What is the beauty of country life - silence, fresh air, near a forest, river or lake and the opportunity to take a steam bath. A bath and a shower are pleasures for city life, in a country house you can create all the conditions for comfort, but a bath cannot be replaced. Its construction is a very responsible process, with the further use of this structure, a person should receive only joy, and not problems due to poor-quality material or improper construction.
Choosing a place to build a bath
The place chosen for the construction of the bath must correspond to its purpose. It is best to place it as a separate building on a small hill, 5-8 meters from the main living quarters and outbuildings. This is necessary for the safety of a residential building in the event of a fire. Building a sauna with fire-resistant materials will also reduce the risk of fire. An important factor determining the place of construction is the availability of engineering and technical communications. To be able to use natural light, windows should be located on the western side of the bath. The rays of the setting sun will replace the electric lighting in the dressing room and give the room a cozy look.
materials
The traditional material for building a bath is wood. For walls, ceilings, floors and shelves, various types of wood can be used: oak, larch, aspen, even birch. The quality and size of lumber is determined based on the capabilities of the owner of the bath, it can be a rounded log or any kind of timber. The easiest way to assemble the walls is “into the end tongue”, the “into the thicket” method is applicable to round logs. After assembling the walls, they are caulked, all the cracks are tightly sealed with linen, felt or moss.
The quality of the processing of cracks plays a very important role; a bath with holes in the walls loses its purpose.
When air gets on the inside of the wood, condensation forms, destroying it. The use of natural material - wood - gives the Russian bath a special "living spirit", warmth emanates from every corner, the general atmosphere cleanses and invigorates.
Under the stove in the steam room, it is necessary to install a foundation designed for its weight, and containers with hot water, if the tank is provided for by the design of the stove. Walls adjacent to heated elements must be sheathed with heat-resistant materials (minerite, glass-magnesite), and refractory tiles in the interior will avoid excessive overheating of the wooden elements of the bath. Best for high temperature areas heat resistant oven adhesive . Preparation of all drains (steam room, washing) is carried out before the installation of the floor. A concrete base is required for a ceramic tile floor.
Wooden floors need constant drying, there should be a ventilated space under them, and gaps between the boards for water to drain.
In the bath, you can simultaneously use tiles and wood as a floor covering. If the floor is tiled in the washroom and steam room, then for safety, wooden grates are placed on top or tiles are used that have a texture that prevents slipping.
Interior decoration of the bath
The heat from the bath can escape through the windows and the door. The door is insulated from the outside with foam rubber or felt, which is attached to the canvas, and leatherette or fiberboard. The door itself rises 20-22 cm from the floor. The windows in the bath should be small, the glass should fit snugly against the frames. To improve the fastening of glass, the glazing beads are coated with special mixtures designed for sealing and fixing. In the dressing room, the window can be larger to improve natural light.
The oven is of great importance. At the moment, stove manufacturers amaze with a variety of models, the operation of all types must comply with the instructions and fire safety rules. You can also do the construction of a brick oven for a bath with your own hands. The main materials for this process: fireclay bricks, masonry mix for stoves, stove and blower doors.
The stove must be correctly installed, leveled on the foundation, it must not be overloaded during kindling, the chimney must be cleaned in a timely manner, and the stove must not be overheated during operation.
To maintain an optimal level of humidity, it is necessary to correctly position the ventilation vents at the construction stage. Air flows entering the steam room must necessarily pass through the firebox, and humid air is removed through windows or ventilation openings under the ceiling. The stove should give good dry steam, and the whole design of the bath should hold it and remove excess moisture, then the steam will be “light” and useful.
To maintain good steam, the ceiling of the bath also plays an important role. The ceiling must be tightly and hermetically sealed to prevent heat from escaping. First of all, a rough ceiling is laid on the fixed beams - reel. For it, a beam of small thickness is used; on the inside of the bath, the roll can be sewn up with any decorative wooden material, for example, linden clapboard. Part of the rough ceiling facing the roof is covered with a waterproofing sheet that protects the wood from moisture. A heater is laid on top, which can be mineral wool, or small gravel is poured with a layer of 120-150 mm. If the bath has a high gable roof, then it is very convenient to use it for drying and storing prepared birch brooms.
