Today, as before, for many, many people the bathhouse is an integral part of life. Many people dream of having it own plot, however, they do not dare to start construction, considering it too complicated. However, upon closer examination of each stage of construction, one can understand that there are practically no subtleties and nuances.
So, how to build a bathhouse from timber with your own hands? For such construction it will be necessary to perform several successive stages.
All stages of construction
If the construction of a bathhouse begins from the very beginning, then the following steps will have to be completed:
- Preparation of the area and purchase of all materials;
- Terrain marking;
- Foundation construction;
- Construction of walls from timber;
- Floor laying;
- Furnace installation;
- Ceiling and roof installation;
- Interior decoration;
- Exterior finishing.
As you can see, there is a lot of work, but doing it consistently, gradually understanding all the details, it becomes clear how to build a bathhouse from timber with your own hands.
Site preparation and procurement of materials
All construction begins, if the project is ready, with the preparation of the area. From here, everything unnecessary is removed, that is, various plantings, some foreign objects - routine cleaning of the area.
As for purchasing materials for, you should know what exactly is needed.
So, to build a bath you will need the following material:
- Profiled timber measuring 20 by 20 cm or larger for the first crown;
- Profiled timber measuring 15 by 15 for walls and partitions;
- Moss or tow for insulating a bath (laying between the beams);
- Wooden or metal dowels;
- Reinforcement brackets for securing two perpendicular logs.
Advice! A batch of timber must be prepared in advance, for example, a year before the start of construction. This is due to the fact that the products must be completely dried, since raw wood subsequently dries out, which leads to undesirable consequences.
Land marking and foundation construction
The marking consists of marking the location of the future bathhouse on the ground. Pegs and rope work well for this. In this case, you need to create an even line, because this is how you get an even trench for the foundation.
And to build the foundation you will need the following materials:
- Concrete;
- Sand;
- Crushed stone;
- Boards for formwork;
- Ruberoid;
- Insulation material.
The concrete composition calculator will help you maintain all proportions.
Today, many people prefer to build a bathhouse with their own hands, since this option is cheaper, and the construction of the structure is not very complicated. Exist different materials, from which you can make a bath: rounded logs, aerated concrete and beams.
Many people choose wood because it is natural and environmentally friendly material, which creates an atmosphere of unity with nature. A sauna made of timber is an excellent alternative to a sauna made of rounded logs, since it is almost the same in appearance, but the process of its construction is much simpler and takes less time.
In addition, construction from timber is similar to traditional construction, since in Rus' strong buildings were built, but without nails; when building a bathhouse with your own hands from timber, nails are also not used.
Advantages of a timber bath
- environmental friendliness of the material. It contains no harmful impurities, it has a pleasant and natural woody aroma;
- easy installation. Anyone can build a bathhouse from timber, even a person with little experience working with building materials and tools;
- saving time. Building a bathhouse from timber will take less time than using other materials;
- minimal shrinkage (only 6-10 cm), which will help protect interior decoration from deformation. The shrinkage of timber is two times lower than that of conventional log structures;
- a good level of thermal insulation, the desired microclimate will be maintained in the steam room;
- low cost. Building a bathhouse from timber with your own hands will be much cheaper than constructing log and brick structures;
- there is no need to build a reinforced foundation, which simplifies the construction process and also reduces the cost of the structure.
How to make a bathhouse from timber? Selecting materials
The quality of the bath itself directly depends on the choice of material. Properly selected wood is a guarantee of quality. When choosing a material, you need to carefully examine it - there should be no cracks on the logs, since they will gradually expand, which will lead to rotting of the beams. By the way, the presence of blue spots on the tree just indicates that rotting is already occurring. The presence of holes due to beetles is also a sign of poor quality material.
So what does it look like good timber which is suitable for assembling a bathhouse from timber with your own hands? Smooth and perfectly even wood, which has a natural color, without any blue inclusions.
As for the tree species, best option- combination. It is best to make the few bottom rows from larch, and the rest from cedar, spruce and pine. What are the advantages of this approach? Larch has high moisture resistance; over time it does not deform, but, on the contrary, only becomes harder and stronger. But this material is not cheap, so complete construction from it will be expensive. Conifers much cheaper, in addition, they also have good moisture resistance, and in terms of thermal insulation properties they are even ahead of larch. Also coniferous trees When heated, they release resins that give a pleasant, relaxing aroma.
There are two types of beams: profiled and solid. The first type has tenons and grooves, which are additionally ground. When we build a bathhouse from this type of timber, the whole process is much easier and faster. Another advantage is that they provide high moisture resistance to the walls; during operation, moisture practically does not penetrate. But this type also has disadvantages: low fire safety. To increase it, the material must be additionally treated with a special compound.
If you build a bathhouse from timber on your own, using solid wood, then keep in mind that in appearance it is much inferior to a profiled one, so you will need to make external finishing siding, block house or other materials.
Also, the beams are divided into wood of natural moisture and forced drying. The second option is considered more preferable, since it practically does not shrink. But material with natural moisture is much cheaper. If you choose it, please note that you do not need to give it time to dry. It is necessary to immediately begin building a bathhouse from timber for shrinkage. If you leave it to dry, the water will begin to evaporate from upper layers, and the wood inside will remain damp, as a result, cracks, splits will appear on the beams, and they may also become deformed.
Following traditions and in order to save money, most owners of their own plots build bathhouses from high-quality, but inexpensive materials. For example - wood.
As a rule, such steam rooms are built from logs or timber.
Properties of lumber
The popularity of baths of this type is understandable.
Advantages
- If a bathhouse is built from timber 100 by 100, or slightly thicker, it gives the walls absolute evenness with a small thickness. Consequently, your steam room will be more spacious and tidy.
- It is easier to construct buildings from timber than from logs. For example, it does not need to be trimmed and adjusted by hand.
- Timber log houses shrink minimally.
- Construction will be easy. Therefore, there is no need to build an expensive foundation.
- Buildings made from such timber look aesthetically pleasing.
- Low price when compared with stone-like materials.
- The timber is environmentally friendly and makes it possible to create the right microclimate in any building.
Features of timber and its use
The ease of installation of the log house is ensured by the specific properties of the timber.
- Its raw materials are logs. They are hewn on all four sides.
- This lumber is impregnated with antiseptic compounds. They increase the service life of the log frame.
- Manufacturers produce a special type of timber - laminated veneer lumber. This is the most expensive and high-quality type of material, ensuring rapid construction.
- Typically, timber harvesting for timber is carried out in cold period year - from December to March. Such raw materials are of higher quality than summer ones.
Note!
After the wood has been harvested, it should rest for about 40/45 days.
The trunks are freed from the bark, about 10 cm is left at their ends.
The material is stored in stacks.
The gaps between the trunks should be 5 cm, between their rows 10 cm, the height of the stacks from the ground level should be 20 cm.
How to choose a project
A standard bathhouse made of 10 by 10 timber or a slightly thicker material can be equipped according to a standard design.
- Typically, they involve the construction of three main rooms: a washing room and a steam room.
- The structure, at your choice, can be built on one or two floors, or the latter can be replaced with an attic. In addition/, the building can be supplemented with a balcony, veranda, terrace.
- To facilitate wooden building, the instructions advise constructing the lower floor entirely from timber, and making the attic or second tier frame.
Construction of a log house
First, the construction of walls is carried out.
Types of base
When constructing a light bathhouse from 100 by 100 mm timber, two types of bases are optimal.
- Columnar bases. Brick, stone, concrete, wooden supports are placed along the perimeter of the steam room, its corners and at intersection points. The step between the pillars should be about 1.5 m.
To increase strength, the supports need to be reinforced and protected with waterproofing between the base of the foundation and the first cobblestone crown. In this case, you can use liquid bitumen mastic or roofing felt. - Laying a strip base consists of digging a trench, constructing formwork of the required width and filling it with concrete. Optimally, the height of the ground part of such a foundation is 30/50 cm. Such a foundation also requires reinforcement and waterproofing of the walls.
Wall assembly
- The first crown (row) of beams is the basis of the entire log house. The durability and quality of the entire building depends on the literacy and accuracy of its installation.
- Having laid the first row, you can begin the actual construction wooden walls. First, the beams are adjusted to their length. Then grooves are cut out on their opposite sides to connect the elements at the corners of the frame.
Note!
It is undesirable to use metal nails and screws when fastening beams.
It is best to replace them with wooden dowels (wedges). They are driven into pre-made holes.
- The connection goes like this. The upper beam is drilled completely, the lower beam is drilled halfway. Next, the upper beam is removed and dowels are driven into the holes until they stop. , then the beam is installed back.
- It is advisable to use natural materials as a heat insulator - moss, flax, jute. They need to caulk the walls from the inside and outside.
Preparing the log house for the shrinkage period
The inevitable shrinkage of walls is influenced by such factors.
- Type of timber used and its dimensions. Profiled analogs shrink by 2.5/6 cm. Glued material shrinks by 2 cm or less.
- Total area of the building. A two-story steam room or one with an attic will settle more than a one-story building.
- Type of lumber and its moisture level. The larger it is, the more significant the shrinkage.
- Steam room location. Everything matters here: whether it is built in the shade, in the sun, on a flat area or with uneven terrain.
Taking into account all these points, a bathhouse made of 100x100 timber should be built with your own hands, including them in the project.
For example: keeping shrinkage in mind, you need to rafter system fix only in some places. So, it will shrink in proportion to the corresponding process in the load-bearing walls.
Here's how to prepare a log house for shrinkage: The top of the crowns are covered with boards having a thickness of 4 centimeters. Slate is mounted on top. When about six months have passed, you can begin facing work.
Conclusion
Thin timber has many advantages when building a steam room. However, we must not forget that it must be protected from external and internal influences. If you watch the video provided to you in this article, you will learn a lot of useful information on the topic we have discussed.
A bathhouse made from timber is much lighter than logs, and accordingly, the installation process will be easier. Unlike rounded logs, timber has affordable price. In the article we will tell you how to build a bathhouse from timber with your own hands, we will give step by step instructions, drawings, photos and video materials.
Creating a Project
The first stage in construction is design. A decision must be made regarding design features baths This might be the simplest one-story project or a house with an attic; a bathhouse can also be arranged together with a cozy veranda. Also pay attention to the choice of timber, as it can be profiled, planed or glued.
During the design process, it is determined how many rooms there will be in the building and what their size should be. The main indicator of the longevity of a bathhouse is a high-quality foundation. Therefore, even at the design stage it is necessary to create a diagram of the base of the structure.
Installing boxes during wall construction can be risky, as over time wooden structure will shrink.
Now you should prepare the walls for the shrinkage period. On top of the last crowns of the walls, lay a row of boards up to 5.5 cm thick. Then cover them with roofing felt or slate. So, the bath should be left for six months.
It is important to know:
Video: building a timber bathhouse from scratch
Photo
Blueprints
4x6
6x6
In Rus', a wooden bathhouse has been a best place for relaxation of body and soul. Having some experience in performing construction work, it’s not at all difficult to build yourself private steam room on your site. Let's figure out how to do this.
Choosing the right timber is an extremely important task
Classic baths are traditionally constructed from various wood materials. Buildings for water procedures made from rounded logs are quite popular. They are characterized by high reliability and long service life. But the cost of building such steam rooms is quite high. A sauna made of timber, which is easy to build with your own hands, is considered a reasonable alternative to expensive structures. In most respects, it will be no different from steam rooms built from logs. At the same time, the costs of building an excellent bathhouse will be significantly reduced.
When constructing the structure in question from timber, we have to go through many stages. But the first and truly important one is the selection process wood material. All operational properties of the bathhouse will depend on the quality of the purchased products. The timber for your own steam room should visually look impeccably even and smooth. The following is not allowed on wood:
- 1. Obvious geometric flaws and distortions. Such defects significantly complicate the process of installing log crowns. In some cases, it is simply impossible to build a high-quality steam room from timber with flaws.
- 2. Insignificant (at first glance) cracks. Products with such defects will begin to expand during the natural shrinkage of the bath. This will lead to a change in the appearance of the building and rotting of the wood.
- 3. Stains of blue color. If there are any on the timber, immediately reject the material offered to you. It is not suitable for construction work. The presence of blue spots indicates that there is a fungus in the logs, which causes the wood to rot.
- 4. Traces of life activity of bugs and wormholes.
Ideal for building a steam room is considered to be wood harvested in winter time. The timber must be left to rest for 1–1.5 months, and then processed accordingly. Great importance also has the type of wood from which the logs are made. To lay the first few crowns of the building, it is recommended to use larch products. This wood increases its hardness during use, it is not subject to rotting, and is not afraid of a humid environment. But all subsequent crowns are best assembled from cedar, spruce or pine products. They are affordable, which is important, and also have high heat and water protection capabilities.
The timber can be solid or profiled. The first type of material is characterized by not being very presentable appearance. Buildings made from solid products have to be additionally clad on the outside with a block house or siding. Profiled logs are much more aesthetically pleasing. In addition, they are provided with carefully polished crown grooves and tenons along the entire length. Due to this, baths made of profiled timber are built very quickly and with minimal labor costs.
For construction outer box For the structure we are interested in, it is advisable to use products with a cross-section of 15x15 cm. And it is recommended to build the first row of the bathhouse using 20x20 cm timber. It is on this part of the building that the maximum load will be placed. Internal partitions usually made from 15x10 cm logs.
We develop a project and build a foundation - a beautiful bathhouse for centuries!
Having decided to get your own bathhouse, you should choose a place for it on your site. Finished building should be functional and comfortable. Therefore, it needs to be built not too far from the house, but also too close to it. The optimal distance from a residential building to a bathhouse is about 5 m. Also pay attention to the level of occurrence groundwater and general soil dampness in the selected location.
The drier the soil, the stronger and more durable the steam room will be.
Having sorted out the place, we begin to draw up a bathhouse project. At this stage, you can use your imagination to the fullest. Use ready-made drawings or make your own sketches. It is not difficult to design a very simple building with several rooms and a larger structure, for example, the following types:
- With a small open veranda(terrace). The construction of such a bathhouse from timber is ideal for cases when you have a barbecue in the courtyard of your house, a stationary stove for frying food on fresh air. The latter, by the way, can be placed directly on the terrace under construction.
- With attic and terrace. An excellent option for those who often receive guests and invite them to have a pleasant time in the steam room. After your bath procedures, you can sit on the veranda and drink healing herbal tea. And put beds in the attic and invite guests to spend the night in a cozy summer bedroom.
- With a porch. Such a bathhouse will tell everyone that you are a fan of Russian traditions. You can have tea parties on the porch and admire nature. Isn't this real happiness?
- WITH closed veranda. A glazed and insulated terrace can be used not only in summer, but also in autumn. It is easy to adapt such a veranda as a bedroom, a room for playing billiards or table tennis.
After drawing up and approving the project, we purchase the required amount of material and begin pouring the foundation for our own steam room. The foundation for a bathhouse can be made columnar or strip. Both of them are quite reliable and can easily withstand the load from a timber steam room. To install a columnar foundation in areas of load-bearing internal walls, at the corners of the building and along its entire perimeter, it is necessary to place brick supports. Then pour a concrete pad under them. It will eliminate the risk of pillars subsiding. The distance between individual supporting elements is taken within the range of 150–200 cm. The specific value depends on the mass of the structure being erected. The heavier it is, the more often it is necessary to place pillars.
For construction strip foundation you need to make formwork from boards around the perimeter of the planned building and fill the structure concrete mixture. The main thing here is to reliably protect the bathhouse from dampness. To do this, the height of the foundation from the ground surface should be at least 150–170 cm. Important! Regardless of the type of foundation being poured, we strengthen it with reinforcing bars (section - 1–1.2 cm), install special embedded elements (needed to fix the first wooden crown buildings) and be sure to waterproof the area between the first crown of the steam room and the base.
We carry out moisture protection according to this scheme. First, heat the bitumen to a fluid consistency. We treat the base with this composition. Then we lay several layers of roofing material on top (optimally 3). And between separate sheets waterproofing material We also apply molten bitumen composition.
Assembling the structure - follow the instructions, and everything will work out!
It is not difficult to build a bathhouse from properly prepared timber with your own hands if you follow all the rules for its construction. To begin with, we take a building level and analyze the horizontal surface of the logs that will be used to assemble the first crown for evenness. Let us remind you that we are building it from 20x20 cm timber. We need to make sure that the logs are perfectly even. If the first crown is installed flawlessly, the entire wooden structure without exaggeration it will turn out perfect.
Construction begins with the assembly of the first crown
We install the first crown like this. We install thin (1.5 cm thick) wood slats treated with antiseptic throughout the entire foundation plinth. These products will protect the first row of timber from rotting, thereby increasing the overall service life of the bathhouse. The spacing of the slats is 0.25–0.3 m. Experts advise blowing out the gaps between them polyurethane foam. Then we mount the beam on concrete base. Pre-apply to wooden crafts machine oil or any antiseptic composition. The first beam can be secured. Or you don’t have to fix it, since subsequent rows will give it sufficient reliability due to its mass.
We build a bathhouse from wooden beam further. Install the next two rows. There is no need to lay the logs of the log house too tightly, since after construction the bathhouse will shrink naturally. Next, we fasten the crowns of different rows with metal pins or wooden dowels. These hardware are driven into pre-prepared holes. The latter are drilled so that the tool passes the entire upper beam (through and through) and additionally captures another half of the lower product. We need:
- drill holes (the distance between them is 100–150 cm) according to the specified requirement;
- remove the top beam;
- drive the dowels into the holes;
- lay insulating material;
- put the top beam in place.
All crowns are mounted and fixed in the same way. Important! There is no need to fasten the two upper crowns when building walls. We will need to dismantle them for some time during the installation process ceiling beams. Moss, tow or jute are usually used as insulation placed between the logs. There is small nuance. If thermal insulation is carried out with moss and tow, after the structure shrinks it will be necessary to caulk all the gaps that appear. But when using jute, such an operation does not need to be performed. It is enough to secure it with small nails or staples from a construction stapler.
The bars may be fastened together in other ways. You can use nails without heads. They are usually called submerged. They do not rust, as they are completely immersed in the wood, which means they do not damage the beams. Some craftsmen fasten wooden products with Sila hardware. It is a screw with a compression spring integrated inside it. This design of the fastener ensures that there are no gaps between the beams due to their maximum pressing against each other. Sila hardware eliminates the risk of operational deformation of the bathhouse and the occurrence of cracks. But the cost of this fastener is quite high.
When building walls, do not forget to leave small gaps in areas where windows and doors will then be installed. After the structure has settled in the marked places, you will need to cut the required openings using a chainsaw. Installation door frames And window designs theoretically it can be done during the construction of a steam room. But it's risky. After all, after the structure shrinks, they can change their geometry.
The final stages of work - we cover the roof and create comfort inside
When the walls of the structure are completely finished, we cover the frame with boards (four centimeters in thickness). And on top we lay a layer of roofing material on them. The building should remain in this condition for 6–8 months. During this time, the bathhouse will completely settle down, which will allow us to continue construction work.
After six months, we cut out windows and doors using the method described above. And then we begin to build the roof. The type of this design depends on the type of bath. If a steam room with an attic was built, we arrange it. This option is easy to implement. Under a gable roof, you can organize a well-ventilated and well-insulated attic, in which any room can be arranged, starting from game room and ending with summer-autumn living space.
If it was erected simple sauna without an additional level, it is easier to make a simple roof. You just need to make it wooden beams frame according to the structural parameters, and cut rafters from the timber. Little things left. We install the frame, mount the rafters on it (it should be a lattice), and perform the final finishing of the roof. For last operation We use any suitable material. This can be roofing felt sheets, metal tiles, profiled sheets, and other products.
The final stage of work - interior design baths Recommended:
- 1. Install the stove, cover it with decorative mosaics or natural stone.
- 2. Cladding from the inside ceiling surface baths using foil. In this case, the beneficial hot steam will remain in the room for a very long time.
- 3. Sheath interior walls suitable material. It is most rational to use wooden lining. It can be installed without problems and has decent performance properties.
- 4. Make and install shelves.
Your personal sauna is ready for use. Enjoy every trip there!
