The bathhouse was and remains a pleasure, to which at least sometimes all resort. Even in the fast-moving life of large cities, people make time to go take a steam bath. However, thereās a big difference: taking the subway (on a trolleybus, tram, private limousine) to a public bathhouse and pinpointing the paid time or taking your time, relaxing in your own taste, where it smells the way you like, the people that you like, and you can spend time there at least a day, if only in joy ...
Perhaps that is why anyone who bought (inherited or donated - it doesnāt matter) a land plot, is surely thinking about a bathhouse on its territory.
The nuances of getting your own steam room
This is where the difficulties begin. Firstly, itās far from the fact that you got a plot of sufficient size for another major building. Secondly, a solid, brick building will pull a fairly substantial amount from your budget. Thirdly, itās not a fact that the builders will agree to get stuck in the wilderness for a while, where the place of relaxation is being built (well, if you pay them more, then everything is possible ...). Fourth: what about your garden garden, lovingly cherished and will certainly suffer during the construction? And then it is worth remembering that there is a bath in the form of a barrel. It can be just the perfect way out of many dead ends.
Varieties of "barrel" baths
By the way, many backgammon have been used by such pairs for many centuries. The most commonly mentioned Japanese barrel bath. Reviews about it are mostly positive - if you like a small volume, a constant presence in the water and "bubbles". However, this is not quite a summer cottage option: in bad weather you wonāt use this much, so you will have to build a separate room - and we will again return to the cost and feasibility of capital construction.
The Finnish barrel bathhouse receives the same comments; reviews of her fans are more favorable due to the shops located along the sides, and the canopy, which allows her to use in not very favorable weather conditions. But ... All this is not our choice.
Russian preference
To be extremely precise in the definitions, one cannot call such an option exactly a ābarrel bathā. Reviews about her are at the same time the most enthusiastic. However, it is hardly realistic to find a barrel of such a size that you can comfortably steam inside it. At the same time, the shape of such a steam room really resembles a product of the production of a giant cooper. The door to it is most often made from the end (where a tap for loading wine is built in a normal barrel), but there are also options with a side entrance. Those who used a barrel bath, reviews about both locations leave positive.
Technological advantages: easy mobility
And what explains such popularity? First of all, by moving to another place, it is easy to take the structure with you. There is a possibility - we call a tow truck, no - we disassemble it into its components and pack it in a turned-up truck. The total weight of the whole room is one and a half tons, and this, if it is collected from larch, from other types of wood can be even easier. Such mobility makes the reviews about the barrel-bath especially enthusiastic, because you do not have to rebuild the steam room at a new address.
Another plus: compact
No less enthusiasm is caused by how little space the bath-barrel takes - user reviews say about 8-10 squares. For standard 6 acres itās just a godsend!
We will not mention the savings on the construction, in general, we only recall that such a steam room does not require a foundation, which usually catastrophically eases the wallet. Even leveling the site is not necessary, there are installation options on the transverse bars.
Again - the stove. The package may be different: in your barrel you can put an electric fireplace designed for baths, or you can equip it with an almost classic wood-burning stove. And in that, and in another case, energy savings will be almost a quarter, when compared with a traditional sauna or bath: our steam room, thanks to its design, will heat up in half an hour in the summer.
Than the barrel is cooler than a regular bath
An ordinary steam room is heated for at least two hours. And then, if the building is successful and holds steam well. Whether itās a barrel bath! The reviews (the forum is simply overwhelmed by them) say that itās fantastic - just half an hour to wait for the opportunity to steam up. Of course, if itās cold outside, the warm-up time will be longer, but still less than in the case of a stationary bath.
The absence of corners provides less accumulation of dust and dirt and greater ease of cleaning. And if we take into account that our ābarrelā is smaller in itself, then caring for it is not so long and time-consuming.
Round shapes add a smooth distribution of hot air. In an ordinary bath, he rises and holds on to the ceiling, creating an unbearable temperature at the top and giving almost no heat and steam near the floor. In the ābarrelā, hot air currents circulate along the walls, maintaining a uniform temperature throughout the volume.
Despite the small size, all the necessary conditions for a comfortable stay are present here. If you do not chase compactness and stop at a length of 6 meters, you will even get a bath-barrel with a shower. However, many prefer to construct a separate shower, most often a summer one. In winter, itās quite nice to plunge into a neighboring snowdrift.
An equally pleasant bonus is the wooden base of such a bath. Cedar, larch and spruce are most recommended for its manufacture. All these breeds are quite resistant to tree eaters and moisture, and besides, they undergo additional processing, so your bathhouse will serve you for a very long time.
Where to get such a miracle?
The popularity of the bath barrel in recent years has grown so much that the firms that manufacture them multiply like mushrooms after the rain. Since the cost of a longed-for bath can greatly increase due to distant transportation, it makes sense to look for a manufacturer closer to home. But even without transportation, the bathhouse will cost you at least two hundred thousand rubles. However, if you want to save money, you can order the design without assembly. It is no more difficult to add it from ready-made āspare partsā than a typewriter from a childās designer - unless itās bigger. Moreover, the manufacturer makes a detailed diagram. And in case of a possible move, practice. The main joy in such a "design" that it can be repeated many times - the reliability of the assembled bath does not suffer from collection and analysis.
Prerequisites for long life
If you bought a ready-made bath barrel in the assembly, then all the necessary technical specifications are complied with by the manufacturer. If you purchased it in the form of spare parts, but you definitely collected it according to the scheme, following all the recommendations, then there is nothing to worry about. But if you decide to make yourself a bathhouse from scratch, follow a few tips that will significantly extend the life of your building.
To get started, calculate the slope of the floor. An angle is required so that water can drain, otherwise the floor will sludge early and rot late. To prevent this, provide drainage holes (preferably in the drain pipes, but you can just on the ground with a drainage ditch).
From the inside, the wood of your barrel should be soaked with a special compound that increases fire safety, and from the outside - with natural linseed oil. It prevents excessive moisture and possible subsequent decay of the walls. If you follow these simple rules, you will get an excellent bath-barrel - the reviews of the āSamostroyevtsyā confirm this unequivocally.
Winter swimming
Most people use the cottage (and the bathhouse located on its territory) mainly in the warm seasons. However, if desired, and in the cold, a barrel bath remains quite accessible. In winter, consumer reviews deteriorate in some ways, and become more enthusiastic in something. The drop in enthusiasm, mainly due to the need to warm the steam room for operation in the cold. Usually this is done outside by roll insulation, which, as you know, does not improve the appearance of such an original and self-sufficient structure. On the other hand, the opportunity to take a good dip in the cold, after which it flops into the fresh snow and takes up barbecue with renewed vigor, attracts many. But if you use a barrel bath in the winter, follow a few tips, otherwise by the summer you will be left without a steam room. Neighboring compartments must be heated with open doors between them. Otherwise, some will warm up well, others will remain the same temperature - and the tree will either tear, or warp from contrast. When the steaming process is complete, do not immediately extinguish the oven. Let her work in the background mode for another 3-4 hours. All doors, except the exterior, again, must be open. During this time, the entire room will dry out; as a result, rot and mosses will not get the slightest chance to destroy your wooden bathhouse, there will be no unpleasant smells, the tree will not swell, and by the next time all the equipment will meet you in order and readiness.
Light steam to you with a barrel bath!