I've been lurking around various pool/spa boards for the past few months and find that this is one of the nicer and more helpful forums around. So here I am, unlurking and hoping for some good advice...(this question was orginally asked on another board, but someone pointed me over here and said I'd get better advice from y'all). [smiley=grin.gif]
Anyways, on to my question: DH and I have been talking about putting some kind of body of water in our backyard for nearly a year now. We originally wanted just a hot tub (we were thinking the Hotsprings Grandee looked great), but then realized that our two boys (5 yrs and 2.5yrs) are total waterbugs and LOVE to swim. So we thought "there must be something that can be a spa and pool-like at the same time"....which moved us on to looking at swim spas and set ups like the Endless Pool.
We'd almost settled on putting in an EP at the end of this year (waiting for their winter specials), when our neighbors put in a fiberglass hot tub in their backyard. They put it completely inground and it's pretty small- no more than 8ft long and 5ft wide in a kidney bean shape. Their kids are the same ages as ours and that small spa seems to be plenty big for them to swim in. The spa has no seats or loungers, just a bench all the way around like most gunite spas would have. But our neighbors seem very happy with it so far and now DH & I are waffling on our EP decison.
Installing the EP would be about $30k when all is said and done (including electric, hardscape, gas lines run, etc.). We estimate installing a portable hot tub like the Grandee will cost about 1/2 that. Either way, we will not be installing in ground due to easement and setback issues (anything portable or aboveground is subject to less restrictive codes). Our total available space is 13ftx23ft which is long and skinny like a bowling alley LOL
We've come to the conclusion that installing a real pool in our backyard would be just too expensive due the weird shape and small size + easements/setbacks involved. But we would really like something for our boys to be able to swim in even tho it would have to be fairly small. BTW we currently have one of those Intex Easy Set pools set up and the kids LOVE LOVE it. LOL It's only 10ft by 30in and takes up pretty much all of our patio.
Anyways, after all that my question would be....what would you all recommend us looking at in the way of large spas? Or should be stick with the EP/swim spa idea?