Before and after the spa

[Bill75]

I finally was able to link photos from my Flickr site to the forum.  Here is what my back yard looked like before we bought our HS Grandee:



Here is what it looks like now (I have added a couple of lights on the stairs, but that is relatively minor):



The weather here north of DC has been getting colder at night.  Usually my wife and I will go in for a soak almost every evening.  Our dogs like to come out with us:  they each chase each other around the tub or else one parks at the foot of the stairs from the tub and the other parks at the top of the stairs.  (they are both collies, so they can take up some space).

We have had our Grandee fro about two months and have not had any problems other than we have to keep adding Ph increaser about every two weeks:  it keeps dropping.  Otherwise the MPS and Dichlor have been working fine.

Bill

[SpaMorph]

Bill, congrats on the purchase!  I'm also considering a new Grandee which would be parked on pavers, just like yours.  How do you like the pavers?  Did they pose any problems with the spa?  

[geekd]

Are those pavers, or stamped & stained concrete?

Looks great.  I personally would put up a fence for more privacy, but then my street is busy.

-geekd

[anne]

nice set up!

[Silent Water]

Hey, great pics!  Thanks for sharing your before and after shots. It looks beautiful!
I like that you took the time to do some landscaping around the pad too.  Really adds to the whole look and...

Wait!

Is that a gnome in the garden?!?!
Ohhhh, what a shame. The judges won't be pleased about that.

<sigh!>

[tileman]

 Great job! I really like the color of your cabinetry. Sharp! All you need now is a doggie spa.

  Tileman

[Zep]

wow....what a change of scenery!

very nice....

that safety handle looks familiar

do you have plans for a cover lifter?

enjoy!

[wesj53]

Bill, nice job on the patio. Did you do the work or have it done? Maybe it's the picture, but it appears that the patio is "falling away" from the house. Is it level or is there a pitch? If the latter, how much and does it affect the use of any part of the spa (since the Grandee has 6 active seats)?

[bosco0633]

that looks really nice.  It is amazing how complete a tub can make you backyard look.  Well done

[bohms]

It looks great!  Thanks for sharing!

[Bill75]

Let me answer a few of the questions / comments in one post:

1.  Yes, the entire patio was done in pavers.  That made it easy to set the area under the tub level yet have the rest of the patio sloped for drainage.  Our lot drops off a few inches in the first 20 feet or so, then rises about 18 inches in the next 20 feet.  The last 40 feet rise at a fairly steep (30 degree or so) angle.  I was standing on the more elevated back part of the lot taking the photos, which might account for the apparant slope.  The tub is level.  The pavers have been great.  So far we have not had any problems.  I will post a note if that changes  :-/

2.  We had a local company do the pavers.  After you go down about one inch we have nothing but rock below.  In fact, the contractor building the houses had to blast to put in the foundations and basements.  Because of that, we thought the cost of the crew to do the digging and installation was well worth the cost.  They do a lot work with hot tub installations.  They coordinated the electrician and the delivery, so we only had one person to call.

3.  We have a cover lifter on the side.  The handle is attached on the front of the spa, to the left of the stairs.  The cover lifter holds the cover to the right side of the spa as you face the spa stairs (by the windows of the house).  

4.  Hopefully the bushes behind the spa will grow fairly fast.  The back yard is fenced in, but we are very limited in the kinds of fences (essentially only split rail) that we can install due to the HOA.  

5.  It's not a gnome:  its a frog!  

Thanks for the comments and complements -- and all the things we are learning in the forum.



Bill

[Tubaholic]

Nice job Bill...sure looks like you have the perfect spot on them cold winter nights...Enjoy

[ZzTop]

Looks great Bill

The perfect location, just a few feet from the house and nicely landscaped.

regards Zz

[gores95]

Hey Bill,

What a difference!  Most people would not think a small patio with a spa could make such a difference but really looks nice!

If you don't mind me asking...do you know the brand of that tall table you have across from the spa?  Next to the plastic chair.  It looks like something that tall could be placed against my spa and be a drink holder as well as container.  Looks llike it is resin as well so would not need to be stained, etc.

Thanks,

Marc

[Bill75]

Hey Bill,

What a difference!  Most people would not think a small patio with a spa could make such a difference but really looks nice!

If you don't mind me asking...do you know the brand of that tall table you have across from the spa?  Next to the plastic chair.  It looks like something that tall could be placed against my spa and be a drink holder as well as container.  Looks llike it is resin as well so would not need to be stained, etc.

Thanks,

Marc

Marc,

Thanks!  That is actually a small cabinet.  We bought it at Home Depot a few weeks ago.  I don't remember the brand.  We use it to store chemicals and other gear for the spa.  

Bill