Stamped Concrete Patio Questions

[MuddyIronman]

Hey everyone,

I'm installing a 250 sq ft patio for my new hot tub to sit on.  Couple of questions:

-Should I tell the mason to leave out the "stamped" impression under the hot tub to ensure a smoother surface to sit on?

-Mason suggested 8" depth with #10 rebar and wire mesh.  I assume this is sufficient for any tub, and even if it's over kill i'm ok with that to ensure cracking doesn't happen. 

-Some info online says in the NorthEast you need to go 4' deep to get below the frost line to ensure no settlement occurs.  I've never heard of a patio install needing this, just footings for basement walls.  My patio will also be under my screen and in porch so little to no rain/snow will be wetting the ground there.  Thoughts?

-Should I tell the mason to leave 0 slope where the hot tub sits, or a 1/2" fall per 10 ft is still ok for leveling the hot tub? 

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

The surface of stamped concrete, or at least what I've seen, tend to be rather uneven unflat. I'd go smooth and level.

8" depth with #10 rebar and wire mesh? That'll handle a nuclear blast!

[MuddyIronman]

Thanks Dr spa and if there is a nuclear blast ill be sure to hide under my patio 😏

[summerside9000]

yup at most you will need 4 inches with 1/2 inch rebar 16 in. on center each way. Mine is 6 inch  deep with 16 inch O/C. just be sure the sub-grade is c ompacted prior to concrete and it will be golden. and use 20-25 Mpa concrete with 4% air to keep the frost at bay. Good for 20 years easy.

[MuddyIronman]

Cool thanks for the tips!!

[WhO2]

We just built a new patio for a new tub as well. 6" thick with rebar (not sure the number) was all he recommended. Since we put a roof on it, we did not slope it. We also had him do the stamped concrete. Since we didn't know exactly where we wanted the tub, we had him put the pattern on the entire slab. There were no issues when we put the tub on it.

[The Wizard of Spas]

Going completely level/zero slope is fine for the footprint of the tub.  Just have the four surrounding sides slope away gently. 

[skizit]

even with sloping, a stamped concrete surface has slight depressions that will catch and retain water. That's the way it is. We're looking into a stamped patio, next to our hot tub and both contractors recommended a geotextile/filter fabric over the subsoil and drainage with 12" of 3/4" washed stone for the base of the patio. 5-6" concrete w/reinforcement is sufficient we were told and we live in northern NH.

[dlleno]

Going completely level/zero slope is fine for the footprint of the tub.  Just have the four surrounding sides slope away gently.

second this.  my hot spring grandee requires level pad, and the last patio pour we did was exactly this. if the finisher is good, they can slope the concrete away from the spa footprint, so that water does not accumulate next to the wood frame.    another option I've done is to custom trace the footprint of the spa and make a dedicated pad that exactly matches the hot tub frame.  this puts the hot tub up higher than normal, however and have learned to prefer the first option. 

[andyman1970]

I don't mean to hi jack the OP's thread, but I'm looking for guidance on a similar issue

I have an 8 ft by 16 ft stamped concrete patio on which I'd like to drop a hot tub.  However, my village wouldn't allow the concrete workers to leave a zero slope where the hot tub would ultimately sit.  So I now have a 3" fall across the 8 ft width (from house to edge of concrete patio).  This is obviously done to protect the house, but has now created quite a challenge for a level base for the tub.

I'm trying to keep the patio clean, and prefer not to use sand or pea gravel.   This would be our first tub, and if I don't like it I'll dump it and don't want the mess.

Can anyone suggest solutions here?   A smart neighbor recommended someone laser-cut a large piece of fiberglass for under the tub.

No hot tub installer in my area is willing to touch this situation, probably cuz they don't want the hot tub install warranty exposure.

[dmcmillen]

I don't mean to hi jack the OP's thread, but I'm looking for guidance on a similar issue

I have an 8 ft by 16 ft stamped concrete patio on which I'd like to drop a hot tub.  However, my village wouldn't allow the concrete workers to leave a zero slope where the hot tub would ultimately sit.  So I now have a 3" fall across the 8 ft width (from house to edge of concrete patio).  This is obviously done to protect the house, but has now created quite a challenge for a level base for the tub.

I'm trying to keep the patio clean, and prefer not to use sand or pea gravel.   This would be our first tub, and if I don't like it I'll dump it and don't want the mess.

Can anyone suggest solutions here?   A smart neighbor recommended someone laser-cut a large piece of fiberglass for under the tub.

No hot tub installer in my area is willing to touch this situation, probably cuz they don't want the hot tub install warranty exposure.

I am in a similar situation with a slope concrete pad. I ended up purchasing the Spa Level-R (http://www.thespalevel-r.com), which is quite sturdy and gives the added benefit of raising the tub a few inches so that air can circulate and water won't get trapped underneath. My hot tub (Bullfrog A7) arrives Friday so I will take some pictures once everything is in place and provide some additional feedback.

That said, Mike, the guy who builds and sells the Spa Level-R, is incredibly patient and responsive. I had some assembly questions and he returned my phone call on a Saturday afternoon to walk me through it. The personal service went a long way with me.

[andyman1970]

^^^

Thank you so much for sharing this potential solution.   I suspect it will work well for what I need to do.  I would appreciate you sharing photos as well.

[dmcmillen]

Here's the platform awaiting delivery. As you can tell the right side is about 2" lower than the left, so that's some significant slope. Please excuse the landscaping, the house is new construction.

https://imgur.com/a/WS0qc

[dmcmillen]

Below are pictures of the tub installed on the Spa Level-R. The sizing is within millimeters of being 100% perfect, but I didn't square the platform perfectly when I assembled it (I attribute that to my poor carpentry skills). It's off by about a quarter inch. Anyway, I'm really happy with the end result: a perfectly level hot tub!

https://imgur.com/a/FVodU