it must be filled with water for compaction.

The second step is to lay the rubble on top of 10 cm thick sand, which then needs to be covered with sand again.

The last step will be to install a drainage and drainage system for the building.

Bath from a bar

The first layer for the base of the bath will be 20 cm of sand, the second layer is crushed stone, and concrete pouring fits in the third layer. The reinforcement of the building will be the key stage.

Metal rods must be inserted into the layers for a more durable structure, and as additional stability, metal plates must be laid in the middle, which are tied with wire.

Note!

The next stage of work is the blind area, which is needed so that the base of the bath is not washed out with water.

It is best to make a blind area of ​​clay, it is much stronger than concrete, and also does not form cold seams in the process. A layer of rubble must be poured over the blind area.

Next, you need to install a drain in the bath. First you need to dig a hole and bring its gutter to the edge of the foundation of the building, cover the walls of the hole wooden planks with reinforced wire, and then pour concrete over everything.

Frame bath

The foundation for such a bath structure is made using a simplified technology, which is the advantage of a frame bath. It is necessary to make a foundation of asbestos-cement pillars, which, after installation, are poured with concrete.

The next step is to mark the walls. Then you need to start connecting the boards using nails. The top is assembled from the boards and bottom rail... The walls for such a bath are made in a lattice structure.

Note!

The materials that are needed for the walls are bars, insulation, and materials for the outside, for example OSB boards or a block house, and inside you can use the clapboard.

Materials for insulation and vapor barrier

It is worth insulating the bath outside only with the condition of heating in the building.

For a wooden bath, it is necessary to make a grate that will be inserted into the insulation. In work you will need mineral wool the width of the layer will be 50 mm.

Bath floor

In the case of a frame bath, when it remains to insulate the floors, as well as to install floorboards, in addition to this, it is necessary to install logs, a sub-floor, and fix the structure for removing steam, then lay the insulation and check the waterproofing.

It is best to make the floor of concrete, as this will allow the bath to dry faster, and it will last much longer. Shields made of wood are laid on the concrete floor, they can subsequently be taken out to dry and calmly go about their business.

Note!

Do-it-yourself bath photo

The bathhouse, built in Russian traditions, is considered ideal place to cleanse the soul and body. By visiting it regularly, you can maintain health, maintain youth and get real pleasure. It is not surprising that many decide to build a Russian-style bathhouse with their own hands.

Features of the Russian bath

The Russian bath, which was built by our ancestors, includes two sections: a dressing room and a steam room. The largest size of this room is 2.3x4 m, the smallest is 5x6 m. Baths with such dimensions are popular again.

1 - dressing room; 2 - steam room and washing room; 3 - shelves; 4 - oven

The device of a primordially Russian bath implies:

• creation of an unburied columnar foundation based on boulders, devoid of a base;
• assembly of a log house from selected wild logs, that is, material that has not been subjected to any processing, except for removing the bark and drying;
• construction without the use of nails;
• plugging cracks with moss and tow;
• installation of a flat ceiling;
• insulation of floor and ceiling coverings with moss and peat;
• waterproofing the structure with resin and boot pitch;
• making a sod or shingle roof;
• creating a furnace from bricks.

Preparation for construction: drawings and dimensions

When composing a bath project, one should not forget that the steam room and washing room will be used by several people at once. Therefore, the area and dimensions of the bath should be determined without making serious mistakes.

The second version of the bath differs in the arrangement of the shower

To make it convenient for each user to be in the bath room, he needs to allocate at least 1.8 m² in the dressing room and 1.5 m² in the steam room. The average indicator of the total usable area of ​​a bathhouse for a family is 10 m². At the same time, most of the space should be in the dressing room, and less in the steam room and washing department.

In order for people of any height to wash in Russian, the ceiling should be erected at a height of 2.4 meters.

When determining the height of the ceiling, take into account that soon the building will sit down

At the planning stage of the construction, it is necessary to reflect in the drawing the area for arranging the vestibule. This room may be needed as a place to block the path of cold air from the street.

For the vestibule, 2.32 sq. m

Adherents of tradition are recommended to build a bathhouse from high-quality coniferous wood. This material is not fragile, and most importantly, it serves for a long time. And the needles are also environmentally friendly and have low thermal conductivity, that is, they do not release heat and at the same time interfere with air exchange. The unique property of this tree is considered resistance to various manifestations of the climate.

Such a wooden building should stand on a solid foundation.

For construction, you can take one of two types of coniferous wood:

1. rounded round logs;
2. solid bars.

Experienced builders advise to build a bathhouse from beams, since this material is cheaper, and it is much easier to build walls from it. In addition, a timber structure does well without a bulky foundation.

The timber structure looks simple, but it is easy to assemble

If you opt for rounded logs, you can be severely disappointed: the log structure settles for a long time, which is why it will not be possible to put it into operation earlier than a year and a half after construction. Unlike a log bath, a log structure can be safely used six months after the completion of construction work.

When buying beams, you should use a tape measure to check the material for compliance with the specified dimensions, and then make sure that the building materials are of good quality. To do this, you need to do the following:

List of materials and tools

To build a Russian bath, you need to stock up not only with beams and bricks, but also:

To carry out construction tasks, you should arm yourself:

DIY step-by-step construction of an object

Construction takes place in stages:

1. along the perimeter of the future structure and under its load-bearing internal walls, pits are created to form a strip foundation;
2. sand is poured to the bottom of the trench, the finished "pillow" is pressed and poured with water;
3. the pits are filled with reinforcing rods and liquid concrete, the layer of which is smoothed with cement mortar;

   Before pouring concrete, formwork is built from the boards.

4. concrete is used to form the base for a brick oven;
5. several layers of waterproofing material processed with bitumen mastic are placed on the platform;
6. collect the log house, connecting the beams according to the method "in the corners in the paw, and the ends in half a tree without a remainder", laying a heater between them and through each row setting the dowels at a distance of 20 cm from the edge;

   The corners are connected in 4 steps, and the ends - in 3 steps

7. prepare a platform for the floor, that is, a 10 cm layer of sand is poured, pressed, and then covered with a 10 cm layer of crushed stone;
8. crushed stone is covered with roofing material canvases with adjoining edges for several centimeters;
9. cement is placed on the roofing material, creating a screed with a slope, thereby equipping the waste water flow towards the sewer pipe built into the ground and leading to a separately dug hole;
10. glue on the hardened cement screed facing material, on top of which a wooden crate is placed;

    Wooden battens on the floor keep your feet from touching the cold floor

11. floor beams are attached to the upper bars of the walls in a horizontal position;
12. the installed beams are connected with iron brackets to the rafters - with thick beams;
13. fasten the rafter legs to each other using ridge bars;
14. the rafters are covered with a roll-up waterproofing sheet and wooden flooring - the basis for the roofing material;
15. create a ceiling, that is, non-load-bearing walls are laid out boards every 2.5 meters;
16. lay over the ceiling vapor barrier film and put insulating material.

Finishing

Finishing work is started after the structure has shrunk. First of all, all surfaces inside the bath are covered with an antiseptic compound.

Interior decoration implies the performance of such tasks as:

1. installation of the lathing directly on the walls and ceiling;
2. laying insulation and vapor barrier material in the gaps of the crate;
3. flooring lining or other facing material.

Lining is laid on the ceiling and wall

If the most popular building raw materials for interior decoration of a bath is only lining, then a lot of materials are in demand for facing the outer walls of a building:

• vinyl or metal siding;
• plastic lining;
• block house imitating the view of a log house;
• edged or unedged boards at a low price.

The material extends the life of the building

Finding stones for the bath room

It is customary to use igneous rocks in the steam room. Formed during a volcanic eruption, they are resistant to extreme heat. Igneous rocks that have a positive effect on the energy forces of a person include:

• polished or chipped jadeite, main feature which is beauty;
• talc chloride, capable of absorbing moisture and evaporating it to create the desired steam in the bath;
• basalt that can withstand high temperatures.

In addition to its benefits, this stone provides aesthetic pleasure.

Metamorphic rocks can be placed on the stove, which tend to normalize blood composition and improve well-being. We are talking about such stones as:

• white quartz, called hot ice, and when it cools sharply, it releases ozone;
• crimson quartzite, the second name of which is the royal stone.

Such a stone is ideally combined with brickwork.

To create steam in the bath, you can use full-crystalline rocks, for example:

• dunite;
• serpentinite.

These stones are able to regenerate cells nervous system, increase immune strength and have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland.

The length of such a stone is about 20 cm

If you want to move away from traditions, then it is better to use cast iron stones - balls produced by industry as steam generators in the bath. They instantly heat up the room and keep warm for long hours. True, cast iron stones are subject to rusting after a short service life and carry no properties useful to humans.

Sedimentary and siliceous rocks should definitely not be put on the furnace. Their structure is porous, which means that, when they cool down sharply, they become covered with cracks and small particles scatter in a zone of one meter.

Exploitation

The main requirement for using a bath concerns the creation of the desired temperature. In the steam room this physical quantity should be within 55-77 degrees. The temperature indicator is selected individually, that is, it depends on the preferences of the owner of the bath. It is customary to heat the washing room to 40 °, and the rest room to 20 °.

In order for the bath to serve for a long time and properly, you need to use it according to the rules:

• put in the firebox exclusively any dry fuel, except for firewood from coniferous wood;
• keep the door of the combustion chamber closed, thereby avoiding the escape of hot sparks;
• do not allow the chimney to glow until it becomes red;
• do not touch hot surfaces, including the walls of the water heating tank;
• monitor the cleanliness of the bath rooms;
• ventilate the sauna sectors after each firebox for four hours;
• try not to splash water on glass surfaces in the room (on windows and doors);
• clean and inspect the chimney for holes at least once a quarter.

The owner of the bath will have to carefully look after wooden surfaces... The elements inside the bath, made of wood, are supposed to be coated twice a year with special means to protect against fungi and decay. External processing wooden walls buildings are recommended to be carried out after two years of operation. To do this, it is better to use antiseptics, which include wax.

Wood deteriorates over time and therefore needs careful maintenance

In order for a Russian bathhouse to produce the required amount of heat, one must be able to regulate the traction force. To do this, open the door of the ash storage chamber more or less. Excessive thrust will cause the furnace to heat up too much, and this will bring the time of equipment failure closer. If the force forcing air to enter the firebox is normalized, then the stones in the bath heat up to a standard temperature.

During the heating of the stove, the operation of the chimney should be monitored. The consumption of firewood will be reduced to a minimum, and the efficiency of heat supply will be increased, just not completely covering the chimney gate. But this is allowed to be done only after the absolute closure of the ash chamber.

Video: building a bath from scratch

You can get real joy from the construction of a Russian bath. It is clear that this work is impossible without skills and labor, but the result is a source of pride. This feeling is even stronger if the object was built on their own.