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Monday, April 24, 2006

Advice on Concrete Slabs for Hot Tubs...

Question:

"Hi - We are landscaping our backyard and want to put in a hot tub in the near future. We want to pour a raised concrete slab for the hot tub but do not know how big it should be. Any advice regarding this would be appreciated."

Answer:

The size of your concrete slab really depends on the size of the hot tub you are looking to purchase. Many people pour a foundation that is about 1 - 3" bigger than the tub to make sure there is plenty of space. You may also want to pour a slightly larger area in front of the tub if you plan on having steps.

This may also be a good time to pour extra for a patio area - you can always lay decorative tiles on top of the exposed area of the slab. If you are having the concrete delivered (which I recommend), concrete is often sold by the "yard" in addition to the delivery charge and a few extra yards can be relatively inexpensive. Since the mixing truck is already going to be there anyway, try and negotiate a better deal with your concrete supplier.

Important things to consider:

Make sure the slab is 4 to 6 inches thick - enough to support about 100lbs per square foot.

Now is a good time to find out where the electrical wiring will be going and where it is required to come into the tub. You may want a channel or conduit pipe to run under the tub, and it's a lot easier to include this before the concrete hardens.

Decide which way the tub is going to "face" so that the pad is poured in relation to how the tub seating will be situated. Many tubs are not square and have seating and steps in specific places, so be sure you know what you will be looking at when you are seated in the hot tub!

Finally, make sure you allow for proper clearance from walls or other obstructions - most hot tubs need 18" of clearance all around the spa. This clearance space makes it a lot easier to both clean and service the hot tub.

: )

1 Comments:

  • How do you recommend sizing up a deck to see if its sturdy enough to handle the wieght of a hot tub?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:34 AM  

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