Baths in Russia have been built since ancient times. Recently, saunas have also become fashionable in our country. Both of these types of buildings intended for the adoption of water procedures have many similarities. However, there are also differences between the bath and sauna in terms of both operation and construction.
What is the difference
The main difference between a sauna and a bath is that the heat in such rooms is always dry. In the bath, as you know, it is customary not only to take water procedures, but also to bathe. Bathers pour water on hot rocks. As a result, a lot of steam is generated in the room.
In the sauna, as in the bath, water treatments are taken at high temperatures. However, the heat in such rooms is formed, for the most part, without water. People in such buildings usually first warm up with dry air. Then, in some varieties of saunas, for example Finnish, water is poured onto the stones, just like in baths. After that, the steam becomes moist, but only for a short time.
The air temperature in the sauna can reach a maximum of 140°C. Whereinhumidity in such rooms usually does not exceed 10%. In the bath, these figures are equal to 80 ° C and 40-80%, respectively.
How the bath works
In Russia, a bathhouse in a country house is usually a one-story, detached building with a dressing room, a bathhouse and a steam room. Sometimes the last two types of premises can be combined into one. In large baths, among other things, rest rooms, billiard rooms, etc. are often equipped.
To heat the premises in Russian baths, stoves of a special design are installed - heaters. At the top of such heating equipment, a tank for heating water is mounted. Also in such ovens there is a compartment for stones.
Baths are heated most often with firewood. But recently, gas stoves have sometimes been installed in such rooms.
In order to take water procedures and steam in the bath it was more convenient, wooden benches are mounted in the bath. At the same time, the steam room is equipped with a shelf - a bed of boards in 1-3 tiers.
A distinctive feature of the bath, among other things, are low ceilings. Thus, such structures are erected so that “light” steam is then formed in them. The floors in the baths are always wooden. Quite often, large fonts are installed next to the baths or the washing room.
Sauna device
Baths of this type may have a different design. In our country, the most popular variety is the Finnish sauna. In such buildings, as in the bath, three rooms are usually equipped: a dressing room, a bathhouse and a steam room. Instead ofa shower cabin is installed in the sauna.
Of course, saunas with a swimming pool can also be built in suburban areas. Inexpensively, however, such a structure will most likely not be built. Swimming pool equipment is relatively expensive. Indeed, under such a structural element of the sauna, you will have to dig a pit, fill the walls and floor with concrete, use a large amount of waterproofing material and special moisture-resistant tiles.
Sauna compared to a bath - the building is usually also higher. There is practically no wet steam in such a structure. And consequently, the ceilings here can be equipped higher.
Kamenkas in Finnish baths are also installed. However, they usually have a design that is not the same as in Russian baths. The stones in this case are laid outside. Therefore, the sauna warms up and cools down faster than the bath.
Stoves in Finnish saunas usually do not work on wood. The air in such rooms is dry. Therefore, heaters here are often installed simply electric.
The floors in saunas in most cases are covered with some kind of moisture-resistant, not too slippery modern material. It can be, for example, rough tiles, which are later covered with rubber mats.
Unlike baths, saunas can sometimes be equipped even in city apartments. Today, compact ready-made structures are also available for sale, designed for taking water procedures and warming up in dry air. Apartment owners usually install such saunas in their bathrooms for weight loss or justhe alth amendments.
What materials are used
They build baths in the country in most cases from wood. Exactly the same material is used for the construction of saunas. At the same time, only hardwood timber is taken for construction. The fact is that with strong heating from wood, for example, spruce or pine, ethereal resin vapors begin to stand out. And that might not be very he althy.
Hardwood boards are also used to assemble benches and shelves inside baths or saunas, as well as for wall and floor cladding. The released resin can not only harm the respiratory system. You can still get burned on it.
Sometimes baths and saunas these days can be built from bricks or, for example, concrete blocks. In this case, the bath box is most often insulated. Materials for these purposes in our days in most cases are used modern. Both mineral wool and expanded polystyrene can be used for this purpose.
How much will construction cost
What is better - a Finnish sauna or a Russian bath, it is impossible to say for sure. The choice in this case depends only on the personal preferences of the owners of the suburban area. Both the bathhouse and the sauna make life outside the city much more pleasant. But in our country, of course, they traditionally build ordinary Russian baths. Many find wet steam more pleasant than dry.
Whatever the owners of a suburban area choose for construction - a bathhouse or a sauna, the construction of such a structure, most likely, will not cost too muchcheap. Lumber is quite expensive on the market today.
The cost of building baths and saunas depends on many factors. In any case, the cost estimate for the construction of such a structure includes the following costs:
- for pouring the foundation;
- for the purchase of roofing material and roof assembly;
- for the assembly of walls and internal partitions;
- for laying utilities;
- for the purchase of a stove-heater;
- finish interior walls and ceiling;
- for the purchase of tools and materials;
- for contingencies.
The foundation for a bath or sauna is usually erected tape or column. In this case, the filling is carried out with cement mortar. For the preparation of the latter, the cement itself, sand and gravel are purchased. In different regions, the price of these materials may not be the same. But on average in Russia, a 50 kg bag of cement costs about 250-300 rubles. The price of 1 m3 of sand in our country is also equal to 150-300 rubles. For the same amount of crushed stone, you will have to pay at least 600-1000 rubles.
The roofs of budget baths are usually covered with inexpensive metal tiles. The cost per square meter of such material, depending on the brand, is 400-500 rubles.
The walls of baths and saunas in our country are most often built from logs. One cubic meter of such material in Russia costs about 8-9 thousand rubles. depending on diameter. At the same time, the price of boards that will be needed for wall claddingand the assembly of benches, as well as for timber, is about 8 thousand per m3 (25 x 100 x 6 m).
Ordinary wood-burning sauna heaters cost 10-15 thousand rubles. An electric stove of this type for a sauna will cost 10-30 thousand rubles. depending on design.
Thus, it will not be too difficult to calculate the approximate cost of building a bathhouse, knowing the prices for materials and equipment. The final result will depend on the area of \u200b\u200bthe bath, the height of its walls and the features of the layout. A small bath from a bar will cost the owners of a suburban area, of course, much cheaper than a large building made of logs or bricks.
What is more expensive
The cost of building a bath or sauna is usually high. The costs in this case, as we found out, will depend on the size of the structure and its layout.
However, the construction of a sauna usually still costs the owners of suburban areas a little more than baths. Indeed, in this case, you will have to additionally purchase a modern moisture-resistant finishing material for the floor. In addition, electric heaters are, of course, more expensive than conventional stoves. Unlike a bath, you will also have to buy a shower for a sauna.
Building Technology: Building a foundation
Like any other building, a bath or sauna begins to be erected from pouring a reliable foundation. Under the most popular log baths, since the walls of such material are quite heavy, they usually fill in a strip foundation.
The construction technology of such a structure includes the following steps:
- Egyptian triangle markup;
- digging a trench;
- backfilling crushed stone-sand cushion;
- formwork installation;
- installation of reinforcing cage;
- pouring concrete mix;
- dismantling the formwork.
Marking under the foundation is performed using pegs and an inelastic cord. The trench under the tape base is usually dug by hand. After such a ditch is ready, its bottom is leveled. Next, a layer of large rubble is poured into the trench. Smaller gravel is laid on top of it. Sand is poured into the trench last.
The formwork for the foundation is knocked down from ordinary boards. The reinforcement for the foundation under the bath is knitted from a rod of 8-10 mm. The finished frame is installed on special plastic stands at the bottom of the trench.
Pour the concrete mix manually in layers. If a log is supposed to be used for the construction of walls, the two parallel sides of the tape are made somewhat higher than the other two. This is necessary for the convenience of laying the first crown.
Assembly of walls
Vertical enclosing structures of the bath are usually assembled using the "into the bowl" method. Today, if desired, you can purchase logs with bowls already cut out. Such material is somewhat more expensive than usual. But it will be easier to assemble a bathhouse from ready-made logs.
Outdoor and indoor doors for saunas and baths - elements, of course, are also required. Under the street doors in such buildings are largeopenings are usually not made. Otherwise, the heat in the rooms of the bath or sauna will subsequently remain worse. The windows in the baths are also most often made small.
The finished log house is kept for about six months before the roof is erected. Otherwise, due to the strong shrinkage of the roof structure, it can simply warp in the future.
Installing the floor
The lower overlap of the bath and sauna has a special design. Before the construction of such a structure, including pouring the foundation, a trench is dug under the drain at the site chosen for construction. Further, a pipe is laid in this ditch. Inside the future bath, a tee is mounted to drain the drain. The free end of the tee is closed with a plug. When building a sauna, two drains are equipped: the main one and the one intended for the shower.
After the box is erected, it is filled with rubble inside it, and then a concrete screed is poured. At the same time, they maintain a slope towards the drain. Continue assembling the floor by laying the logs and stuffing boards on them.
In the bath, the floorboards are laid at some distance from each other (about 4 mm). In the sauna, the drain tee is brought to the level of the finished floor. Next, the boards are covered with some kind of moisture-resistant modern finishing material.
Installing the ceiling
The top floor in the bath is done in a standard way. That is, the beams are laid and they are hemmed from below with boards. Next, a waterproofing material and some kind of insulation are mounted on top of the resulting ceiling. Then the attic floor is hemmed.
In the bath during the installation of the ceilingleave, among other things, a hole for the pipe. At the same time, its dimensions are chosen in such a way that the chimney through it could subsequently be carried out in a heat-insulating fire sleeve.
Roof installation
The roof on the baths is usually assembled gable. The assembly technology of such a design looks something like this:
- two extreme roof trusses are installed;
- an indicative cord is stretched between them;
- mount all other farms;
- crates are being stuffed;
- roofing material being installed.
Interior decoration
In order to subsequently retain as much heat as possible in the bathhouse in the country, at the first stage, its walls and ceiling are usually sheathed with some kind of foil material. Next, the actual upholstery itself is performed with an edged board or clapboard on the frame.
The ceiling of the bath is finished in the same way. Benches are assembled from edged boards, connecting the elements with nails. At the same time, the hats of the latter are sunk into the wood by 0.5 mm.
Installing the heater
The matter is, therefore, technologically relatively simple - independent construction of a bath and sauna. And the owners of a suburban area can also install equipment in such a building with their own hands if they wish.
Both in the bath and in the sauna, the stove is usually installed in the center of the building box. In this case, in the construction in the future there will beit is equally good to warm up all three main rooms: locker room, steam room and washroom.
In the sauna, in addition to benches, shelves and heaters, a shower stall is installed. It is usually mounted in a washing room near the wall. When building a bathhouse, they simply put a font next to the entrance.
Doors and windows
These elements for baths and saunas are sometimes assembled by owners of suburban areas on their own. But most often in such buildings, finished factory structures of this type are mounted. At the same time, owners of suburban areas can use glass or wooden doors for baths and saunas. Windows in such buildings are usually mounted with modern sealed wooden or plastic.
Glass doors for baths and saunas are not often used by owners of suburban areas. Such structures are more expensive than wooden ones. In addition, they are more difficult to care for. Such doors are usually mounted only in large baths and saunas with expensive interiors.
