Wooden materials retain heat well, are environmentally friendly, and also have an attractive appearance. You can prepare a log house with your own hands.

Materials and tools for performing work

To prepare a log house, you need to take the following tools:

• The axe, it should not be too heavy.
• Chisel.
• Tape measure, level and marker.
• Plumb and bracket.
• Hacksaw, shovel.
• Rope and a marking tool in the form of a compass.
• Chainsaw.

Let's look at what different expressions mean in a carpenter's language:

• A log house is a basic building without a roof or floor; its height is determined by the number of crowns.
• The crown is the place in the log house that has a square or rectangular shape. In the corner part they are fastened with locks. The crown comes in three types and is placed according to its name:

1. window sill type;
2. window type;
3. above-window type;

• The frame crown is the first element of the frame, with the help of which bottom harness protected from rotting.
• The bottom frame is the second element of the frame; it is considered the main part where the logs are placed.
• The joists support the floor and secure the frame at the bottom.
• The crown of the closing type is the first element above the window.
• The frame in the upper part serves as a support for the roof; it includes rafters and supports.
• The butt is a section of the trunk that is located at the bottom of the tree. And on the opposite side there is a peak.

Logs can be processed underneath to make the work being done safer. The construction of a log house takes place in three stages: the main part is completed, and then the middle and upper. Along the entire length, the log may have different circumferences, so you need to change the top and butt. If you make an edging, then the crowns will connect well and not form large gaps. The deck in the extreme part is trimmed on both sides to create a flat surface.

Blank material for log house

First, timber is harvested, having previously calculated required quantity and sizes of logs, these indicators depend on the width, height and length of the building. Therefore, before starting this work, it is necessary to make a drawing of the building with clear dimensions and calculate the amount of material. Preparation of a log house depends on the layout, type of fastening of logs, and their processing.

When completing a project, they note what shape the building will be, that is, it can be standard, which consists of four walls. Or it may have an unusual appearance and include a larger number of load-bearing elements.

Logs are fastened in two ways: in a “bowl” and in a “paw”; these types of groove construction differ. With the first option, strong wind does not affect the corner parts of the building, but more material is wasted when bandaging.

With the second option, less material will be needed, but the corner parts will be affected strong wind, and also making grooves is more difficult.

The building can be made of cylindrical and profiled logs. In the first case, the log is processed until it takes the shape of a cylinder; special machines are used for this. This material has a number of advantages:

The profiled timber has a rectangular or square shape when cut, and its processing is also carried out using a machine. At the final stage, the side parts of the log will be flat, and there will be special grooves for fastening at the top and bottom. This material also has its advantages:

• Thanks to the grooves, the building will be more stable, and the work will be completed faster compared to the first option.
• Thanks to the flat surface of the side joints, water from precipitation does not penetrate into the horizontal seams, and the material does not rot.
• After time, the logs do not move, since cuts are made during manufacturing. This material has minimal shrinkage.
• A profiled log is lightweight and therefore does not require the construction of an expensive and massive foundation.

For the manufacture of logs they use coniferous species tree. After harvesting the logs, the bark is removed and dried.

Initial work

According to the drawing, markings are made on the territory, stakes are installed and the rope is pulled. Then the foundation is made in the form of linings, with dimensions of 1 meter in length and 1/3 meter in circumference. They are laid near the corner part of the proposed building using a level, and the load will be uniform.

Then they build an edging, choose where it will be located, and lay it with this part up, fixing the log with brackets. Using a plumb line, draw lines vertically; they will be the outermost parts of the edge. They stretch the rope along the edges of the log, make cuts, and cut off the material until the edge is completely obtained. The same work is carried out on the opposite part of the log.

Laying the log house

After the foundation has been poured, it must be left for completely dry.

Lay on the completed foundation waterproofing material, you can use roofing felt. A board with a thickness of 5 centimeters is installed on top, on which the crown will be located. To keep the building warm, tow is laid on top.

Then the initial crown is laid, in which the logs should have a larger circumference compared to the rest of the material. Before starting this work, notches of about 15 centimeters along the entire length are made on the log. In this case, the material will adhere tightly to the board.

After this, the remaining crowns are laid to the required height. Tow is placed between the elements of the crown, the logs are tied in the corner part, and spikes are also used for a tight connection; they are placed at a distance of up to 1 meter. In this case, the building will have good stability.

How to install the first element of a window sill type crown

First, mark the doorway, then install the logs using a dowel. Using plumb lines, the vertical position of the corner parts is checked, and the final window sill beam is installed on two dowels.

Then the crowns of the window element are laid, keeping the opening height to 130 centimeters. After this, the strapping is performed in the upper part.

After this, the elements for the rafters are prepared, for this purpose the logs are cut off, and about two edges are made on each of them. The elements are cut into the deck, and recesses for the rafter legs are made with a chisel.

When making rafters, there should not be many small knots in the log. Near the base of the rafters, a tenon is made by sawing, and paired installation is carried out.

How to install openings for doors and windows?

Openings can be made in two ways: after the work is completed, and during construction.

In the first option, the installation of openings is carried out after completion of all work; for this, gaps are made in the crowns at the intended location. After installation is completed, these openings are cut out using a chainsaw.

In the second option, the openings are made during the process of laying logs; special bars and grooves are used for this; this method takes a lot of time and money.

Metal materials cannot be used as casing, as heat will escape through them. To install the socket on the end parts of the logs, a vertical tenon 50*50 is made on each side. They install a pigtail on it, with it reverse side the groove is located.

Roof construction

First, the beams are laid on the walls.

The beams are secured and the rafter legs are installed at a distance of 1 meter. A corner cut is made near the ridge for a tight connection.

Boards are nailed to the feet of the rafters or lathing is made.

Then lay the main roof covering according to the instructions for the selected material.

The ridge is covered with galvanization to protect it from strong winds and precipitation.

After completing all the work, I proceed to interior decoration, namely the construction of floors.

Types of pillars and their installation

The pillars are:

• corner;
• window;
• intermediate;
• door

They are arranged according to their names, the thickest elements are the corner ones, the thin ones are the intermediate ones.

Corner posts are placed in a pocket, the depth of which is up to 7 centimeters. The remaining pillars are installed at a depth of about 3 centimeters. Up to three edges are made on the log house; after shrinkage occurs, they begin laying the remaining pillars.

At the end, rafters are installed; for this purpose, walkways, jibs and nails are used as fastenings. The elements are laid on the walkways, top part fastened with nails. Spikes rafter elements placed in pockets, secured with jibs, and legs secured with staples.

After all work is completed, the building is left for 1 year to shrink. To prevent the doors and windows from skewing, and to prevent the material from deforming, it is necessary to make gaps that disappear over time. While shrinkage occurs, you can construct the floor or rafters for the roof.

After shrinkage occurs, tow fills all the resulting gaps.

Mandatory rules

When constructing log buildings, the following rules must be followed:

1. Logs are harvested in winter period because the material at this time is more resistant to precipitation and not prone to rotting. The tree can be used for preparations by dropping iodine on it; if it turns blue, then start working.
2. To increase service life and prevent rotting of the material under the influence of precipitation, it is necessary to treat the logs with an antiseptic.
3. Before starting the main work, the crowns are laid out on the surface and signed, and then they are installed sequentially.
4. All seams and gaps must be covered with tow, this will help retain heat.
5. When tying “in the paw”, the connection of the corner parts is sheathed with boards for additional fixation.
6. You also need to take into account that after shrinkage, the height of the building can decrease by up to 10%, so you need to immediately calculate this indicator.
7. To make the roof stable, the rafters are fixed with wire to the 3rd or 4th crown.
8. To prevent cracks from appearing in the log, it is necessary to make cuts towards the center. If they do arise, then the recesses are filled with tow.
9. When filling gaps, the tow must be hidden from getting wet, otherwise moisture will fall on the base material, which will lead to rotting.
10. Filling the gaps is done in the absence of rain to protect the material from getting wet.
11. To ensure that the logs do not move and are securely installed, they are secured with dowels located in the recesses, which are made in the center of the material.
12. When laying the initial crown, a gap may form between it and the foundation, which must be hidden with halves of logs.

In order to build from a log frame, you must select necessary processing logs, prepare the material, build a foundation, put waterproofing material and boards on it, and the initial crown of the log house is laid on them. Then they begin to build the remaining crowns to the required height, after that they make openings for doors and windows, make floors, and leave the building to shrink, after which the roof can be made. To prevent deformation of the material and openings, it is necessary to leave compensation gaps that are filled with tow.

If the work is done correctly, the building will be warm and durable.

Wood being environmentally friendly pure material, not only effectively retains heat, but also gives the air in the room a special aroma.

To build a wooden one, you must first prepare the timber.

Stage 1. Preparation of round timber

Attention! To determine the quality of logs (you can refuse low-grade sawlogs at any time), you need to know about ideal conditions blanks, which we will consider below.

Round timber must be harvested at sub-zero temperature, that is, in winter. It is at this time that the amount of moisture in the wood is minimized, therefore, during drying the material will deform and crack less.

In order to ensure the durability of the log house, during construction they use certain areas logs (so-called butt logs). These sections start from the rhizome and end at the crown. Such butt logs are denser (which compares favorably with the tops) and there are practically no knots in them. Selection criteria also include round form and the degree of curvature of the trunk. In both cases, a defect is an error exceeding 1 cm per linear meter.

Attention! If the length is, for example, 5 m, and the error exceeds 5 cm, then the log can be safely rejected.

The same applies to diameter. For example, the diameter of the base of the log is 35 cm, while the top is 25 cm or less. Such round timber is categorically not recommended for use in construction.

Finally, pay attention to the type of wood. Ideally, coniferous trees (spruce, larch, etc.) should be used for a bathhouse. Larch is characterized by resistance to moisture, although in extreme cases you can resort to the “pine-spruce” combination, in which the first few crowns are erected from pine. And if only spruce is used in construction, then the material must be treated several times with an antiseptic.

Perform further actions in accordance with the previously drawn up project. You can make one yourself, find it on the Internet, or order it from specialists. It is with the help of this document that you can calculate the required amount of consumables, determine the area and shape of the base.

Stage 2. Timber processing

Step 1. After it was delivered to you consumables(or you cut it down and delivered it yourself), it needs 25-30 days to rest.

Step 3. Then start processing. First, peel the bark from the logs (do this carefully so that they do not crack), leaving a little of it on the sides - about a 15-centimeter strip on each side.

Step 4. After processing, place the logs in storage approximately 25 cm from the surface of the ground. You can stack it however you like - in stacks, packs, etc., the main thing is that the distance between the logs is 7-10 cm.

Video - Preparing logs

Stage 3. Construction of the foundation

Let’s immediately make a reservation that massive monolithic ones can be abandoned due to their low weight future design. In order to save money, you can resort to one of two possible lightweight designs, namely:

• strip foundation;
• columnar.

Let's consider each of the options.

To build such a foundation around the entire perimeter, as well as under future walls, dig a trench 40 cm wide and 50 cm deep, lay a “cushion” of sand and gravel at the bottom. Next, lay the reinforcement, build formwork 50 cm high and pour concrete mortar. The resulting height will be approximately 1 m.

Attention! A more specific height depends on the depth of soil freezing in a particular region.

Video - Pouring the foundation

Place strips of sand and crushed stone inside the perimeter. In the future, the strips can be filled with concrete or a wooden floor can be built on them. The choice of one option or another depends on personal preferences and financial capabilities.

Columnar foundation

If necessary, it will be necessary to erect supports. There are two possible options:

• brick;
• from asbestos pipes.

Place supports at the corners of the perimeter, as well as under all walls in 1.5 m increments. Pre-lay a concrete “cushion” under each support. Fix several reinforcement rods in each support so that the latter protrude above the surface by at least 30 cm.

Build formwork 40 cm high, lay reinforcement in it and tie it to rods protruding from the supports. Fill in concrete mortar. After four to five weeks, when the concrete is completely dry, you can begin further work.

Stage 4. Waterproofing the base

Treat the surface of the foundation with molten and lay a layer of roofing material on top. After the bitumen has completely dried, repeat the procedure. As a result, you will have a reliable two-layer.

Stage 5. Preparing tools

To work you will need the following equipment:

We will pay special attention to the last tool - the “line”. For manufacturing you will need steel wire with sharpened ends. Bend the wire in half so that it takes the shape of a compass; you can additionally secure the handle. This tool will be needed when marking logs.

Stage 6. Construction of a log bathhouse

There are several assembly technologies:

The first option - Russian felling - is the easiest to perform; even an inexperienced carpenter can handle it. Therefore, we will consider this technology.

Step 1. The construction of the log house should be carried out in stages and begin with the frame crown (in other words, from the first). The logs that will serve as the frame crown should be edged to ensure a tight fit to the foundation.

Step 2. Lay the first pair of logs on top of the waterproofing layer. Place the next pair at an angle of 90ᵒ relative to the first and connect everything into a “cup”.

Attention! "Cup" is the most simple option connections during the construction of log buildings. It is done quite simply: the boundaries of the future “cup” are measured at the bottom of the log, then a recess is marked using a “line”. After checking the dimensions again, the recess is carefully cut out with an ax.

You can use a chainsaw - this will save a lot of time. Although the final finishing of the “cups” will still have to be done with an ax.

Attention! In the starting crown, the “cups” will not be deep, as a result of which the logs will not come into contact with the base. Therefore, place a lining in the gap that appears - a small piece of board of the required thickness, treated with an antiseptic and covered with insulation.

Step 3. Next, lay the second crown using the thickest logs possible. This is explained by the fact that in the future you will cut sex joists into them. To ensure a tight fit, make a longitudinal groove in the top log, which would be equal to a third of the diameter of the previous log. To draw the boundaries of the groove, place the upper log on the lower one and mark using the “line”.

Attention! The longitudinal groove can be semicircular or triangular. If you have a chainsaw available, you can cut a triangular groove in two to three minutes. But remember: logs with such a groove will not fit tightly, which will negatively affect the thermal insulation properties of the walls.

It's obvious that the best option is a semicircular groove. Do it with a chainsaw and use a chisel to remove any residue.

Step 4. Insulate the joints of the logs, preferably using flax-jute fabric. Place one piece of fabric on the lower crown, and seal the longitudinal groove with the second (especially if the latter has a triangular shape).

Step 5. Connect the crowns together. Here you can use:

• square dowels;
• round dowels made of wood.

The second method is preferable, because dowels can be purchased ready-made and holes can be made using an electric drill.

Make holes in increments of 1-1.5 m, parallel stitching the top pair of crowns completely and not completely the third one (from the bottom). To avoid distortion, after shrinkage is completed, recess the dowels into the upper crown by at least 6-7 cm.

Step 6. Raising the walls to the desired height, lay on top of them ceiling beams and rafters. If damp wood was used, then lay slate sheets instead of rafters and wait until the structure shrinks. Usually, it is enough to overwinter once, but ideally, shrinkage should last a year and a half.

In the spring, when the shrinkage is complete, start caulking.

Video - Roof made of aspen shingles

Stage 7. Doors and window openings

We specifically started talking about openings after construction was completed, since there are two options for their arrangement.

Stage 8. Caulking logs

After shrinkage is completed, the log house is caulked. To do this, prepare the following equipment:

• hammer;
• caulk (made of wood or metal).

Attention! If you sealed the inter-crown space with tow or moss, you can skip this step, since you most likely will not need caulk. But if you find even the slightest cracks, then it is still better to carry out the procedure.

Proceed to work only after the insulation has completely dried. First, twist the material (tow or moss) into a rope, then hammer it between the crowns with a hammer and caulk.

You can use tape jute - in this case, the material is simply fixed with nails or a mounting stapler.

Video – Caulk of a log house

Stage 9. Roof

As soon as the tree shrinks, you can begin construction. If you do this earlier, the roof will simply collapse.

Step 1. Lay on wall trim wooden beams(we already talked about this).

Step 2. Fix the beams and attach the rafter legs to them in 1 m increments. In the ridge part, cut the rafters at the appropriate angle for the connection.

Step 3. Nail solid plank flooring to the rafters (if you plan to use rolled roofing material) or make a sheathing (if you use slate, tiles, etc.).

Step 4: Install roof covering according to the instructions for the specific material.

Step 5. Cover the ridge with galvanized sheet steel to protect it from aggressive environmental influences.

Step 6. Cover the roof gables with siding or clapboard.

An example of a log house with a shingle roof

1. Sometimes during assembly it becomes necessary to join logs. In this case, do not allow the joints to be located on top of each other. Moreover, in lower crown connections are not allowed.
2. When laying a log house on a finished foundation, you can assemble the logs before drying by placing a sealant between them.
3. It is advisable to install windows after shrinkage, because otherwise they may warp.

Now you know how to buildDIY log house.

The traditional material for the construction of a Russian bathhouse is a solid log. In addition to its affordable price, lumber (also known as round timber) is attractive for another feature: a person with little experience in carpentry can make a log house with their own hands. You will need: availability of time, desire to self-study and theoretical preparation combined with practice. Hence the purpose of our article – to clearly explain how to properly build a log sauna with a steam room.

Assembling a bathhouse from logs

The first task that needs to be solved in advance is to allocate a site for building a bathhouse. Determine a location close to your home, preferably near a pond or swimming pool. Recommended location of the building and distances from other objects in the country or personal plot shown in the diagram.

The next step is to draw up a layout of the premises, taking into account the allocated area. As a rule, a sauna has 3 rooms - a washing room, a steam room and a dressing room, which at the same time serves as a relaxation room. You can read more about the correct breakdown of the area. Now that the planning is done, let's take a closer look at how to cut and assemble your log bathhouse.

So, the work is divided into the following stages:

1. Selection of materials and preparation of tools.
2. Construction of the foundation for the log house.
3. Cutting the first crown and subsequent assembly of the walls.

Selection of lumber

We usually build log houses from coniferous wood - pine, spruce and larch. It is better to put the latter in the first 2-3 crowns, since it resists moisture well. Freshly cut wood is allowed to sit and dry for 1 month.

Reference. The ideal forest for constructing a log house is the part of the tree from the root (butt) to the beginning of the crown of the pine tree. There are almost no knots in this area, and the density of the tree is greater than at the top.

To build a reliable and durable log bathhouse with your own hands, select and prepare timber taking into account our recommendations:

1. Discard trunks with obvious curvature, cracks or rot.
2. Do not take round timber that is too thin or thick. The diameter of the saw log should be between 20-35 cm (excluding bark).
3. Try to purchase winter-cut lumber from forestries, since this wood contains more resins that resist rotting.
4. Remove the bark from the logs with a special tool - a scraper; it affects the tree least of all.
5. After debarking, let the trunks dry for 3-4 days, otherwise you will have to draw marking lines on a wet surface, which is very inconvenient.

The diameter of the saw log decreases from the butt to the top

When selecting logs, consider one thing: important feature: The diameter of the trunk necessarily decreases from the butt to the top. The technical name of the phenomenon is camber, ideally it should not exceed 8 mm per 1 linear meter of round timber.

Advice. It doesn’t matter when the consistency exceeds the specified value. Before cutting down a bathhouse, you need to disassemble the logs into pairs with the same indicator, and during construction, lay them according to the butt-top-butt pattern. An experienced carpenter will tell you in detail about this installation technology in his video:

Tool for the job

They know how to work dexterously and quickly with an ax experienced craftsmen, but they also now use power tools, which significantly facilitate the work in the construction of log structures. The optimal set of a carpenter-builder looks like this:

• chain saw – electric or gasoline;
• ax and hand saw;
• wooden and regular hammer;
• electric plane;
• drill;
• chisels of different sizes;
• measuring instruments - tape measure, ruler, plumb line, square and building level.

To mark the trunks you will also need special device, shown in the photo, is a line (otherwise known as a scriber). To make it, you need to take a thick steel wire, sharpen the ends and bend it in the form of a compass.

Laying the foundation

Log houses are heavy structures, and therefore it is better for them to pour a concrete foundation belt type. An exception is a mini-bath measuring 3 x 3 m, under which you can make brick or block pillars, and then place the first crown on these pillars. In other cases, it is necessary to mark the contours of the building on the ground and dig a trench 40-50 cm wide around the perimeter. You need to go deep to a stable layer of soil lying 0.5-1.5 m from the surface (depending on the region).

1. Compact the bottom of the trench and make sand cushion 10-15 cm thick. Compact the sand too.
2. Manufacture and install formwork from wooden shields, whose height should be equal to the level of the future base. To prevent the sides from moving apart, use supports made of timber and boards, as shown in the photo.
3. Cover the hole with formwork plastic film so that the cement laitance does not go into the ground when pouring.
4. From reinforcement - “corrugated” Ø10-16 mm, tie the frames with cells 100 x 150 mm and place them in the trench. The lower reinforcement belt should be raised above the bottom using spacers 4-5 cm high.

Filling is carried out with concrete of a grade not lower than M150, prepared from 3 parts of sand and 5 of the same volumes of crushed stone per 1 measure of Portland cement M400. During the laying process, the concrete mixture is compacted with vibrators, and in their absence, with long steel rods. The base will take 4 weeks to harden, the formwork can be removed after 7-9 days.

Advice. To avoid having to trim or cut the logs of the first crown and thereby reduce the durability of the structure, make a foundation strip at different levels. How this is implemented in practice, see the following video.

Installation of the first crown

The first step is to protect the wood from soaking and subsequent rotting. To do this, lay waterproofing made of two layers of roofing felt on the foundation, and treat the trunks with an antiseptic compound. You can also make an additional lining under the lower tier from timber 50-100 mm thick. Then the most interesting part begins - cutting the casing crown.

There are several ways to join logs at the corners:

• into the upper or lower bowl;
• the same, with a hidden spike (fat tail);
• in the paw;
• using simple rectangular cutouts (the so-called Russian corner).

The simplest cutting of corners

Reference. Russian cutting methods are listed here; in addition to them, Canadian and Norwegian technology, but it is more difficult to implement.

Cutting in the form of a bowl

The connection with a rectangular groove shown in the photo is only suitable for building a shed. Due to direct gaps, even if caulked, such a corner will turn out cold, which is unacceptable for a bathhouse. Docking “in the paw” is more reliable, but is rarely used by modern carpenters due to its complexity. For beginners, we suggest mastering a relatively simple and “warm” option - cutting into the upper bowl with a hidden spike, otherwise - into the clap.

Before assembling the crown molding, it is necessary to trim the round timber along its entire length in order to increase the area adjacent to the foundation. The width of the contact patch must be at least 12 cm. To ensure this, place the log on a concrete strip and mark it with a line resting one end on the surface of the foundation.

Drawing a cutting line with a scriber

To speed up the work, make cross cuts with a chain saw every 10-15 cm, then cut the wood lengthwise and cut out the excess with an ax. Make a clean cut with an electric planer, or better yet, with a scraper.

Advice. In the center of the hewn side, try to make a hollow up to 5 mm deep for good compaction. How the master does this is worth watching in the video:

Now let's look at how to cut the corner of the casing:

1. Place the trunks in the designed position, one on top of the other, and level them horizontally using shims. Draw a line around the bowl in the upper log, resting the other end on the lower one. Its depth is equal to half the diameter of the supporting round timber, which is reflected in the diagram.
2. The maximum height of a hidden longitudinal tenon is 5 cm. Mark this too before sawing.
3. Using a chainsaw, make several transverse cuts, 3-5 mm short of the marking lines.
4. Cut down the excess wood and clean up the edges of the bowl with an ax exactly along the line. In the same way, form a tenon, and cut a groove on the counter log.

Important point. When constructing a log bathhouse, the finishing hew is done with an ax or a scraper, mechanized processing Used only for forming cups and grooves. The fact is that electric planes, grinders and chain saws greatly open the wood fibers, where moisture is subsequently absorbed.

When all 4 corners are cut out, the trunks are laid on the foundation with a layer of moss or jute fiber (this is also stuffed into the joints of lumber) and tightly seated in the grooves using a wooden hand tamper. Please note: connection with concrete base is not used, the design is rigidly fixed on the groove-tenon joints and stands confidently due to its decent weight.

Walling

The remaining crowns are mounted on the frame using the same technology - bowls with spikes are cut out at the corners, which cover the logs of the previous tier. After a tight nozzle with a moss gasket, an additional connection with wooden dowels, also known as dowels, is required.

Note. Traditional technology does not provide any metal connectors, often used by today's builders. Being in the thick of the tree, cold metal becomes covered with condensation, causing rusting and accelerated rotting of timber.

Moss is the best inter-crown insulation for a chopped bath

A few words about how to assemble the second and subsequent crowns of a log house:

1. The lower part of the trunks is cut not evenly, but in the form of a semicircle, in order to clearly cover the previous round timber.
2. When marking, lay the logs so that the centers of all wall elements are on the same vertical.
3. Cut out cups and grooves with an allowance of 8-10 mm for laying the sealant - wild moss, felt or jute.
4. After forming the bowls, try each stem in place. If it fits with a gap of more than 5 mm, you will have to make an adjustment. The whole process is shown in more detail in the video:

So that during shrinkage and further operation chopped sauna not tilted due to the horizontal movement of the elements, they need to be fastened together with dowels. These are rods turned from dry wood with a diameter of 22-30 mm, driven into vertical holes after laying each crown. The hole drilling step is 0.8-1 m, the depth is at least 2 log diameters. To avoid hitting the previous dowels during subsequent drilling and driving, they should be placed in a checkerboard pattern.

Vertical bundle of crowns with dowels

When you need to increase the length of a log, use one of two joining methods - root tenon and dovetail. In the first case, a vertical groove and tenon are made at the end of the log rectangular shape, and in the second – trapezoidal, as demonstrated in the photo. When joining elements of external walls, a clearance of 8 mm must be provided for the sealing gasket.

Molar joint (left) and dovetail (right)

Important point. After laying the connected trunks into the wall of the log house, the joint must be shanked on both sides.

The log walls of the bathhouse are overlapped on top gable roof. It is easier to assemble it from beams and boards, which is described in detail. Do rafter system it is possible from logs, but this process is much more complicated.

Opening window

There are 2 ways of edging door and window openings:

1. Into the deck. In this case, a spike measuring 5 x 5 cm is formed around the perimeter of the opening, onto which the casing is subsequently attached.
2. With a mortgage block. A groove is cut along the ends of the logs, where the embedment beam is then installed for mounting the frame.

The first option is more expensive and labor-intensive - shortening the logs to cut out the tenon must be provided for at the stage of building the bathhouse. The casing is made with an internal groove, which is fitted onto the finished flange. The perimeter of the jamb is sealed with the same material that was used for inter-crown insulation (caulking).

The second method is implemented after the construction of the log house by cutting a groove in the ends of the round timber. Then an embedded beam is hammered into it, forming the same tenon. The further procedure for installing the box is repeated, as shown in the diagram.

Conclusion

If, in the process of building a log house with your own hands, you follow the technology described above and work without haste, you will certainly get a good-quality and strong bathhouse that will last for decades. But do not rush to put the building into operation - the log structure needs to stand for at least 1 year for shrinkage. After this, you can start caulking the joints and interior arrangement bath rooms.

Design engineer with more than 8 years of experience in construction.
Graduated from Eastern Ukrainian National University them. Vladimir Dal with a degree in Electronics Industry Equipment in 2011.

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When building it yourself bath room Various building materials are used. Their choice is most often determined by their own desire, which does not contradict the available material resources. The most popular building materials for construction are brick and concrete.

IN Lately most resort to using cinder blocks. But the priority for the construction of a real Russian bathhouse has always been wooden beams or logs. They have long been famous for the production of substances beneficial to the body that are mixed with steam. Making a log bathhouse with your own hands is a task that almost anyone can do. After all, building a bathhouse from wood beams is much easier than from any other building materials.

Self-construction of a wooden bathhouse

Materials, tools and accessories that will be needed to build a bathhouse:

• logs from various tree species;
• protective mixtures for treating beams (antiseptics);
• boards, concrete mortar, crushed stone and reinforcement for the foundation;
• wooden dowels or iron pins for connecting beams;
• hydro- and heat-insulating materials;
• bitumen, roofing felt and slate;
• extended set of carpentry tools.

First, you need to decide which building material will be used as the basis for the structure. Simple and rounded logs will require more experience when building a bathhouse. Make a competent log house from wooden beam Even the most experienced builder can do it. In this case, it is enough to follow the instructions described below. In this case, you don’t even need the help of a qualified specialist.

Selection and sorting of wood

Before construction work First of all, you should choose high-quality wood, because the durability of the room depends on it, not to mention the ease of its maintenance. But choosing a good building material does not guarantee proper quality, because it must be properly processed and prepared for use.

If you decide to make a log house from logs, it is advisable to extract them in the winter. It is not recommended to use young wood. In addition, after cutting down the tree, it is best to let it dry for 30-40 days. The logs must rest exactly in the same form in which they were cut down. It is necessary to start processing after the expiration of the period allotted for drying the logs.

Making beams yourself will require careful processing of the logs. First of all, you need to do a complete cleaning of the bark. In order to avoid cracks that may form when the bark is removed, it is necessary to leave strips at both ends of the log 15 cm wide.

Storing wood has some nuances that need to be taken into account:

• logs should be located at a height of 20 cm from the ground surface;
• wood must be stacked in bundles or stacks;
• the interval between logs should be at least 5 cm.

An important process is the selection of logs for the manufacture of a log house.

During sorting, you need to keep only high-quality wood, simultaneously rejecting fragile and unreliable logs.

Inspect the building material being prepared for damage and cracks. If a bath house is built from such logs, it may collapse even at the construction stage, not to mention wear and tear during further use.

Pay attention to small dark blue spots. Their presence indicates that the process of rotting from the inside has begun, which is caused by fungal invasion. You should not take risks and use such logs; it is best to set them aside for heating a sauna stove.

The same should be done with wood that has been eaten from the inside by insects. It will be necessary to ensure that the affected and high-quality logs are kept away from each other, otherwise the infection may spread and damage suitable building materials.

The sauna log used to build the premises must have a smooth and uniform surface. This will save you from problems when laying logs during the construction of the structure. You should not immediately mix them with firewood, since such logs will still be useful for making small parts for door and window openings, as well as for the floor and ceiling.

In the process of erecting a sauna log house important also has a type of tree that is used as building material. The lower level is best laid primarily from larch, and subsequent levels can be laid from cedar, pine and spruce logs. This is due to the increased resistance of larch to natural influences; it is more durable and tends to harden over time.

The walls of the bathhouse are more protected from earth moisture, but they require increased thermal insulation properties, therefore the coniferous type of trees is best choice for their construction. In addition, they highlight useful human body substances, well saturated with steam.

Foundation of the building

The main convenience of constructing a room for a bathhouse is laying the beams directly on the foundation. This significantly simplifies and shortens construction time.

There are 2 methods of laying a foundation for a log bathhouse: strip and columnar.

The strip method involves arranging formwork along the edges of the entire area of ​​the proposed building, which is subsequently filled with concrete mortar. The level of foundation construction must be at least 0.5 m from the ground. This will help protect the lower level of the log house from moisture and rotting in the future.

The internal area of ​​the base is filled with crushed stone or sand in the form of small ribbons. Laying the lower level of the beams can be carried out only after the concrete solution has completely hardened, that is, after 15-20 days.

The columnar method is more common. In this case, at the corners and edges of the area, support pillars on a brick base. The same pillars must be installed indoors, namely in places where there will be load-bearing walls. The interval between the pillars should be at least 150 cm. In some situations, you can expand it to 200 cm, but no more. All support pillars must be reinforced with concrete mortar at the base.

Regardless of the method of laying the foundation, it will need to be strengthened with reinforcement, which increases the reliability and stability of the lower level of the frame.

The main element of ensuring the durability of a structure is waterproofing. For this reason, it is necessary to lay waterproofing material in 2 layers. It is located between the base of the building and the lower level of the log house. First of all, the foundation must be covered with liquid bitumen, on which roofing material is laid. Once the structure has hardened, this procedure must be repeated.

Laying the lower level of the log house

The first level of beams is laid along the entire perimeter of the foundation base. First of all, you need to equip the base with slats that have been pre-treated with protective mixtures. Their thickness should be no more than 1.5 cm, they are placed at intervals of 25-30 cm.

Reiki provide reliable protection from moisture and rotting of the lower level of the log house, increasing the durability of the structure. The empty cavity between the slats is filled with heat-insulating material.

The main factor in laying the lower level of a log house is the almost perfect uniformity of building materials, so it is worth choosing the most even beams. Otherwise, further construction of the building may cause many unwanted problems that will require extra costs time and effort to correct them. Uniformity should be measured with a building level; assessing the suitability of beams by eye is unacceptable.

For the lower level, you need to make beams taking into account the fact that they will be used as supports, that is, during processing you will need to select the thickest and most durable ones. The generally accepted size of the log house for the lower level is 20 cm in diameter. The remaining bars must have a diameter of at least 15 cm. The length is selected based on the expected area of ​​the room, and all bars must be the same size.

The bathhouse frame should not be laid too tightly, since in the future the beams will settle and compact naturally. There is no need to consolidate the basic level at all. As time passes, it will become denser high pressure upper level bars. This also makes it possible to update the lower level without forcibly dismantling the external walls.

At the corner points of connection of the beams, it is necessary to make special notches, which are designed to ensure the reliability of the structure. This process will require precise measurements, which are considered at the log processing stage. Having made the cuts correctly, you need to connect the beams into a single structure and fill the remaining cavity thermal insulation material between the foundation and the lower level.

The main level of the log house must be treated with protective mixtures on all sides, especially in places adjacent to the foundation. In addition to protective mixtures, it is recommended to apply slightly thickened technical oil to the bars.

After laying the lower level, you can move on to arranging the upper rows.

How to make cuts correctly?

There are a number of methods for strengthening beams at the ends, but the most popular and in a simple way is cutting out notches.

Logs with excess length require cutting out notches in these places. There are 2 types of notches: one-sided and two-sided. The 1st type is made on the principle of cutting an ordinary bowl into half a tree, and the 2nd is due to cutting out notches different sizes at both ends, that is, in the fat tail or in the okhryap.

If there is no excess, corner cuts are made in the main part of the beams. In this case, you can choose the type of reinforcement without the presence of insert elements (into a paw or into a tenon). If the connection still implies their presence, then you need to use the half-tree method on an insert tenon. The simplest cutting method is the claw method, which will require less time and effort from the builder to arrange the cuts.

Having selected the most suitable method of corner fastening, you need to perform precise measurement all logs, on the basis of which a template for cutting will be created. After this, you can begin processing the beams. First of all, it is necessary to make transverse cuts to half the diameter of the beams. Following this, you can cut out longitudinal bevels. It is worth considering that processing larch logs is much more difficult, since this species has a high density.

Construction of the upper levels of the log house

The walls of the bathhouse are erected in a certain sequence. The beams are placed, trimmed using a building level and strengthened at the ends. The fastening elements are special wooden dowels or iron pins, which must be driven into the openings provided for them. The size of the openings must match the diameter of the fastening elements.

The interval between openings should be 1-1.5 m. The beams must be drilled through and up to half of the underlying log. Then you need to set aside the upper beam and hammer a pin into the opening of the lower one, the length of which is equal to the height of 2 logs. Before placing the top beam, you will need to lay insulation.

This method is used to lay all other rows, while the top 2 rows do not need to be strengthened. In the future, the upper beams will need to be removed to install the ceiling.

When designing a bathhouse, it is necessary to take into account the placement of windows and doors. During the construction of the building, small gaps are left in the marked places, which are subsequently cut out, forming openings of the required size.

Upon completion of the construction of the sauna log house, it is necessary to prepare the building for the subsidence period, which lasts about 6 months. To do this, you need to lay 4-5 cm thick boards on the top rows of the log house, which are covered with slate.

It's the 21st century, but people, tired of the bustle and environmental problems of big cities, are increasingly thinking about how to build wooden house with your own hands and move to the bosom of nature.

What is needed for this, where to start, what knowledge you need to have - this is just a small part of the huge list of questions that a person faces. To make it easier to decide on the type of house, we will provide some data.

Kinds wooden houses: wooden from timber, from profiled timber, from hewn logs, rounded logs, from profiled laminated timber, frame houses.

If you want to know how to build a wooden house from a log, you should consider this construction more carefully.

Log house

• Such a building is built from solid logs, cleared of bark with an ax, and tree species such as cedar and pine are used.
• Thanks to handmade, resin remains on the logs, protecting the building from bad weather and other external negative factors.
• Such houses look beautiful, are pleasant and safe to live in.

Despite all these advantages, there are also disadvantages.

• The building takes a very long time to dry out (from 2 to 5 years), and it takes several years for it to shrink.
• Materials and Finishing work are quite expensive.

If you have chosen another option, but do not know how to build a wooden house from timber, it is necessary in this case to consider all the pros and cons.

House made of timber

• An ordinary rectangular beam, unlike a profiled one, has joints (grooves and tenons), is different affordable price. From the thin they build temporary and summer buildings, houses designed for permanent residence, made from thick timber 200 X 200 mm.
• Advantages: ease of construction, naturalness.

Unfortunately, there are many more disadvantages - these are cracks and crevices when drying, additional thermal insulation work, complex finishing, drying of the material up to a year.

In order to have a complete picture, you should learn how to build a wooden frame house with your own hands.

• In this case, a frame is constructed from laminated veneer lumber, which is then insulated.
• The advantage of this type of building is the rapid assembly of finished parts and a reduced price.
• Disadvantages include the use of a truck crane and difficulties in storing parts if the area is small.

Are you still thinking about how to build a wooden house with your own hands - let's go through all the necessary steps.

If you have no idea how to do this, it is best to start with the simplest option.

DIY log house

The first thing to remember is to choose larch, cedar or pine for your construction.

Another important question- foundation. Usually, in cases self-construction used columnar foundation, but the screw version is also used.

In order to have a more complete idea of ​​how to make a log house, photos on some sites will certainly help with this.

Operating procedure

1. We prepare the beams (15 X15) and treat them with a special antiseptic.
2. We install the crown, place the half-tree beam, and fasten it wooden dowels. To do this, we make holes in the beams in advance.
3. After laying the crown, the timber is also laid in the floor with a crown. A compactor is placed on the beams placed at the end, then a beam and again a compactor.
4. We must not forget that the floor board (40 mm) also depends on the pitch of the beams (0.7 m).
5. Another important point- It is best to use jute fabric as a sealant.
6. The first floor is being built to a height of about 3 meters.
7. If you don’t do the sheathing, you need to think about drainage using chamfers in a timely manner.

The easiest way to build

If you are still tormented by the question of how to build a log house, you can use ready-made projects wooden buildings. This situation has its merits.

• As a rule, assembly is very fast.
• You will invest a minimum of money on construction, doing only checking the markings of the beams.
• Since logs are manufactured in a factory standard sizes, assembly is carried out efficiently and without overlays.

Just how to build a wooden house, photos and instructions on this issue can be found on many thematic sites.

You can also make your child’s dream come true, or maybe your long-standing childhood wish, and set up a treehouse.

Magic house

For such construction you will need a tree with a thick trunk and powerful roots, optimally oak.

The building should not be located high for safety reasons - one and a half meters, no more. For work you will need the most simple tools and bolts.

Are you intrigued? If you want to know how to build a tree house, photos of such houses will give a boost to your imagination and will certainly inspire you to build.

How to build a wooden log house correctly