For many years, a brick bath has been my dream, which in practice turned into a real nightmare. In this post, I will briefly talk about the stages of construction, and about what disappointment awaited me in the near future.
Bricklaying
For the construction of the bath, I picked up a red brick, because I read that this option is one of the best. The final wall thickness was 40 centimeters - they were created without internal voids, as experts advise. To prevent the walls from letting in the cold in winter, I veneered them with dense insulation from the inside.
The basement and the brick part of the foundation under the waterproofing were made with the "participation" of solid bricks. For all levels that were above the waterproofing, hollow bricks were taken. When mixing mortar for construction, I used the following recipe:
- sand;
- cement;
- water;
- lime.
When the laying was over, I drove the pins into the walls to attach the wall beams. Then I installed the floor beams on bricks (in specially made nests), roofing material was used as a protective material. The ends of the beams were left uncovered, and the gaps between the walls and beams were filled with thermal insulation.
Warming and vapor barrier
After much thought, I gave preference to tiled insulation. The panels were attached to the inside of the walls with special clamps. Then I cut strips from the slabs and put them at intervals of 1.5 - 2 centimeters. I refused external insulation, because I do not like the appearance of the siding - in my opinion, this solution greatly reduces the cost of the bath.
The waterproofing was carried out by the "pasting" method using foil-clad polyethylene foam. The material was fixed by means of wooden slats, the seams were sealed with aluminum tape. As for the ceiling, I covered the rafters with polystyrene sheets. I liked the foam for its low price and good moisture absorption.
What I didn't like about the brick bath
Building a brick bath was my old dream. I set to work with all enthusiasm, but in the process of using the finished steam room, my ardor faded. I will state all my "claims" to the brick bath on the points:
- heating takes a very, very long time. According to my calculations, heating a brick bath takes almost twice as long as a wooden one;
- exactingness to the foundation. I laid the foundation using the standard tape method according to the instructions found on the Internet. But this did not save me - in some places the bathhouse subsided;
- the fragility of the brick. Imagine my surprise when I learned that brick in wet rooms collapses faster than wood. Perhaps I made some mistakes in the vapor barrier, but already a year after construction, I notice the formation of a fungus on the surface;
- poor ventilation. A brick bath is inconceivable in conditions of natural ventilation. This material requires the mandatory creation of a well-thought-out forced ventilation system. But even such a system does not give you guarantees - the bathhouse can become capricious and start to get damp, no matter how you take care of it.
The last, least important item, I will mention the price. Yes, I was well aware that a brick steam room is an expensive pleasure, and that it costs twice as much as a wooden one.
But I hoped that the money invested would pay off tenfold due to the quality of the building. As the saying goes, I've never been so much wrong.