Deck Guidance please advise....

[Guttboy]

Hi everyone....

Well there is a little glitch in my plans for the spa  

Unfortunately when they were excavating the site and had to flip the house plan to fit....the area where we were going to put the spa is now on the other side of the house

That being said...there is now a 7 foot drop to the ground off of the kitchen.  We are now installing a deck there.

1)  What do I need to tell the deck folks to ensure we will have a solid deck to hold the spa....Big one like an Artesian Dove Canyon/Piper Glen....med one like Sundance Optima??

2)  Dealers/installers......can you take a spa dolly up a few steps without hiring a crane?

Please let us know your thoughts.....we could go with a pad down below the deck level but I think that would look cheesy and would not give us easy access back into the house (FOR MOR MARGARITAS!!!!)

Thanks a bunch as always!!!!!!

Regards,

Mike

[nicker]

I think it depends on what you really want to do and how you want it to look.   I know I would rather have it located on the deck.  That sounds like easier access to the tub.   We have ours off our back deck about 3 steps from the door and in the winter having it that close is nice.  But again its you and your family that has to live with that decision.  I would think out how you are going to use it and picture what it would be like in both locations and what it would be like getting to the tub and doing you weekly cleanings etc.   As for the deck if you are having someone that knows about decks and how to build them you should be find just tell them you need somthing that can hold about 100lbs per square foot.  That is what I think the recommended is.  I would maybe even go a little higher.  As for getting the tub up there a bunch of people should be able to carry it up there (provideing you are putting stairs down to the ground level).

Basically Id look more at what you want and what you will be happy with in the long run.  I changed my plans several times as at first I just wanted somthing that would work and be cheap.  But then got thinking hey I want somthing that will also be practicle and make my tub more enjoyable plus I wanted it to look good as its going to be there for a while.  So spent a little more money but in the long run I am much happier and it looks great.

Good luck and take the time to think about it.

[ebirrane]

1)  What do I need to tell the deck folks to ensure we will have a solid deck to hold the spa....Big one like an Artesian Dove Canyon/Piper Glen....med one like Sundance Optima??

Just tell the deck folks the lbs/sq inch that the spa needs to support.  The deck builders will know what to do, and what will be up to code in your area.

That info will come readily from your dealer, or, probably, even the manufacturer web sites.

Usually you wind up using 2x10's instead of 2x8's, (or 2x12's instead of 2x10's) for joists, and putting them closer together, maybe every 12".  You might need reduced spans for the joist, too.  Sometimes you need a bigger post. If you are 7' off the ground you are already looking at 6x6 posts, if not 8x8. Also make sure to request some diagonal bracing underneath.  Sometimes decks higher up get a little "shimmy" to them that diagonal bracing will get rid of.

The thing to keep in mind is that you only need to re-enforce the area that the hot tub will be on, not the entire deck.  This will be a cost savings if you are talking about a big deck!

Best of luck!

-Ed

[catswamp]

    I never like the idea of all that weight on any deck, especially 7 feet up!  How about a tiered deck, with the tub a few steps down from the main deck area, that will give you an unobstructed deck, and you may even be able to have the tub on a concrete pad on the ground, with a step down into the tub approach.  Good luck with your plans!

[Chas]

Here in CA a deck which is over 36" off the ground must have a sign-off from a structural engineer. That may be a small fee if the deck contractor does the design work and the engineer just ok's it. It can also be a thousand bucks or more if the engineer has to design the whole deck structure.

For my own home, I would want to have an engineer approve the design if I was going to have that much weight sitting seven feet off the ground, especially if the lot is sloped.

Also - take advantage of the fact that you are building a new home and be sure to attach the deck to the house for extra stability and strength - out here that changes the permit requirements and I see a lot of nice decks built free-standing to avoid the permit hassles. You should have none of those hassles since you are already getting inspections for everying under the sun...

[johnvb]

 Agree with using a structural engineer. Asked your GC, he may already have one he works with.

And if you set the tub before your final inspection, the building inspector may require it.

[Guttboy]

Sorry for the confusion....I will clarify a bit

The deck off the kitchen is 7' up...it slopes radically to the right (along the back of the home).  The deck would be attached to the house and where we would be planning to put the tub would have the deck essentially on the ground so to speak.  Sorry for the confusion on that one!

I personally like the idea of having the spa on the deck.  If we were to move suddenly, the USAF does that sometimes...LOL, I would want to take the spa with us and wouldnt like to have the hole there for resale if we had to in a pinch.

As far as engineering the deck....Our builder told me that today.  The deck folks just need to know the weight that would be required and the specs and they will engineer that section only to support the weight.

I will probably put a simple step on the ground level deck to allow the spa to be just walked up to and allow access from both sides.

Thanks for all the suggestions!  This board is the greatest!

[Vinny]

My Artesian dealer told me to build the deck to hold 150 PSF.

A filled Piper Glen is 5175 lbs and if you add 8 people at 250 lbs/each = 2000 lbs. I know 8 people might be overkill but somewhat over-engineered is better that somewhat under-engineered. Total weight = 7175 lbs.

A 8x8 deck area @ 150 PSF = 9600 lbs.

It was recommended to use 6x6 posts, 2x10 beams and 2x8 joists.

I'm planning on an 8x8 deck for the tub about 24 inches high and I went to the lumber yard - they designed it with 4 - 6x6 posts in the corners (I added 2 more in the center - I DON"T WANT THAT TUB TO MOVE AT ALL), 2-2x10's for the beams and 2x10's for the joists and their calculations were for 150 PSF with a 10 PSF dead load.

I'm not in the construction trades but I would think that 150 PSF is strong enough (OK, I did add those extra posts and beam - LOL).

Hope this helps!

[Brewman]

Vinny

You overbuilt you deck, which in this case is a good thing if you ask me.  The extra cost is minor compared to the peace of mind that you'll have not worrying that your $10K+ splurge isn't going to cave in.

Brewman

[Guttboy]

In this case I agree....OVERENGINEER!!!!

If ya dont then you could have a mess on your hands...LOL!

[nicker]

thats right built is strong and overkill in this case is not a problem  that way if you every wanted to upgrade to a larger tub you could.