My spa-buying story, told as it is written. How will it end?

[dlleno]

you'll have to do some research to answer those questions, but  most of them should come from the deck builder.  they should pull the necessary permits and project manage the effort, letting you know what to expect re:  schedule. my input here is to get things in writing, so there are no disagreements including the way you measure quality.  they should be able to make and keep commitments so that you can plan around them.  make sure you cover all details including backyard prep, what the builder expects from you, etc.

best of luck

[Gibson00]

Congrats on getting a spa!

I am in the Halifax area as well (Bedford West).  We too decided to get a spa, last Fall, and went through the same sort of process.  Quickly ruled out the tubs from the big box stores, visited both Arctic and Beachcomber showrooms and was able to wet test at each.
I decided I liked the design of the Arctic more.  I like the real wood enclosure, I thought the jets/parts felt like they were higher quality (just my perception, may not be true), I much prefer the Arctic 'insulation' design.  So easy to access anything inside if needed.  We ended up going with the Arctic Summit Legend Select (the 'select' fills all the jet holes, but sticks with 3 pumps, not 5 like the 'Epic').  I also like the 'forever floor' on the Arctic Spas.  Just seems like a much better, more secure overall design package.
I remember my concern being whether or not the jets would be powerful enough with 'just' 3 pumps.....wow, I was wrong to worry!!  lol.  Even in this large size tub and the full compliment of jets, they are powerful!!

Ours was custom ordered, stock wood surround with the platinum swirl interior.  They gave us the standard $500 free accessories thing, so we chose the family lighting package.  I decided to forgo all the other extra's, including spa boy, as I just wanted to go with the simple tried and true chlorine method.
We had a platform deck built on the ground level below an existing upper deck. with privacy walls on each end.  Our overall costs were pretty close to yours.  Don't forget the roughly 1k you'll likely need to spend for the electrical hookup. 
Received the tub in November, so far it is working great.  I do find we enjoyed it more in the winter than the Summer.  I have the temp turned down a bit for the summer, just enjoy it for the jets in the hot weather!

Forgot - there are 4 of us, my wife, our two kids (8 & 5) and myself.  We decided to go with the larger spa for a couple reasons - 1. Once we were making the investment, it wasn't -that- big a price difference.  Figured it was best not to get one too small and have regrets. and, 2. the salesperson said that young kids will not sit still and relax, they'll want to jump around it and treat it like a pool, and thus we'd appreciate the extra space.  He was right.

Pic:

[Haligonian]

dlleno, thanks for the info! Turns out, they could turn it around very fast. Permit came less than a week after application, the demo happened the next day, and we're now on the second day of construction! Very exciting--I expect the hot tub to be delivered and installed next week.

Gibson00, nice to hear from another Halifax-area Arctic owner! We'll have to share notes as time goes on. So you skipped the Spa Boy business. I was so torn between the simplicity of just chlorine, and the potential ease of use of Spa Boy. As you know I decided to go the Spa Boy route, but I'll continue to update my thoughts on it as time goes on.

(An aside--I can't seem to find a way to post a picture within my post, as you did. I'd like to post the rendering of the deck design, as well as construction progress shots. How did you include an image in your post?)

[Gibson00]

I use the website 'tinypic.com' to upload the pic, and it then provide a internet link to use in forum posts that will display the picture.  Feel free to message me with any questions, etc.  I'm not sure how similar our spa maintenance will be given your spa boy setup.  But I am interested to hear how well it works over time.  It took me a couple months to get the hang of the water quality, but now its very easy. 

Cheers

[dlleno]

Thats great news Haligonian  keep us posted.  I happen to be a big fan of the new spa experience lol even though its only happened to me twice

[Brentcar]

So, how did it end? Similar predicament but now it’s 2019!