Where to put our new tub?

[ramone]

HI AGAIN, IS THERE A BEST THING TO PLACE THE TUB ON ? CONCRETE SLAB, BUILD A DECK, SOME OF THE HOT TUB FLOORS THEY SELL, WHAT EVER WE GO WITH I WILL NEED TO BUILD IT, I WAS WONDERING ALSO THE COST OF THESE THINGS.
YOU ALL ARE THE BEST FOR HELPING THIS NEWBI GET GOING.
THANKS IN ADVANCE
RAMONE

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 It's really up to you,  Deck is nice built around the spa about 12 to 16" up, a cement slab still may be needed underneath the spa either way or you could do a 5/8 crushed rock as long as it's level.    That being said a patio is nice as well.  Really up to you what you want for a look.  As far as cost it's always going to be cheaper if you do It yourselves, but that also takes time.   

  Some just do a simple cement pad with pavers around it, or stepping stones to the door.  Sky is the limit!! 

[Pers Onal]

You need to think about access, and privacy.

It is usually just Me or my wife, and I. We go in nude if there is no one else. Privacy matters.

Also, think about the route you will take from where you rinse off before entering to where you enter the tub. Generally, you want that short so that you can dance out there quickly when it is cold, and you are dripping from rinsing off.

The steps entering our hot tub are about 6 feet from an exterior door that opens onto the tiled area of our master bath. It's just a short few steps from the shower, out the door and into the tub. The tub sits on a deck that is about 10 feet off the ground.

After 13 years, we still use the tub a lot.

Actually, when we did a major home redesign 7 years ago I moved the master bath to the opposite side of the house to accommodate the hot tub, and moved the door that opened onto the deck into a better position that worked well with the tub.

Some thought now as to where the tub actually works best, will help you determine where the tub works best and that will determine whether or not to go with deck or slab.

[DamSam]

I am new here to and have been doing allot of research on this. It seems that everyone would like for you to have a poured pad, but I also learned that the owners mannuals will tell you what you are allowed or suggested to have. I am not going to do a concrete pad because I know I will move in the next few years and I do not want it to be a deal breaker if the buyers do not want a tub and they are stuck with an 8x8 slab of concrete. That is my only reason I will go with timbers and stone according to the specks and dealer I buy from. Read your mannuals

[Isaac-1]

An 8x8 concrete slab can be removed in an hour or two with a small electric jackhammer than can typically be rented for $50-$75 per day.

[Spoiledrotten]

I'll have to go along with Isaac. I don't want the foundation under my tub giving out or shifting. If the future buyer didn't want it later, easy to accomodate them. Your thought process if like someone buying a car, but not wanting to use it to full potential because you're afraid you'll mess up the resale value. Use it like it was intended, then worry about future stuff later.

[JCB]

 

Hi All,

I'm in the process of acquiring a hot tub, and while doing my due research on the topic I stumble onto this forum.  I already pick a spot where I want the spa to be installed as it is very private and accessible to me.  It is a side patio with opposite walls (one mine, the other my neighbor) separated ~10ft(no need for wood framing).  However my patio already comes with a nice arched design of concrete pavers, but do not cover the whole area the spa requires.  Will it be wise/recommended to use compacted gravel around the paved areas? My estimate is it will be 50/50 (pavers/gravel) covering for the whole spa area.  Will one of those plastic platforms on top help? Any other suggestions, besides ripping off the pavers and pouring a concrete pad are welcome...Thanks in advance.

[red2play]

To add to the discussion, I was just told that I have a floating pad in the back.  Something similar to this:

http://midcenturymonster.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/16-back-patio-under-deck.jpg

He's saying its a floating pad and the tub can tilt because of the immense pressure a spa will put on it.  Is that true?

[rosewoodsteel]

I doubt that a concrete pad would be a deal breaker for a home sale.  If you leave your hot tub, with the pad, I would see it as a perk for the buyer (it certainly was for me when we bought our home).  If you take your tub with you, you can sell the pad to prospective buyers as a nice place to put a gazebo or picnic table, etc.... 
-Just my two cents.

[Bill]

JCB,
I have my tub sitting on a patio of concrete pavers.  The pavers are on a 1" bed of sand over compacted gravel. The "pad" has held up fine for the 4 years the tub has been there.  Looks pretty good to.

[Nazz26]

Hey Ramone.. To me the choice was a concrete pad.  If you are somewhat handy it really is not hard to do.  Your pad should be no less then 4 inches of reinforced concrete and at least 2 inches of item 4 stone for your base for proper drainage.  Pour the concrete pad large enough to accommodate a gazebo or shed for future use. If you ever move and take the tub I think a potential homebuyer will like the idea that the pad is there for more outdoor living space.  Like another said that concrete pad is not going to be a deal breaker when selling a home. My do it yourself project totaled less then $700.00 dollars for the pad and a 10 foot cement walkway leading to the concrete pad.

[Tman122]

I doubt that a concrete pad would be a deal breaker for a home sale.  If you leave your hot tub, with the pad, I would see it as a perk for the buyer (it certainly was for me when we bought our home).  If you take your tub with you, you can sell the pad to prospective buyers as a nice place to put a gazebo or picnic table, etc.... 
-Just my two cents.

Fire pit and a couple chairs and it may add to the ease of sale. Tub or not.

[Topline Mike]

One thing I didn't see mentioned on this thread is the slope of the concrete/patio.  I would call a "normal" slope on a pad to be 1/4" per foot, or a 2% slope.  Obviously, some pads will have a flatter slope, and others a steeper slope.  A 4% slope, which still relatively flat, or 1/2" per foot, might be a little too much.  If your spa is 8' wide, this would cause your water level to be 4" lower on one side than the other, which would be obvious.  I don't know if this would have any effect on the operation of the tub, but it might.  Since most tubs are a few steps out the door of your house, the pad has to drain away from the house.  I would bet most tubs out there today are not level, because of this situation.  To all the spa gurus out there, can a person shim one side of the tub to make it level, or would this be bad for the frame?  I will be buying a spa in the near future, and it is going to be placed on my brick paver patio.  I built it with a 1% slope, which is darn near flat.  The problem I have is frost heave in the spring.  Right now the frost is starting to come out of the ground, and my patio is up and down in different areas.  When the frost finally comes out, the patio returns to it's normal elevation, like the day I built it.  For this reason, I may built a raised treated deck above the patio that is a few inches above the ground.  I will sink 4 corner posts in 6' below ground for frost protection. More work, but my tub will be level for good.   

[Tman122]

A pad is always better to be both patterned or heavy broomed and properly slopped for better ventilation under your tub and drainage. 2 inches in 8 feet is plenty. I would go less slope and increase grass/flowers/landscaping on as many sides as possible up to three. Splash out isn't as important then. Make the entry side low so it drains away and your tub and it will stay relatively dry. A corner of a slab works good if it drains the right way again away from entry. Spa on the high side enter uphill while your stressed. So you can tumble out down hill after beverages and stress relief.

[Pers Onal]

To add to the discussion, I was just told that I have a floating pad in the back.  Something similar to this:

http://midcenturymonster.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/16-back-patio-under-deck.jpg

He's saying its a floating pad and the tub can tilt because of the immense pressure a spa will put on it.  Is that true?

I don't know what a "floating" pad is. But, it what's under the pad is what matters.

I would worry about it cracking and splitting before I would be concerned about it tilting.

I will say that there's no way I would put a hot tub on the deck in the pic. Not beefy enough. If the pad under it is that skimpy in terms of materials and base, it probably is not solid enough.

For a concrete pad to work properly, it has to be done right as indicated by several members here.

If a concrete pad has to be removed and if you're not accustomed to running a jackhammer, don't have a way of hauling off debris and have to hire any concrete removal done it'll probably cost you as much to have it removed and hauled away as it did to put there in the first place if not more.

I'm so used to mine being on a deck, that the benefits of a concrete pad are lost on me. A raised treated deck just above the ground level would work well also, as suggested by topline Mike.

However, situations are different and either way will work fine if it suits you.