After the bath, there is often a desire to have a snack or drink tea in the fresh air. But not everyone likes the wet earth after the rain or the exhausting rays of the sun. A terrace successfully attached to the bathhouse can solve these problems. Our article is devoted to the features of its design today. Content:
- Types of terraces for a bath
- Terrace extension design
- Building materials
- Choosing the type of foundation
- Terrace requirements
- Construction features
- Terrace decoration
A terrace is an open area with a light fence around its perimeter. She usually has a common roof with the main structure. The free space of the terrace allows you to implement many ideas on it, from cooking barbecue to the arrangement of the pool. This useful extension significantly expands the bath area, which consists of three rooms.
Types of terraces for a bath
A bath with a terrace will look harmonious if the sizes correspond to certain proportions. So, for example, a combined building with a size of 6x6 m should have a main structure of 6x4 m, and a terrace - 2x4 m. This area will make it easy to place a table, benches or several chairs for good rest outdoors under a canopy.
Quite often, a bathhouse with a terrace has an attic floor. This makes it possible to organize leisure after taking bath procedures in any weather and season.
The exit to the terrace is done from the rest room or dressing room. With a favorable local climate and a sufficient size of the site, the terraces attached to the bathhouse are equipped with sun loungers, outdoor pools and hot tubs.
Modern bath terraces have several varieties, which differ from each other in their design features:
- One of the extension types has a sliding wall. A structure with such a partition can be easily transformed from a terrace to a veranda and vice versa. The material for the partition can be glass, plastic, metal or stretched fabric. This type of terrace with a sliding wall is used in projects of frame baths.
- When building a two-story bathhouse, the terrace can be located on the top floor. In this case, the top trim of the racks or the load-bearing floor will serve as a support for it.
- Terraces with pools built at the floor level of the sites have become very popular. This arrangement of an artificial reservoir has undeniable advantages. The water in the pool is clean and cool due to the absence of dirt from the yard on the terrace and the presence of a canopy that covers the reservoir from direct sunlight. The floor covering of the pool terrace must be made of moisture resistant material.
- Multilevel terraces are another type of site that is used for complex site reliefs. Support pillars of such structures can be installed on the slopes of hills. Such buildings can simultaneously combine the functions of a gazebo and a balcony. A large terrace allows you to build barbecue ovens on it. This will require a separate foundation and a separate chimney.
Designing an extension of the terrace to the bathhouse
Before the construction of the terrace, it is necessary to decide on its location relative to the bath, three options are possible here:
- Directly in front of the entrance … This solution is classic. It allows you to divide the space of the entire building into four zones: a steam room, a washing room, a changing room and a terrace as a relaxation area. They are all next to each other. The dimensions of such sites can be up to 6 m2 and more than 12 m2.
- Terrace as a separate building … This variant is more rare. The platform is located near the pool, which makes it possible to get out of the water onto the deck floor without getting your feet dirty.
- Location of the site along the perimeter of the bath … With this option, the railing serves as a fence for the terrace, and the roof of the bath building serves as a canopy. The location of the terrace on the south side will give a lot of sun and a good opportunity to sunbathe, the north side of the site will be cooler and protect you from the summer heat. The terrace located under the same roof with the sauna will allow you to alternately move to comfortable zones during the day and enjoy all the possibilities of relaxation.
When designing, it is necessary to determine the location and method of connecting the canopy of the open area with the roof of the bath. For the efficient use of the entire space of a combined building, the attic floors are often supported by the support pillars of the terraces.
Materials for the construction of a bath terrace
The terrace area has the main feature: it is always open to any whims of nature. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to take care of the safety of the flooring of the structure when exposed to moisture, temperature drops and precipitation. For this, during the construction of terraces, materials are used that must meet the following requirements:
- The deck deck must have anti-slip properties. Therefore, wood is more often used in its construction than ceramic tiles.
- The floor of the open area must be frost-resistant. Ordinary wood cracks quickly, but special decking is more moisture resistant and durable.
- The abrasion resistance of the flooring must be high enough to be constantly walked on in various types of footwear.
There are two options for ready-made terrace boards on the market: products made from natural wood and materials from plastic. In fact, the plastic board is 60% wood and only 40% polypropylene. Unlike natural wood materials, it is more resistant to swelling and deformation, this is its value.
Terrace boards made of natural materials are represented by larch, oak, spruce, pine and hornbeam wood. Pine decking is the most commonly used. Its resinous properties, which are so annoying in a steam room, on an open terrace, are very useful: the more resin the wood releases, the longer the flooring will last.
The best material for a terrace can be larch planks. Its wood does not rot, and the presence of moisture only increases the strength of the material. Larch floors are very durable.
When making your own terrace boards, they must be treated with antiseptics. They will prevent wood from rotting, being eaten by insects and igniting from accidental sparks.
Choosing the type of foundation for the terrace to the bath
Any terrace should be located on a reliable and solid foundation that prevents it from settling. For annexes of terraces to baths, several types of foundations are used:
- Column foundation … The most common type of support, which is a series of concrete pillars buried in the ground 50-70 cm with a distance between them every 2 m. Instead of pillars, bored piles are often used.
- Strip foundation … It is a reinforced concrete strip that encloses the perimeter of the site. It requires a lot of labor and a lot of materials. Therefore, such a foundation for terraces is rarely used.
- Foundation slab … This is a "pillow" made of concrete, which is used in the construction of structures on soft soils. This is the most reliable and expensive foundation.
The choice of any base for the terrace depends on the type of foundation for the bath. After the support is installed, it is covered with waterproofing. Then the platform frame is laid and its floor is laid.
Requirements for a terrace for a bath
Maximum comfort when relaxing on the terrace can be obtained by observing some of the requirements during its construction:
- The site should be protected from the wind by the main structure, trees or yard buildings.
- The way to the bathhouse and back must be done in a convenient way. To do this, you can provide two exits to the terrace - from the bathhouse and from the porch.
- Terraces with an area of 6-8 m2 are the most common in combined buildings. This is a perfectly normal size for a recreational area for a small number of people. But if the bathhouse is constantly visited by a large company, the size of the terrace can be increased to 10-12 m2… A large terrace makes it possible to save money on the arrangement of a rest room and limit the bath to three rooms - a steam room, a washing room and a dressing room.
- For the floor of the terrace, in addition to boards, you can use natural stone, ceramic and paving slabs.
- A part of the roof of the main structure, as well as sheets of translucent polycarbonate, can serve as a canopy of the terrace.
- The deepening of the foundations of the site and the bath should be the same in order to avoid the separation of the extension from the main structure in the winter. It is advisable to install the terrace on a columnar foundation.
- If the project provides for the construction of a bath with a terrace, based on economic considerations, it is advantageous to build both structures at the same time. Extension of the terrace to the finished bath will always cost more.
Features of the terrace extension to the bath
To build a terrace for the bath with your own hands, you need a sequence of actions:
- First, the lower part of the frame is laid on the foundation, consisting of a bar connected at the corners of the site and fixed to the foundation with anchor bolts. Then another row of timber is placed on top, similar to the first. The lags of the future floor cut into it. With their thickness of 50 mm, the pitch of the beams is taken at 1 meter.
- They are installed vertically at the level of the pillars of the terrace, at the ends of which the upper frame is strapped. Screws are used as fasteners. Relying on the harness, rafter elements are installed, which are often a continuation of the bath roof. The lathing is laid on the rafters, and the roofing material is attached to it.
- A timber is placed on the floor beams, which is attached to them using metal corners. The boards of the final floor of the terrace are attached to the timber. All wooden elements are treated with an antiseptic.
- When laying the flooring between its boards, it is necessary to leave deformation gaps of several millimeters to prevent the appearance of floor irregularities when its wood swells in a humid environment. The terrace floor can be painted with weather-resistant paint or varnished.
- The ventilation device in the underground space is also important. Its absence can provoke rotting of the floorboards. The flooring of the open area is carried out with a slight slope of 1-2% from the walls of the bath, so that rain or melt water does not accumulate near the walls of the bath, but flows down onto
- The installation of the terrace is completed by attaching decorative elements to it: you can install the railings on chiseled posts or make another brick fence, for example. Considering all the subtleties of building a frame structure, you can make a solid and beautiful terrace.
- Here you can make lighting for spending summer evenings with friends, set up a barbecue or grill, light wicker furniture and other items of summer cottage furnishings.
Bath terrace decoration
The easiest way is to set up a table and a couple of chairs on the terrace, and, if desired, a barbecue, sun loungers, etc. But for general harmony, it is better to stick to one of the styles:
- Cottage traditional style … This is a variety of decorative elements and corner smoothing details. The flooring is usually cedar or mahogany for a sense of luxury and warm comfort.
- Mountain style … Very suitable for terraces and baths: solid and heavy frame, railing made of logs. As a decor - bare branches located on the railing, or needles. On such a site, wooden furniture of different styles looks good, even roughly processed.
- Modern style … There are no unnecessary elements or inappropriate decor here. All materials used for the construction of the terrace have a laconic and modern form - stone, metal and PVC.
- Eclecticism … This is a style that allows you to mix everything. Therefore, if you are comfortable relaxing on a terrace with expensive flooring and elegant furniture after a bath, feel free to buy whatever your heart desires. And if the contrast of the lining with the balusters of the terrace strikes the eye, it is better to think over the exterior and design well in advance.
Street lamps of various styles and types are recommended to be selected specifically for your bath. They must be of good quality, waterproof and insulated.
Furniture for an open area should be used plastic, rattan or wood, since the materials of their manufacture are resistant to prolonged atmospheric exposure.
Watch a video about the construction of a terrace for a bath:
Before attaching a terrace to the bathhouse, imagine it as an architectural element that smoothly connects the health complex with the surrounding nature. It is in your power to make this element flawless and amazing. Good luck!
