In order to make a log house with your own hands, use straight log trunks directly coniferous or deciduous species with a diameter of 22-36 cm. The length of the logs depends on the size and layout of the future house.
The walls are cut from pre-dried or freshly cut logs with a moisture content of 80-90%. The latter are easier to process. Before you make a log house from a log yourself, you need to take into account that wood decreases in volume during natural shrinkage.
The walls made of logs are raised near the place where they are installed. They are placed on top of each other without using additional materials(for example, tow). After the log house is made with your own hands, it is left for 6-9 months. It is very important that the structure stands up well during this period. Next, the logs are marked, and the log house is disassembled and reassembled on the finished foundation using tow (jute). The seams between them are sealed 2 times: the first - during the assembly period, the second - after 1 year (after drying).
The felling of log walls begins with the laying of the first crown of logs. The crown is one row of logs that are located along the perimeter of the future house. To perform it, use the thickest logs, planed into two edges. As a rule, additional ones are placed under the beams of the first crown, since the beams in the transverse and longitudinal walls are shifted in height by half. The first row of logs is laid level. All logs, in addition to the first crown, are cut to one edge - from the bottom side in the zone of their contact with others. The logs of the first crown are processed on both sides: at the place of laying on the foundation and at the inside. The edge width should be more than 15 cm.
Read also: Floor insulation in a wooden house
The logs of the second crown are connected to the logs of the first by the “in the groove” method, when an arched groove 14-16 cm wide is selected from the bottom side of the logs. A third is placed on the second crown, a fourth on the third, etc. Before fitting each beam, they are placed in the groove heat insulating material(tow, felt, etc.). For greater strength, the crowns are fastened together with insert tenons - these are bars 12-15 cm long, 5-8 cm wide and 2.5 cm thick. They are distributed in a checkerboard pattern over the entire height and width of the log house in steps of 1.5-2 m from each other. In the walls, the spikes must be placed one above the other at a distance of 20 cm from the edge. The ends of the workpieces are processed so that the tenons fit into the sockets better. The holes for the tenons are made in such a way that after shrinkage their depth will decrease by 1.5-2.5 cm. The house must be built to its full height at once, since constructing walls from logs in parts can cause unwanted distortion.
In places where door and window openings will be located, logs are attached to their frames. However, before starting work, the shorts are marked, denoting the letters “B” and “K” - their top and butt part. The length of short logs must be carefully adjusted to prevent unevenness and gaps in the walls. To increase the reliability of fastening, spikes are made at the ends of the shorts. In this case, in certain places of window and door frames grooves are selected, and dowel pins are used to further strengthen the partition logs.
Building a bathhouse from a log frame is not an easy task, but the construction technology, the choice of materials and even the exact sequence of actions have long been known and worked out by many craftsmen.
This material explains everything key points, which will help in the construction of a log bathhouse: from laying the foundation to interior finishing.The steam bath has been known since the time of the Scythians, who carried with them special bath tents and camp heaters. And in the 21st century, the Russian bathhouse has not become some kind of archaism, having successfully withstood centuries-old competition with bathtubs and showers. Getting rid of many ailments, removing harmful substances from the body accumulated in everyday life in the city, giving the body complete rest - all this has been achieved by visiting the bathhouse for more than one and a half thousand years.
Which design is preferable, how to choose a place to place it, how it is designed in general - you will find answers to many “bathroom” questions in this article.
Place and layout of the bathhouse
One of the important additions to the bathhouse itself at all times was a pond with fresh water, located nearby - in the absence of another source of water supply, water was taken from it. The special charm of the proximity of such a reservoir lies in the possibility of a contrasting ablution - after steaming in a Russian bathhouse, running out of it and plunging into the cool water of the reservoir. In addition, the natural reservoir made it possible to quickly cope with a fire in the bathhouse, which occurred quite often due to violations in the construction of the stove.
Today, there is no particular need to link a country bathhouse to a natural reservoir, but it is still convenient if it is located near, say, an artificial reservoir - the final decision always remains with the owner of the cottage.
The main criteria for choosing a place for a bathhouse: distance from the road, the presence of natural or artificial fencing from outside spectators (dense bushes, tree crowns, fence, outbuildings), the fire distance from the main residential building is at least 15 meters.
The main rooms of the bathhouse are the dressing room, washing room and steam room (the last two rooms can be combined into one). The size of the dressing room is determined at the rate of 1.4 m 2 per bather, the size of the washing room is 1.2 m 2 per person. In addition, the dressing room should have space for furniture (a locker for clothes, a bench for sitting) and for storing fuel (a box for coal or firewood). In the washing room you will need space for containers with hot and cold water, stoves and space for sun loungers.
For example, for a small family (no more than 4 people) a bathhouse of the following sizes is suitable: outer size- 4x4 m; dressing room - 1.5x2.4 m; washing room - 2x2 m; steam room - 2x1.5 m. True, in a bathhouse of this size you can’t really turn around - but it also takes up little space.
In general, the size of the bathhouse is directly related to the size of the area that can be allocated for it. If the area is significant, then the bathhouse can be expanded by adding a shower cabin, lounge areas, etc.
In temperate and cold climate zones, it will be correct if the entrance to the bathhouse is located in the south, and window openings- on the western (southwestern) side of it. This entrance location will greatly simplify the use of the bathhouse in winter season, because snowdrifts on the south side melt faster, and the direction of the windows will allow sunlight to illuminate its premises longer.
Bathhouse construction - stages
There are several of them:
- Procurement of basic materials.
- Selecting and laying the foundation.
- Creating a foundation for a stove (if necessary).
- Creating a floor and sewer system baths
- Assembling a log bathhouse.
- Roof construction.
- Formation of a blind area around the perimeter.
- Caulking bath walls.
- Laying or installing a stove, installing a chimney.
- Electricity and water supply for the bathhouse.
- Installation of doors and installation of shelves.
Preparation of basic materials for the bath
The classic and most successful construction material for a Russian bathhouse has been and will remain wood - wood easily copes with waterlogging bath rooms, retracting excess moisture out.
What wood is suitable for building a bathhouse? As a rule, baths are built from round timber of pine or spruce with a diameter of no more than 250 mm - only wood will create an indescribable internal atmosphere in the steam room. However, in some places it is better to include wood of other species in the design of the bathhouse - oak, larch and linden. For example, lower crowns and flooring logs made of oak will allow you to get a truly durable bathhouse. A nuance - the oak must be cut down “in its sap” (i.e., not dead wood) and dried under a canopy. The lower crowns (no more than 4) following the first oak crown are best made of larch. The final crowns, elements of interior decoration and cladding should be made of linden or white spruce - their wood removes moisture better than others.
When do you need to stockpile wood for building a bathhouse? Round wood, wood for interior decoration, must be cut down in winter, during the period when tree trunks contain the least amount of moisture - it is easier to dry. In addition, not the entire tree trunk is suitable for building a bathhouse - only the middle part of the trunk is suitable, i.e. the top and butt are not suitable.
An important criterion when selecting wood will be the absence of cavities and streaks of resin on the coniferous round timber, dryness, sanded surface, absence of rotten areas and places of wood-boring beetle damage.
Bathhouse foundation
The main types of foundations for the construction of baths are strip and columnar, depending on local soils. Regardless of the type of foundation chosen, it is necessary to lay them with the utmost care - preferably to the depth of soil freezing. Preliminary work before laying a foundation of any type: clearing the site of debris, completely removing the top layer of soil to a depth of 200 mm (we remove the fertile layer).
To choose the right foundation, you need to determine the type of local soil, which can belong to one of three main groups:
- Weak soil consists of peat, silt, silty sand (contains a lot of water), fluid or fluid-plastic clay.
- Heaving soil (subject to seasonal swelling) consists of sand (silty or fine), clay components (clay, loam and sandy loam).
- Slightly heaving soil is formed by rocks, medium and large grains of sand.
Columnar (pile) foundation for a bathhouse
Installed on slightly heaving soils: it consists of pillars laid in the corners of the bathhouse, as well as at the junction of internal and external walls. If the distance between two adjacent foundation pillars is more than 2 m, another pillar is laid between them. Bookmark depth columnar foundation- at least 1.5 m.
Pillars for such a foundation can be easily made directly at the site where the bathhouse was built; the material for them can be red brick, rubble stone, bonded concrete mortar. Basic (angular) brick pillars for a columnar foundation usually square shape, with a side of 380 mm, auxiliary - rectangular, section 380x250 mm. If necessary, the main pillars are made of two bricks - with a section of 510x510 mm. Saving rubble stone and brick during the construction of a columnar foundation is achieved by filling the foundation pits with sand - half their depth; coarse sand is laid in layers (each layer is 100–150 mm), filled with water and compacted.
When building a bathhouse with your own hands, you can also make foundation pillars yourself. To do this, you will need a collapsible formwork made of boards, coated on the inside with a non-hardening lubricant such as Emulsol. Inside the assembled formwork you need to place iron fittings, then pour the concrete mixture.
To cast foundation pillars inside holes dug for them, sliding formwork made of roofing iron, plastic, roofing felt or thick cardboard is used. From the material selected for sliding formwork, a pipe with a diameter of 200 mm is created, which is placed in a foundation pit of a larger diameter - from 300 mm. The free space around the formwork is filled with sand - it will act as a lubricant and prevent the concrete pillar from rising when the soil swells. Reinforcement tied with thick wire is inserted inside the formwork, then a concrete mixture is poured, which must be thoroughly compacted. Using wire handles pre-fixed to the sliding formwork, it is lifted by swaying by 400 mm, sand is poured on the outside and a new portion of concrete is poured.
Asbestos-cement pipes can be used as a columnar foundation; they are durable, not subject to rot, and their outer surface is quite smooth, which allows them not to change their position when the soil swells. Asbestos-cement pipes are also filled with concrete; their underground part must be coated with a mineral-based construction lubricant to reduce the risk of freezing to the ground.
In the spaces between the foundation pillars of the external walls of the bathhouse and the internal walls of the steam room, brick walls are laid out; their thickness is sufficient - brick and even half a brick. Such brick walls must be buried 250 mm into the ground.
The foundation pillars and brick walls between them are raised to a height of 300–400 mm from the ground level; they need to be leveled with cement mortar and covered with roofing felt for waterproofing. During casting, metal embedments of the required shape are installed at the ends of the pillars - they are designed to fasten the bathhouse frame to the foundation.
When building a bathhouse on heaving soils, it will be necessary to create a strip monolithic foundation.
Sequence of work:
- Marking a construction site with twine stretched between pegs.
- Digging a trench of the required depth (its size is related to the characteristics of local soils, at least 400 mm) and 300 mm wide.
- Add a layer of sand to the bottom of the trench, then gravel (each 70–100 mm).
- Installation of formwork.
- Laying reinforcement.
- Fill concrete mixture.
The reinforcement laid at the bottom of the foundation trenches must have a cross-section of at least 12 mm; it is laid along each of the two sides of the trench and knitted into a frame, lifted to its middle using brick fragments.
The composition of the concrete mixture is calculated in the proportion 5:3:1 (crushed stone: sand: cement), the sand used must be dry and clean (washed). Calculate the volume of concrete required for pouring strip foundation, quite simple, you just need to measure the width, depth and total length of the foundation. For example, with a width of 0.3 m, a depth of 0.4 m and a total length of 22 m, the following volume of concrete mixture will be required:
- 0.3 x 0.4 x 22 = 2.64 m3
One of the difficulties when preparing a dry concrete mixture is the lack of scales. construction sites. Therefore, this method of calculating dry components for concrete will be useful to you: one 10-liter bucket holds from 15 to 17 kg of crushed stone, sand - from 14 to 17 kg, cement - from 13 to 14 kg.
The formwork is placed in such a way that the concrete foundation cast into it protrudes 100 mm above the ground level. As the concrete mixture is poured into the prepared formwork, its mass must be pierced repeatedly with a bayonet shovel or a wire probe, and the outer side of the formwork must be tapped with a hammer (we eliminate air pockets). Then you need to wait until the foundation is completely cured, approximately 5 to 7 days. When carrying out foundation work in the cold season, after pouring the concrete, the formwork must be covered with PVC film and covered with sawdust or other insulation on top.
After the expiration of the period allocated for drying the cast foundation, we proceed to waterproofing it and lifting it in brick rows (if lifting the bathhouse is not required, then after waterproofing we proceed to the cement screed). You will need the following materials:
- Ruberoid.
- Pipe about 2 m (plastic or metal), with a cross-section from 32 to 57 mm.
- Masonry mesh.
- Red brick.
- Masonry mortar.
Roofing felt (roofing felt) is cut into strips sufficient for laying on a concrete foundation, then laid on top of the foundation with bitumen mastic (for roofing felt - tar mastic). The brick is laid using a single-row dressing method: masonry mortar is laid on a layer of roofing material, the first brick row is placed on it “in a butt” (across the foundation axis), then a masonry mesh is laid, the mortar is laid and the next brick row is laid, but in a “spoon” (along the axis foundation). Each new row brickwork accompanied by laying a masonry mesh, laying “in a spoon” and “in a poke” alternate with each other. In the 3rd or 5th bonded rows of masonry, you need to install ventilation vents from pipe scraps - 5-7 vents are enough for the entire foundation. Quantity brick rows depends on the desired foundation height.
The last row of brickwork is covered with a cement screed (mortar composition sand:cement as 1:2 or 1:3), with a 20 mm layer.
Independent foundation for the heater and bath floor
We create the foundation for the stove and assemble the sauna frame. If capital masonry of the heater is planned, it requires an independent foundation, that is, not connected to the main foundation.
The floor in the bathhouse can be clay, earthen, wood or concrete. By by and large, it does not need thermal insulation, since the temperature at its level is practically no higher than 30 ° C. A wooden grate, cork mats or mats are usually laid on the surface of the bath floor - their task is to relieve bathhouse visitors from the sharp feeling of cold caused by touching the floor at the exit from the steam room. For self-drying, the flooring is raised above the level of the main floor.
The main disadvantage of a wooden bathhouse floor is its frequent waterlogging - water, penetrating through the cracks between the boards, will accumulate in them, causing rot and the appearance of an unpleasant odor. Wooden flooring wears out quickly, acquiring an unsightly appearance, and may require replacement after 6–8 years. It would be more practical for bath flooring tile- it is easier to care for, it is not susceptible to moisture, which easily flows down its surface.
Floors in bathhouses should be placed on at different levels: the steam room floor is 150 mm above the level of the washing room floor (we retain heat), the washing room floor is 30 mm below the floor level in the dressing room (we protect it from water).
Since installing a concrete floor covered with ceramic tiles in the washing room and steam room is more profitable than a wooden floor, we will consider this option.
There are several ways to install a concrete floor in a bathhouse. First of all, we prepare the base for the formation of a warm floor - it consists of a 100 mm layer of sand and a 100 mm layer of medium-fraction crushed stone, laid sequentially. Each layer should be well compacted and leveled. Then lay roofing felt on top, covering the walls with it to the height of the future floor.
Further actions:
- First option- laying a 50 mm layer of felt, expanded clay or slag, on top of a 50 mm layer of concrete with the formation of a slope towards the drain hole. After the concrete has set, it needs to be leveled with a cement solution, after which you can begin tiling work.
- Second option- 50 mm cement strainer, containing perlite (expanded sand). Mixture composition: perlite: cement: water as 5: 1: 3. After a full week has passed since the perlite concrete was laid, we apply a 30 mm layer of concrete on top with a slope towards the drain. When dealing with perlite, you need to be especially careful - this material is extremely light, even a light breeze blows it away, so you need to work with it indoors without drafts. Observe the proportion of water exactly!
If the base of the bathhouse is raised significantly above the ground level (from 300 mm), square-section wooden logs (side 150 mm) will be required for flooring. If the dimensions of the bathhouse premises do not exceed 2000x3000 mm, then the supports for the logs will be the frame logs. At large sizes additional supports for floor joists will be required; they are pillars made of concrete or brick (250x250 mm) and placed at a distance of 700–800 mm. Support posts for logs must be placed on a multi-layer base of sand, crushed stone and concrete - each 100 mm thick.
Important! Before forming the base to support the logs, it is necessary to make a foundation for the stove and build a sewerage system.
The wood for the logs can be oak, larch or conifers, logs should be treated with tar or antiseptic before installation.
Solution flooring in this case it is as follows: the concrete space between the foundation is covered with roofing felt with the walls overlapping to the height of the floor, filled with slag or expanded clay (between the layer of roofing felt and bulk insulation you can lay a layer of 200 mm polystyrene foam), a subfloor made of 29 mm is attached to the underside of the joists edged boards. Then PVC film, foil is laid mineral insulation, again a layer of film - for vapor barrier. Pour a 5 mm layer of concrete with fine filler on top, create a slope under the drain hole - after 3-4 days we lay ceramic tiles.
Don't forget to bring the foundation for the stove to floor level.
The floor in the dressing room is made of 19-29 mm tongue-and-groove boards made of coniferous wood.
An important point: when finishing a clean floor, and indeed the entire steam room and washing room, do not use synthetic Construction Materials- the condition is especially relevant for a steam room!
Bath sewage system
To drain wastewater from the bathhouse you will need: a pit with a water seal, a well for Wastewater and pipes that drain dirty water into a pit and then into a waste well.
The pit is torn off from the outside of the bathhouse foundation, and gravity pipes made of plastic, cast iron or ceramics are inserted into it from the steam room and washing room ( metal pipes will rust quickly).
The pit should be 500 mm from the foundation, its depth - 700 mm, cross-section - 500x500 mm. The walls of the pit are covered with a 100 mm layer of concrete, and a 110 mm drain pipe(s) from the bathhouse is inserted into it under the foundation. The main well for drainage, containing at least 2 m3, must be dug at a distance of at least 2.5 m from the pit - the further the better. A pipe is supplied to it from the pit, laid at a slope at a depth of 1.5 m (below the freezing depth), its outlet from the pit must be located 100 mm from its bottom. After inserting the drain pipe, the main drainage well is filled with gravel or sand 1 m from the bottom, and soil is poured on top - in a layer of at least 500 mm. When laying, carefully compact each layer.
Before leading the drain pipe into the pit, a galvanized water seal is installed, located at an obtuse angle to the drain pipe from the bathhouse. Its edges and upper side are hermetically attached to the walls of the pit; the distance from its lower edge to the bottom should be no more than 50 mm - thanks to this design unpleasant odors and cold air will not penetrate into the steam room (washing room) through the drain hole.
To prevent freezing in winter period The pit must be covered with two lids of the appropriate size (wooden or metal), felt must be laid between them, and the top lid must be covered with expanded clay, slag or sawdust.
Log house, roofing and blind area
It is better to make a log house for a bathhouse to order from professional performers; its production is quite difficult. Ready log house disassembled must be brought to the construction site and assembled according to the numbering of the logs. The crowns are fastened with steel 25 mm tenon brackets with a total length of up to 150 mm, a tooth length of up to 70 mm.
The roof structure of the bathhouse includes rafters, sheathing is attached to them, then roofing material. The choice of final roof structure depends on roofing, with which it will overlap. The rafters are attached to the last crown of the frame (preferably the penultimate one) using tenon brackets. As a rule, the construction of baths involves the installation of a single- or gable roof, the slope angle (from 10° to 60°) of which depends on the abundance and amount of precipitation in the area. Please note - the steeper the roof, the more material is required to create it.
Single-pitch rafters located at an angle are secured with two external or internal and external supports. If the span of the rafters exceeds 5 m, they are supported with additional struts. The rafters of a gable roof rest with their lower ends on the walls, the upper ends are connected to each other, forming a ridge.
The roof of the bathhouse can be covered with any material (slate, tiles, roofing felt, galvanized, etc.), with an overlap of at least 500 mm on the walls.
Attic space must be made ventilated, that is, equipped with two doors at opposite ends of the roof.
We make a blind area along the perimeter of the foundation: completely remove upper layer soil, we go 200 mm deep at a distance of 600-800 mm from the base of the bathhouse, lay a 100 mm layer of gravel (crushed stone, expanded clay) and then level it. Let's lay it down expansion joints(19 mm board coated with resin or bitumen, in increments of 2-2.5 m perpendicular to the foundation), fill with a 100 mm layer of concrete. Before the concrete sets, its surface must be ironed - cover with a layer of dry cement of 3-5 mm. After 3 days, the line of contact between the blind area and the foundation of the bathhouse must be covered with bitumen to waterproof it.
Caulking for a sauna log house
Performed to insulate a log house - sealing cracks between its logs, the material for caulking is traditionally flax tow, red moss, hemp hemp, wool felt. Natural materials for caulking can be replaced with factory-made ones made from jute and flax fibers: flax batting and felts - jute and flax-jute. The advantage of factory-made caulking materials over natural ones is their resistance to moths and fungi, and it is easier to work with factory-made material, since it is produced in the form of a continuous strip of a given thickness and width.
Caulking of a log house is carried out during its assembly - caulking material is laid between the logs during their laying. After the roof is built, full caulking is carried out - on the outside and inside of the log house, and after a year - repeated caulking (the log house settles - the logs dry).
The main tools for caulking are a spatula and a mallet; you can make them yourself or purchase ready-made ones. Both of these instruments are made of wood (ash, oak or beech). A caulking shovel looks like a wedge with a handle 200 mm long and a pointed blade 100 mm, the thickness of the handle is 30 mm, the width of the blade at the base is 65 mm, at the end - 30 mm. Wooden mallet It has a round shape: the diameter of the handle is 40 mm, its length is 250 mm, the diameter of the striking part is 70 mm, its length is 100 mm.
Caulking is done in two ways - “set” or “stretched”. The second way to caulk is as follows: we collect the caulking material into a strand, lay it in the gap between the logs and push it there with the help of a spatula, filling the gap completely, without gaps. Then we collect the tow with a roller, apply it to the caulked groove, take out small strands of material from it, wrap them around the roller and drive it into the groove using a spatula and a roller - with force, until you are completely sure that the groove (slot) is filled.
The first method of caulking log houses is designed to cover large grooves (slots). We twist the material for caulking into 2 mm strands, form several loops from them and drive them into the gap. Loops are collected in a quantity sufficient to completely fill the gap.
Rules for caulking:
- First, the material is hammered along the upper edge of the log and only then along the lower edge;
- We begin caulking work from the cracks of the lower crown, on both sides. Then we move on to the bottom crown adjacent wall and so on. Having finished caulking the cracks of the lower crowns, we begin work on the next one in height, moving from this crown to the adjacent one in the nearest wall (from right to left or left to right, it doesn’t matter).
Under no circumstances should you caulk only one wall - it will rise and cause the frame to skew and you will have to disassemble/assemble it again. Let us remind you once again: caulking is done in a “bottom-up” direction along the perimeter of the log house.
Installing a stove
There are many design options for bath stoves; they can be heated with wood, gas, liquid fuel or use built-in heating elements and heat up from electricity, they can be brick, cast iron or metal. Brick stoves in bathhouses are made with a wall thickness of “half a brick” or “a whole brick”; masonry seams must be bandaged especially carefully, striving for their smallest thickness to achieve the greatest efficiency of the stove. Only red brick is used for laying the stoves. The furnace firebox is led into the dressing room, its remaining three walls are located in the washing room (steam room), and the distance from them to the walls of the washing room must be at least 250 mm - in this case, the heat will not go “into the walls”.
For a cast iron or metal stove, the formation of an independent foundation is not required - only for a brick one.
Heaters installed for those who like to steam are equipped with a chamber containing stones different weights(from 1 to 5 kg). Rubble, pebbles, boulders and granite are suitable for filling the heater chamber. The design of these furnaces is extremely simple - similar to kitchen stoves, heaters differ from them by having a wider pipe or the presence of a chamber with stones.
To obtain the highest temperature in the steam room, you need to add cast iron pigs to the stones in a percentage ratio of 80:20 (stones: pigs). For every 1 m 3 of steam room you will need at least 6 kg of stones and cast iron pigs.
By maintaining a distance of 40–50 mm in the furnace between its walls and the water heating boiler, the effect of all-round blowing of the boiler with hot gases and rapid heating of the water is achieved.
For better traction you need to remove chimney as close to the roof ridge as possible. When laying a chimney through the attic, be sure to fluff the pipe 380 mm. Remember that the pipe should not pass closer than 150 mm near the roof sheathing and rafters (fire safety standards).
Electricity and water supply for the bathhouse
To wash one bathhouse user, at least 8 liters of hot water is required. This amount can be provided in several ways: heat a container of water on a heater, use geyser, install an electric heater - boiler. If there is a central water supply, the pipeline to the bathhouse leads from the main house - the water from such a pipeline system must be drained in winter, otherwise it will freeze and burst the pipes.
Water can be taken from a well or well by installing submersible pump for its injection and equipping such a water supply system with purification filters. And in this case, in winter, the water must either be drained after each use of the bathhouse, or the supply pipes must be insulated.
You need to extend an independent line to the bathhouse to supply electricity, and the easiest way is to do it by air (air). For the air supply you will need a special cable - we sweep away the “bare” aluminum right away, focusing on two options: SIP (self-supporting insulated wire) and VVGng. The first type of cable is very good, it has long term service (more than 30 years), it is durable and does not need to be supported by a supporting cable. But it is extremely difficult to spend time with him installation work, because it is too thick (minimum section - 16 mm 2). Aluminum SIP cannot be pulled through the attic of a bathhouse according to fire safety standards; it is required to be attached to special anchor clamps - considering the amount of costs and hassle with its installation, its cost will be expensive.
A simpler solution is air copper cable VVGng, fixed to the carrier steel cable. The cable is suspended from the cable on a plastic-insulated wire; its service life is up to 10 years, after which it must be replaced (!). For a single-core VVGng cable (of course, there must be two cores - each of them must be in an independent double braid), stretched over the air to the bathhouse, the optimal cross-section will be 2.5 mm 2 - it is not known exactly what electrical equipment the owner of the dacha will want to power from it in future.
All junction boxes, sockets and switches, electrical panel should only be outdoor installation. According to the rules against fire safety It is prohibited to install junction boxes, switches and sockets in the washing/steam room - only in the dressing room. Don't joke with the possibility of a short circuit in a wooden structure - all internal wiring baths should be made only in non-flammable corrugated hose, secured with special clips, cable passage through partitions - only through steel pipe.
Try to arrange the cables in a junction box, socket or lamp so that they enter there from the bottom or side, but not from the top - a drop of condensate sliding along the braid can cause a short circuit.
All electrical appliances must have a moisture protection class of at least IP44 (preferably the maximum - IP54). Install simple lamps- metal body, glass shade only. All connections of the internal cable routing are made only on the terminal block, no twists. And install an RCD in the shield, setting it to 30 mA.
To work in the electrical panel and install an RCD, be sure to invite a qualified electrician if you are not one yourself!
Installation of partitions, ceilings, interior decoration, installation of windows and doors
Internal partitions in the bathhouse can be brick or wood, followed by heat and moisture insulation in both cases. The partition between the washing room and the dressing room, in which the stove is installed, must be brick, or brick inserts single brick masonry - on the sides in contact with the furnace body.
Interior finishing is usually carried out in cases where the bathhouse itself is built of brick, stone or timber - here the finishing scheme is classic: insulation, vapor barrier film and lining. In addition, when performing external and internal finishing, you will have to rebuild ventilation system baths, after all log logs will be covered with casing and will not be able to provide adequate ventilation.
The ceiling is formed in two layers - rough and finishing. The rough ceiling is attached to the horizontal roof joists, if necessary reinforced with intermediate beams. Its area is covered with insulation - expanded clay or slag. From the inside of the washing/steam room, insulation and a vapor barrier film are attached to the rough ceiling, after which the ceiling is covered with a finishing finish - linden, pine tongue and groove board (20 mm thick - the thicker the board, the longer it will retain the woody smell).
You need to install windows in the bathhouse small size(on average 500x700 mm) and embed them low - enough so that the person sitting on the bench can look out through them. Windows in the bathhouse are always made with double glazing, depending on the size - with a window or completely hinged - for quick ventilation.
Doors in bathhouses must be installed so that they open outward - for fire safety reasons. The material for the door leaves is a tongue-and-groove board (40-50 mm) or a board with a selected quarter; the boards are fastened with dowels. The size of the sashes must be deliberately reduced by 5 mm - more than is needed for the actual distance between the quarters of the jambs - otherwise, when humidity increases, the sashes will swell and it will be difficult to open (close) it. Optimal size doors in washing department baths - 600x1600 mm, in steam rooms - 800x1500 mm, with a threshold height of about 300 mm above floor level (it’s uncomfortable to walk, but it will keep you warm). The hinges for hanging the door leaves are brass, opening into the dressing room (washing room) and into the washing room (steam room). Door handles are wooden (especially in the steam room).
The material for the shelves is linden, pine, poplar or aspen. The minimum length of the shelves is 1800 mm, width - 500–800 mm. The distance between the “floors” of double-row shelves should be at least 350 mm, the minimum distance from the second row to ceiling covering- 1100 mm.
The lying surface is formed by a board with a width of 80 mm, a thickness of 40 mm, and a gap of 15 mm wide is formed between the boards. A distance of 10 mm is maintained from the wall to the shelf. Boards for sheathing shelves are attached to a frame made of timber with a cross-section of 50x70 mm in two ways: from above - using nails, the heads of which are recessed into the wood; from below - using screws. For fastening, choose nails and screws from of stainless steel or copper.
All corners in the shelf structure are rounded, surfaces are thoroughly cleaned sandpaper.
For greater convenience, the shelves in the steam room are equipped with a headboard: the height at the beginning of the rise is 30 mm, the length of the headboard is 460 mm, the final maximum height is 190 mm.
When choosing material for creating shelves, be careful - it is believed that knotty areas are more dense and can lead to skin burns. Therefore, try to choose boards and timber without any knotty areas or with a minimum number of them.
Fire precautions
Protect the sauna premises from the threat of fire - lay it in front of the stove firebox steel sheet, make sure that the stove doors are securely fastened, install fire extinguishing means nearby (a container of water, sand and fire extinguishers). Make sure you can open the doors of the steam room and washing room freely when lighting the sauna. Do not block passages or the space in front of doors and windows.
A wooden house is an aesthetic, environmentally friendly and safe housing, which is characterized by high heat and sound insulation properties, durability and reliability. Many people are interested in whether it is possible to assemble and install a log house with their own hands. It is possible to do this, but it is difficult. When installing, it is important to take into account a lot of factors, including the quality of the log, calculations of lumber and layout of the house, installation features, etc.
Please note that low quality materials and errors in assembly will reduce the performance properties and service life of the house, lead to the appearance of rot and mold in the structure, warping of the walls and many other, no less serious, problems. But if you decide to self-construction country house or bathhouse, this article will tell you how to make a log house.
Design and selection of materials
Assembling a log house with your own hands begins with designing a house, taking into account the characteristics of the land plot, future engineering systems and room design. Layout log house can be rectangular or square, as well as figured in the form of a semicircle, hexagon, etc. Of course, the construction of the first option will pass much easier.
After creating the project and calculating the estimate, lumber is carefully selected. Rounded logs are the best option for those who want to assemble a log house and build a house themselves.
Such logs are characterized by a smooth and even surface, same sizes and diameters. This will allow installation to be carried out quickly and easily. In addition, logs tightly adjacent to each other will provide good thermal insulation. Due to the aesthetics and naturalness of materials, a house made of round timber will fit harmoniously into environment. Wooden building will look elegant and original. Read more about the advantages of a log house.
To get a reliable and durable home, you need to use only high-quality logs. It is desirable that the lumber be from forested regions and undergo special processing. At the MariSrub company, timber harvesting takes place in the Kirov region, the Mari El and Komi republics. These regions are famous for their good, large and moisture-resistant wood.
Raw materials and logs undergo careful selection and processing in the company’s own workshop. The wood is impregnated and treated with protective agents against the negative effects of moisture and insects. Such materials will last longer and retain their original appearance and properties.
Choose logs harvested from winter forests. Since such wood is stronger and more resistant to moisture. The presence of knots of small diameter and small natural defects is allowed on lumber. Trunks quality materials characterizes yellow or dark yellow colors. These must be unspun logs of the same diameter and the same wood species. There should be no mechanical damage, rot or wormholes on the surface.
How to bandage a log house
After the materials have been selected and the foundation for the wooden house has been installed, the assembly of the log house begins. There are two main types of lashing or tying of logs. This is “in the cup” and “in the paw”. Both methods characterize the stability and strength of the structure of the future house, and they differ in the creation of grooves.
Cutting “into a bowl” or “into an oblo” is a traditional Russian method of assembling a log house. He assumes that the corners of the structure are connected to the release of the ends two times the diameter of the log. Because of this, lumber costs increase. The construction of such a house will cost more, but the warmth inside will remain for a long time. In addition, the corners of the building will not be negatively affected by wind and precipitation.
The “paw” method assumes that the logs are laid along the bracket, aligned along the outer edge and the excess is trimmed off from the inside. This is a colder room, so for insulation the ends are covered with boards. This is also necessary in order to protect the sawn wood from rotting. Please note that the log house needs to be hewn inside.
Tying logs “in the paw” is more modern and aesthetically pleasing appearance and less wood wasted. But to create a warm and durable home, a lot of additional work will be required. Therefore, such cutting will become a labor-intensive process.
Loghouse installation technology
- Waterproofing is laid on the horizontal surface of the poured foundation. Roofing material is suitable as a material. For laying, the foundation is lubricated when heated and roofing felt sheets are placed on top. After drying, make another layer;
- The waterproofing layer is covered with boards at least 5 centimeters thick, and a layer of tow or jute is laid on top of the boards. This will enhance the thermal insulation properties, because up to 40% of the heat escapes through the floor and foundation!;
- The frame is installed on the insulation layer. As a rule, production logs are numbered. This wall kit is easy to assemble according to the attached diagram;
- Lay the crowns strictly level, row by row, and fasten them with dowels. Make sure the logs lie flat!;
- A layer of insulation, also in the form of tow or jute, is placed on each laid crown. The insulation is secured using a construction stapler;
- In addition to bandaging at the corners, the logs are connected every meter of length using spikes. Additional fastening will make the structure stable.
The final stage
After assembly, the log house is left for 0.5-1.5 years for shrinkage, in which case it is better to close the structure plastic film for waterproofing. During this period, you can sew up the floors and install rafters for the future roof. The floors are sewn up using boards with a thickness of 60 mm, which are laid on beams. The boards are connected using tenons. The ceiling can be laid in the same way.
After installing the roof, finishing work begins. First of all, this is insulation of the floor, ceiling and walls. Don't forget about engineering systems, including electricity and plumbing, ventilation and sewerage. These communications must be carried out before interior finishing begins. Moreover, the location and installation of these systems are calculated at the stage of designing the house!
Installing a log house and building a wooden house with your own hands is a complex and time-consuming process that requires knowledge and skills. Incorrect sequence and technology of work, poor quality materials and lack of experience will lead to serious problems. Therefore, it is better to entrust the work to professionals!
The masters of the MariSrub company will build a turnkey wooden house, cottage or bathhouse! We offer services for creating a project for the house of your dreams, assembling and installing a log frame, installing a foundation and roof, arranging communications and finishing buildings. The company has its own workshop for the production of rounded and chopped logs. Independent production— guarantee of careful quality control and low prices!
Wooden frames have been used in Rus' since time immemorial. And even in our time, despite the fact that new building materials have appeared, wooden house quite popular. Such a house is considered environmentally friendly, and in terms of its strength it is not inferior to stone and brick houses.
Coniferous wood is the best choice for building a log house.
It is quite possible to build a wooden house yourself if you know the installation technology and all the details of the assembly. To know how to assemble a log house, you need to make a house design, prepare the wood and choose the right type of foundation.
Loghouse construction technology
A log house is a structure made of horizontally laid logs that form walls.
Each row of logs around the perimeter is called a crown. The bottom row is a crown molding.
The structure at the corners is formed by connecting logs with protruding ends. If the house is represented only by external walls, then it is called a four-wall house, and if there is a partition inside, then it is a five-wall frame with a T-shaped connection of logs inside.
To build such a house, you need coniferous or deciduous wood. It is advisable that the trees be freshly cut in winter. Such wood contains less moisture. For a log house, it is preferable to choose coniferous wood. The best option would be pine.
For the construction of a wooden log house, logs with a diameter of 25-26 cm are used. For areas with a warm climate, logs with a size of 22-23 cm are suitable. The material must be of high quality: without wormholes and rot.
The construction of a log house consists of several stages:
- Drawing up a house project. This stage includes the development of drawings, selection of materials, type of foundation and everything design features future building.
- Preparing for work. It includes building the foundation and preparing the logs.
- Construction of log walls. This is, in fact, the main part of the construction.
- Construction of the roof.
- Finishing walls and interior finishing work.
To properly assemble a log house, you need to choose a technology. At the moment there are three of them: Russian, Canadian and Norwegian. The first two are based on the use of large rounded logs, and Norwegian technology- on logs hewn on both sides. These technologies are different different approach to harvesting and laying wood.
Any technology requires careful preparation of the material: calibration, grinding, selection of logs by diameter.
The following types of foundations are suitable for a wooden frame:
- Columnar. Suitable for small houses. Their construction requires careful calculations.
- Deep foundation. This is the most expensive foundation. It is used for the construction of bulky buildings with basements and garages.
- Shallow. It is considered the most optimal for a wooden house. This base is suitable for any soil, and it is also reliable and economical.
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How to assemble a log house correctly
Log fastening scheme.
First you need to remove the bark from the felled trees and cut the logs to the same length, equal to the length of the walls plus 100 cm of allowance. If there are no identical long logs, then they can be obtained by splicing short ones using the tongue-and-groove method. But the first crown of the log house must necessarily consist of solid high-quality material. Logs intended for interior work must be hewn on both sides.
You can collect in two ways:
- using wooden dowels;
- using nails.
The first method is preferable, since the contact area between the dowel and the logs is larger, which means that the structure will be securely fastened.
The dowels are connected in a checkerboard pattern, the distance between which should be no more than 2 m.
In the case of assembly with nails, it is necessary to correctly calculate the length of the nails. If the wall thickness is 100 mm, then the length of the nail must be at least 250 mm. The head of the nail is deeply recessed into the wood to prevent shrinkage of the material.
When the foundation is dry, its surface is covered with a waterproofing material: roofing felt. Next, you can lay the first crown of the thickest logs. For strength - cross-bar spacers. Lower crown and the gaskets should be thoroughly coated with antiseptic and tar.
The gaps between the lower flashing and the foundation are closed with brick and concrete mortar on pre-laid roofing felt.
Connecting logs at corners is most often carried out using the “cup” method or the “paw” method. The first method involves tying at the corners with an allowance of logs, and “in the paw” - without an allowance. The cup method is for round logs. Cutting "in the paw" is used for both round and hewn logs. But this method is more economical, since there is no excess wood left at the corners.
During assembly, it is necessary to control the evenness of the corners and the verticality of the walls..
The uppermost crown of the log house, the mauerlat, serves as a support for the roof. The upper crown is made of strong and high-quality logs.
Appropriate openings are left for doors and windows. But these openings can be cut out after the construction of the log house. This method is preferable, since during the construction of the structure a uniform load on the foundation is ensured. This means that the house will not warp.
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Wall treatment and interior work
After the construction of the log house, its walls should be caulked with moss, felt or tow. You can use artificial materials based on natural rubber. These materials hermetically close the gaps between the logs, so that the walls acquire a monolithic waterproofing structure.
Begin caulking vertical surfaces from the bottom using a hammer and caulk. This procedure should be carried out around the perimeter. This means that if you caulk individual walls, the structure may become warped. When the treatment of the external walls is completed, they begin to caulk the internal surfaces.
Next, the wood must be coated with antiseptic compounds. Treatment with fire-fighting substances is mandatory in those places where the stove, fireplace and chimney area will be installed. These procedures will significantly extend the life of the house.
Cutting in the “oblo” with the bowl down.
The final stage of assembling the log house will be its shelter waterproofing materials. This procedure is carried out for six months so that the house shrinks naturally.
When the walls are ready, proceed to the installation of the roof and interior decoration premises.
Usually, high-quality wood is sanded and simply varnished. To do this, you can use both transparent and colored coatings.
If you still want modern design interior, then interior walls can be sheathed wooden clapboard or drywall. But before that, you should take care of installing the electrical wires. Electrical wires must be insulated: with copper conductors in metal tubes.
Wooden log houses do not require any additional insulation, therefore, laying foam plastic between the walls and the facing material is not necessary. If necessary, mineral wool can be used for insulation.
The floors in the log house are made of boards, the thickness of which is 40 mm. They are laid tightly next to each other, secured, sanded and processed according to the example of the walls. You can varnish the floor, or lay laminate.
