In the article you will learn about how to independently build a small bath and what is needed for this. Why should the bath be small? The fact is that most of the summer cottages have a small area. Therefore, placing a full-sized bath there is problematic. However, even with a large plot, it is difficult to allocate land for the construction of the bathhouse. Therefore, many summer residents are thinking about building a small steam room. And the first thing that needs to be done is to make a plan, and then just follow the instructions for all stages of construction.
Choosing an Acceptable Option
To determine the size of the bath, you must take into account the basic rules by which the equipment is installed in it. If you refer to the directories, you will find out that the area of all rooms of the bathhouse should be correlated in a ratio of 2: 1 and 5: 1. The minimum size of the rooms can be calculated, knowing what position the person will be in the twin room (lying or sitting).
In addition, the size of the steam room should be selected based on how many people will soar at the same time. As a rule, two small rooms are enough for the economy-class bath option. One is a dressing room. It can also be used as a relaxation area and locker room. The second room is directly washing and steam room.
Room Dimensions
Please note that for a comfortable stay one person needs at least 1.2 square meters. m. area. Therefore, for two people you need a room of at least 2.5 square meters. m. And this is a steam room, the size of which is 1.5x1.4 m. When planning the construction of the bath, it is necessary to provide in which place the furnace will be installed. It must be placed in such a place so that there is necessarily free space around. Since the oven temperature is high, ignition is possible.
Steam room: dimensions and calculation
When making calculations, you need to take into account the area of the steam room and other rooms. For a steam room in which 4 people will be simultaneously, you need to select the following parameters:
- The minimum width of the room is 1.8 m.
- Shelves should have a length of at least 1.8 m, a width of about 0.6 m.
- The total number of shelves in the steam room is 3 pcs.
- The total width of the shelves is 1.8 m.
- Near the furnace there should be a safe space of about 0.7 m.
The area of the steam room can be calculated by multiplying the number of people by the product of 1.8x2.4. This is 17.28 square meters. m
Washing dimensions
In the event that there is no shower in the sink, then the size of the room should be approximately 1.8x1.8 m. You can increase the size of the walls, but the area of the entire structure will also become larger. If you are planning a shower without a pool, then keep in mind that its size should be larger than that of a steam room, at least twice. For a comfortable stay of two people, the bath should have an area of at least 9.6 square meters. m
Taking into account all the equipment, about 0.9 sq. M. Per visitor is left in a small bathhouse in the country. m. A shower cabin or a tray should be installed at this place. In addition, one or two benches are required. Equipment in the washing room should occupy approximately 2.25 square meters. m. from the entire area. This is based on two people. If you plan to make a bath for four visitors, then you need to leave about 4.25 square meters. m. for the installation of equipment.
Dressing room
It is worth noting that in the small bathhouse it is allowed to use the dressing room as a recreation area and locker room. In the event that you place a locker room, it is recommended to adhere to the rule that there should be about 1.2 square meters per person. m. area. If possible, it is worth increasing the area of the room and equipping a recreation area in it.
Please note that the stove is always located in the dressing room. For this reason, it is necessary to equip a place for firewood in it. Therefore, you have to increase the area of the room by about 30%. The minimum area is 3.44 square meters. m. But if the furnace runs on gas, it will be superfluous.
Which bath option to choose?
You can build a small bathhouse on your own according to any plan, but it all depends on the specific conditions and your preferences. The first thing to do is to determine where the bath will be located:
- Separated from all buildings. In this case, you can generally purchase a finished wooden bath (for example, a barrel). Such buildings are quite prestigious, on sale you can find both small specimens for 1-2 people, and complexes with pools. They can be installed next to natural reservoirs.
- Annex to the house. Such a bath is good in that there is a chance of connecting two parts of the structure - for example, with a terrace. In addition, the cost of heating the bath is reduced.
- Home improvement. This is considered a good option, since you do not need to spend money on connecting communications and installing heating.
Small baths are popular among summer residents (photos are given in the article) for a reason. But which one will be the most suitable for you? It is rather difficult to answer this question, since it is necessary to take into account not only needs, but also material capabilities. If you do not have enough free funds - give up the idea of building a bath separately, try equipping some kind of free room.
Bathhouse
If you have an undeveloped summer cottage, then you have to go to the trick. It is possible that it does not even have basic amenities - a toilet and a sewer. The main thing is that there is plumbing and access to electricity. From the change house you can make a good bath, which will contain everything that is necessary for convenient use of it.
Some examples can be given:
- Sauna. Such a change house is equipped with a conventional wood-burning stove or electric, benches, a table, a suitable container for water. It is recommended to connect a change house to the central sewerage (if any) or to a house. There are three departments in the building - steam room, washing and dressing room.
- The shower room must meet all the requirements. It is made only of materials resistant to moisture. Inside, all the necessary equipment is installed.
- Prefabricated baths - they combine a bathroom connected to a central sewer.
You can build and equip the change houses quite quickly, but be sure to consider the fire safety requirements. After all, electrical wiring is laid inside, which can cause a fire. Inside the bathhouse there is equipment, plumbing, furniture, various racks, and so on.
Miniature baths
This type of small bath house is very comfortable and unpretentious. To erect such a structure at its summer cottage will be very simple, since there is no need to bring communications to it. And most importantly, a strong and reliable foundation is not required. The total mass of the entire building is no more than half a ton. But it has everything you need - a shower, steam room, dressing room, washing. In other words, exactly what is needed for full soaring.
If desired, you can install it on wheels and use it as a trailer to the car. For stability, you will need a stand, and for heating an electric furnace, an extension cord. The advantage of this design is obvious - it is cheap and functional. And most importantly - mobile, it can be transported to any place. Even to the shore of a lake to take a steam bath in the bosom of nature.
Summer baths
And now let's talk about how to build a small summer bath. As a basis, you can take the mini-bath, discussed above. Installation can be performed in a frame way, and the zones are divided by partitions. Despite the small area of the building, two people can simultaneously be in the steam room. To increase the free area, a small oven is used.
The walls and ceiling must be sheathed with heat and waterproofing materials. Provided that the waterproofing is done correctly and a vapor barrier is applied, you can protect all structural elements as much as possible from moisture and temperature. It is allowed to use such a bath for its intended purpose all year round. The quality of materials depends on how long the bath will last. Therefore, try to do all the insulation work not only with high quality, but also with good materials.
Bath barrels
The barrel barrels became very popular. A small bath of this type, made according to a competent project, is very similar to a barrel, but it has one big minus. In this barrel there is only a steam room, there is no sewage. It is for this reason that it will not work in it to wash properly. But nothing prevents you from installing a small pan on your own and making a drain.
A twin room is best installed on a hill. In this case, the drain system will work as efficiently as possible. Good accommodation - near a pond or river. Contrast procedures will benefit the body. But dirty water is not recommended to be drained into water bodies. To do this, it is best to equip the sewer.
As a rule, for the construction of small baths (of timber, brick, gas block) does not require large investments. Wooden lightweight structures are erected in just a few days. But if you need a foundation, it is best to use slab, tape or columnar. However, the mass of structures is not very large, so even columnar can handle the loads. And it’s worth talking about.
Foundation
To install a stationary small bath, a foundation is required. Enough columnar, which has 4-6 fulcrum. You can also make a recess in the ground and lay a reinforced concrete slab, on which to establish the design of the bath. To erect a columnar foundation, it is necessary to make in four places boreholes with a diameter of 30 cm and a depth of 50-70 cm. Crushed stone and sand should be poured into the bottom, and the layer should be carefully rammed.
Then the formwork is made of roofing material and reinforcement. 5-7 rods of reinforcement with a diameter of 12 mm are enough. They are installed in the well and leveled. After this, the wells are filled with concrete. After the concrete has solidified (and this can take up to a month), the supports are ready for operation, and the structure can be installed.
Instead of pillars or concrete slab, you can use a simpler design - slab. In fact, this is a reinforced concrete slab, but made independently. To do this, dig a platform under the bathhouse - a depth of 40-50 cm. At the bottom, lay a layer of sand and gravel, then equip the formwork on top and mount the fittings. Welding can not be used, only knitting wire. After the 3-4 weeks, the entire platform is poured with concrete; after that, the bath frame is installed on it and secured with anchors.