It is rather difficult to imagine a suburban area without a bathhouse, which can become a hallmark of almost any dacha. You can choose one of the many existing technologies, but the construction of a bath from gas silicate blocks allows you to carry out work in a short time, getting a high quality building.
Opinion on the material
Among the advantages of the material, one should highlight the cost, which is reduced due to the absence of the need for drying and the use of inexpensive raw materials. According to users, the walls are thermally insulated, have noise-absorbing properties and save on heating the dressing room and rest room. Home craftsmen emphasize that the material is lightweight, so that one person can handle the work, and the foundation can be lightened. The blocks are large, so the construction speed will be high.
As practice shows, products are easy to process,therefore, you will be able to handle them even with a hand tool. The material is not combustible, which ensures a high level of fire safety. Before building a bath from gas silicate blocks, it should be borne in mind that the products have some drawbacks. Consumers note among them high hygroscopicity. The material absorbs moisture well, so waterproofing work remains to be done. Above ground level, the base should rise 1.5 meters or more. After completion of the work, the walls will need to be finished, for example, covered with plaster.
Building the foundation
Before you start, you need to decide what kind of foundation you will lay. The base can be light, so a columnar-tape or shallow tape construction is suitable. The latter option is preferable, but its use is possible on rocky, clay or sandy soils. If the territory has marshy soil, which is characterized by permafrost, then you should use the technology for building a columnar-strip foundation.
Working on the column-strip base
If the construction of a bath from gas silicate blocks is planned to be carried out on a columnar-tape base, then holes must be dug at the locations of the supports. Their depth will be determined individually, it is only important to exclude temperature and seasonal movements of the pillars. At the next stage, a sand cushion is laid,the thickness of which should not exceed 15 centimeters. The preparation should be poured with water and compacted, the reinforcing cage should be laid, and then everything should be poured with concrete. Next, a wooden formwork is laid between the pillars around the perimeter and in those places where the internal partitions will be located. Then reinforcement and pouring with concrete is carried out.
Technology for the construction of strip foundations
The construction of a bath from gas silicate blocks is often carried out on a strip foundation, which is the most problem-free. Along the perimeter and in those places where the internal walls are supposed to be located, it is necessary to dig trenches, on the bottom of which a sand cushion of the same thickness is laid as in the case described above. A wooden formwork is installed around the trench. A reinforcing cage is laid inside, and then you can start pouring concrete, which is made independently or ordered at the factory. It is important that the foundation surface is horizontal, while laying the first row is accompanied by the consumption of less mortar, which will positively affect the thermal insulation and strength of the building.
Features of masonry walls
The project of a bath from gas silicate blocks can be ordered from professionals or borrowed from an article. It will allow you to imagine how the building will look like in the future. After completing the construction of the foundation and gaining strength, you can proceed with the installation of the first rowblocks, which is the most important step in laying walls. In the process, you should use a rubber mallet and a building level, the last of which will allow you to get a perfectly flat surface. Laying should start from the corners, using cement mortar. The material must be moistened with water before starting work. The blocks of the next row should be offset 15 centimeters from the blocks of the first row.
The next rows are laid with construction adhesive, which will allow you to get thinner and neater seams. If you decide to build a bath from gas silicate blocks, then you should reinforce the walls, and this must be done every 4 rows of masonry. Grooves are cut in the products, inside of which reinforcement is laid. The topmost row, as well as the rows above the door and window openings, should also be reinforced with rods. When organizing openings, it is necessary to use non-standard-sized blocks. When installing them, temporary supports are used. After the walls are built, they should be left for a while to gain strength.
Recommended by a wall builder
When a bathhouse is being built from gas silicate blocks, the foundation must be separated from future walls with two layers of roofing material waterproofing. If you use blocks whose dimensions are 200x300x600 millimeters, then you can lay them on the edge, and you get a wall 200 millimeters thick. And for laying the first row, cement mortar should be used, which is mixed in a ratio of three to one(the ratio is correct for sand and cement).
A 5 mm layer of mortar should be applied to the roofing material with a trowel, and a block should be laid on top. If there is a need to cut blocks, then you can use an angle grinder with diamond discs for concrete. Using a chainsaw, cutting products is also quite fast. After the walls reach a height of 2.25 meters, you can start building gables. In this case, the same technology should be used, and the height in the ridge will be 1.9 meters.
Insulation and waterproofing
Baths made of gas silicate blocks, the photos of which are presented in the article, need thermal and waterproofing. From the inside, the walls are upholstered with wooden slats, on which insulation is laid. A foil film is covered on top, and the joints are glued with construction tape. Next, finishing work is carried out. For a steam room, for example, you can use lining, for a shower room - tiles. The dressing room is finished with any materials. After waterproofing the walls, you can use any material you like.
Vapour barrier device
Metaspan foil and film can perform the vapor barrier function. “Metaspan” should be stuffed onto the rails, which fits with a margin of 20 centimeters. After that, foil is used in the same way. Such a vapor barrier will exclude moisture and steam from accessing the insulation, and will also serve as a continuation of thermal insulation.
External wall decoration made of gas silicate blocks
Baths from gas silicate blocks, reviews ofwhich, perhaps, will allow you to make the right choice, are finished with plaster from the outside. Do not purchase cement-based mortars. This is due to the fact that aerated concrete will take moisture from the composition. To begin with, surface preparation is carried out, which involves cleaning from excess solution and dust. After the walls are primed, and then covered with a plaster mixture. The layer should be strengthened with a fiberglass mesh, which is fixed to the wall with ordinary self-tapping screws.
Construction cost
Baths from turnkey gas silicate blocks are built today by professional companies. If we are talking about an area within 20 square meters, then the estimated cost of construction will be 250 thousand rubles.
