Thanks very much for creating this community! What a great resource. I would greatly appreciate any advice you have on my particular situation.
I have chronic lower back pain, and have recently discovered hydrotherapy as remarkably helpful in managing my condition (as well as just being a wonderful way to relieve stress!). My wife and I are looking to buy our first home, and we are trying to make sure that our new home would be able to accommodate an outdoor hot tub. We're considering making an offer on a house that has a relatively small backyard area. The actual space for the hot tub is only about 10 feet by 15 feet, and the ground is level and gravelly. Any idea whether it's possible to house a tub here? The main use of the tub would be for therapy and relaxation, and so we'd be content with a tub on the smaller size (even a 2-seater would probably be fine for our needs). Whaddya think? What kind of clearance around a tub do you usually want? Are there any guidelines for how far from a house a tub should be to avoid any kind of moisture/mold/other water issues (is this a silly question)?
Also, any advice you have on preparing a site would be greatly appreciated! As I said, I have a bad back, and so I'm tempted to just have a contractor do any required leveling, etc. Is this a reasonable approach? Is using one of those pre-made pads that you snap together ok, or is this a sin?
Thanks for your help!