Content
Most summer cottages have a small area. In order to accommodate all the necessary buildings, the owner tries to make them small. Country buildings No. 1 are a toilet, a barn and shower. It is convenient to place them in a small area using a compact structure - a utility block. The structure is a multifunctional building divided into separate rooms. Construction of a utility block for a dacha with toilet and a shower is no more difficult than building an ordinary shed. To make sure of this, we offer several interesting projects for your reference.
Briefly about the design features of the utility unit
A dacha utility block is a combined building consisting of several rooms with different purposes. Typically, a utility block for a dacha combines a shower and a toilet. The third compartment may be a room reserved for a shed or storage room. If you approach the construction of a dacha building on a grand scale, you can build a garage inside, and even a place to relax. The dimensions of the building are selected individually.It all depends on the wishes of the owner, the number of separate rooms, as well as the availability of free space on the dacha plot.
All the advantages and disadvantages of constructing a utility block
The advantages of a dacha building are obvious. The utility block allows you to combine many buildings, saving space as much as possible. However, such a solution is not always appropriate. Let's look at the positive and negative sides of this combination design.
First, let’s highlight the main advantages of a utility unit:
- It is cheaper to build several objects under one roof than to build each one separately. First of all, this is due to the saving of building materials.
- One large building looks aesthetically pleasing, in contrast to the toilets, showers and a separate shed scattered around the dacha area.
- In construction, a combined structure is no more difficult than manufacturing each cabin and shed separately. Consequently, it is possible for every person to build a utility block for a dacha with their own hands.
- When building a utility block, not only money and materials are saved, but also time. Some operations for the manufacture of a separate part of the structure have to be performed only once.
Now let's find out why a combined building may not please the owner:
- The big disadvantage of the utility block is the toilet. Unpleasant odors of sewage will penetrate into neighboring premises. You will have to take care of good ventilation and sealing of the bathroom.
- The aesthetics of one large building is not always appropriate, since it is sometimes problematic to conveniently place the building near a residential building.
- Facilities such as showers and toilets are specific. When attaching them to a garage or shed, you will have to face additional difficulties.
After weighing all the positive and negative qualities, you can begin to build a utility block at your dacha.
Several projects of country utility blocks
The utility block is a serious structure that requires drawing up a project. On paper you need to draw a diagram indicating all the dimensions of the structure, the number of partitions and other important components.
To help the summer resident, for reference, we suggest considering several interesting projects of the utility block. Maybe you can build your own building based on one of them.
First project
The diagram shows a utility block measuring 2x4 m. The layout is very successful, since the toilet and shower are separated by a third room reserved for the pantry. Thanks to this, unpleasant odors from the toilet will not penetrate into the shower stall, but good ventilation must be provided in the pantry. Each compartment has its own door, and the pantry is additionally equipped with a window.
Second project
The second project similarly represents a utility unit with three compartments. The difference between the design is the presence of only entrance doors. There are windows on the front wall of the other two rooms. The rooms are connected to each other by internal passage doors. It is up to the owner to decide which room to use for the shower, shed and toilet. Although it is reasonable to make the middle compartment a shed, because it is inconvenient to enter the utility room through a shower or toilet.
Third project
This utility unit project is represented by a common box measuring 5x2.3 m. Each compartment has an entrance door. The layout of the rooms is done differently. The toilet is adjacent to the shower, and two small rooms are reserved for them.Most of the building is used as a barn.
Fourth project
The last of the presented projects is the most complex, but convenient. The layout is made in such a way that all three compartments are adjacent to each other. Most of the utility block is given over to a barn. Each room has its own door, located on different sides of the building.
Self-construction of a utility block
So, the project is ready, let's start building a utility block with a shower, a shed and toilet in the country. The building can be erected from any building material. They always try to make country houses cheaper and simpler, so we will focus on a wooden structure. A columnar foundation is best suited for such a building, and the roof will be made of corrugated board.
Choosing a location on the site
Despite its compactness, the utility block is still a large structure. It must be successfully located on a summer cottage so that the building is in harmony with the house and the layout of the yard.
When choosing a place for a utility unit, you need to take into account that you will need a drainage hole for the toilet and shower. The choice of its location is determined by sanitary standards. They take into account the distance to water sources, residential buildings, green spaces, a neighbor’s fence, etc. Important parameters that should be observed when choosing a location for installing a utility unit are shown in the photo.
Laying the foundation
To build a wooden outbuilding, we settled on a columnar foundation. Before laying it, it is necessary to mark the location of the pillars. It is important to know here that the maximum distance between supports is 2 m. Each pillar is placed at the same level, and the diagonals between adjacent corners are made equal to each other.
Under the supports dig holes. The utility block is a permanent structure, so it is better to take the depth of the holes below the freezing level of the soil. This figure is different for each region, but not less than 80 cm. The bottom of the pit is covered with a layer of sand and gravel 15 cm thick. Supports can be erected from available material. As an option, the cabinet is laid out on a cement mortar made of brick or cinder block. You can install asbestos or metal pipes with a diameter of 150–200 mm in the pits and concrete them. The construction of the frame begins after the concrete has completely hardened.
Frame assembly
The construction of a wooden outbuilding with a shed, toilet and shower for the dacha begins with the assembly of the frame:
- The bottom trim of the frame is assembled from timber with a cross-section of 100x100 mm. The frame will play the role of the base of a wooden house. It is installed on the supports of a columnar foundation, leveling it strictly according to the level.
- Vertical posts are attached to the installed timber frame with a cross-section of 100x50 mm. The distance between them should not be more than 400 mm. Be sure to place racks in the corners of the structure, and additional ones - in the place of door and window openings.
- The racks are secured at the top with timber strapping.The frame is made identical to the one made for the lower frame. The pillars at the corners are reinforced with spacers. They will give stability to the frame.
When the entire box is completely assembled, we begin to make the roof.
Assembling the roof frame
The next stage of construction of a country house includes the arrangement of a roof frame. The best option is a pitched roof. Rafters are made from timber with a cross-section of 100x50 mm. To do this, a support post is placed on the front side and a slope is made from it. The rafters on the utility block are installed in increments of 600 mm, so their number can be easily calculated according to the length of the building.
Each rafter is attached to the top frame frame. They are knocked together with a board 20 mm thick. This will be the sheathing to which the corrugated sheeting will be attached. The pitch of the sheathing elements is approximately 400 mm, but it all depends on the rigidity of the sheet and the slope of the slope.
Frame cladding and interior work
Sheathing the frame of the utility block begins with roofing work. Waterproofing made of roofing felt is laid on the sheathing. Corrugated sheeting is laid on top, and each sheet is screwed with galvanized screws with a rubber gasket.
The walls of the frame are covered with wooden clapboard. The board can be mounted vertically or horizontally at the request of the owner. Inside the compartment of the utility block, reserved for the barn, logs are laid on the floor, and a flooring is made of tongue-and-groove boards. In the toilet, the toilet seat is knocked down, and the floors are similarly covered with a board. The floor of the shower stall can be concreted or an acrylic tray with a ready-made drain installed. The final stage of the work is fastening the doors with hinges and installing the windows.
The video talks about the construction of a utility block at the dacha:
Inside, each room of the utility block is finished at your own discretion.It is optimal to line the walls in the shower and toilet with plastic lining. The inside of the shed can be lined with plywood or fiberboard.
Conclusion
We considered the simplest option for building a utility block at the dacha. There are also projects with terraces, garages and other comfort elements, but they all occupy a large area of the summer cottage.
