Log baths: the embodiment of the best Russian tradition

Today, a real Russian bath is considered not only a luxury item and a tribute to fashion, but also an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. The structure for bath procedures can be made of any building material, but it can only become a real health resort from wooden products. Log baths are a classic embodiment of a real Russian tradition, where you can not only relax, but also get a real boost of vivacity and health.

Features and benefits of a log bath

Today there are many projects of log baths, and the cost of construction primarily depends on the building material. When building log cabins for baths, debarked or rounded logs can be used. The first option is represented by products in which the top layer is absent, but the structure is not disturbed. This is a more durable material. The surface of rounded logs is leveled to a certain size along the entire length at the factory.

The construction of a bathhouse from logs has a number of advantages:

• walls made of logs easily allow air and steam to pass through, leaving warmth and a unique aroma of wood inside for a long time;
• the wood contains natural resins that have a tonic and healing effect on the human body;
• due to the low weight of the logs, there is no need for the construction of a massive foundation;
• the log house, thanks to the natural layer of the subcortex, does not accumulate moisture, does not lend itself to rotting, mold formation and insect damage;
• the log cabin is a natural, healing and environmentally friendly material that allows the walls of the bath to "breathe";
• the process of erecting a bath from a log is quite quick and easy, which became possible due to high-quality processing of products and fitting them to the required dimensions;
• due to the fact that well-fitted products fit tightly to each other during the construction of a bath, without leaving significant gaps, maximum heat preservation inside the room is ensured, which saves energy resources;
• using rounded logs, you can implement any architectural project.

Log baths have disadvantages.However, they directly depend on the approach to construction. A log bath should be built exclusively from dried wood. If the products are damp, over time they will shrink, which will cause longitudinal cracks to appear. The construction of a bath from a rounded log should be dealt with by a specialist in this field, in order to ultimately get a strong and durable structure with all the above advantages.

How to choose material for logging a bath

For the construction of a bath from a log, pine or spruce is mainly used, less often aspen, linden and alder.

Due to the presence of a large amount of resins, pine does not lend itself to rotting, cracking during drying. It is easy to handle. The trunk of mature pines is almost even along its entire length, and the branches are located only at the top. For construction, pine of two types is used: resin and dry chip. The first option is used for the construction of the lower rims, and the second for the upper ones.

Spruce is a more difficult breed to handle due to its knotty nature. It is not recommended to use it for independent construction of a bath. Also, aspen is often used for felling, which today grows in sufficient quantities and is well resistant to moisture. However, you should choose specimens not older than 45 years old, which have a low probability of core decay.

Linden has proven itself well. However, it is rare and expensive. Oak is often used for the lower rims, which is not afraid of moisture and protects this area of ​​the bath from rotting. But this is a very expensive material, and it is inexpedient to use it without proper experience in construction. This can lead to significant losses. In this case, it is better to order a turnkey round log bath.

Useful advice!For a bath, it is better to choose rounded coniferous logs growing in the northern part. Products have a denser structure and do not change their natural properties from an increase in humidity and temperature drops.

Selection criteria for quality material

The preparation of the logs is carried out during the winter months to obtain the most moisture-resistant building material. Logs fall, bark is hewn out of them and branches are chopped off with an ax or a plow. At this stage, the material is rejected. Products with high density are selected, with a diameter of at least 25 cm. Logs cannot be used for construction:

• with an unnatural color and spots on the cut;
• having too large a core;
• curves or with a sharp thickening;
• knotty with cavities at the location of the knots.

Rounded logs are manufactured at the factory. The product is leveled in diameter and length. The entire surface of the wood is impregnated with an antiseptic to protect the product from decay, and the cuts are treated with a special compound.

Rounded logs are available with stacking grooves, the shape of which can be Finnish, moon or crescent.

When choosing a rounded log, you should pay attention to the following factors:

• the surface of the product should be light or dark yellow;
• the branches should be located inside without gaps, which indicates a loose core;
• the cut surface of the log must be firm;
• the core should be of a dark, even shade, less than three-quarters of the cut in diameter;
• an undried product, when hitting its surface with the butt of an ax, will emit a ringing sound.

Useful advice!To get the warmest possible room, for the construction of a bath, you should choose thick rounded logs, at least 250 mm thick.

Varieties of log cabins

There are two main types of felling: "in the field" and "in the paw". The first option is easier to execute and the most popular. However, more material consumption is required here due to the fact that the logs on each side protrude 25 cm around the corner. But thanks to this technology, it is possible to create a warmer room and reliably protect its corners from the wind.

Each log is adjusted before being laid in a flash, or bowl. Here a rounded groove is hewn out by at least a third of the trunk thickness. The lower the temperature in the region, the deeper the notch should be. Each subsequent log is placed in a previously prepared thicket.

There are several other varieties of this technology. In a blockhouse "in a chill" the logs are turned over with a recess downward, focusing on the product laid below. This allows atmospheric precipitation to drain freely from the logs, without getting into their thickness. The result is a more reliable and durable structure.

With the Canadian felling, a trapezoidal notch with a tenon is created in each log from the bottom, and a groove for the tenon is made on top. This technology allows you to create the maximum effect of jamming connections.

The Norwegian log house is made of products with hexagonal processing or oval section. The technology is completely identical to the Canadian log house.

The Swedish log house is significantly different from other technologies in the appearance of the ends. This is a very painstaking and laborious process. The protruding ends of the log and the recess are chipped off to a hexagon shape. As a result, it is possible to obtain a unique, aesthetically striking structure.

The most economical method is “in the paw”. However, great skill of the performer is required here. The corners in such a log house are cold, which requires the creation of additional thermal insulation, and, consequently, further cladding with facing material. After reviewing the photo of the bathhouse log cabins, you can choose the option most suitable for construction.

The foundation for the construction of a Russian bath from a log

The key to the strength of the entire structure is a properly selected and equipped foundation. The minimum depth of its laying depends on the depth of soil freezing, to the value of which at least 1 m is added.This value is individual for each region, but on average it is 0.5-1.2 m.

For a bath, you can equip one of three foundations: tape, columnar or pile. It depends on the characteristics of the soil where the structure will be located.

If the soil consists of quartz, rock or fine sand, you can equip any type of foundation. For swampy, garden, forest, clay, loamy soil, it is better to perform a strip foundation. For this purpose, a trench of the required depth is dug into which a layer of sand of about 150-200 mm is filled. Further, a layer of crushed stone is laid, on which reinforcement is placed and concrete of a grade not lower than M200 is poured.

If the bath is to be located on a slope or on heaving soils, preference should be given to a pile foundation made of metal or concrete piles. For small baths, a columnar foundation made of concrete blocks, brick or stone is suitable. The depth of the posts can be 0.7-1 m, which are installed along the entire perimeter of the bath in increments of at least 2 m.

After the foundation is erected, it is necessary to waterproof it with special materials.Further, an additional barrier is arranged for moisture, which can be released by the surface of the base. It is played by 50x150 mm underlay boards made of larch, which are fixed with anchor bolts to concrete.

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Features of building a bath with your own hands from a debarked log

The construction of a bath is a very laborious process, especially if debarked logs are used. If there is no proper experience in construction, it is better to entrust this business to specialists who can build a turnkey log bath. The price of a log house will depend on its dimensions and functional saturation.

The traditional method is to lay logs on the foundation outward with the north side, on which the tree rings are located. It is this part that is able to withstand significant temperature drops and other adverse weather events. Since the lower part of the building is most susceptible to moisture and the growth of microorganisms on its surface, the first crown is laid from the thickest and largest products. They must be free from defects and high in resin.

Useful advice! In order to ensure the building is strictly horizontal, it is necessary to properly unstuck the first crown, that is, to align it in height.

For the mortgage crown, the first two logs are laid on the foundation from opposite sides parallel to each other. In the products, holes in the form of bowls are hewn out, where the next two logs are laid perpendicularly. This is how all subsequent crowns fit.

The logs for laying each subsequent crown should be of approximately the same diameter. Here you should alternate the thin and thick sides of the products in order to exclude the skewing of the structure. Between them, a heat-insulating material is placed, which is attached to the frame with staples, which counteracts blowing through the joints of the products. This can be moss, hemp, linseed tow, felt or jute.

To give strength to the structure, every one and a half meters, it is necessary to fasten the crowns with pins. The topmost crown is called the Mauerlat, on which the roofing system is installed. After completing the construction of the bath, you should start caulking it. It is necessary to start from the bottom crown, moving around the building. This is how each subsequent crown is closed. At the end of the work, the frame will look a little higher. But after a while, it will shrink, and the building will acquire its original dimensions.

Important! If you immediately caulk one wall completely, the frame of the bath can be skewed.

After the walls have been erected, they begin to install the rafter system and lay the roofing material. In this form, the blockhouse remains until next year to allow the logs to dry out, after which the structure will finally sit down. Only then can the facing work begin. It is possible to build an inexpensive turnkey log bath from 200 thousand rubles.

Features of the construction of a bath from rounded logs

The construction of baths from rounded logs is much faster and easier, since the products are made in the factory, where they are given a certain shape and size. All of them are numbered and have grooves for easier installation.

However, you should know that products are produced for certain projects of baths from rounded logs, which are presented in the catalogs of a woodworking enterprise. From the options presented, you can choose the most suitable one and place an order for the manufacture of products. After receiving the kit with the assembly of the bath, there will be no problems. The log house also comes with detailed instructions.

When building a bath from rounded logs, certain requirements must be observed:

• for better contact with the foundation, the flange should be cut from the bottom side;
• since the logs have lost their protective layer during processing, all products must be impregnated with a fire retardant agent;
• it is necessary to connect the logs for vertical stability of the structure with dowels made of solid oak, beech or birch wood, which are recessed into the products by at least 3 cm;
• holes for pins should alternate in a checkerboard pattern along the entire length and height of the wall with a step of 0.8-1.2 m and a length of 2-3 crowns;

• before drilling holes for pins, the logs should be fixed with temporary nails, which are removed after connection;
• insulating material in the form of tow or linen fiber must be placed between the products, which is fixed with staples;
• the erection of each subsequent crown must be controlled using a level in order to avoid a skew of the log house;
• to prevent the destruction of door and window frames during the shrinkage of the log house, the openings are framed with casing beams with a gap of 3% of the opening height, which is filled with insulation.

Log bath projects: sizes and prices

Before you start building a bath from a log, you need to create its project, which you can do yourself, or order a ready-made one from a specialized organization. An individual approach is possible here, or the choice of a ready-made standard project of a turnkey log bath. And the price of services will already include the construction of the structure by the company's specialists.

A standard bathhouse consists of three rooms: a steam room, a shower room and a dressing room. To do this, it is enough to buy a log house made of logs of 3x4, 3x3 or 4x4 m in size. Such a comfortable and small building will allow you to get a health sauna complex even on a small plot. The price of a small-sized rounded log bath is on average 300 thousand rubles.

If the area of ​​the territory is unlimited, then a structure of any size can be erected. The most popular is the log building of a 6x6 sauna, the price of which starts from 650 thousand rubles. It provides a spacious steam room, shower room, dressing room and a comfortable lounge. Without increasing the building area, you can get a comfortable summer home. A log bath with an attic will allow you to get additional free space where you can place a gym, a billiard table or a couple of guest rooms. This solution is more functional than the construction of the second floor. The price of a project and a bath made of rounded logs with an attic starts from 900 thousand rubles.

For those who wish to create a comfortable place for a summer vacation, there is an opportunity to buy a log sauna with a terrace or veranda. This is especially true for small areas. The relaxation area can be transferred to the terrace or veranda, thereby increasing the size of the steam room and shower. Photos of projects of a bath from a log clearly display various options for the execution of a log house. It should be borne in mind that this is a good option only for the warm season.For the winter period, the veranda or terrace should be insulated.

For dimensional baths made of logs, the photos clearly show this, on the terrace you can equip a small pool or set up a barbecue. The result is a convenient, comfortable and multifunctional place for family vacations. The price of logging a bath from a log of this option will be from 1.2 million rubles. depending on the size and layout of the building.

To create a real health resort on your site, you can independently build or order a turnkey log sauna. Depending on the size of the free space and financial capacity, you can get a small place for full-fledged bath procedures or a multifunctional building for a comfortable family vacation.