Recessing Spa Into Ground

[njw]

I have a small semi-circular stone patio with planting beds all around it. The beds slope down about 6 ft over 12 ft of distance so I am thinking about carving out a 8'x8'x36" shelf in the side of the slope with a concrete slab & retaining walls such that the spa has an "in-ground" appearance from the uphill patio side. The down-hill side would be fully exposed for routine maintenance but I'm concerned about access to the other three sides.

I'm thinking about building in 12-18 inches of space on each side (enough?) and building enough structure around it to lay stone tile or some other natural-looking coping material up to the spa edge. I've also considered installing some kind of jack/hoist/winch system to reposition the spa for better access but haven't really come up with anything more practical than four strong guys to lift it onto temporary shoring. That would require draining of course. Some kind of tear-down gantry crane & hoist might work.

I wonder if I'm over-thinking this. How often am I likely to need access to those other three sides? If it's a relatively rare event I would be okay just hiring a contractor or beer buds to lift it out but anything more than that would get pretty old pretty quick. I haven't owned a portable spa before so I don't really know what to expect in terms of repairs. Btw I'm looking at the Caldera Tahitian so any comments on that spa are also appreciated.

[Dnepr Dave]

I don't think you have to worry about access to anything but the machinery space. Problems requiring access to the other sides are rare enough that you can deal with them, if they come up, by draining the spa and pulling it out of the notch you've made in the hill.

Dave

[spatech (the unreal one)]

You need regular access to the front but not the other 3 sides unless of course someday you have an issue but chances are you'll be fine and hopefully will never need access to those 3 sides. Have a general plan of what you would do in case some day you need to get to the sides but otherwise I've seen what you're doing many times and it is a nice setup.

[njw]

Thanks for the replies and the reassurance! I'm also looking at the Sundance Optima In-Ground spa which might turn out to be a better fit for my situation. Curious if anyone has installed an in-ground model from Sundance or other mainstream mfr and noticed major advantages/disadvantages, especially around price, efficiency and repair record. Thanks!

[petertheplumber]

Just check with your sales guys where all of the workings are housed. Some spas have lounger seats that you may want to face outwards (downhill) and this may not be posible if all the pumps are at the oposite side. I have installed a few spas similar to what you have described and have never needed to get to the back of them. Although i do tend to build in a tunnel 1 meter wide for me to crawl around if needed. http://www.chaletcraft.com/Gallery/Spas.html This also acts as a great space for sunbathing ! If you live in a really cold place and don't use it in the winter remember to suck all the water out of the pipes so they don't freeze around the back. Remeber to put a drain in your concrete base to take away any rain water.

Good luck

Peter