Do-it-yourself bathhouse with an attic - ideas and advantages
A regular bath is good. And a bathhouse with a gazebo, attic and veranda is also very functional. A steam room equipped with an additional relaxation area automatically becomes a favorite place to hang out. But adding a gazebo and veranda requires a lot of free space on the site. Another thing is to add an attic on top.
Just imagine how good it is after the steam room not to rush anywhere and not go outside. You can simply go up to the second floor and continue your vacation. How to arrange the attic floor depends on personal preferences. Perhaps you will make a billiard room there, where you can continue relaxing by breaking balls. Or you can organize a living room, a relaxation room, a room for children, a gym, in the end.
The idea of an attic appeals most to men. Having gathered with friends, they can relax, make noise, bang billiard balls, and no one will blame them for being too noisy. At the same time, the family can safely stay in a house nearby. Getting maximum freedom, having fun, and at the same time improving your health – isn’t it a dream? In addition, the owner of such a bathhouse can safely count on the envy and approval of his friends.
Another advantage of the attic floor is that the remaining free area can be allocated for a swimming pool, terrace with barbecue or the same summer veranda. Or perhaps you are a special connoisseur of relaxation and would like to combine all these benefits in one place? For example, you can make a whole complex for recreation and wellness, with a swimming pool, gym, barbecue, billiard room and recreation room. Are you dreaming? Now to the point!
Differences in sauna stoves based on the fuel used
We've looked at different materials, now let's move on to fuel . In this matter, bathhouse owners usually proceed from what is more accessible and economical to them. The stove in the bath can be wood, gas or electric - an overview of the options is described in this article.
Wood burning stoves
Heaters for wood-fired saunas are the No. 1 choice in Russia. Accordingly, there is a wide selection of offers. Therefore, it would be a good idea to read the article, which will tell you about the preferences of different categories of steamers and name the criteria for the best stove from the point of view of each of them . In addition, the article contains a rating of wood-burning stoves , which is influenced by the votes of site visitors - check out the results or take part yourself.
And since the products of the Finnish company , which produces wood-burning and electric sauna heaters, are very popular in our country, we made reviews of both - separate, of course. Harvey's wood-burning sauna stoves are described here.
Coal sauna stoves
Coal is the rarest fuel option for heater stoves. And the main reason is precisely its greater efficiency - it produces 1.5-2 times more heat than wood. This means that the stove material will be subject to greater thermal stress. If you make the walls of a wood-burning and a coal stove of equal thickness, the second one will burn out much faster. Therefore, for coal the walls need to be made thicker.
The second reason is less important: coal produces twice as much ash as firewood, so the volume of the ash pit should be different. And a larger grate is needed - the owner will have to stir the coals often so that they fall into the ash pan.
You will also need a thicker chimney with a wall thickness of 4 mm.
In Russia, coal stoves for baths are produced by the companies Dobrostal and Troika. True, the latter has a category for commercial baths.
Coal-fired sauna stove Zhara-Malyutka
Gas heater for a bath
Those who have the opportunity to supply gas to the bathhouse can use one of the options: either buy a whole stove , equipped with a gas burner and, of course, “tailored” to the characteristics of gas combustion (the height of the torch and firebox matters), or convert an existing wood-burning one, placing the purchased burner in it. What else you should know about a gas heater for a bath is discussed in this article.
Electric sauna stoves
An electric heater is rightly associated with a sauna. The Finns tried their best. Indeed, an open container with stones, inside of which there are instantly heating heating elements, is an ideal sauna stove . It has excellent convection, fast heating, can be fully automated, and is environmentally friendly. In general, everything is European.
For those who are determined to create a sauna at home, we recommend reading one of our three reviews : the first is entirely devoted to the products of the Finnish company Harvia , the other examines models from companies such as Sawo, Helo, Tylo, Tulikivi . And we dedicated the third to products from Russian manufacturers , and very competitive ones at that. Pay attention to Russian models with tape heaters, which are better than tubular ones, and you can buy them at the same price .
Those who would like an electric heater for the bath, but love Russian steam, should not despair - there is a not too expensive option for purchasing an electric heater with a steam generator , which will automatically maintain the set temperature, and the steam generator will produce superheated fine steam (that is, necessary for a Russian steam room). Details in this article.
And there is another pressing question for many about electric heaters with a voltage of 380 volts . Read about them here.
Construction of a bathhouse with an attic - starting with planning
If you decide to become the happy owner of such a building, then start making calculations. The first thing to do is select a site. Is there enough space for this pleasure? Remember that you cannot build a bathhouse closer than:
- 2.5 m from the neighboring plot;
- 20 m from wells and boreholes (take into account neighbors too);
- 10 m from other buildings.
To find out how to build a bathhouse with an attic, decide on the material from which the bathhouse will be made. But first, without deceiving yourself, evaluate your physical and financial capabilities. Do they fit your plans? If everything is in order with your finances, you can safely order a turnkey bathhouse. Then everything is simple - pay on time. It’s a different matter if you only have enough financial resources for building materials. In this case, we build a bathhouse with an attic with our own hands.
You can choose any material to build a bathhouse. Sometimes they are even built from various leftovers that were laid out in sheds after the construction of the house. The main condition is that the bathhouse must be warm. The heat in it must be retained for a long time and distributed evenly.
Give preference to the material you can work with. Sometimes they build a bathhouse from timber - an option for those who are not looking for an easy way. But the frame structure is considered the most optimal for independent construction. If you prefer this option, a residential frame bathhouse with an attic will be completely ready for use in just a couple of weeks. Another option for DIY is a cinder block bathhouse. To improve its appearance, such a bathhouse can be covered with a block house.
Arch masonry
Well, such a washing machine will appeal to those who prefer comfort in everything. A shower cabin with a hydromassage effect not only fulfills its main function, but also allows the owner of the bathhouse to keep the washing room clean, because water does not get on the floor and walls. Decorating the inside of a bathhouse with your own hands is a creative and rather complicated process, but with a little effort and giving free rein to your imagination, you can easily create a bright and stylish interior. In addition to its beneficial effects on the human body, a bathhouse can add colorful notes of nobility, elegance and grace to an area.
Do-it-yourself attic in the bathhouse - important features
The specifics of constructing walls and foundations are the same as in other buildings. Start with the water supply and sewage system. Carefully plan and organize the interior space of the bathhouse. Particular attention should be paid to the construction of the attic roof, heat and waterproofing.
A comfortable bathhouse should have:
- dressing room Here you need to think about a system for storing things, hangers for clothes and places for shoes. It is advisable to place windows near the ceiling. They should be wide and allow natural light to pass through well. A prerequisite is the ability to open windows for ventilation.
- shower and washing room. Can be combined or separately. Benches, showers, water containers, and a bathtub are installed.
- steam room The most important room in any bathhouse. The heat in the steam room should spread evenly from all sides; it is important that the body also warms up evenly. This can be achieved by making the room square. A small door to the steam room with a high threshold will help retain heat. The main attribute of the steam room is the shelf; a comfortable stay in the bath depends on how well it is made.
Since the building is small, it is better to make the attic roof on the bathhouse in a broken structure. To do this, U-shaped frames are installed on the floor block. Thus, the roof will not lie directly on the walls, but will be raised. This will make it possible to preserve the internal space as efficiently as possible. Take care of natural lighting in the attic. There should be a lot of light here, as well as the ability to ventilate the room.
Do not forget about the insulation of the attic roof, as well as hydro- and vapor barrier. Choose a high-quality roof covering that can retain moisture and conserve heat. Carry out work using technology.
After the bathhouse is erected, it's time to start interior work. The main task here is to avoid moisture from the steam room getting onto the second floor. To do this, the floor between the first and second floors must be covered with a vapor barrier membrane, a sheathing is constructed, insulation is laid and again covered with a vapor barrier membrane. Finishing materials for the interior design of the attic must have the highest possible moisture resistance and heat resistance. It can be chipboard, lining, plywood, etc.
Have you thought about how you will climb from the first floor to the attic? That's right, up the stairs. You will also have to tinker with it. The best option would be a flight of stairs. It is both beautiful and practical at the same time. In addition, such a staircase is easy to make yourself. The placement of the stairs should only be internal, otherwise the attic floor will lose its attractiveness.
Arched bath
Have you decided to build a hot steam room? Do you want to stand out?
Are you dreaming of owning an extravagant building? Don't know what to come up with? Then you will probably both like and enjoy the domed sauna! A sphere bath is a real work of art that can emphasize delicate taste and a high sense of style. Have I intrigued you?
In this case, sit back comfortably, I will now tell you about the features of the masterpiece composition! Do you think that a domed sauna is an innovative invention? But no. The spherical steam room was born in the 5th century BC!
In ancient times it was in enormous demand.
What will we use to heat it? Let’s think over the heating features
Without a stove, even a bathhouse with an attic room loses its charm. Nowadays, electric and gas models are popular and very convenient to use. Installing them is easy to do on your own and heating them is not difficult. It's another matter if a real stove is preferred. It would be right to entrust its masonry to professionals. After all, the life and health of you and your loved ones depends on it.
Follow all recommendations, take into account the nuances and strive for the ideal result. With the right approach, you will get an excellent residential bathhouse that will warm you for a long time and give you positive emotions.
- Author: Mikhail Malofeev
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How do sauna stoves work?
This is where you should start. A very important and interesting question. the same blocks in different ways , the existence of which, in turn, is determined by the physics of the fuel combustion process and the tasks that a person sets for the heater. From a primitive fire with stones to complex smoke circulation systems in brick stoves and a return to simplicity in metal stoves - this is the evolution of the stove in the bathhouse. And if you want to get acquainted with the diagrams of the various designs of the options mentioned, then you should take a look at this article.
Kamenka stove - in the photo a typical Russian bathhouse, steam room
By the way, for those who are looking for a simple stove for a bath , we also recommend that you first read the article about the diagrams - they are all simple and understandable there.
However, not everyone is ready to delve so deeply, preferring to go straight to the main thing: which sauna stove is actually the best ? For the impatient, we have this article.
And we will continue our story with a description of black and white baths.
Pyrolysis stoves for baths
Our search for a heater for a bath, the design of which would be based on the principle of a gas-generating boiler (pyrolysis furnace), led us to the products of the Belarusian company "Thermopass" , which produces a whole line of 16 models of pyrolysis stoves for baths, differing in power and some other characteristics.
Briefly about gas generators: these are furnaces consisting of two fuel combustion chambers . In the first, it smolders with a small amount of oxygen , releasing furnace gases, which, in turn, become fuel and burn in the second firebox . Pyrolysis (= decomposition by fire) occurring in the first chamber lasts tens of hours. At the same time, the maximum return from each unit of fuel is achieved, which makes gas generators extremely economical.
However, such boilers are most widespread in heating systems for other premises - they are practically not made for baths, and we mentioned the exception above.
Useful video
This is what a working Prometheus sauna gas generator looks like, which has two heaters - open and closed:
Popular ovens, topi wash
The most popular stoves today are iron stoves - Topi-Moisya. They heat up very quickly and accordingly warm the steam room space. Such stoves can only create the conditions of a dry-air bath and sauna. As a rule, they have an open heater. Although recently there have been stoves with a closed heater, such as Fieringer, as well as with a built-in steam generator, such as the “Skoropark” from Termofort. Also, other manufacturers of iron stoves began to offer cheaper analogues. A closed heater warms up the stones much better, which can produce that very “Light Steam”. But all metal stoves have a number of disadvantages:
- The need for a special ventilation system, which you can read about in our article on ventilation
- They cool down quickly, without having time to properly dry the bathhouse
- They emit "hard" infrared radiation
- Burn negative oxygen ions
Knowing all these disadvantages, manufacturers are trying in every possible way to eradicate them. Many good designers manage to get rid of them, but then the price of their stoves rises accordingly.
Make two iron tubes 30 cm long; you can weld the neck of one of them. Place one end into the lowest stones that are directly above the firebox. These stones will be hotter, and the steam from them will be much finer and of better quality.
Photo gallery of finished frame baths
Here are examples of small frame baths and massive bath complexes, decorated in different styles.
Frame baths are an affordable option for relaxing in dachas. They are distinguished by the low cost of both ready-made buildings and those erected independently. They look beautiful and last for many years.
