Raised Base For A Hot Tub

[paxthar]

I want to raise my hot tub off the ground when I install it. I am thinking I would basically build a 10' X 10' box that is about 1'6" high. I would make the sides of the box out of either garden ties or 6" X 6" PT posts. I would then fill the middle with 3/4 down and pack it with a tamper. Then a layer of sand, and then top it off with a bunch of pavers or sidewalk flagstones. Does this sound like it would hold up to a 8' X 8' hot tub filled with water?

[paxthar]

Guess I should of added that I would connect the corners with a long threaded rod that runs from the top of the frame to the bottom and is nutted at each end......hah nutted.....

[pkillur]

Guess I should of added that I would connect the corners with a long threaded rod that runs from the top of the frame to the bottom and is nutted at each end......hah nutted.....

I would think they would hold the weight OK as long as they were anchored a couple places, but I don't know that I'd leave the PT part outside to get consistently wet as it will eventually start to splinter. As well most pressure treated wood has chemical crap in it (arsenic I think?), so make sure it's not near a garden or somewhere little kids play just in the random off chance that it really could get your kids sick. FWIW I took a section of "crappy deck" (not sure what else to call it) that the former owner of our house had because there was about 1-2 inches of consistently "sickly yellow" looking grass around some PT wood.

I would interlock the pieces like a log cabin, but then again I've never built anything more than 2-3 pieces tall out of PT wood. Also, make sure whatever you fill it with is settled and can drain water - I would put a bunch of sand or pea gravel at the bottom so you don't get a ton of settling. When you say "3/4 down" do you mean dirt / soil or is that just some filler material I don't know about?

[djousma]

I want to raise my hot tub off the ground when I install it. I am thinking I would basically build a 10' X 10' box that is about 1'6" high. I would make the sides of the box out of either garden ties or 6" X 6" PT posts. I would then fill the middle with 3/4 down and pack it with a tamper. Then a layer of sand, and then top it off with a bunch of pavers or sidewalk flagstones. Does this sound like it would hold up to a 8' X 8' hot tub filled with water?

I'm wondering why you dont just use PT wood for the whole thing, like a deck directly on the ground. No different than a standard deck. My 8x8 tub is on a deck 4' off the ground. Built a 12x12 deck with 2x10 joists on 12" centers(all setting on 9 8' 6x6's 4' into the ground with concrete) with 2x6 as deck boards. Very sturdy. If you really need it 18" off the ground, put several 6x6's down on the ground first(leveled, etc) perpendicular to the joists.

All that dirt with your tub on it will have a tendancy to want to "spread-out" putting alot of pressure on the wood that is holding it all in, especially when it gets wet..

Regarding the comment about chemicals in PT wood, they no longer use arsenic. Do you let your kids play on your deck? Nothing to worry about. As far as the PT wood rotting, it will last much longer than the tub.

[north_of_boston]

I want to raise my hot tub off the ground when I install it. I am thinking I would basically build a 10' X 10' box that is about 1'6" high. I would make the sides of the box out of either garden ties or 6" X 6" PT posts. I would then fill the middle with 3/4 down and pack it with a tamper. Then a layer of sand, and then top it off with a bunch of pavers or sidewalk flagstones. Does this sound like it would hold up to a 8' X 8' hot tub filled with water?

Let me give you a suggestion -- as far as what I did.

Way--ayy- back in 1984, we had a red cedar tub that had five redwood joists underneath it. We used five railroad ties, which were placed in a pit of stone dust, the frame of which was a set of landscape timbers.

In 1998, we went "electric". We removed the railroad ties -- and rebuilt the platform with 8 x 8s ground contact, etc., and used brackets to hold the pit together. we then filled it with more stone dust. We levelled it. We put marine grade plywood down -as a surface, but put a sheet of old vinyl between the stone dust and plywood. The top of the plywood was covered with roofing material. So the "platform" was around 8 inches high.

13 years -- it lasted. But since we are moved the location for our new tub 3 meters , and used an e-z spa pad and sand for it, and removed the timbers and plywood - I have a nice, solid level bed of stone dust I have to haul out when the temp gets above 0C for any extended period of time.

But a platform with stone dust may work. Just make sure the frame is tight so you don't have runaway sand -- AND -- make sure that the platform is level. And I don't know about frost levels in MB, here in coastal Massachusetts things aren't all that severe (most of the time).

[MapGuy]

Is the thread still alive? I would like to build a box basically for the hot tub to sit on to raise it up 18". This raiser box will sit on a concrete slab. Would this be feasible?

Thanks in advance,

ML

PS I've attached an image of what I was building.

[NewBuilder]

Mapguy

 

i was wanting to build the same thing and imagined the same design as what you posted in picture. 
 

did you ever get any feedback on the soundness of the design? Asking especially as mine will be on a 10ft tall sub deck which was previously approved by an engineer for load. I simply want to raise the hot tub by 16 inches.