What to build a real bathhouse from with your own hands. Do-it-yourself budget sauna What material to build a sauna from besides wood

A bathhouse on a personal plot or dacha is the dream of many owners. Such water procedures are not only pleasant, but also useful - they cleanse and strengthen the body, and help improve blood circulation. Friendly communication over a cup of aromatic tea after a steam room can hardly be overestimated. When it comes to choosing a material for building a bathhouse, you need to take into account not only the price factor. This is a specific room with special functions, high humidity and temperature. Therefore, it is important not to get lost among the diversity that the market offers. To choose what to build a bathhouse from, it is recommended to consider different building materials in advance from the point of view of their suitability for the construction of a given building. This will allow you to understand which one will be optimal for your needs and conditions.

General requirements for materials from which bathhouses are built in the country

The construction of bathhouses, like any other objects, is regulated by SNiP standards:

SNiP 30–02–97, which describes the rules for the development of garden and personal plots;
SP 11–106–97 - rules for creating a site development project.

Many owners are surprised to learn that the requirements for baths are in some aspects even stricter than for residential buildings. This is primarily due to the increased fire hazard due to the presence of a stove. In addition, there are technical requirements for building materials. They have to:

provide good thermal insulation;
be resistant to high humidity and temperature.

The issue of price in this case comes in last place, although it also matters, other things being equal.

What to build a bathhouse from: advantages and disadvantages of different materials

The market offers us many options:

tree;
aerated concrete;
expanded clay concrete;
brick;
wood concrete;
cinder block.

Gas block or foam block

Aerated concrete blocks are made from cement, quartz sand and foaming agents. The material belongs to cellular concrete. The resulting blocks are processed in autoclaves to increase strength. They have the correct geometric shape and are, in fact, a synthetic stone.

Advantages of aerated concrete:

Fire resistance. This is an important indicator of the material from which the bathhouse will be built.
High strength that increases over time.
Light weight. Thanks to this, you can save on the foundation.
Ease of processing. It is easy to cut with a hacksaw and drill with a drill.

The main disadvantages of this material are its high cost and hygroscopicity (the ability to absorb and accumulate moisture). Therefore, the use of aerated concrete for the construction of a bathhouse requires some measures. To reduce the amount of moisture absorbed, special additives are added to the material.

Additionally, during construction it will be necessary to create vapor and waterproofing.

For a bathhouse, such a material characteristic as its thermal conductivity is important. For aerated concrete it depends on its density. For material of different grades from D300 to D600, the thermal conductivity coefficient ranges from 0.072 to 0.141. The lower the density of gas blocks, the less they conduct heat. At low density, the cells of the material contain a lot of air, which heats up slowly and is an obstacle to heat transfer. It turns out to be a thermos effect. It should be taken into account that the thermal conductivity indicator is given for aerated concrete at zero humidity. When moisture is absorbed, it increases noticeably.

Another feature of building with aerated blocks is that they need to be laid with a special glue that looks like cement mortar. The latter is not recommended to be used, since the blocks absorb moisture from it, thereby reducing the thermal insulation of the room.

Frame bath

Frame baths are gaining more and more popularity due to their advantages:

Light weight, thanks to which it can be mounted on a lightweight foundation.
High speed of construction. On average, a frame bath can be assembled 3 times faster than a timber or brick one. Construction takes no more than 2–3 weeks.
Good thermal insulation. In terms of warmth, it is comparable to log and timber buildings.
It can be erected at any time of the year, including in winter at temperatures down to -15 degrees.
The material of the walls absorbs and allows air to pass through, allowing them to “breathe”, so this bathhouse has a pleasant microclimate.
Natural frame materials are safe for human health.

Such a bathhouse is not without some disadvantages:

Shrinkage within 2 years, during which the building can settle by 10 cm. To reduce it, you need to use chamber drying materials.
Additional costs for insulation and finishing. The frame itself is cheaper than timber or brick baths, but costs increase due to interior and exterior decoration.
Difficulty in choosing effective insulation. Mineral wool or polystyrene foam will not work here. You will have to look for insulation that does not absorb moisture and does not ignite.

A frame bath is considered the best budget option.

Brick

Brick as a material for building a bathhouse has three main advantages:

Durability. Brick baths can last more than a hundred years, while the average service life of wooden ones is 15–20 years.
Attractive appearance. The brick does not require additional finishing. You can use it to create any design elements of buildings.
Fire resistance. Unlike wood, brick does not burn.

There are many more disadvantages of this material in the context of building a bathhouse:

The need to create a strip foundation. This is an expensive and time-consuming process.
The brick takes longer to warm up. It takes on average no more than 1–1.5 hours to light a wooden bathhouse. To warm up a brick one, you will need much more time and, accordingly, fuel.
Poor ventilation. Brick walls “breathe” much worse than wooden or frame walls.
High price.
Long construction period. You need to wait until the concrete in the foundation dries and gains strength. Laying walls also takes a lot of time and effort.

Due to its long service life and fire safety, many owners prefer brick. A beautiful appearance is an additional incentive. If you also decide to build a bathhouse from it, use some tips:

The best option in terms of price and quality is one-and-a-half red bricks. And gas silicate is also often used.
In such a bathhouse, you need to think through the ventilation system and leave ventilation gaps.
Cement for the solution must be taken at least grade M200. It will ensure the reliability of the seams and good thermal insulation.
It is better to insulate a brick bathhouse from the inside so as not to spoil the external appearance.

Expanded clay concrete

This is a monolithic material, naturally cured, which contains cement and expanded clay - foamed and fired clay. Expanded clay concrete has a number of advantages - it is non-toxic, does not absorb moisture well and has low thermal conductivity. In addition, such blocks have low mass. This makes construction easier and the foundation cheaper. A bathhouse made of this material requires less insulation than, for example, one made of aerated concrete or a heat block. Frost resistance, and therefore durability, of expanded clay concrete is 5 times higher than that of aerated concrete blocks, and 2 times higher than that of foam blocks. Another indisputable advantage of the material is zero shrinkage.

Thermal conductivity depends on the filler fraction, therefore it ranges from 0.15 to 0.45. The larger the fraction, the lower it is, but also the lower the density of the material.

To lay walls made of expanded clay concrete blocks, you can use ordinary cement-sand mortar or special adhesive mixtures.

cinder block

This is a cheap building material that is obtained by pouring concrete into waste products - combustion products of coal and other materials or sawdust. In the second case, the material is called sawdust concrete (it is absolutely non-flammable).

Cinder blocks come with voids inside and solid ones.

Advantages of the material:

long service life - up to 50 years;
fire resistance;
low cost compared to wood or brick;
A variety of fillers allows you to choose the material for different needs.

Among the main disadvantages are:

hygroscopicity - when using the material to build a bathhouse, it will require waterproofing;
increased thermal conductivity - the bathhouse will have to be additionally insulated.

Cinder blocks have another important feature. Before using them in construction, they must be weathered in the open air for a year. Otherwise, the blocks will release harmful substances. Therefore, the only obvious advantage of this material is its low price. This is not the best option for building a bathhouse.

Tree

A wooden bathhouse is a classic option. Wood comes in different species, and lumber from it also differs in characteristics. Industrial are:

Pine. This tree has a natural defense against mold and pests - their resin. Wood has high moisture resistance. Pine is available - there is a lot of it on the market, it has a low cost compared to other species. Its disadvantage as a material for building a bathhouse is its ability to “cry” at high temperatures. Needs additional treatment against rotting.
Linden. This type of wood is easy to process. Suitable for building a bathhouse because it has an important property - good heat resistance. However, without additional processing, the linden darkens. She is also afraid of moisture.
Aspen. It is not afraid of moisture, has a high density, and becomes even denser over the years. Aspen exhibits low shrinkage. It is durable and practically does not crack when dried. In addition, the wood has a beautiful red color. The disadvantages of aspen are its high price and difficulty of processing due to its high density. And it is also believed that aspen is not suitable for building baths, because it makes you feel worse and causes headaches.
Fir. It is rarely used in construction for two reasons - it is susceptible to rotting and has soft and fragile wood.
Alder. It is widespread in Russian forests, but still has a fairly high cost. The wood has a beautiful color - from flame to brick. Gives little shrinkage. Practically does not warp. It is easy to process and does not twist, which is important for building a bathhouse. However, it darkens after several years of service and is susceptible to rotting.

Log house

Rounded logs are considered a completely ecological product, unlike laminated veneer lumber. A bathhouse built from it will not need additional external and internal finishing, since the log has a natural, chic appearance. Thanks to minimal gaps on the crowns, log houses made of rounded logs are characterized by increased thermal insulation. The ability to connect logs at any angle allows you to implement unique design solutions in the construction of buildings. The disadvantages of logs are twisting, cracking, and bowing. The material has high shrinkage.

timber

Profiled timber can be solid or glued. In general, it is not subject to deformation, like a log, and has good performance characteristics. It is impregnated with antiseptics and fire retardants to increase resistance to biological factors and fire. Solid profiled timber is considered more environmentally friendly because it does not contain adhesives. At the same time, glued wood is less susceptible to cracking and has increased strength and resistance to deformation.

Building a wooden bathhouse with your own hands requires certain skills. If you do not have sufficient experience, it is better to hire specialists for this.

Arbolite blocks

This material has been known since the times of the USSR. The blocks consist of 90% wood waste. They are brought to the required size in a chipper and crusher, then filled with cement with the addition of calcium chloride or liquid soda glass. These additives are needed in order to neutralize resin acids, which destroy wood, and accelerate the hardening of the mass.

Wood concrete as a building material has a number of advantages:

low thermal conductivity;
the ability to maintain a comfortable level of humidity in the room;
environmental friendliness;
low cost.

Provided you buy high-quality blocks, this material can be called a good option for a bathhouse. Another important feature of wood concrete is its heat capacity, which is higher than that of air. This means that in a bathhouse built from it, the air will warm up first, and then the walls. When using brick, the opposite happens.

Arbolite is suitable only for low-rise construction, since it has low strength and is not able to withstand heavy loads. It is worth considering its high hygroscopicity. You cannot do without waterproofing and a good ventilation system. It is not possible to use ordinary plaster for finishing.

It is best to finish the outside of wood concrete walls with facing bricks, clapboard or moisture-resistant wood. For a bathhouse, lining will be the best option, otherwise the cost of construction will increase, which will defeat the purpose of using this material.

What material to choose to build a bathhouse (reviews)

Nothing helps you make a choice more than reviews from people who have experienced something themselves.

Before building my own bathhouse, I thought that it had to be made of wood, but wood breathes. But no matter how much I walked around such baths, no matter how long I stayed inside, I never saw (didn’t feel) this breath. Today I am sure that a bath is the conditions that should be created in a steam room, the optimal ratio of humidity and temperature. The project was born quickly, because I clearly understood what I wanted from it: a steam room and a wash room must be separate, a large and comfortable relaxation room, a firebox must have a fireplace effect and... the opportunity to spend time comfortably in the winter. A bathhouse in winter is a song. That’s why I chose foam blocks for the walls.
Konstantin
https://www.forumhouse.ru/threads/394720/

My steam room/sink is a log house made of aspen d=250\300 and the dressing room is a frame building. I did not pour concrete under the pouring floors, but welded a frame of 12 reinforcement bars with slopes in the center towards the scupper (aka ladder) and stretched a thick plastic film. I also made “eternal” joists under the floors, fortunately we sell inexpensively used thick-walled timber (76\6 mm), welded strip pads to it along the edges (so as not to spin) and scattered 6 pieces. with an interval of 0.5 m (the ends of the pipes lay on the lower strapping beam, in the places where half-logs are placed near the log house). Another “know-how” is to ensure that the floorboards of the pouring floors are not attached to the joists (you can always lift them to dry, or clean the drain under them) and that they do not run together and lie at equal intervals. Along the edges of the boards (with an indentation of 10 cm) you drilled and inserted PVC “mushrooms” to attach the insulation to the facades, then you measure 10 mm and cut the mushroom with a hacksaw. The result is a board with spaced chips along the edges, simple and reliable, it won’t rot and holds tightly.
Andrey
https://www.forumhouse.ru/threads/282522/page-2

In fact, from a quality point of view, frame 100 or timber 100, raw, unplaned, and frame 200 are the optimal technologies, respectively, for an unheated and heated bathhouse.
Viant
https://www.forumhouse.ru/threads/389121/

Good afternoon The wood concrete material for a bathhouse is not bad, but you need to use it wisely. Namely, it is possible to insulate if the wood concrete is not plastered, it breathes wonderfully, the cake will turn out like this: internal lining (solid wood) ventilation gap 1.5–2 cm, vapor barrier, basalt insulation 5–10 cm, wood concrete, windproof film, ventilation gap 2–5 cm, outer skin. Why is basalt insulation used? Because the thermal conductivity of the insulation is much lower than that of wood concrete, therefore there are fewer losses and faster warming up. If you plaster the outside, then such a structure will not be able to breathe towards the street and will accumulate moisture, and it can even penetrate through the vapor barrier, since small leaks and damage are possible. In terms of vapor permeability, materials must follow each other in order of increasing vapor permeability (from the inside to the outside); there are no plasters comparable in vapor permeability to wood concrete.
Tooth
https://www.forumhouse.ru/threads/100295/

Regarding the construction of a bathhouse from laminated timber. A definite plus, from my point of view, is minimal shrinkage and understandable behavior of the timber in the future. Of course, provided that the timber is of high quality.
Konstantin
https://www.forumhouse.ru/threads/390466/

Video: how to choose material for building a steam room

There are many options for building materials for a bathhouse, and each of them is good in its own way. Making a smart choice requires careful consideration of the pros and cons of each. If you know what is your priority - price, appearance, ease and speed of construction, or thermal insulation properties, then you can easily determine the appropriate material for yourself.

The choice of material for the construction of the bathhouse and interior decoration largely determines the quality and appearance of the bathhouse. As it turned out, in addition to tastes, material capabilities, and traditions, it is necessary to take into account a number of factors that leave their mark on the choice of building material, so in this article we will look at what materials are best used for building a bathhouse.

What material is the bathhouse made of?

rounded logs;
beam;
brick;
concrete;
various types of panels.

The best material for a bathhouse is log walls

Most often, baths are built from wood. Particular attention is paid to the strength and quality of the material: any unevenness or loose fit can cause significant heat loss.

We can talk endlessly about the advantages of a log sauna, and the best material for a sauna is:

Aesthetics. For many, when choosing between a timber log building, aesthetics is one of the main factors.
Environmental friendliness. Wood is an environmentally friendly material, absolutely safe for humans.
Low thermal conductivity. Long-term heat retention is ensured due to the low thermal conductivity of wood compared to other materials (brick, concrete, panel). There is no need for additional thermal insulation.
Durability. According to this criterion, bathhouses made of timber are significantly superior to panel and frame buildings. Durability depends on many factors - from the selection, harvesting and storage of wood to the care of the building. If you follow the technology of bathhouse construction, proper and timely care, such a bathhouse will last for quite a long time. The estimated period, if all standards are met, is 75 years.
Low cost. Planed wood is a relatively inexpensive material, and the cost of construction from it is significantly lower compared to the cost of a brick bathhouse. Coniferous species are mainly used for the construction of baths - pine, larch. Pine is distinguished by a small number of knots and the greatest straightness of the trunk. Larch is denser than pine and more resistant to decay, resistant to dampness, but its price is higher than pine.

As for the fire safety of a wooden bathhouse, of course, a lot depends on compliance with construction standards. To increase fire resistance, wood is impregnated with fire retardant compounds, the choice of which is huge.

Building material for a bath - Timber

However, the construction of a bathhouse on a summer cottage can be carried out in another way - using not logs, but timber. This type of construction reduces material costs. But, on the other hand, if the owner wants to improve the appearance of the building, he will have to spend money on finishing materials.

If we talk about preferences when choosing between timber and logs, then a log is usually considered a more acceptable material for building a bathhouse. However, it would be wrong to say that a log sauna is better than a log sauna. These materials for building a bathhouse have approximately the same characteristics, so preferences in choice are quite arbitrary and determined by appearance and cost.

Brick walls for building a bathhouse

It is more difficult to build a good bathhouse from brick and stone than from wood. However, in some cases, when brick and stone are more accessible than wood, it is necessary to build not only the foundation, but also walls from them. Using brick in construction, you can maintain a high temperature in the room throughout the day, but such material will take much longer to warm up. A brick bathhouse is more durable and less fire hazardous. Its main disadvantage is large heat losses due to high thermal conductivity. To reduce it, it is recommended to line the inside of the bathhouse with clapboard, laying a thick layer of steam and thermal insulation between it and the brick wall. Any brickwork absorbs and allows moisture to pass through, so contact of the walls with the ground is not allowed.

Moisture-resistant bath materials include:

moisture-resistant plasterboard, used in the interior decoration of baths and requires the application of additional primer;
moisture resistant panels.

Concrete walls for a bath

The microclimate in a brick or concrete bath, of course, will not be the same as in a wooden one. It is possible to build a bathhouse from foam concrete, but vapor barrier and ventilation from inside the premises in this case require ideal execution, otherwise it is better not to use foam concrete.

When performing masonry work from foam blocks, it is necessary to remember about additional waterproofing of the material. This can be bituminous soil (liquid bitumen) with pre-treatment with deep impregnation soil.

During the panel construction of a bathhouse, the external walls are erected on a frame base of sandwich panels. So far, this option for building a bathhouse is not popular, although it allows you to save on the base for the structure. Due to the lightness of the walls being erected, it will be enough for a panel bath

Currently, the Canadian technology of building country houses from sandwich OSB panels is gaining increasing popularity. You can build a bathhouse from this material, and such a bathhouse will have a number of advantages:

construction time is very short,
the sauna does not shrink and is immediately ready for use,
the cost of foundation for a bathhouse is minimized due to the lightness of the structure,
walls made of OSB panels with 150 mm thick insulation do not freeze in winter and provide rapid heating of the interior space, retaining heat for a long time.
and finally, OSB - a panel - is the ideal rough panel for any interior or exterior decoration.

The service life of a panel bath depends on the quality characteristics of the internal finishing materials and averages 25 - 30 years. In operation, a panel bathhouse is no different from bathhouses made of other materials.

Conclusion: what material to build a bathhouse from?

Materials for building a bathhouse, such as brick, foam concrete and sandwich panels, have their advantages, but they are artificial. The best material for a bathhouse is natural wood and it should be given preference when building a bathhouse. You can build with wood at any time of the year, be it cold winter or dry summer. Wood serves as an excellent heat insulator, as it has the excellent ability to accumulate heat and retain it for a long time, which is important when heating a bathhouse. Baths, built from rounded logs, combine long-standing Russian traditions of constructing wooden buildings and modern production technologies, which makes them unsurpassably beautiful.

Not everyone has the desire or ability to invest a lot of money in the construction of a bathhouse. And in most parts of our country, sometimes it’s simply necessary to warm up. The only way out is to build a sauna inexpensively, with your own hands. There are a sufficient number of building materials and technologies that can be called budget.

If we talk about the construction of full-fledged, albeit small, but free-standing baths, then frame and monolithic are considered the most budget-friendly technologies. Cheap baths are often made on a wooden frame, lined with plywood, OSB, boards - whoever has what. Insulation is placed inside between the two skins.

One of the options for a frame structure is with board cladding

In monolithic construction, the most popular for the construction of baths is arbolite - a mixture of cement and sawdust. Sawdust can be completely free or cost very little. Little cement is required in wood concrete, so this type of construction is unlikely to hit your pocket hard. Removable formwork is placed around the perimeter of the building, the mixture is loaded into it, and compacted. The next batch is mixed. It's that simple. The disadvantage of this material is considered to be flammability, but wooden and frame baths are also flammable. So this is not an argument.

Sawdust concrete or wood concrete is a warm, natural material that consists of sawdust, sand, cement and water

Polystyrene concrete (granulated foam plastic mixed with cement and water) is not much more expensive, but not everyone likes the use of “chemistry” - foam plastic - in the construction of a bathhouse. However, this material itself makes it possible to obtain a cheap and lightweight building, which, if properly finished, will only delight the owners.

All three technologies provide a combination of low price and good thermal characteristics, that is, heating such buildings requires little fuel, which in baths is the main indicator of efficiency.

There are regions where wood is still the cheapest material. It might be cheaper to put a chopped sauna in them. From round timber or from timber - this is optional. The advantage of this solution is that it is a natural material (although it must be impregnated with chemicals to preserve its appearance and protect against diseases and insects). But chopped saunas have their drawbacks - you can start steaming no earlier than a year after the walls are built and the roof is installed. We must wait until the main shrinkage has passed and only then begin insulation and finishing work. The second disadvantage is that the protective coating must be regularly updated, otherwise the building will become gray and unsightly. But the wooden baths themselves are very good with their special atmosphere.

Inexpensive foundations

Inexpensive wall construction technology is not everything. Sometimes the construction of the foundation takes almost half of the funds required for the construction of the building as a whole. The technologies listed above are good because lightweight foundations can be made for them. In some places a columnar one is sufficient, in others a pile or pile-grillage structure is sufficient. Any of the walls listed above can coexist quite normally with them, leveling out their shortcomings (possible uneven shrinkage of different support points).

The foundations listed above may not be implemented on all soils. Sometimes a shallow or normal strip foundation may be required, and on particularly heaving or unstable soils a monolithic slab may be required. On such bases, to the wall construction technologies listed above, you can add more building blocks - foam concrete, cinder block, expanded clay concrete. All of them have their own characteristics (mainly, careful protection from high humidity is required), but the construction technology is also inexpensive, although more solid foundations are required.

Compact or temporary

If at your dacha you want to build a mini-bathhouse, a very small cabin in size, then you need to take a closer look at the construction technology or. If desired, even an ordinary construction trailer, barn or shed can be turned into a more or less normal steam room. It is only important to insulate it well and install the correct stove. Everything else is not so important.

Cheap frame bathhouse step by step - photo report

The initial data is as follows: the bathhouse is no more than 4*5 meters in size, the budget is small - no more than $200-300 per month. From the initial data - clay heaving soil, 4 meters from the fence - a cliff. Having brought all this together, it was decided to build a frame bathhouse on a columnar foundation.

The bathhouse itself turned out to be 5 * 3 m, plus a terrace 1 meter wide on the long side. It was decided to make the pillars for the bathhouse from asbestos-cement pipes 34 cm in diameter, for the terrace from 15 cm. In the center of the plan, 4 more additional pillars are marked - this is the foundation for a brick oven.

We dig below the freezing depth - for this region 140 cm. By the way, we cut the pipes by 20 cm more - the total length is 160 cm, so that the bathhouse is 20 cm above the ground.

A frame made of reinforcement 12 mm in diameter is installed inside each column. 4 rods are tied, the release from the post is 10-15 cm, so that you can then safely weld the harness.

The concrete was ordered ready-made, grade M250. Formwork was placed along the perimeter between the pillars and a boot was immediately poured, which will close the gap between the bathhouse floor and the ground.

A week later, the concrete had gained enough strength and work continued. A frame was welded from a 70*70 mm corner with a wall thickness of 6 mm (the corner was on the farm). To connect the pillars and metal, we weld the fittings to the corner shelves.

It must be said right away that this foundation is redundant in terms of bearing capacity. It is possible to build a two-story heavy building on it, rather than a light one-story frame. But, since they were doing it “for themselves,” and there was also a clay cliff nearby, it was decided to play it safe.

It was decided to have heated floors in the washing room and rest room - sometimes you just need to wash yourself without steaming, but doing it on a heated floor is much more pleasant.

Therefore, insulation (expanded polystyrene) is laid on the subfloor, waterproofing and reinforcing mesh are placed on top, pipes are attached to it, and the whole thing is filled with concrete. Naturally, the heated floor was not poured under the stove.

Another week later, when the concrete had gained enough strength (they did not cover it, but watered it regularly), work began on constructing the frame. For the racks we used timber 150*150 mm, spacers - board 50*150 mm (again a significant margin of strength, but this was out of a desire to build a good bathhouse).

The bathhouse was built mainly alone, so a sequential installation method was chosen - the racks are placed first in the corners, then in those places where doors and windows will be installed or adjoining partitions. If as a result there are gaps of more than 1 meter somewhere, additional racks are installed. But in this case, since all the racks were made of very powerful timber, intermediate ones were not installed, and the rigidity of the structure was added by bevels.

Next, so that when laying the floor it would not drip on your head, we began making the roof of the bathhouse. It is made at the most budget level - single-slope, with a minimum rise of 15°. To ensure this slope, the beams for the racks were made in advance of different lengths.

A top trim board is nailed to the posts at one level, and ceiling beams are attached to it. Rafters with the required slope are attached to the same racks. A continuous sheathing is placed on top under the roofing material.

The rafter system of a pitched roof is very easy to manufacture

After the roof was ready, the walls were sheathed with OSB, and then the floor was laid on the remaining part of the bathhouse.

The next stage is laying the stove. This is a long process - it took a whole month. The stove is folded with a closed heater. In the chimney formation area there is a built-in cast iron box into which stones are placed. There is a door leading into the heater, which opens into the steam room.

The stove also has a built-in register that heats water for the heated floor (outlets on the side of the stove). It is not always necessary to heat the floor, therefore there are two operating modes - summer without floor heating, and winter, with “turning on” the heating of the register. Transfer from one mode to another using a valve.

Next comes the finishing work, and it will be different in different cases. The only thing that will be more or less common is insulation. Mineral wool was used to insulate the walls and ceiling. The thickness of the layer on the walls in “cold rooms” is 100 mm, in the steam room and on the ceiling – 150 mm. The steam room is lined with foil on kraft paper on top of the insulation.

After the insulation, a vapor barrier is attached. In the rest room, the walls are covered with OSB, with cork glued on top. In the shower room, tiles are glued to OSB, the “dry” part is covered with clapboard (horizontally).

Washing area - dry area and shower

The steam room is filled first with lathing for clapboard cladding, then with wide clapboard. The steam room turned out to be quite small, and the stove also takes up a lot of space. Two can be accommodated comfortably, three are more difficult, but also quite comfortable. To regulate the number of seats in the steam room, the shelves were made retractable.

The entire construction process took two years, the work was carried out mainly “in one hand.” The assistants were present only at the stage of pouring the foundation, and then at the stage of installing the frame - to set up the racks (they must stand 100% vertically).

Video example of building a bathhouse from monolithic wood concrete

Inexpensive 3*6 sauna with your own hands - step by step photos

The log for the future bathhouse was prepared and sanded in advance, covered from the rains and dried for about 5 months. The structure will consist of two halves: the steam room and sink are made of logs, and the relaxation room is built on a wooden frame. It turns out two rooms 3*3 m. Construction began with markings: 6*3 in plan.

The soil is sandy, so we make it shallow. We dig a trench 60 cm deep and place the formwork. The width of the tape was taken with a good margin - 35 cm.

We make doors from a frame, on which OSB is stuffed on one side and lining on the other. About how to do

We leave it to winter in this form - the log house should “sit down”. In the spring, we insulate the frame part of the building and cover the insulation with a vapor barrier membrane.

Let's start finishing the ceiling. It was decided to do a budget ceiling lining - put short boards between the rafters. They can be bought quite inexpensively. We process it and cut it to the required length. We fill the rafters with support bars, to which we attach boards cut to size from below.

The outside of the Yuan was covered with siding - both the frame part and the frame. It turned out far from perfect. And there is a ventilation gap between the siding and the wall, so there are no problems with moisture removal.

Do-it-yourself budget sauna - another inexpensive solution - siding

We started covering the interior. We fill the sheathing and the lining on it.

The inside of the rest room was lined with clapboard

Let's move on to finishing the steam room. First we covered everything with foil. The room itself will consist of a steam room area, separated by a glass door, and a “washing” area. In the washing room we will line the wall with moisture-resistant plasterboard, onto which we will then glue tiles, and in the steam room with clapboard.

We cover the steam room area with clapboard and

We cut an opening in the wall for installing the stove. She will drown herself from the rest room, and her “body” will be in the steam room. We lay a brick base under the stove and install it. We line the fuel outlet with fireclay bricks.

We tile the sink.

That’s it for the main work, all that’s left are the decor and all sorts of things - buckets, ladles, thermometers and the rest of the “stuffing.”

The bathhouse in Rus' has always been a guarantee of cleanliness, health, excellent immunity, as well as a place for short leisure. They came out of it renewed, full of strength and peaceful joy. A country estate will never be complete without a bathhouse; building one is the dream of every summer resident. But how to do this inexpensively and efficiently? Is it possible to build a bathhouse with your own hands? We offer the reader photos and videos of such construction, as well as an overview of the best materials and some useful tips.

Building a bathhouse: where to start

A bathhouse takes a long time to build, and lasts even longer, so already at the planning stage it is necessary to outline a list of materials from which it will be built: changing something during construction will be too expensive. We need to think about what will be created from:

foundation;
walls;
rafters and roofing;
external and internal finishing.

Having established the size of the future building, you can calculate the amount of materials, adding 10-15% for scraps and other similar waste.

Foundation materials

Since its invention in ancient times, the foundation has rightly been called the foundation of a building. A fifth of the funds allocated for construction will be invested in it, and the longevity of the bathhouse will depend on it. The choice of foundation type depends on two factors: soil characteristics (ratio of sand and clay, depth of freezing and groundwater) and the selected material for the walls.

Strip foundation for a bath

A columnar foundation is chosen for light construction or foam concrete on dense loam. It is built quickly and relatively cheap. Pillars can be made from the following materials.

Brick. Solid burnt red - only this type of brick can be laid as a foundation. It will have to spend decades in the ground, so it requires low moisture permeability and the ability to withstand periodic freezing and thawing. To protect against water and heaving of the soil, a sand cushion and roofing felt are placed under it.

Attention! The construction of a bathhouse on a brick foundation must be completed before the onset of winter.

Asbestos cement pipes. They are cut into pieces of the required length, which is determined by the depth of soil freezing, and after installation they are filled with concrete mortar. It is convenient to place a reinforcement cage in the pipe, which will later be used to construct the piping.
Reinforced concrete or expanded clay concrete blocks. They are manufactured by vibration pressing specifically for private construction.
Metal screw piles. Having a tip in the form of several blades, such a pile is simply screwed into the ground, leaving it dense. Piles are suitable for heavy buildings.

Advice. If the soil is complex and requires deep laying of pillars, the bathhouse will stand more firmly on asbestos-cement pipes.

A strip foundation is chosen when there is a high rise in groundwater, heaving, deeply frozen soils and an impressive mass of the building. It is more reliable, but much more expensive. It is constructed from red brick, reinforced concrete blocks, large river stones, and concrete screed.

What to build warm, neat walls from

The time-honored material for the Russian bath is rounded logs. Warm, reliable, solid. If you promptly treat the lower crowns with an antiseptic and monitor the condition of the gaps between the logs, such a construction will survive your grandchildren. However, there are other materials for bath walls.

Sauna made of rounded logs

Profiled timber. It turns out elegant, but using timber is associated with some problems. It can “lead” under the influence of rain, it can crack.
Brick. Like wood, brick does not require external finishing, but has higher thermal conductivity, so special attention will have to be paid to the insulation of such walls.
Foam blocks. The most affordable and lightweight material. A bathhouse made of foam blocks is erected in record time, but cannot boast of external aesthetics and will force you to fork out for finishing. For lathing under the insulation, you will need a frame made of a plasterboard profile.

Insulation and waterproofing

While the walls are growing, it's time to think about insulation. It will have to perform its function in difficult conditions of high temperatures and humidity, therefore such common materials as polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam and extruded polystyrene are absolutely unsuitable, since when heated they will begin to release very harmful substances into the air.

Basalt wool has proven itself to be an excellent insulator for the inner surface of walls and ceilings. It is non-flammable, durable, retains heat excellently, is resistant to deformation and absorbs sounds. Its more budget-friendly analogue is mineral wool. Expanded clay is universal for flooring: it is resistant to animal teeth, therefore, it will protect other floor materials from mice and rats.

Construction of a frame bath

At least 10 cm of insulation is placed on brick or concrete walls. The ceiling - the main route of heat loss in the steam room - is insulated with a layer of up to 15 and even 20 cm. It is not necessary to insulate wooden walls if their thickness is at least 20 cm.

Lovers of antiquity and naturalness, whose baths are wooden log houses, caulk the seams with moss and tow. It’s beautiful and environmentally friendly, but it requires a lot of painstaking work. In addition, sooner or later the birds will take the tow for nests, and insects will appear in the damp moss.

If the walls of the bathhouse are systematically saturated with moisture, this will ultimately lead to their destruction or at least the growth of mold. Therefore, a water vapor barrier with foil is required, for example foil-clad polypropylene foam. On wooden walls it can also serve as the main insulation.

Interior decoration of the bath

The bathhouse is created for comfort, so the material for its interior decoration is chosen such that:

pleasing to the eye;
does not heat up;
does not emit toxic substances;
does not change its properties over time.

Interior decoration of the bathhouse with clapboard

Linden or aspen best meets these requirements. More expensive options are larch, cedar, abashi wood. Pine is not suitable for steam rooms because it emits a lot of resin.

Advice. The best lining for finishing a bath is linden. When heated, it will emit a delicious aroma, and years later it will remain just as bright and elegant.

The floor in the dressing room can be laid with boards; in the steam room, tiles would be more appropriate as a more durable covering. To eliminate the possibility of injury (the tiles are still slippery), mats or wooden boards can be laid on top of them.

How to cover a bath

For the rafter system and sheathing you will need durable, high-quality wood. You can choose any roofing material: slate, roofing felt, ondulin, corrugated sheets, metal tiles. Slate will be the cheapest, but will last no more than 10 years. Expensive metal tiles fully justify the price: their service life is estimated at 50-60 years. Usually the bathhouse is covered with the same material as other buildings on the estate.

The estimate for materials will probably seem impressive, but it is better to immediately build more expensively and of better quality than to later reproach yourself for being stingy and have to renovate a new building every year.