Self Contained Tub 2" Below the deck?????

[Campsalot]

My sister purchased a home that has a self contained hot tub underneath her back deck.  What is so whacked about this is one of the homes former owners who originally purchased the tub built a deck over the top of the tub and cut out a octagon hole over the tub opening.  The tub is 2” below the deck.  The guy planked right up to it and stacked treated lumber on the tub rails. It looks as though the person who built the deck engineered it this way.  The tub is Jacuzzi.  I have no idea of the make or model because there is no way to tell without going under the deck!  I tell you there is no chance of that!  Also there is no paperwork on the tub.  So here we have a hot tub under a deck and a tub owner with tight funds!  But wait there is more!  Now the deck has several Choke Cherry trees overhanging the hot tub.   These trees are very large 70' plus.  The birds eat the berries and crap all over.  The deck slats (the 1/8" to 1/4" gaps between each board) are full of bird debris, cherry seeds, and all sorts of tree debris.  Because the deck is built in the manner it is these slats go over the rails and edges of the tub.   Then the debris rushes into the tub and all sorts of mold and crap form between the edge cap on the deck and the edge of the tub.  Short of renting a crane and lifting the tub, plus reworking the deck I fail to see a method of repairing this.  The last owner of the homes solution to this problem was to take foam and staple it around the deck where it meets the tub.  Mold city!  We have removed the foam and pressure washed all around the tub.  The debris continues to flow from the deck slats onto the tub rails beneath and into the tub.
I think the only way of solving this is remove all the planks around the tub and clean the upper rails of the tub.  Then replace the planks with new treated wood and edge cap and caulk shut the deck slats (over the tub rails).  I would also caulk and fill the gap where the wood meets the tub.  My sister has very limited funds so I need any ideas that don't require a lot of money!  I would use a good grade of silicon to do this.
One other issue is the cover.  Again the former owner purchased an octagon cover and fit it into the deck opening causing even more debris to run into the tub.  I think a large cover that goes all around the deck opening with velcro all around the bottom edge and attaching to the deck not the tub would solve this.

Okay forum, let me hear your ideas!  Thanks!

[SuziQ]

Uh, dynamite?

[Vinny]

How tall is the main deck?

Can the tub be slid out from under the deck?

[Campsalot]

Vinny, sliding the tub out would be rather doubtfall.  The deck rafters would hit the tub.  Also, the deck builder kind of incorporrated the tub as part of the structure.  I cannot say with absolute surety but it looks like the tub bares part of the weight of the planks that are immediatley around the tub edges.

[socal]

Uh, dynamite?

i 2nd that suziQ......if its part of the structure, thats goin to bite. what about re-doing the floor of the deck? just bury the tub and forgetaboutit!!! besides, less damage than dynamite even if its not as fun

[Campsalot]

My sister wants to keep the tub.  Dynamite, demolition, removal, and total thermonuclear war are totally out of the question.  

[vlady]

Anyway to raise the tub up?

[Campsalot]

Rasing the tub is extremely cost prohibitive.  The deck would have to be altered and then the tub raised.  She just bought the house and is really house poor!  

[socal]

ummm does the tub work? man, you are really goin to make someone think...and on a monday at that!! cant raise it, cant cover it....what about an awning (sp??) over the tub to keep the "stuff" from falling?rolling into the tub??? or even a tarp (for starters)...tarps are cheaper and might be a quick fix as long as the wind doesnt get too bad.

[Vinny]

Actually one of those "gazebos" that are able to be taken down. I've seen them as big as 10' x 10' and should cover up everything around the tub.

As far as the decking, that's another dilema. I would use a power washer with bleach and clean the entire area, bleach will kill all the mildew and disinfect all the bird poop and stuff. Maybe do it a couple of times, if need be - bleach really is great stuff outside of using it in the tub (I do use it in my pool though).

How large is the deck? - FUTURE PLANS - I've seen pictures of people whose tubs are sunken into the deck and you step down into the "tub area". Not my look but it seemed to look OK and offered privacy. Maybe a pergola with fabric on it ... there are probably more options

Remember anything that has been built can be taken down, corrected or rebuilt. Depending on soil conditions, it might not be too hard to carefully remove a section of the deck, secure it properly with posts going into the ground and maybe enlarging the tub hole.

Good luck to your sister!

[SJK]

You don't mention how old the deck is or the condition of the materials.  Is there any way of dismantling that section of the deck, pressure-washing and re-using much of the wood, then re-building it with a step-down so that the deck immediately around the tub is below the top of the tub.  It seems to me that caulking without changing the problem is just sealing in something pretty nasty.  I know money is tight but I would think about getting one of those inexpensive canvas gazebos as a short term solution to the cherry tree/bird problem.