Barrel saunas: photo selection, building tips, prices

The main advantage of a barrel-bath is its compactness, no need for a capital foundation, mobility – the ability to install it in any corner of the site and move, if necessary, low construction costs. We wrote that small barrel saunas can be installed even indoors..

At the same time, a small barrel bath has everything you need – at least a steam room with an oven and a dressing room, and sometimes a dining area for gatherings, an open veranda with a porch.

Of course, the barrel-bath has its drawbacks. Small size can be a disadvantage if the bath is to be used by a large family or a campaign. In addition, the walls near the barrel may be too thin and poor at keeping heat in cold weather. Laying communications to the bath can also become a problem, because for comfortable use, at least water should be drawn and electricity supplied to the place where it will be decided to install such a functional barrel.

Barrel-baths are usually built from larch or cedar planks. These are the most popular types of wood, resistant to moisture, fragrant, with a beautiful structure. You can use cheaper pine for the outer layer, but larch is ideal for the steam room. The boards are connected to each other according to the thorn-groove principle, this avoids caulking. For reliability, the bath, like a real barrel, is pulled together in diameter with metal hoops.

The barrel-bath can be based on special wooden supports that hold it in a horizontal level position. You can make a boardwalk around or just lay out pebbles, stones to refine the site.

The barrel bath can be put on wheels in the literal sense of the word, you can make a crossing steam room, which is easy to take with you to the nature to the nearest reservoir. You can use the wheels and platform from a conventional car trailer.

The roof of the barrel-bath is made of soft tiles, which easily take the desired shape, therefore, it is excellent for such round buildings. But sometimes you can do without additional coating of the top of the barrel, if the boards fit perfectly and do not let precipitation..

The length of the boards should be equal to the length of the barrel-bath itself. This will avoid unnecessary connections, the structure will be stronger and warmer. Wood undergoes mandatory antiseptic treatment.

The partitions inside the bath are also made of planks; this is a round boardwalk, corresponding to the diameter of the building and placed vertically. There are as many partitions inside as there are functional rooms, at least three – two at the ends and one inside to separate the steam room and the dressing room.

The entrance to the barrel bath is most often arranged at the end, where the wall is flat. However, you can go the other way, making the structure even more interesting – to place the entrance with the veranda on the side. It will look less like a barrel, but the very principle of the structure will remain.

As for the interior decoration, the barrel bath, apart from the shape, is practically no different from the usual one. Natural wood on the walls, floor and ceiling, a small stove protected by metal inserts, bath shelves, a table, tubs and other accessories will make the room not only functional, but also beautiful.

As for the price of ready-made barrel baths, a six-meter-long structure with a washing area, a recreation area with a spacious table will cost about 250 thousand rubles. Mobile bath-barrel 180 centimeters long and 210 centimeters in diameter for four people – 150 thousand rubles. A three-meter barrel bath with two compartments with a small veranda will cost about 170 thousand rubles.