January 12, 2017 – With spring just around the corner (yes, it really is!), we start seeing more and more customers popping in looking for a hot tub to make part of a new deck installation. In Seattle, home and remodeling shows are part of the January/February events calendar, which is likely why we see the uptick in folks looking to do both at once.

If you’re one of those people, we have some tips to bear in mind as you begin your project.

• Pick your hot tub first. Too many people get to the point of starting deck work before the hot tub is even chosen. Yikes! You need to know which tub you’re going to make part of the project first—the dimensions, height, weight, and electrical all dictate how the tub gets incorporated. Find your tub first, get the dimensions, pre-delivery info and electrical requirements to your deck contractor/electrician at the start.
• Don’t install electrical ahead of time. With Hot Spring Spas, you will get a portion of the electrical components needed for wiring with the hot tub. We have too many folks who get a sub panel installed—then find out it must be removed and replaced with another one that will correctly work for the tub they want. Save yourself time, headache and money!
• Don’t let the deck builder or landscape architect make bad decisions for you regarding the hot tub. We see this so many times, it’s scary. A deck will be planned for a hot tub that doesn’t give you proper access required for code and servicing the hot tub down the road. In Washington State, hot tub technicians are required to be licensed electricians, which means they must abide by electrical code to service your tub and not run the risk of losing their license working on tubs not installed correctly. Proper access to the equipment bay of the tub, and having the electrical installation done by a licensed electrician is critical.
• Make sure your tub is situated to give you the best view from inside the tub. Many times, I’ve sat down with folks to look at their dream project—and the hot tub has them looking in the dining room of their house instead of out to the yard or to the water! The tub needs to be oriented so you’re enjoying the best view possible from inside the tub.
• Make sure the tub is delivered and placed before decking is finished if the tub will be partially sunk into a deck. Don’t let someone pre-cut a hole to drop a tub into and hope everything goes swimmingly and no damage results. (Have YOU ever tried to drop an 800-1,000 lb. box into a hole safely??) If it’s being surrounded partially be a deck, the boards nearest the tub shouldn’t be installed until after the tub is in place. That will make sure the boards near the tub’s sides don’t suffer damage, and the decking can be cut to perfectly match the radius of the hot tub’s corners.

These are just a few of the things to bear in mind as you get ready for your new deck and hot tub. It should be a fun, exciting thing to create your backyard paradise! Hopefully these tips will help things go more smoothly.