It seems impossible, but a 2 by 2 m bathhouse can be no less cozy and convenient to use than huge full-size complexes with a swimming pool and a relaxation room. If you don’t rush into building a sauna box for half of the site, but choose a successful project, then the construction and arrangement of a steam room from rounded logs will be more profitable, cheaper, even in comparison with a foam block or frame structure, and the level of comfort is approximately the same level or even higher.
Typical bath designs
Steam rooms and saunas have been built from logs since time immemorial, several hundred years. This simplifies the situation, since you can use experience and practical methods for arranging wooden bath boxes. The best bathhouse designs, simple and easy-to-manufacture options for bathhouse buildings have long migrated from the popular category to standard designs.
Projects of one-story baths
For a suburban area, cottage and home, the most practical options are most often chosen, those that require low costs and at the same time provide an acceptable level of amenities:
- Typical “trailer” project. The locker room and dressing room are made with a walk-through vestibule connecting the entrance to the room and the steam room;
- Single bathhouse near the house. Such projects are designed for one person;
- Bathhouse with living quarters on the second floor.
It is clear that most projects of small-sized steam rooms are designed for a maximum of two or three in one session. Such a bathhouse is traditionally built from a log next to the house, which has a shower and a place under a canopy for relaxation.
For your information! Experts call projects of small one-story log steam rooms “temporary buildings.” Often the premises of a small log bathhouse are placed on a removable foundation next to a construction site in the country.
You can put up a “temporary structure” on a country plot and use a small steam room - a log house - for an unlimited time, until the construction of a country house is completed, or the owners want to rebuild it according to the design of a 6x6 m bathhouse made of rounded logs.
Over time, the small-sized bathhouse will have to be dismantled and replaced with a more serious object. In practice, after 5-6 years, due to high humidity in the walls of the bathhouse, the logs of the lower crowns of the log house begin to rot.
Two-story house-bath
Choosing a two-story log building can be called the most compromise option, especially if there is not much space on the site for a full-fledged summer house and bathhouse, and there is no point in saving on arranging a steam room or living space. A country house needs comfort.
There are quite a lot of standard projects for a small two-story log bathhouse. All of them are more or less similar to each other in proportions and layout of the premises.
An example would be a project for a bathhouse with a balcony and a composite roof. This is the standard of a bathhouse complex with log walls; the remaining schemes will be variations and modifications of the standard solution.
For your information! All elements and details of the facade of the bathhouse according to the project are made of timber and cut logs. This ensures uniform shrinkage, good durability of the building and the absence of gaps on the front walls of the building.
Similar to the previous version of the bathhouse, a two-story “cube” made of logs with a summer terrace and an enlarged seating area on the second floor.
One of these projects for 6 by 6 log baths is presented below:
The first floor is allocated for the arrangement of a steam room, washing department and rest room. A basement is not built in the bathhouse complex.
According to the project, on the second floor there are living quarters, since the walls and ceilings are made of rounded logs, the building turns out to be much more durable than a timber or frame building.
A two-story bathhouse for this project costs just over 1,000 thousand rubles; for comparison, a one-story building 6x6 m without a residential module will cost a maximum of 970 thousand rubles.
Video description
The video will show one of the options for constructing a columnar foundation for a bathhouse:
Construction and insulation of walls
In the upper part of the strip foundation it is necessary to make holes for the ventilation system. They should be located on walls opposite each other. Then a blind area made of clay and crushed stone is built along the perimeter of the outer side of the base. Its thickness must be at least 5 cm.
The surface of the foundation is covered with several layers of roofing felt. After this, the walls are erected. If they are made of timber, then the lower trim is placed on rods protruding from the base. To do this, holes 10 cm deep are drilled along its perimeter and pieces of reinforcement are inserted into the solution.
Each subsequent row of timber is secured together with dowels. The crowns are connected by dowels. All grooves are insulated with a plait. Construction continues to the intended height, not forgetting to leave openings for doors and windows. After this, beam floors are cut into the structure.
Rafter ends are installed on them, the crowns of which are connected at the ridge. There must be a spacing of at least one meter between the rafters. The sheathing and ridge board are nailed on top. Vapor barrier and waterproofing are laid. The construction of the bathhouse frame is completed by laying the roofing material.
Construction of a bathhouse from timber Source stroyfora.ru
The steam room in the bathhouse is thermally insulated according to the principle of a thermos. This method is also called “pie”. First, a windproof film is attached to the surface from the inside. Bars with a cross section of 50×40 mm are screwed vertically on top. The distance between them should be equal to the width of the insulation boards. The cavities are filled with insulator. Basalt is considered the best for a bath, since it does not support combustion.
Waterproofing in the form of a bath membrane or thick foil is attached to the bars with galvanized staples. All joints are sealed with adhesive tape. And after that, the sheathing is attached to the bars with self-tapping screws. For it, slats with a cross section of 25×40 mm are selected. It is necessary to maintain a step of 70 cm between them. The “pie” is completed by the lining, which is nailed with galvanized nails.
Floor arrangement
Concrete screed is justified only in the area of the shower and swimming pool. In all other parts of the bathhouse it is better to make a regular wooden floor. To do this, a board 40-50 mm thick is nailed to the joists of the lower trim. Moreover, there is no need to fit them very tightly to each other. All the same, the joints will open from excessive moisture. And small gaps will be useful for ventilation.
Work on the floor in the future steam room Source 1-teplodom.ru
There should be a distance of half a meter from the transverse joists to the ground. There is no need for a “warm floor” in the steam room. Because the room is empty after use. And during bath procedures, a little coolness on the surface is not of fundamental importance. After all, you can only steam as much as possible by lying on a shelf under the ceiling.
Bathhouse 2 by 2
A miniature log building must be installed on a brick strip foundation or piles. According to a standard design, the height of the supports should be at least 60 cm.
This is the optimal size for lifting the bath box. In the typical version, the foundation blind area and the basement cladding are not done, so the first crowns of logs are simply raised higher above the ground to avoid soaking the walls of the bathhouse.
Structurally, the room is divided into two compartments. This is a classic bathhouse trailer project.
In the first compartment there is a locker room combined with a dressing room, in the second there is a washing room and a steam room. The surface of log walls must be insulated, covered with a vapor barrier and covered with clapboard.
Bench dimensions
The optimal dimensions of benches installed in steam rooms are determined by the functional features of their use:
- For sitting with legs extended – 45 cm;
- For sitting with bent legs – 95 cm;
- For lying with legs raised – 155 cm;
- For lying with straightened legs (full height) – 185 cm.
If there are up to three benches in the steam room, then the lowest of them should have the minimum width. It is intended for children or laying out accessories and supplies for procedures.
The optimal distance between the upper bench and the ceiling does not exceed 1 meter.
There should be small gaps of 0.35 cm between the individual wooden elements from which the benches are made for mandatory air convection.
Log house 3x3
Square proportions for a bath and steam room building are not the most successful of all possible. Even a small increase in size from 2x2 m to 3x3 m does not lead to fundamental changes in the arrangement of the bathhouse, but it gives a little more space.
The bathhouse turns out to be more spacious, there is space for installing a full-fledged stove in the dressing room. Instead of a fire-hazardous potbelly stove for a 3x3 m log bath, a firebox with a tunnel option for loading firewood from the dressing room is used.
For your information! In typical projects of a good level of development, a steam room made of logs is always equipped with an external firebox, and the stove itself should only be of industrial manufacture.
A clear inconvenience in the 2x2 m and 3x3 m projects was the combination of the steam room and washing compartment in one space. It means:
- The steam room is designed for one-time use; a maximum of several people can take a steam bath in one go;
- After heating the steam compartment, here we had to wash in the shower, then remove dirt and condensation from the walls and floor of the logs;
- After completing the procedures, the hot room is opened to ventilate and thoroughly dry all accumulated moisture.
In fact, the 2x2 m and 2x3 m bathhouse projects are sanitized versions of the old “black” steam rooms, in which the walls are made of antiseptic-impregnated logs, and a modern firebox is used instead of a smoking stove. There is little comfort and convenience, but according to the project, the bathhouse was conceived from the very beginning as an individual object.
Where to put the stove
To understand how to make a steam room in a bathhouse correctly, it is necessary at the project development stage to determine where to place the stove. The location of the structure is based on the choice of unit. The metal device is placed at a distance from the wall in the steam room to avoid strong heating and accidental fire. In addition, the heater is installed on a pedestal. The base is prepared in advance, bricks are laid around the metal. The design of the steam room takes into account the ceiling cut for the pipe outlet and placement of the chimney.
To figure out how to make a steam room with your own hands with an electric stove, you need to understand its location. It can stand on a stand or be mounted on a wall using brackets. The steam room design involves convenient placement of the heating unit due to its low weight.
A steam room for a bathhouse with a brick heater requires the choice of a specific location for the stove, since the heating system is installed at the construction stage of the bathhouse . The firebox can be located in the dressing room. The construction of a steam room involves placing stones that are poured with liquid with the addition of oils, eucalyptus and other beneficial substances to create healthy steam.
3x4 log sauna project
Starting with a size of 3x4 m, you can add an additional washing room to your bathhouse project. For example, in the previous 3x3 m version, the comfort of using the steam room did not increase much; the room still remained a log house made of rounded logs, divided into two parts.
Now this is a full-fledged log bathhouse, which is easy to maintain hygiene and can accommodate everyone who wants to take a steam bath.
The best materials for construction
Before construction, it is worth calculating the consumption of materials, avoiding unnecessary and unnecessary costs. For construction you need:
- wall material;
- heat-vapor and waterproofing material;
- roofing material;
- finishing.
The best building materials for building a bathhouse are:
- mineral raw materials - brick, gas silicate blocks, natural stone;
- wood - profiled or rounded timber;
- wood concrete – a cement solution filled with wood shavings and sawdust;
- frame structures are erected using all kinds of materials.
Profiled timber provides high tightness, which does not require thermal insulation. For construction, lumber must be well dried. The exception is laminated timber with no moisture.
When planning to build a mini-sauna, it is better to opt for a log house.
Wood, with its breathable qualities and ability to evaporate moisture naturally, is the main material for such a specific structure. Hot air and steam last a long time in wooden baths due to the low thermal conductivity coefficient.
In addition, taking into account the content of natural resins and the naturalness of the material, a healing microclimate is created in the baths. Wood is not afraid of temperature changes, so logs cut in winter are especially durable.
Bathhouse project 4 by 8
In addition to bath and steam rooms, the building now includes additional rest rooms, terraces and service areas, for example, a kitchen and dining room. One of the classic designs of a luxury bathhouse is shown in the drawing below.
The layout of the bathhouse building looks unusual due to its elongated proportions, but it is thanks to the non-standard shape that the room wins in comparison with square and two-story boxes:
- According to the project, the building is divided into a recreation area and a bathhouse part. The covered extension can be used as a gazebo and a place to sit by the fireplace. Moreover, the entire complex is made of one material - logs and lining, which gives the impression of a single building;
- The entrance to the room is in the central part, and most of the canopy is protected from the wind by a decorative grille, protecting from wind and rain in inclement and cold weather.
Important! Unlike stone buildings, a heated log sauna will keep those under the canopy warm for a long time after completing the steaming procedures.
Subsequent versions of bath buildings are designed primarily taking into account the increase in the number of people visiting the steam room. If you increase the width of one of the walls to 4 m, the volume of the rooms will significantly expand and the level of comfort in the room will increase.
For health, only go to a “healthy” steam room...
The microclimate of a Russian steam room is regulated by two atmospheric parameters:
- Air temperature
- Its relative humidity
To check their level, each bath has a thermometer and a hydrometer. What indicators of these devices are considered optimal?
- Air temperature T = + 60ºС
- Relative humidity A = 60%
Correct calculation is important for a steam room
In addition to this balance, care should be taken to ensure constant air exchange in the room. In one hour, the atmosphere of the steam room should be completely replaced at least 4-5 times.
A person who finds himself in a bathhouse with such an optimal microclimate is subjected to deep heating from three heat sources at once:
- Heat of heated air
- Radiant heat from the furnace surface
- Hot steam settling on the human body
Insufficient “strength” of steam, on the contrary, contributes to our cooling in the steam room. For example, if relative humidity is reduced to 30% (at T = + 60ºС), then moisture from the skin will evaporate intensively, while our body cools down. Sometimes, for a better understanding of this principle of steam room operation, two thermometers are hung in the room: a regular one and a “wet” one, where the tip of the latter is wrapped in a damp cloth. It displays the surface temperature of the steamer's moisturized skin.
Let’s change the indicators and see this paradox:
What does the size of the steam room have to do with the above mentioned atmospheric parameters? The most direct... “Triple” heat is a very unstable thing. In a spacious steam room, the warm rays of the stove will quickly dissipate, and it is impossible to extend their “route” without excessive heating of the air.
Kurin steam room plan
It turns out that it is impossible to achieve a system balance in a huge room that guarantees uniform heating of a person; there are certain spatial boundaries beyond which the heat in the room “breaks up” into cold and hot zones. And all this at colossal and unjustified energy costs.
The size of the steam room in the bathhouse must be strictly adjusted to the needs of the steamers, that is, a simple rule applies here: “Nothing superfluous!” Only then can optimal and healthy performance in the hot zone be achieved.
For those who are just preparing to build a bathhouse, there are a number of ready-made calculation tables where you can choose the optimal size of the steam room for your project
But before we recommend anything, we will pay attention to the rules for selecting furniture, stoves and other design features of a given room
Internal arrangement of the steam room: everything for convenience and health
Furniture in the steam room is made according to a strict “recipe”, which specifies the following important operating points:
- Choosing the type of wood. Only dense, stress-resistant wood is used, which has a low thermal conductivity, low resin content and good “immunity” to heat and moisture. Ideal for these requirements are aspen, linden and African dead tree Abashi.
- Linear dimensions of shelves in the steam room. The bench in the bathhouse is not intended for sitting; here a person lies with his legs raised above head level. should allow you to stretch out to your full height, or at least take a reclining position. Standard bench dimensions: length 140...200 cm, width - 60, 90 or 150 cm, distance between steps - 40-60 cm (the lower tier is no lower than 20 cm from the floor, the upper tier is no higher than 1.20 to the ceiling).
- Arrangement of benches in the room. There are three standard positions of shelves in a steam room: steps (2-3 steps along one wall), “G” shape (upper and lower steps on one wall, middle one on the side), “COUPE” (two shelves above each other, top one lifting).
For convenience, the room is provided with footrests and wooden “pillows” for the head.
Now let's move on to another important aspect that affects the healthy climate of the steam room - the stove. The area of its surfaces that radiate heat should be as large as possible. The optimal choice is a brick oven, which ensures uniform distribution of heat rays in the room
As an option - a metal heater hidden in a brick or stone box
The best choice is a brick oven, which ensures uniform distribution of heat rays in the room. As an option - a metal heater hidden in a brick or stone box.
A brick oven in the form of a partition wall, where the surface radiating heat occupies more than 10 sq.m., works well.
Bathhouse project made of 6x6 logs
The diagram below shows a typical version of a one-story hut made of rounded logs. Of all the projects for bathhouses made of 6x6 m logs, this one has the lowest construction cost with very good characteristics of the steam room and relaxation room.
According to the project, in a one-story building made of logs, out of a total area of 29 m2, almost 10 square meters are allocated for a shower room - 3.8 m2, a steam room - 5.8 m2. This is more than enough for a good country log bathhouse.
The rest of the territory - 10.3 m2 - is allocated for the rest room, 7.1 square meters for the terrace, 2.1 m2 - auxiliary rooms and a bathroom. Of all the one-story bathhouses assembled from logs, this project is distinguished by the most optimal planning of the premises.
The only drawback of the project is the lack of external wall cladding, which requires annual maintenance of the log crowns, sealing of cracks and removal of moss at the joints.
Optimal steam room sizes
There are quite a large number of projects and layouts of bathhouses of all sizes available on the Internet, ranging from mini-houses to full-fledged complexes with a swimming pool.
There is plenty to choose from, but it’s not so problematic to independently develop a layout to suit your “wants”, rather than deal with adjustments.
unforgivenFORUMHOUSE Member
It is much wiser to take a pencil and paper (or the appropriate program) and, having thought it through, draw a PLAN of the bathhouse than to cram all the necessary premises into the general dimensions taken from the ceiling.
The starting point when designing a bathhouse is the dimensions of the main room - the steam room, the calculation of which takes into account several factors.
- Average number of visitors at the same time.
- What type of oven will it be?
- Operating mode.
The area of a steam room, as well as a private bath, in general, is not regulated by standards, solely by common sense and one’s own capabilities. But it is believed that comfortable bath procedures are possible if at least 1 m² is allocated for each person in the steam room. Again, if the household is large, the square footage is clearly not enough for them, and it is better to allocate 1.5 or 2 m² per visitor.
In addition to the number of steamers, the dimensions of the furnace equipment are also taken into account. Modern sauna stoves are mostly compact, but there must be a safety zone around, the size of which depends on the type of structure. This is 500 mm on each side for a brick stove (metal in a brick frame) and 1 m for a metal stove.
The operating mode refers not only to the intensity of use of the bath, although this factor is also important, but also to the preferences of the steamers. If sitting three people can take a steam bath in a 2x1.5 m room, then lying down, and even with a broom, you won’t fit in a three-meter steam room, and it will be at least 2.4x2 m. As for the ceiling height, it varies in within 2-2.5 m, the optimal height is considered to be 2.1 m. This value is enough for the majority of visitors, with the expectation of swinging a broom, if there is no “Uncle Styopa” among the household members or friends who may come to the bathhouse.
Bathhouse project 6 by 8
With an increase in usable area, the construction of logs becomes more and more reminiscent of a residential building project.
One of the popular options for a full-size log cottage - a bathhouse - is given below. The one-story building is planned with the so-called central or warm arrangement of living quarters.
The relaxation room is located in the center of the plan, which makes it possible to effectively use the heat dissipated through the partitions from the steam room and washing area.
As much as 15 m2 is allocated for the relaxation room, and 5 and 3.7 m2 for the steam room and sink, respectively. This project is well suited for a country house or winter cottage, for permanent residence even in the autumn-winter period.
For example, in a house made of logs, a universal stove is installed - a fireplace; it can be used both for its intended purpose, for the steam room, and for heating the rest room. Whereas in most other house designs combined with a bathhouse, a conventional tunnel firebox is installed with wood being loaded from the vestibule or hallway. The second feature of the building is the convenient location of the bathroom and shower compartment.
Bathhouse 6 by 9
Projects with log walls longer than 8 m can be safely classified as full-fledged residential buildings. An area of 50-54 m2 is enough to accommodate a bathhouse and several rooms inside.
Regardless of the size of the log house being built, the area of the steam room and washing compartment remains constant, they occupy 5 and 3.9 m2, respectively. All remaining 40-45 square meters of the bathhouse are allocated for recreation and living areas.
For example, in a bathhouse made of logs, according to the project, instead of the usual washing and shower compartment, a swimming pool can be installed, or a winter garden can be installed in the relaxation room. Buildings of this type can be easily distinguished from an ordinary bathhouse by the unusual shape of the roof; part of the roofing is made with a glass insert.
Washing station and its features
The room for carrying out procedures related to washing the body is called a washing room. On its territory, there are often open tanks with cold water, showers, benches, and a font for the purpose of cooling the body.
The dimensions of such a room are determined per visitor, which is approximately 1 m². For 4 people, a room with dimensions of 2x2.5 m² would be appropriate, and for two people - 1.7x1.4 m².
