Have a sauna on your own personal plot every owner wants, so these household structures are often erected before the construction of the main house is completed. And despite the fact that country cottage it is much easier to equip a modern bathroom with a hydromassage system or a mini-sauna with a Turkish bath and a tropical shower; many homeowners prefer to build it separately standing bathhouse, equipped with a stove-heater, steam rooms, and sometimes supplemented with a nearby swimming pool.

When implementing these plans, the owner of the site first of all faces the following questions: what material for building a bathhouse will be optimal, where to get it, how much of it will be needed, and who will carry out the construction of the bathhouse itself and the equipment of the bathhouse premises.

What materials are used to build a bathhouse?

When deciding to build a bathhouse, you must remember that it is a rather complex engineering structure that requires compliance with fairly stringent measures to ensure safety during operation. At the same time, the question of which material is better for building a bathhouse is, to a certain extent, quite prosaic. Not a single room for washing and receiving bath procedures can be built from one material. Additional construction and finishing materials will be required to fill the foundation, heat and vapor barriers, and roofing.

When choosing best material for the construction of a bathhouse they can be divided into the following categories:

• wall materials;
• heat-steam-waterproofing roll or sheet products;
• roofing materials;
• finishing products.

Of course, major expenses and labor will be required to build the walls. Today, depending on the region, soil-climatic zone, and financial capabilities of the owner, the following are most often used to erect a wall structure for a bathhouse on a site:

• mineral building materials – brick, gas silicate blocks, natural sawn stone;
• wood - sanded log, regular, profiled or rounded timber;
• wood concrete, which is a frozen cement mortar filled with wood waste - usually wood shavings or sawdust;
• frame structures, for the manufacture of which various materials can be used.

Some gardeners and summer residents boast that they were able to build a bathhouse from scrap materials.

Paying tribute to the low cost of such construction, it should immediately be noted that it is impossible to build a comfortable washing and steam room structure from boards, boxes and plywood left over from the main construction.

Currently, completely new materials are used for the construction of bathhouses, news about the practicality and durability of which can be found on the relevant forums, information resources and construction portals on the Internet.

It is generally accepted that the best material for the construction of a bathhouse is wood, which can be used for the construction of walls, arranging floors, ceilings and for the manufacture of rafter and roofing structure elements.

Features of wooden baths

When choosing a finishing material, the greatest attention is paid to products intended for lining the steam room and washing department. There should be no knots in the carriage plank, because with several cycles of heating-cooling and wet-drying, these knots will definitely fall out, giving wall panels unaesthetic appearance.

Most common for interior decoration received lining made of linden, alder, aspen and maple.

Of course, you can use beech, cedar or oak lining, but its cost is much higher.

When covering walls entrance vestibule and locker rooms no special requirements for finishing materials not presented. Here you can use any lining or edged, tongue-and-groove board, subsequently treating it with stain, impregnating it with drying oil and varnishing it.

The greatest difficulty in building a bathhouse is the choice of material for arrangement. Floor surface works in tougher conditions temperature conditions. From below it is exposed to atmospheric temperatures, and inside it perceives the temperature and excess humidity of the steam room. To ensure the longevity of your floors, you should not only choose the most quality materials, but even when laying them, it is necessary to take all measures to ensure high-quality hydro-steam-thermal insulation.

You should not think that the choice of materials for building a bath ends after the walls are erected, the roof is arranged and the floors are laid. The homeowner still has to choose the type of heater and purchase materials for its construction.

When designing a bathhouse on a site next to the house, many owners ask themselves: what building material should they choose? Along with traditional wood, modern gas and foam concrete blocks, brick does not lose popularity as a raw material for the construction of baths.

Advantages and disadvantages of aerated concrete baths

The first bathhouse made of aerated concrete: pros and cons of this material. If we compare aerated concrete with wood, the former has a longer service life and lower cost. The material includes sand-cement mixture and water.

Cellular concrete blocks have the following advantages:

1. simplicity and speed of installation of blocks;
2. with due internal waterproofing resistant to high humidity;
3. low level of thermal conductivity;
4. the ability to independently cut blocks;
5. affordable price.

Simple installation of blocks becomes a decisive argument when answering a beginner’s question: what is the best material to build a bathhouse from? Optimal choice– prefabricated buildings made of lightweight aerated concrete.

Review of aerated concrete bath: We converted the sauna into a bathhouse made of aerated concrete, located in the Moscow region. The sauna was 5 years old, the walls were dismantled. The autopsy showed small shoals due to violations of masonry technology. Overall everything is fine. 300mm concrete was used + half-brick cladding. No insulation.

List of strengths and weaknesses of foam blocks as a material for a bath

Despite the recommendations of construction regulations on the strict selection of raw materials for construction bath complexes(in particular, a ban on the use of cellular concrete and hollow brick), many land owners prefer these positions due to their availability and price range.

Analyzing the pros and cons of a bathhouse made of foam blocks, it is necessary to note the hygroscopicity of all concrete-based materials. This parameter is determined by the peculiarity of the internal structure of the raw material - the pores perfectly absorb water and steam molecules. The block is most noticeably destroyed when there is a sharp temperature conflict - hot air indoors and frost outside. Therefore, any building made of foam cellular concrete needs careful waterproofing interior walls sheet foil, and external ones - any facing material. These operations increase the cost of the project, making it unfeasible.

Considering the total costs of constructing a foam concrete building, it is better to build a bathhouse made of bricks.

Advantages and disadvantages of brick baths

A brick bathhouse, the pros and cons of which will be mentioned below, is a good alternative wooden building. Natural clay raw materials are environmentally friendly and can withstand high temperatures. The advantages of such a bath are obvious:

• the period of use of the building exceeds 50 years;
• brick is a universal material, the shape of the bathhouse can be any;
• no external finishing required;
• high fire resistance.

Brick buildings are not without their disadvantages:

• high cost. Compared to wood or honeycomb blocks, brick construction– the most expensive;
• high coefficient of heat capacity of the material, causing significant fuel consumption to heat the microclimate.

The listed options for bathhouse materials can be called less popular than traditional wood. Many owners of country real estate have no doubt that the best sauna there may only be a structure made of wood. And such masters are faced with a completely different question: a bathhouse made of timber or logs?

Review of a brick bathhouse: Our bathhouse is made of brick, we wash ourselves all year round. We built it ourselves, the construction was long and tedious. Overall it turned out well, the bathhouse lasted for 2 years with no problems, and it will last for several decades without any problems.

Pros and cons of wooden baths made of logs and timber

Log houses have been built in Rus' for a long time. Before choosing whether linden or aspen is better suited for a bathhouse, you need to make a choice in favor of timber or logs.

Timber appeared on the market immediately after the discovery of timber processing technology. Building a bathhouse from timber is simple. Profiled raw materials can have a square or rectangular cross-section, but any of these types of material has significant drawback– cracking during operation. Another disadvantage of using timber is the need to wait until the bathhouse shrinks. This takes on average 0.5-1.5 years. This disadvantage also applies to log baths.

A significant advantage of logs is their high aesthetic characteristics. Externally, such a bathhouse looks very colorful, rustic and cozy. In addition to its beauty, a log bathhouse has the following parameters:

• special indoor microclimate that has a beneficial effect on health;
• the tree “breathes”, allowing steam to escape;
• robust design with correct operation can last for several decades.

Illiterate preparation of logs for construction or the use of low-quality material leads to rapid wear and tear of the building, requiring its reconstruction or replacement.

Review of wooden bath: A log is more durable than timber, especially if properly prepared at the end of winter.

Which wood to choose?

What kind of wood is best to build a bathhouse from - ordinary people are interested. The best option are hardwood trees, because during use all surfaces will heat up to high temperature. Deciduous trees, most often used in bathhouse construction– aspen, linden. What material makes the bathhouse stronger?

In Russia, bathhouse buildings are more often built from cordate linden, which can be called a healer because of its positive energy. Light linden wood is perfectly processed and hardly deforms over time. Low material density and low weight are additional benefits. Basswood is usually used in conjunction with an oak frame.

Aspen has a soft structure, low susceptibility to rotting and proliferation of microorganisms. Over the years, an aspen bathhouse gains high strength; its walls begin to emit a specific ringing sound when struck. The antimicrobial properties of aspen were used by our ancestors in the construction of wells with spring water. If we talk about the financial side of the issue, an aspen log house will cost the owner of a bathhouse cheaper than its linden counterpart.

To summarize the above, it should be noted that each material has its supporters and the choice of raw materials for the construction of a bathhouse remains with the owner of the site. Below are reviews about each type of building, collected from construction forums.

Review of wood: Aspen has one advantage over linden - price! If the price tag suits you, take linden. Fragrant tree. Linden is a more resistant tree to moisture and temperature changes.

Since time immemorial, the Slavs have had a tradition of building a bathhouse near their home. It has survived to this day, despite the fact that new, more modern washing devices have appeared. In order to independently make such a building for yourself, you need to know what materials will be needed to build a bathhouse. In this article we will talk in more detail about this component of the entire creation process.

In addition to all this, a bathhouse is a good investment because it can increase the value of your property. Think for yourself, would you buy a regular house or one with a steam room? Everything is true, of course, with your steam room. Now we invite you to move on to a more detailed consideration of the required materials.

Materials for construction work

Important. A bathhouse as a building is a complex object.
Therefore, it is subject to special requirements, which are even more stringent than those of residential buildings.
For example, standards for electrical safety of baths should deserve special attention, because in a steam room high humidity and temperature.

Building materials for a bathhouse are purchased depending on what it will be individual elements. In other words, the specification will depend on what and how they will be manufactured load-bearing structures and its individual elements.

We will consider construction issues:

• Sten;
• Ceiling;
• Selection of thermal insulators;
• Vapor barrier materials;
• Interior finishing.

Of course, these are not all the questions, but only the most important ones, which we will consider later in this article.

Building materials for walls

A wall is the basis of any building; its quality will determine the life of the building and the comfortable conditions inside the premises.

Most often, the following materials are used to build a bathhouse:

• Tree . This is the most traditional building material for baths, which has already proven its suitability for many centuries. Rocks are mainly used for construction deciduous trees– cedar, larch, etc. B specialized stores you can purchase the following beams: glued profiled, profiled, rectangular section and solid or rounded logs;

Important. When purchasing wooden beams or logs, you should know that storage quality is of great importance.
If the humidity in the warehouse was high, then in the future the log will shrink more, and maybe even move.

• Arbolit. Is a mixture organic fillers and cement. Its characteristics are similar to foam concrete. It is manufactured in the form of blocks, moreover process so light that it can be done directly on construction site. The only significant drawback is the fear of moisture, so after erecting the walls they must be lined;
• Foam concrete. It has good thermal insulation qualities, is lightweight and does not require a massive foundation. It is sold in the form of blocks, and the laying of walls from it is simple and can be done with your own hands. In addition, foam concrete has the ability to “breathe”;
• Brick . It must be said that this material for building a bathhouse is far from optimal. Firstly, walls built from it require massive thermal insulation. Secondly, the work of laying bricks itself is quite labor-intensive and difficult. Thirdly, it is imperative to build an appropriate foundation for such walls;
• Frame construction. The construction instructions say that first the frame of the future building is made using wooden beams. Then the voids in the walls are filled with a heat insulator and a water barrier is made, for example, with ecowool or foil-coated mineral wool.

After this, the wall is sheathed with sheet materials on the inside and outside. Such construction will take significantly less time compared to others, and with correctly selected materials, its price will please its owner.

What material is best to build a bathhouse from, of course, you mainly need to rely on the construction budget. If you don’t have a lot of money, then it’s better to take foam concrete or brick, and if everything is in order with finances, then wood is better.

Vapor barrier and wall insulation

We've combined these two components into one section because they are related. Thermal insulation materials have only one main task - retaining heat in the room.

Experts believe that basalt analogues are the best insulators because they have good ratio thermal conductivity, fire retardant and environmentally friendly. IN construction stores, you can purchase it either in a roll or in a plate.

In addition to it, you can install the following insulating building materials for a bath: glass wool, mineral wool, ecowool, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam and extruded polystyrene foam.

A vapor barrier is created in order to prevent the penetration of water vapor from, because when it gets wet, it loses its characteristics. To create it, special films like Izospan or Armofol are suitable.

Ceiling

This design should have the best warmth insulating properties, because large masses of hot steam are concentrated underneath it.

Possible in:

• Hemmed. It is made by hemming boards onto beams that rest on the walls. A layer of vapor barrier, insulation and waterproofing is laid on top of the boards. They are then sewn up using boards. The structure of such a ceiling is the same as that of the walls in frame house, therefore, the materials for it can be taken the same as for the walls;
• Grazing. The boards are laid over the beams, and steam and thermal insulation is laid on them. The last one can be anyone bulk insulation, and on top such a structure can basically not be sheathed with anything. In such a ceiling, the floor beams are located outside in the bathhouse;
• Panel. If, after creating insulating layers, the beams are sheathed with special slabs or panels, then this is a panel ceiling. This type of cladding is hard work because the tiles are large and heavy.

In this case, it is difficult to answer what material is best to build a bathhouse from, but a sheathed ceiling looks much better and more beautiful. If your finances do not allow you to do this, then this can be done in the future when finances become available.

Bath decoration

The decoration of the bathhouse directly affects the future atmosphere in it, its safety and comfort. In specialized stores you can find many components for finishing works, but it must be said that only wood, and not all species, is suitable for finishing.

For example, a steam room and a washing room can be lined different varieties wood, and what is suitable for washing is strictly not allowed in the steam room.

What material should I use to build a bathhouse in this case? We answer, it’s better from the lining, but again you need to use a steam room special attention. Due to the high temperature and its gradual drop, as well as humidity, the use of pine varieties is not allowed.

Firstly, they highlight unpleasant odors, which spoil the relaxation process, and secondly, when heated, resin accumulates on their surface, which becomes very hot and can cause a burn if you touch it.

It is better to use cedar, abasha, aspen, alder or linden wood for lining the steam room; they are dense in composition and thermally resistant. But even here, when purchasing them, you need to make sure that there are no knots on the boards, because they will get very hot.

The washing room should be finished with moisture-resistant types of wood; larch is well suited for these purposes. Lining made from it does not rot and has a long service life. As for the dressing room, it can be lined with any type of tree; if you want to save a little money, you can buy spruce and pine boards for these tasks.

Important. If you are thinking about how to build a bathhouse from scrap materials, then perhaps you need to think about using ordinary homemade building blocks.
At one time, homemade blocks called “adobe”, which were made from ordinary clay, straw and other components, were in great demand among the population.
But in this case, you should know that such a bathhouse must have ideal vapor and waterproofing, and also that it will last a much shorter period of time than its analogues.

Selection and calculation of material

We think that it will not be a secret to you that more than half of the construction cost is spent on the construction of walls. Because the maximum volume of work and materials is concentrated here. In this paragraph of our article, we want to give an example of calculating the amount of material that will be required to create walls.

Since the most optimal and preferred option for these works is wooden beam, then the calculation of materials for the construction of a bathhouse will be performed for him.

Let's assume that you decide to take on the construction of a small bathhouse with dimensions of 3 by 4 meters and plan to purchase timber with a size of 150 * 150 mm. In this case, our calculation will look like this:

| (3+4)*2*0.15*2.5|* 1.1=6 m 3

Where:

• (3+4) – width and height of load-bearing walls;
• 2 – second pair of walls;
• 0.15 – beam height, mm;
• 2.5 – ceiling height;
• 1.1 – 10% reserve.

As a result for small bathhouse we need 6 cubes of material. If you are wondering what material is cheaper to build a bathhouse from, then you can multiply this figure in turn by the cost of timber, brick, foam concrete blocks, and so on.

Conclusion

In this article, we looked at the main points of construction, and discussed what material a bathhouse can be built from. It is best to use wood, but if the construction budget is small, then you can turn your attention to other materials. In the video presented in this article you will find additional information on this topic.

Profiled timber is made from wood coniferous species. This building material is environmentally friendly. During the production process, the timber is processed on a four-sided jointing and milling machine. As a result, two of its sides receive a tongue-and-groove profile, while the other two sides become smooth. Using this building material allows the construction of a bathhouse from chamber-drying profiled timber without the cost of additional wall finishing. Drying the timber in a special chamber reduces its humidity from natural 50-60% to a minimum value of 18-20%.

A list of some advantages of baths with walls made of chamber-drying timber

Bathhouses made from chamber-drying timber have a number of advantages when compared with buildings made from other materials made from wood:

• the use of environmentally friendly building materials eliminates the possibility of toxins appearing when the temperature rises;
• shrinkage of a log bathhouse made of chamber-drying profiled timber after construction does not exceed, as a rule, 3%, which allows completion interior work within a month or a month and a half after the installation of the log house, significantly reducing the time required to carry out all work;
• a bathhouse made from chamber-drying timber will last for decades, since the timber is not subject to rotting and biodestruction due to the low percentage of humidity;
• the weight of the bathhouse frame is relatively small, which allows it to be installed on the most economical type of foundation - strip;
• the walls of the bathhouse made of chamber-drying timber are water-resistant and have low rate thermal conductivity, reliable and durable.

How we build a bathhouse from kiln-dried timber

We divide the entire bathhouse construction process into 4 stages:

1. design;
2. foundation installation;
3. assembly and installation of a log house;
4. insulation of the ceiling and flooring.

To clarify the cost of building a bathhouse from chamber-drying timber, the customer can at any time call the numbers listed on the website, name the estimated dimensions of the bathhouse and find out estimated cost construction. In addition, our consultant will also be able to answer other questions regarding pricing and the work process.