After a hard day's work, every owner of a summer cottage wants to relax and unwind in the pleasant warmth of a bath. Most prefer a traditional Russian bath with high humidity, the ability to steam with a broom, and also observe the rituals of bath procedures. That is why the construction of a bathhouse in the country with one's own hands is one of the most important tasks for arranging a suburban area.
Choosing a bath location
A large number of people are engaged in the self-construction of the building, and therefore make the same mistakes. In order to prevent such mistakes, you need to familiarize yourself with the main nuances in choosing the right place for building a bathhouse in the country.
Some recommendations for the optimal location of the bath in the area:
- The most attractive is the construction of a bath near the reservoir, if it is near the cottage, because it is so nice to plunge into the cool water after a hot steam room. But then it will be necessary to find out the safe distance from the building to the reservoir, in order to avoid the danger of a flood or flood, or to build some kind of protection.
- It is advisable to place the bath in the backyard of the plot, on the south side. You can hide the building in the shade of garden trees, which will be a good protection against drafts.
- Construction near a road or field will cause dust to enter the bathhouse, which is very unpleasant.
- To reduce the consumption of building materials and energy consumption, a bathhouse in the country is made in the form of an extension to the main house. At the same time, fire safety measures must be strictly observed.
- Be sure to consider ventilation and waterproofing issues at the planning stage of the building. Otherwise, you may experience unpleasant odors during the operation of the bath.
- It is not recommended to build a bathhouse in the country near the neighbors' site in order to avoid scandals about the noisy reception of guests and unpleasant aroma.
- It is strictly forbidden to build a bathhouse near a well with water or a well. According to the rules, you cannot build closer than 15-20 meters.
Materials for construction
Since ancient times, wood was considered the best material for building a bathhouse in the country. This environmentally friendly material perfectly holds and gives off heat, it is able to breathe, improving the indoor indoor climate. Basically, the walls of the building are erected from timber or logs.
Natural baths under the influence of high temperature emit the aroma of wood resins, which have a healing effect and have a calming effect on the human body.
Modern production technologies allow you to build a bathhouse in the country of brick, natural stone, blocks. This option is very good in terms of operation and maintenance of the facility, but its significant drawback is poor heat retention and lack of wood aroma inside the room, because a brick is still a brick. The huge advantage of stone buildings is their good fire safety and durability.
Due to the low cost and ease of installation, the frame summer bathhouse in the country has recently become especially popular.
Technological stages of the construction of the bath
After you have decided on the place of future construction, made a plan and selected the necessary material, you can safely start work. Of course, the construction of a bathhouse in the country is not much different from the construction of farm buildings, but still there are some nuances that are worth paying attention to.
Foundation device
Depending on the size and material of the building, select the type of base of the building. The column foundation is built of brick, stone or concrete, a combination of these materials is often practiced. It is considered very practical to use ready-made concrete pillars or asbestos-cement pipes, which are filled with concrete mortar. The use of such a foundation is effective in the construction of mini-baths for summer cottages.
A pile (screw) foundation is used in the construction of a bathhouse on complex soils or in the construction of structures on a slope.
The most common is a strip foundation, the design of which is obtained by a durable and reliable system. And the simplicity of installation works attracts many happy owners of summer cottages.
Working process:
- A trench is digging along the perimeter of the structure, at the bottom of which a gravel-sand cushion is made up to 25 cm thick. It is good to compact a layer of crushed stone 10–15 cm thick, then lay the same layer of sand on it, spill it well with water and carefully compact again.
- Further, depending on the nature of the construction, a reinforcing cage and formwork are made.
- The next step will be concreting. When building a wooden structure, formwork can be omitted, and concrete should be poured at the level of the trench.
- After the concrete mortar has completely solidified, make a socle of brick. Having previously laid the waterproofing layer, lay out the brickwork in 5-6 rows, on the second or third row, be sure to make ventilation holes.
Walling
For the erection of the walls of the bath, a wooden beam or log is best suited. The first crown is usually made of thick material and laid on a foundation covered with a layer of roofing material. The lower crown is necessarily covered with a special antiseptic and waterproofing mastic, which will provide moisture resistance and effectively protect the tree from pests.
The corners of the log house are mostly “in the bowl” when the ends of the logs extend beyond the perimeter of the structure. This method guarantees good protection of locks from rain and wind.
Connecting the corners "in the paw" implies giving the edges of the logs the shape of a double dovetail. This type of connection is more laborious in manufacturing and requires great skill from the carpenter.
The simplest and most economical is the connection in the end tongue, when a spike is made at the end of one log, and a groove at the other.
Previously, tow or moss was laid between the logs to insulate the walls. Now for this purpose a special material is used - tape insulation made on the basis of flax or jute.
Roof and floor for the bath
Mostly in the baths they erect gable roofs. A device of this design involves the creation of a rafter system. If the chimney is located on the roof of the building, then you must definitely cut a hole under it.
The finishing coating of the building can be any modern roofing material (tile, slate, corrugated board).
The main task when installing the floor is its proper insulation. So that it always remains warm and dry, it is necessary to insulate the inside of the cap, fill in expanded clay (layer thickness of at least 10 cm) and lay a layer of insulation with vapor barrier. Only after these operations does the floorboard spread.
Functional mini bath
A modern small bathhouse in the country satisfies almost all the requirements and desires of its owners. This design differs from the standard in the number of rooms and their sizes.
Since the mini-sauna in the country is built according to the frame technology, the small size and weight make it possible to install the structure in a car trailer. Thus you get a mobile mobile steam room. A small bathhouse does not take up much space on the site.
The best option for the foundation of a mini-bath for a summer residence is considered to be a column-type design, which is an order of magnitude cheaper than a tape system. In the mobile version, the chassis of a car trailer is taken as such.
The cheapest and fastest way to build a small bath is to sheathe the wooden frame with boards or plywood, without forgetting to carry out work on the insulation of the building.
Miniature Communications
Before finishing the walls, you should carefully consider the location of plumbing and electrical equipment. It is advisable to hide all communications under the inner lining.
You can drain the water into a regular cesspool, which is easy to dig up near the building. Pay particular attention to ventilation.
A small room for a mini-bath for a summer residence can be heated with an electric stove, but many are satisfied with traditional wood-burning stoves.
Industrial products are delivered to the consumer with a completely ready-made communication system. It only remains to connect the miniature device to the electric network and the central water supply system through special connectors - the device is ready for operation.
To date, the bath cannot be considered a whim of the owner, it is considered as a means to strengthen health, cleanse the body and soul. Do not chase fashion, you can make a small and practical design with your own hands.