It turns out that sometimes in order to enjoy high-quality steam, you don’t even need a sauna at all. And this is not a joke at all: a do-it-yourself sauna on the balcony is great option non-standard use of an ordinary, in general, room. Of course, in order to bring such a project to life, photos alone are not enough - you will need to take into account many nuances, and we will talk about all of them today in our material.
Conditions for alteration
- sufficient supply of square meters;
- permission from the relevant housing authorities;
- adjoining to the wall;
- strengthening the supporting structure.
We strengthen the balcony
If you really want to make a sauna, then you can’t do without strengthening the entire balcony. This is a necessity, which is due to the fact that an incomparably greater load will fall on the loggia. And if the house is one of those that has not been renovated for a long time, then serious consequences are quite possible. That is why, first carry out all the work to strengthen the balcony: place the necessary supports under the structure and secure them for support.
Insulation
A sauna, like a bathhouse, is good when it actually accumulates heat and does not lose it due to poor sealing. Therefore, it is necessary to completely eliminate all possible heat loss from the stove:
- seal all cracks;
- insulate with mineral wool or polystyrene foam boards from the outside (it is possible inside, but a lot of usable space will be lost.
This way you will level out heat loss and create a good foundation for achieving excellent steam in your future sauna.
Interior decoration
- we fill the ceiling with wooden beams and fill the empty space with mineral wool;
- cover with foil and fill with slats;
- carry out electrical cable onto the balcony, hide in in the right place and begin to hammer the walls with wooden beams in approximately 0.5 meter increments;
- We also cover the empty spaces with mineral wool and foil - and install the slats in the same way as we did on the ceiling;
- we lay boards on the floor at intervals of 0.3 meters, fill the voids inside with mineral wool and cover the floor with a vapor barrier film on top;
- Next, we carry out the final design of the floor - we use ordinary boards.
Important nuance: the floor must be made with some slope - this will allow condensate merge into the street without getting onto the balconies of other residents.
Putting on the stove
The simplest and convenient way arranging a sauna on the balcony is an integration electric oven. They are also called electric heaters. They have it built in infrared burner, which very well accumulates heat and distributes it to the surrounding space. For a self-made sauna on a small balcony - that’s it!
Please note - this stone is widely used in baths and receives many flattering reviews for its beneficial features. Supposedly it gives more strength and literally recharges a person. Whether this is true or not, only real experience will show. But it's worth a try!
It seems important correct connection oven to wiring. This does not require any special knowledge: As a rule, electric furnaces have a pair of inlet holes on the back for connecting to a common system.
We arrange ventilation
Often, for such an impromptu sauna, a small square opening of approximately 0.3 meters is enough. Don't forget about stub: it is made from wooden plank with a fragment of polystyrene foam glued to it.
What about money?
Average self-construction a sauna on the balcony with all the finishing will cost you from 50 to 150 thousand rubles, and this does not take into account the cost of the furnace. As a rule, their cost varies greatly depending on the manufacturer. Therefore, it is best to determine your financial capabilities in advance, so that you do not have to find the necessary funds later.
Examples of finished saunas
A small selection of saunas, made with your own hands and placed on typical small balconies our high-rise buildings. As you can see, you can achieve a very decent result even with a minimum of money spent. When implementing them, it will not be superfluous to inquire about the existing ones: after all, the created bath module will belong to the class of fire hazardous objects.
Conclusion
Making a sauna on an ordinary balcony is not as easy as it might seem from the proposed photos and videos. But it’s not so difficult that you abandon this idea at the stage of preliminary comprehension. Main question, which will stand before every person who starts construction with their own hands - this is to ensure 100% safety for both themselves and their neighbors. The issue of permission from the relevant authorities should not be discounted either. As a result, if everything works out, you will be able to enjoy first-class steam at any time of the day. Even in winter. On a day off. Why not an incentive for experimentation?
Photo: vk.com, myhome.ru, tutknow.ru, forumhouse.ru.
It's good if you have country cottage area and a bathhouse on it. But what if you live in an apartment? After all, you really want to relax and gain strength after a hard day at work. own sauna. There is a solution - to equip it on a balcony or loggia.
If you are the owner large balcony, then you can equip a bathhouse right here, of course, observing all the requirements of the law when carrying out redevelopment. In your own sauna, you will always be calm and confident that hygiene is maintained and the room is clean, and you won’t have to waste time traveling and paying for this expensive pleasure in other establishments.
Of course, you can buy a ready-made mini sauna, but you will have to spend a lot of money on this. It’s easier to equip a mini steam room on the balcony with your own hands. Typically, the dimensions of a compact sauna reach 80 cm in width and 2 m in height. If you have construction skills and a desire to make a steam room with your own hands, use detailed instructions on the Internet and with improvised means, or hire for professional consultation competent master.
Differences between Russian steam room and Finnish sauna
Before erecting a structure on the balcony, decide what kind of structure it will be. For example, if internal organization While the Russian steam room and the Finnish sauna are almost identical, the heating and heating systems are completely different. In a Russian bath, these are classic firewood and stones, onto which water is supplied, resulting in wet steam. And, of course, you must have a broom with which to cleanse the body. But more modern Finnish saunas are usually equipped with an electric stove and produce dry steam.
Of course, simpler and practical option is a dry steam room when you don't need to borrow extra bed under firewood and clean the ash in the stove and on the floor, and stones heated by an electric fireplace will increase the temperature in the room in just a few minutes. But the Russian steam room has its own “soul”, and who doesn’t want to steam with a fragrant broom. The choice of sauna type is up to you.
Advantages and benefits of a compact steam room
The idea of a sauna on the balcony is ideal and quite easy to implement. Reviews about such a sauna are mostly positive, and the design of a steam room on a balcony has plenty of advantages and disadvantages:
- minimal financial costs;
- the effect of a real sauna;
- small sizes;
- no firewood required;
- rapid heating of the room;
- personal hygiene and safety (your own steam room will protect you from diseases that can be transmitted in public places);
- convenience (no need to go out at home, you can steam at any time of the day or night).
How to build your own mini sauna on the balcony
Since it is very problematic and expensive to arrange the supply and removal of water from the balcony, it is worth limiting yourself to steam procedures in a mini sauna, and continuing water procedures in the bath or shower. Before the beginning construction work It is advisable to strengthen the balcony structure with supports, and then take care of insulating the room from the inside and outside. It is better for the sauna to be adjacent to the walls of the building, and not to have at least one side facing the street. After all, if the heat loss is too high, then the room will not be able to warm up to the required temperatures.
The walls of the steam room are made “solid”, and double-glazed windows are installed in the “anteroom” (the glazed part of the balcony). Don't forget to provide space for ventilation. Be sure to equip the steam room with a “plug” type ventilation hole. After each bath procedure, ventilate the room well to get rid of excess moisture, or do this during the washing process if there is a need to reduce the temperature in the steam room.
Necessary materials
To install the sauna you need at least 2 people and the following building materials:
- insulation (mineral wool around the perimeter of the entire room);
- beams along the height of the balcony;
- waterproofing membrane;
- asbestos cardboard;
- folgisol;
- cable;
- lining;
- pipe;
- Styrofoam;
- boards;
- metal sleeve;
- auxiliary tools.
Insulation of the sauna
Along with reliable plastic windows which will help to maintain the temperature in the dressing room as best as possible, you will need additional insulation and insulation of the steam room. For insulating the ceiling of a room, this is suitable thermal insulation material like mineral wool. It is durable and absolutely safe to use. The beams are fixed on the ceiling approximately 35 cm apart and mineral wool is placed in the space between them, and then foil insulation is fixed.
Before treating the walls, you need to install the wiring from the electric meter to the sauna. It is worth using a special heat-resistant cable. To save space on the balcony, the outside should be insulated with foam plastic. Inside, 50x50 mm bars are placed vertically at a distance of about half a meter. The space between them is filled with mineral wool for insulation. Then the walls are covered with foil insulation, onto which slats are subsequently nailed. This structure is finally sheathed with clapboard or other wood material. Perfect for finishing boards with shrinkage less than 10%.
Before insulating the floor, keep in mind that the floor structure itself must be installed with an inclination towards the street so that condensation and moisture do not accumulate inside the room and create problems for you and your neighbors. Logs are placed on the floor 30 cm apart and filled with mineral wool. The floor is first covered with waterproofing and then with boards. And in the steam room, the floor is made at least 10 cm higher than in the rest of the room to ensure additional outflow of liquid.
Installation of heating elements
The main heating element in a sauna steam room is an electric heater or a factory stove. If you choose an electric fireplace, the room will be heated by an infrared burner. A container for stones on top not only helps to quickly warm up the room, but also releases steam. By the way, the total weight of the stones should not exceed 15 kg - this is quite enough to warm up the steam room. The stove is connected through its own RCD on a 25A machine to a separate outlet.
Choose heating elements that are adapted to the sauna conditions and are protected from condensation. On such stoves, the terminals are usually located at the back and are protected from moisture. In addition, it is desirable for the stove to have a fireproof grate and a special tray for water. For safety reasons, the surfaces around the heater should be finished with asbestos cardboard, which has high heat resistance.
Lighting
When installing a steam room Special attention pay attention to where it goes electrical wiring. From distribution panel It is worth laying a cable with a safety circuit breaker. But sockets and distributors inside the sauna should be abandoned for safety reasons. For lighting in the steam room, closed spotlights are used, for example, IP54 class devices with protection from water.
Read the instructions for the lamp - the operating temperature must be specified at least 120 C. To prevent the light from shining into the eyes and disturbing the person sitting, mount the lamps in the corner on the back wall. In stores you can find all kinds of wooden lampshades - they will fit perfectly into the design of the sauna room.
Finishing work inside the sauna
The best material for finishing the steam room is larch, linden, poplar or aspen. It is best to avoid using excessively resinous wood, as resin can be released from the wood at particularly high temperatures and create an overly strong odor.
Depending on what type of sauna you choose (corner or wall-mounted), it is important to rationally plan the location of the seats and stove. A compact steam room on a balcony is usually designed for 2 people, and the shelves will be small - the width of the balcony. To build 2 tiers, the beams are attached to the floor and to each other, and then seating areas are created with minimum distance between them – 50 cm.
After fixing, all surfaces are sanded and coated with a solution to prevent swelling from moisture and drying from excessively high temperatures. Steam room doors can be made of wood or heat-resistant glass. To save space, doors must open outward. And you should not use a lock on the door, because if a person becomes ill in the sauna, access to it should be open. And one more important nuance: Be sure to cover all screws in the steam room with wood caps. This will help you avoid possible burns from hot metal.
It is quite possible to set up a sauna in a city apartment, but this will require serious engineering and construction measures, and will also reduce the already modest living space. At the same time, nothing prevents you from placing the sauna on the balcony. But before starting work, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with all the nuances of arranging such structures.
Features of a sauna on the balcony
First of all, you need to pay attention to the materials from which you plan to make the sauna. They must meet the following requirements:
- Fire safety. This applies to materials for those structural elements that will be in direct contact with the furnace. They should not only not support combustion, but also not emit toxic substances when the sauna is heated to high temperatures.
- Small mass. The sauna box should not be very heavy. Otherwise, you can overload the balcony.
That's why optimal material dried boards made of linden, aspen or coniferous species. Before use, they should be thoroughly sanded and treated with an antiseptic composition. The walls around the stove can be finished with sheet non-combustible materials: glass-magnesite boards or calcium silicate sheets.
The sauna on the balcony will need to be carefully waterproofed and insulated with moisture-resistant insulation.
Where to start arranging a bathhouse
Preparing the balcony is the first thing you have to do before installation work. It consists of the following:
- Complete glazing is installed. This will not only save the wooden sauna from exposure to precipitation, but will also significantly insulate the entire balcony. Some glazing elements need to be made opening for better ventilation.
- Carefully waterproof floors. Before laying sheets of waterproofing materials, the subfloor of the balcony should be leveled and treated with penetrating waterproofing.
- They are connecting the power supply to the balcony. From inside the apartment, the input is equipped with a packet switch, and the cable itself is laid through the wall inside metal pipe.
Video:
Then the location of the sauna cabin is determined. It needs to be positioned Near main wall, where heat loss is minimal.
Design of a sauna on the balcony (interior photo)
Balcony insulation for sauna
Walls
As insulation for walls, you can use the same foamed polystyrene, foam glass, penofol or mats from mineral wool. more convenient and practical, since the cotton wool is easy to cut according to the right sizes and after laying, it does not require sealing the seams between adjacent mats.
To attach the insulation to the walls, create a frame from wooden beam small section or metal profile. The distance between the slats is 40-50 cm.
Pieces of insulation cut to size are placed into the cells of the frame. They can be left unsecured, because... elastic cotton mats will be held in place due to their own expansion, and will be protected from falling out of the cells of the sheathing external finishing. If you need to lay mats of a large area, they are secured with special fastening nails.
1 - insulation; 2 - diffusion film; 3 - lining
A layer of vapor barrier is applied on top of the insulation. This will not allow moisture to penetrate inside the insulation and condense there, which reduces the quality of insulation and creates a danger for the walls of the balcony.
Instead of stone wool walls can be insulated with foamed polyethylene. This roll material with thermal conductivity equal to cotton wool, it has a smaller thickness. A layer of aluminum foil is applied to one side of the material. It acts as a vapor barrier and reflects heat back into the balcony room.
Place penofol with aluminum foil inside the balcony. Fasten wooden slats, nailed from the outside.
After laying the insulation, the walls are sheathed wooden clapboard or PVC panels.
Ceiling
The insulation of the balcony ceiling is carried out in the same way as the walls.
However, in the case when the neighbors above have a well-insulated balcony, then it is possible to lay insulation of a smaller thickness. Otherwise the technology will be the same:
Arranging a sauna on the balcony
Ventilation
For safe operation saunas must be equipped with supply and exhaust ventilation read how to do this. For air flow at the bottom of the door or wall facing the balcony, it is necessary to make a rectangular or round hole with a diameter of about 10 cm. To improve aesthetics, it can be covered on both sides with decorative ventilation grilles suitable sizes.
An exhaust unit is installed under the sauna ceiling. This can be either a regular hole with a valve to regulate air exchange, or an exhaust fan.
Wiring
To warm up the sauna on the balcony, a heating element with a power of about 4500 W is suitable. For its safe operation, you will need a separate line with an RCD and a 25 A circuit breaker.
Lighting and ventilation will also be necessary. You can use only those lamps and fans that are designed to operate at temperatures up to 120 degrees and have a protection class of IP54.
Switches for them should be placed outside the steam room. To lay the cable through the walls, a metal hose or a piece of metal pipe must be used. This will protect the cable from being pinched, which could lead to short circuit and fire.
Frame
It is most convenient to mount a frame for a sauna from a wooden beam with a cross-section of 60-100 mm for vertical racks and a cross section of 40-50 mm - for horizontal crossbars.
The inside of the frame is lined with aluminum foil along the sheathing.
The frame elements are fastened together with metal corners. Depending on the type of corners, they are attached either to the outside of the beams being connected, or inside the corner they form.
The outside of the frame is covered with sanded boards or wooden clapboard. The sheathing elements are hung as closely as possible to each other.
Aluminum foil will reflect heat and at the same time act as a vapor barrier, preventing the walls and ceiling from getting wet.
In the front part there is a door that opens outwards. The inner handle must be made of a heat-resistant material.
Bake
For a sauna on a balcony, the most efficient and safest option is a stove with a heating element. A power of 4000-4500 W will be quite enough.The heater is installed on an electrically insulated stand placed inside a chamber composed of several refractory bricks or foam blocks.
The upper part of the chamber is open. A basket welded from metal corner or large diameter fittings.
Stones are placed inside the basket:
Jade 
Placing a sauna on a balcony imposes the following requirements on its design:
- the sauna must be provided reliable waterproofing, completely eliminating water leakage onto the balcony on the floor below or onto the street;
- electrical appliances are connected via a secure separate line and controlled from outside the sauna room;
- the quality of thermal insulation must ensure the ability to retain heat for at least an hour after turning off the stove;
- the ventilation system must ensure unobstructed air exchange;
- Control devices (thermometer, hygrometer, clock) should be placed inside the sauna room.
The sauna should be as light as possible so as not to create unnecessary stress on structural elements balcony
A self-assembled sauna on the balcony will help to significantly expand the opportunities for relaxation, recuperation and hygiene procedures. To construct it, it is enough to use the most common materials, but the design must be as thoughtful as possible to ensure safety.
Video
Having your own sauna seems like an impossible dream for many people. Fans of dry steam can use the empty space of the balcony to arrange the complex. To get a personal steam room, you need to purchase a ready-made mini-sauna or build it yourself. If you strictly follow the instructions and take into account all the nuances, you will get a full-fledged steam room with dry steam.
Disadvantages and advantages
A sauna on a loggia can replace visiting health centers. It puts less stress on the heart than in a classic bath; It can be used even by elderly people and children. It's comfortable to be there, and the warmth has a relaxing and calming effect. The advantage of installing a sauna on the balcony is that the living space expands due to previously unused areas. Another advantage will be the absence of the need to install a chimney and a powerful stove.
The disadvantages include its small size (accommodates no more than 1–3 people). In addition, its installation is not permitted in all buildings, but only in those that have category 1, i.e. brick or monolithic apartment buildings with reinforced concrete floors.
Preparing the balcony before construction
When starting to make a sauna on the balcony with your own hands, all work on its arrangement must be carefully planned. The area for the future building should be well prepared. It is important not to separate the sauna and the balcony. They will both need special attention.
There should be a balcony
- glazed;
- insulated;
- waterproofed.
This will prevent moisture from wetting the ceiling of the residents below and the floor of the neighbors above. When arranging it, you must remember that the sauna must be adjacent to the main wall of the house in order to reduce heat transfer. To provide fire safety and the desired level of comfort, the dimensions of the sauna must correspond certain sizes: 0.8 m wide and 2.1 m high: it’s impossible to turn around in a narrow steam room, and it will be very hot in a low one.
For finishing walls and ceilings, wood is traditionally used, which must be well dried and treated with antiseptic protective compounds and have a humidity of no more than 10% (otherwise the boards will begin to dry out).
This natural material easily withstands high temperatures. It is recommended to use boards made of poplar, aspen or linden. Coniferous wood (such as cedar, pine, spruce) when heated to 100–120 degrees emits a persistent odor of rosin, which affects the mucous membranes and respiratory tract. Contact with hot resin on the skin can cause severe burns. In addition, at high temperatures it can ignite spontaneously.
Stages of sauna construction
Due to the possibility of overloading the coatings, it is prohibited to use brick and concrete on the balcony when building a mini-sauna complex.
The installation of a steam room begins with setting up the frame
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Your actions |
Important Features |
| The frame is made of timber with a section of 60x60 and a pitch of 40–50 cm. | A vapor barrier is placed between the beams. |
| The next item is laying mineral wool insulation. | The use of polystyrene foam and polyethylene in the construction of a mini-steam room is strictly prohibited, since at high temperatures they will begin to melt and release toxic fumes. |
| Afterwards, aluminum foil is attached with a construction stapler. | The foil is attached with a reflective surface inside the room. The thicker the insulation layer, the faster the sauna will warm up. |
| Due to the fact that hot air always tends upward, the insulation on the ceiling is laid in a double layer to prevent heat leakage. | The joints are hermetically sealed with metallized tape. |
| The entire structure is covered with clapboard. | Do this carefully so as not to damage the foil. |
Construction of a sauna on the balcony
The walls on the balconies of houses are usually crooked, and therefore the outside frame is sheathed with 4 mm plywood. The door in the sauna is installed so that it opens outward: then it will be possible to leave the room without problems in case of feeling unwell. To avoid injuries and burns on the body, screws and self-tapping screws must be buried in the wood or their heads must be hidden with wooden plugs.
The floor in the sauna is made 10–20 cm higher than the level of the balcony concrete base. To prevent moisture from stagnating and flowing freely over the surface, it is installed at an angle towards the entrance. The flooring process occurs in several stages. First, lay out a moisture-proof layer. At a height of 6–8 cm, logs are installed from timber with a cross section of 25–40 mm and in increments of 40–50 cm. Insulation is laid between them, which is covered with another layer of waterproofing. Next, the floorboards are installed. Since metal fasteners get very hot and can burn your feet, they are attached closer to the walls.
Now you need to equip the sauna with a shelf. It is placed on separate supports so that it can support several people. Work on its construction consists of the following stages.
- Fixing beams with a cross section of 80 mm to the floor.
- Fastening boards with rounded edges, 4-6 cm thick, onto them (installed with a gap of 0.5–1 cm to ensure free air circulation).
- Treating the shelf with wood oil.
If the room allows, you can install an upper shelf with a ladder. In this case, the lower boards are placed at a distance of 60–80 cm from the floor, the upper ones at 150 cm.
What communications need to be made
The choice of electrical wiring in a sauna should be approached very responsibly, as it is a source of increased danger. It is advisable to equip it protective system shutdowns. Experts recommend purchasing electrical wiring for the sauna with a permissible insulation temperature of 170 degrees.
To calculate required power heating devices, you should take into account: to warm up the sauna in 1–2 hours, you will need approximately 1000 W per square meter. Thus, with a steam room size of 3 square meters you need about 3000 watts of electricity. Consequently, in order to provide such power, it will be necessary to run a separate branch of heat-resistant and moisture-resistant cable from the meter that can withstand such a temperature regime.
Only waterproof lamps are allowed to be installed inside the sauna itself. The seal between the base and the lampshade is made of heat-resistant silicone, and not rubber (it is exposed to high temperature may crumble). The luminaire's degree of protection is IP54. Sockets and a switch are placed outside the sauna.
It is very important to pay attention to ventilation. It is difficult to be in a sauna without it due to large quantity carbon dioxide and stagnant, humid air. In the absence of ventilation, favorable conditions for the occurrence of mold and mildew.
It is advisable to make the air intake at the bottom of the box so that the fresh flow, passing through the stove, heats up and exits into the ventilation hole at the top of the sauna. An opening measuring 30x30 cm in the wall should be equipped with a dense plug: it is better to use a board that is 5–7 mm larger. A piece of foam plastic is attached to it, cut so that it fits tightly into the ventilation hole. Polystyrene foam can be wrapped in felt, which will increase its service life. WITH inside design, it is necessary to install a handle to make it convenient to use the plug.
What type of oven is needed?
After completing all finishing works place the stove. Experts recommend installing electric heaters that are designed specifically for mini-saunas. They are affordable, safe and made with small spaces in mind. Buy it at a specialty store. Homemade heating items will cost a little less, but guarantee their uninterrupted and safe work no one can.
Where the electric furnace is installed, the walls and floor must be lined with heat-resistant material, for example, asbestos cardboard. Usually the heater is placed near the door to make it convenient to arrange the shelves. It is necessary to remember: you cannot use an electric oven without placing stones in it. This may cause a fire. The stones are laid so that convection occurs, that is, the heat exchange between the stove and the air in the sauna is accelerated (achieved using gaps between the stones and good traction).
The innovation is infrared heaters. The main difference between such a sauna and a classic steam room is the heating method. In an ordinary steam room, heat is transferred in the following sequence: fire (or heating element) – stones – air – object (person). IN infrared sauna heat is transferred by radiation from the heater exactly as Sun rays increase the temperature of objects in their path. Therefore, an infrared oven is also called an “artificial” sun.
After all work is completed, a clock and thermometer are installed in the steam room.
Is registration required for the sauna?
Some residents consider the balcony to be part of privatized apartment, and someone - a component of the facade and, therefore, the property of the house. So who owns the balcony or loggia? Let's figure this out by drawing an analogy with apartment ownership.
The load-bearing wall of the owner of the living space is also the wall of his neighbor’s apartment, and your ceiling simultaneously becomes the floor of the room located on the floor above. Then what does the person who has the document “Certificate of Ownership of an Apartment” own? And he has a space that is located between load-bearing walls and floor slabs, simultaneously with the finishing of his living space: wallpaper, linoleum, suspended ceiling and etc.
Now, using the same chain, we will find the owner of the loggia. Balcony slab by law is common to all owners apartment building. But that doesn't mean that inner space there will also be a balcony with finishing elements common property. The concept of “balcony” is just a place that is located on the slab. Consequently, the installed sauna, as well as the glazing of the balcony, will not be the common property of all apartment owners in the building. These transformations belong only to the owner of the area, who will be held responsible in case of damage to anyone.
By building a sauna on your balcony or loggia according to your design, you will receive great opportunity relax and unwind after a working day. The main thing is that you need to adhere to a certain plan when setting up a sauna, while observing safety measures, and it will become a place of pleasant and useful time.
Living at home, we want to make it as comfortable as possible for us. Home is the place we return to after a difficult time. working day, and for us it is a place where we can finally relax and feel calm and comfortable. And if just a relaxing bath doesn’t help you, then a sauna on the balcony will. perfect solution. It won’t be easy to build this convenience, but how nice it will be to come and warm your blood after hard everyday life. You can choose the time convenient for you and not worry about cleanliness.
Where to begin?
First of all, you must determine for yourself whether you will build the sauna yourself or buy it from a manufacturer. Both of these options each have their own advantages, so the decision here is entirely up to you. If you decide, at your own peril and risk, to make a sauna yourself, then at the very beginning you need to check the materials. They must be fireproof, especially those that will come into contact with the stove. They should also not release toxic substances when the sauna heats up.
You also need to take heaviness into account. The sauna box should not be too heavy, otherwise the balcony may not support the entire weight.
Ideally, metal supports should be added under the balcony to support its weight.
And also, before starting work, it is worth expanding the balcony a little to create more space. This doesn't require much work. It is necessary to make the walls completely blank, not to forget about good glazing, which will increase the level of thermal insulation, and install high-quality double-glazed windows.
More on initial stage You must immediately determine where the ventilation hole will be located.
You can build a sauna on a loggia in the shortest possible time if you follow all the recommendations of experts and take into account the law. Finnish sauna has the most positive reviews.
Insulation
The balcony must be insulated with mineral wool. If you insulate it from the inside, then there will be almost no space left for the sauna itself, and it will be too small for the permitted standards. Therefore, it is better to upholster it from the outside. To do this, you will need foam plastic boards that will not allow the cold inside, since they themselves have thermal insulating properties.
After the thermal insulation from the outside is ready, you can begin work inside the sauna, located on the balcony.
Interior arrangement
After insulating the balcony itself, we begin finishing the inside floor covering. We do it around the perimeter of the balcony. In the steam room itself, it should be made 10-20 centimeters higher so that the cabin is always dry.
The arrangement of the sauna must occur in the correct sequence:
- The first thing you need to do is lay waterproofing material. Next, logs from beams are installed. About 5-8 centimeters in height in increments of 40-50 centimeters.
- Then insulation is laid between them and another waterproofing layer is laid.
- After this, the floorboards are nailed to the walls so as not to get burned while visiting the sauna. Ideal tree, which will be suitable for a sauna - hardwoods with shrinkage of approximately 10%.
- We nail beams with a cross section of 5 cm2 onto the wall. The walls inside the cabin must be lined with plywood so that the insulation is completely adjacent to the inner surface and does not allow heat to pass through.
- A foil vapor barrier is carefully inserted into the openings between the beams. It must be laid with the reflective side facing out.
- The mineral wool should be cut so that it is 4-5 centimeters wider. This will ensure a more secure fit to the walls of the sauna.
- Next, we lay out the insulation in the space between the beams.
- Finally, aluminum foil is nailed onto the heat shield so that the reflective surface is on the inside. The joints are connected with specialized tape using metal. And lining is used as cladding.
Creating a ceiling
To avoid any troubles while using the bathhouse, you need to pay a lot of attention to vapor barrier. This is very important, because when you use the sauna, hot steam rises and settles on the ceiling in the form of water droplets. If you do not pay attention to this point, soon the neighbors from above will begin to come and complain about dampness and mold.
In these works, it is important to do everything step by step:
- First of all, we lay bars 5 centimeters thick. Their step should be around 40 centimeters. The distance between them must be filled with waterproofing material.
Select only quality material from a trusted manufacturer.
- Next, we will equip the insulation: we press it to the ceiling using a wooden plank and nail it in place. In some cases, it can be fixed with a stapler.
- After this, the vapor barrier membrane must be fixed in two layers, and finally the ceiling must be lined with clapboard, which must be of high quality and moisture resistant.
How to lay electrical wiring?
In order for the electrical wiring in the bathhouse to serve for a long time and with high quality, and also to meet all fire safety standards, you need to approach this very responsibly. You must have a cable that has heat-resistant insulation.
It is very important to prepare for this, because this is a very painstaking work in which you cannot make mistakes. Therefore, it is important to follow the sequence of actions:
- First of all, the distribution panel is mounted.
- After this, you need to check the power supply. She in mandatory An RCD (residual current device) must be provided.
- A separate outlet must be made from the distribution panel.
- To connect, you should use a corrugated pipe. This will increase fire safety.
- Next, the wire that is used for the lamp must be placed in a special metal sleeve and placed above the ceiling. These lamps can withstand temperatures of 120 degrees, which is very convenient.
Create a ventilation hole
Ventilation must be carried out from the outside to prevent odors from coming from inside. The sufficient size for a bathhouse ventilation window is 50x50 centimeters. A part is cut out that fits close to the walls. There should be no gaps between them. After this, the handle is glued where it will be convenient to use.
We equip the bath frame
In order to make the sauna convenient, comfortable and, most importantly, safe, you need to correctly determine the size. Perfect option– width starting from 80 centimeters and height from 210 centimeters.
Since constructing a frame is a rather delicate and scrupulous job, you need to do it step by step:
- First, bars 5 centimeters thick are attached vertically and horizontally to the floor. The step should be about 40 centimeters.
- After outer side upholstered with plywood sheets on which a waterproofing film is attached.
- Hydro- and thermal protection is installed inside the cabin. To ensure that the material adheres completely to the walls, the mineral wool is cut wider by several centimeters.
- A vapor barrier membrane is laid on top.
- All joints must be connected using special metal tape.
- Wooden paneling must be installed on both sides of the booth.
- The result is the installation of a door that should open outward for convenience. This will help save the already small space of the sauna. Under no circumstances should you make a lock from the inside.
Let's start installing the oven
The safest and most convenient stove for a sauna on the balcony is a stove with a heating element (tubular electric heater). It has a power of 4000-4500 W, which is quite enough for a small sauna.
The heater itself should be connected to a separate outlet via an RCD. But also do not forget that the stove must match all the parameters of the electrical wiring in the apartment itself, otherwise nothing will work.
It is best to consult a specialist in this matter. After all, the terminal boxes good stoves are located at the back, and thanks to this, moisture cannot get there. Plus, a high-quality stove must have a fireproof steel grate and a water tray, which is also important.
The furnace parts are installed in a certain sequence:
- You need to start with the heater. It must be installed on an electrically insulated stand. It should be placed inside a chamber made of foam blocks or fire-resistant bricks.
- The chamber remains open at the top and a basket is placed on it, which is welded from a metal corner.
- In order to maintain fire safety, the entire surface around the stove should be covered with asbestos cardboard, because it is fire-resistant and heat-resistant.
- Finally, stones for the stove are placed inside the basket: jadeite, quartzite and/or soapstone.
It is important that the weight of the stones does not exceed 15 kilograms, otherwise the room will not warm up well.
