Sauna on the balcony: pros and cons, recommendations for creating

Everyone wants to have their own sauna at home, however, not everyone knows that it can be constructed even on a small balcony. Lovers of dry steam can buy a finished sauna personally or build it yourself. For this, you will not need any special skills, all that is needed is to follow the instructions and take into account all the recommendations that will be described in this article.

Having built a sauna in their apartment, the owners can significantly save on periodic visits to health centers. Such a room does not burden the heart, unlike an ordinary bath, so old people and children can soar here. In this sauna, households can calm down and relax after a hard day's work.

The advantage is that owners can effectively use previously unused space on the balcony, significantly increasing living space. Plus, you don’t have to put a powerful stove here. Of the negative sides, the dimensions are noted. No more than 2-3 people can take a steam bath in such a sauna.

Before starting construction work, the owners must make considerable calculations, this process should be taken seriously. The balcony before facing should be carefully prepared. Take care of its glazing, waterproofing and insulation in advance. Thanks to these actions, the neighbors can not worry that you will flood them.However, it is important that the sauna rests on a load-bearing wall, such a reception significantly reduces heat transfer.

For fire safety, you will have to comply with some standards: the dimensions of the room should not exceed 80 cm in width and 210 cm in height. This is another minus, as in such a narrow room it will be difficult to turn.

If the owners decide to save on height in favor of width, then the sauna will be too hot. During decoration, most often use wood. During construction work, you can not use a wet tree, it must be impregnated with an antiseptic. If the moisture content of the finishing surface is more than 10%, then it will begin to crack and swell over time.

Wood is an environmentally friendly material that is not afraid of high temperatures. Experts say that linden, aspen and poplar are best suited for these purposes. It’s better not to use conifers, since if they are heated to 110 degrees, the boards will begin to emit the smell of rosin, which will not affect the human respiratory system in the best way.

Please note that when designing a mini-sauna, brick and concrete coverings should be completely excluded. Below will be described how to properly design a sauna.

1. The first step is to assemble the frame. The cross-section of the board is 60x60 cm, the distance between the bars is about 45 cm. A vapor insulator is installed between them.
2. Next, lay the insulation. Please note that in this case it is impossible to use polystyrene and polyethylene, since under the influence of high temperatures they will begin to emit harmful substances, which can subsequently be poisoned. The best solution is mineral wool.
3. After that, aluminum foil is mounted using a stapler. The shiny side should be inside. The denser the insulation, the faster the steam room will heat up.
4. The ceiling should be insulated in 2 layers, as the hot air flows will be directed upwards. The bayonets are closed with adhesive aluminum tape.
5. At the very end, the structure is covered with a cladding board. You can’t rush here, so as not to accidentally tear the foil.

In almost every house, the balcony walls are very curved, in order to align them, the frame should be sheathed with 4 mm plywood. When installing the door, try not to open it inside, otherwise it will be much more difficult to leave the room. note that metal perfectly transfers heat, therefore all metal products, including bolts and self-tapping screws, can be hidden with decorative caps.

Consider the steps of laying floors.

1. First of all, you need to lay a moisture-proof coating.
2. Next, 25- or 40-centimeter bars are installed with a distance of 45 cm. The height from the concrete is 7 cm.
3. Between the boards, a heater is installed, which must be covered with another protective layer.
4. The last step is to install floorboards. Please note that the metal mount will heat up, so it is installed along the edges of the room.

After the above points are completed, you can start designing the regiment. Separate fasteners should be made for it, so that the design is reliable and can withstand several people.

1. Boards with a cross section of 80 mm are mounted on the floor.
2. Bars with rounded corners with a thickness of about 50 cm and a pitch of 1 cm are fixed on top of them so that air can circulate freely.
3. At the end, the structure is treated with special oil.

Electrical installation must be carefully considered.It is better to install an automatic shutdown system in the house. When buying wires, choose only those that can withstand 170 degrees. The following formula will help to correctly calculate the required energy consumption: for a steam room to warm up well for one hour, 1 kW per square meter is required.

Hence, for a good warming up of a 4-square-meter sauna m will need 4 kW of electricity. Based on this, the owners will have to lead from the counter separate powerful cable that is not afraid of temperature and humidity changes.

If you decide to put lights in the room, then they must be moisture resistant. The difference between moisture-proof luminaires from ordinary ones is that the latter are made of heat-resistant silicone. Sockets and switches are not recommended to be installed inside the steam room. Many owners forget about installing ventilation. In this case, moist air will not erode, and carbon dioxide will interfere with free breathing.

If you do not take care of installing the ventilation system, then mold and fungus will not take long to wait. From the bottom of the frame, you need to install an air intake, so cold air flows through the oven, heat up and rise to the ventilation.

After you have completed the basic repair work, you can proceed to installing the stove. Experienced craftsmen advise to opt for electric heaters, which are specially produced for saunas in the apartment. These inexpensive products comply with safety requirements, the dimensions are designed for small rooms. If you decide to buy a finished oven, then purchase it exclusively in the store. If the budget is limited, then the heating device can be made independently, but it is unlikely to last long and will guarantee safety.

The place where the electric furnace is mounted must withstand high temperatures and heavy weight. Masters advise to cover the floor with asbestos cardboard. The stove is usually placed at the entrance.

note that for fire safety, you should not start to heat the bath until stones are laid in the stove. They should be laid out so that there are visible gaps between them. Thanks to this technique, heat transfer between the furnace and the air is increased.

In the modern world, electric heaters are replaced by infrared heaters. The difference between an infrared heater and a conventional stove is the method of heat transfer. In a classic sauna, the heat comes from the fire (or heater), heats stones, which, in turn, heat the air. Infrared devices allow a person to feel the heat, even if the air in the room is not completely warmed up. Such products are often called the "artificial" sun.

Almost all families who are going to make a sauna on the balcony, wonder what it is, part of the apartment or part of the facade. Not everyone knows whether the balcony belongs to the apartment or is it a house, and is there a difference in the case of the loggia. note that the supporting wall is both yours and your neighbor's, and the floor of your apartment is the ceiling of the one below. And many have a fair question about the ownership of the apartment.

In short, you do not own the walls, but only what is inside, including the finish: putty, parquet, sheer ceiling, etc. Based on the foregoing, you can understand that the balcony slab does not belong to the owners of the apartment, but to everyone homeowners. However, this does not mean at all that everything that is inside is also considered common. The sauna or glazing of the loggia is the property of the owners of the apartment only, and if someone suffers from the installation of the steam room, then the responsibility will rest with the owner.

If you are the owner of a small apartment, and there is not enough space on the balcony for a full sauna, you can put a jar there. Even a small steam room can bring a lot of pleasure. Of the negative sides, it is noted that there is no shower and locker room nearby. Lovers of modern style can experiment with lighting. Wood goes well with any fixtures. They can be placed on shelves or walls.

Such a decision will give comfort to the room. If you prefer a rustic interior, then instead of an electric furnace, you can use a stone, setting it in a corner, and make large shelves nearby. Such a room with all its appearance will be like a Russian bathhouse, in which you can perfectly take a steam bath with family or in the company of friends.

Tips for arranging a sauna on the balcony see below.