The "extra" Costs Of Buying A Spa

[TinyBubbles]

They say misery loves company, so please share your stories. I can't believe how much we are spending to get our yard "spa ready". We didn't want our spa on our deck, so we decided to make a paver area in our yard. Then we decided we needed a patio area for lounging by the spa and a paver walkway. I swear, right now, it looks like we are putting in a pool. There is a huge hole in my yard from leveling the area. Then you have to buy gravel, sand, pavers and retaining wall blocks. Let's not forget the electrical supplies. Who knew wire could be so expensive. Can anyone out there make me feel better?

[unhappyHYDROSPAowner]

They say misery loves company, so please share your stories. I can't believe how much we are spending to get our yard "spa ready". We didn't want our spa on our deck, so we decided to make a paver area in our yard. Then we decided we needed a patio area for lounging by the spa and a paver walkway. I swear, right now, it looks like we are putting in a pool. There is a huge hole in my yard from leveling the area. Then you have to buy gravel, sand, pavers and retaining wall blocks. Let's not forget the electrical supplies. Who knew wire could be so expensive. Can anyone out there make me feel better?

You'll feel better when it's all done and you have a fabulous backyard to share with Family and Friends. Short term pain long term gain!

[kengorman]

We didn't want our spa on our deck, so we decided to make a paver area in our yard. Then we decided we needed a patio area for lounging by the spa and a paver walkway.

Your story sounds familiar. We went through the same thing. At first, I was planning on simply putting the tub on the deck. I had future proofed the deck by going overboard on the construction. The joists were 12 inches on center, I used 6x6 posts and 2x10 joists. I have 14 posts and 4 beams (doubled-up 2x10s) on a 500 sf. deck. The deck will still be standing long after the house falls over.

After the tub is ordered, my wife decided she doesn't want it on the deck. She wants it on the patio we had installed last year. Turn out, the patio is about 12x12, so the 8x8 spa takes up most of the space. My wife then wants the patio expanded. $$$

The blue lines show where the tub will be moved.

I will post an updated picture - the new patio was just completed on Tuesday. I'm unsure I want to move the tub right away. I was thinking about waiting one winter to see if the new patio settles at all. If it does, I'll fix the settled portion and then move the tub.

Let's not forget the electrical supplies. Who knew wire could be so expensive. Can anyone out there make me feel better?

Yes - wire is expensive. I did all the work myself and purchased my materials at a local electric supply house and at Home Depot. My electric materials cost alone was around $425.

Right now, sitting in the tub with good tunes playing in the background more than make up for the expen$e. My fear is that the novelty will wear off and in a year, I'll be looking at a tub full of hot water and wonder why I ever spent so much money.

Good luck - let us know when you get your tub.

Ken

[TinyBubbles]

The old set up looks nice, but I'd like to see the new one too. How far is your tub from your retaining wall? Our set up will be very similiar although much further from our house. I would like to think that with as much time & money as we have sunk into our purchase, we will be using it for a long time. I know 2 people with high quality spas that use them daily and have for years. I know a couple people with cheap spas, both are broken down and they've never bothered to repair them. I'm assuming there is some correlation there. I think I'll get some "during" pics of my yard this weekend and post them. I forgot to get "befores".

[D.P. Roberts]

The blue lines show where the tub will be moved.

I disagree. I think the blue lines show a Blue 42 Sweep Right Dogleg end around 3 set jersey mike option 8. Either that or a lateral, I can't tell.

I know what you're saying about the costs - I've heard them called the "Might as Well". You're redoing the patio, you Might as Well redo the landscaping, and while you're at it you might as well add new sprinklers, etc.

We're spending a lot less on our electrician than we had budgeted, so we thought we Might as Well have a patio poured instead of doing spa pads, and now we're spending more on the patio than on the spa...

[cplarsen]

Like you, I was looking at shoring up an existing deck, but the wife wanted that for entertaining space. So...

Deck- $4,300

Door - $1,800

Tub - $1,200

Wire 240v - $750

Move AC - $250

Misc - $300

Spot the cheap items. We haven't even gotten to the kitchen yet.

[104 Degrees]

They say misery loves company, so please share your stories. I can't believe how much we are spending to get our yard "spa ready". We didn't want our spa on our deck, so we decided to make a paver area in our yard. Then we decided we needed a patio area for lounging by the spa and a paver walkway. I swear, right now, it looks like we are putting in a pool. There is a huge hole in my yard from leveling the area. Then you have to buy gravel, sand, pavers and retaining wall blocks. Let's not forget the electrical supplies. Who knew wire could be so expensive. Can anyone out there make me feel better?

Wait till you plug it in and start putting chemicals in it but you will enjoy every secound you are in it

[TinyBubbles]

Like you, I was looking at shoring up an existing deck, but the wife wanted that for entertaining space. So...

Deck- $4,300

Door - $1,800

Tub - $1,200

Wire 240v - $750

Move AC - $250

Misc - $300

Spot the cheap items. We haven't even gotten to the kitchen yet.

Ouch! We did our kitchen and master bath last year. We threw the budget out the window and I haven't regretted it for a moment. I'm sure the spa will be the same way.

[TinyBubbles]

Wait till you plug it in and start putting chemicals in it but you will enjoy every secound you are in it

Ummm, thanks. Luckily, I work for a pool builder, so atleast I'll get the chemicals at cost.

[old guy]

They say misery loves company, so please share your stories. I can't believe how much we are spending to get our yard "spa ready". We didn't want our spa on our deck, so we decided to make a paver area in our yard. Then we decided we needed a patio area for lounging by the spa and a paver walkway. I swear, right now, it looks like we are putting in a pool. There is a huge hole in my yard from leveling the area. Then you have to buy gravel, sand, pavers and retaining wall blocks. Let's not forget the electrical supplies. Who knew wire could be so expensive. Can anyone out there make me feel better?

Sorry, you are spending so much.

You are right that preparing for and installing the hot tub can be very expensive.

Here is the tale of two tubs.

Tub #1

Friends of ours bought a Costco spa with all the bells and whistles for $6000, and then had to pay $400 for delivery. They had a contractor put in a reinforced concrete pad, at about $1000, and they are building a deck around the tub, that will cost a few thousand dollars - their yard is not fenced, and by code they need a "fenced" deck to provide a safe enclosure.

Their hot tub did not come with an outside switch box, or the GFI breaker, and there electrical panel is at the extreme opposite corner of the house. They had to pay the electrician for the switch box and GFI breaker. I heard the figure $1800 for the electrical, but I think he did some of the work himself and brought it down to around $900.

Their deal tub, did not come with chemicals either, so they had to buy those too.

By the time they are finished, they wll be over $12000. They will have no ongoing dealer support, and the company that made their tub is bankrupt, so they have no warranty. Then they will also be dealing with Ottawa winters, using a tub without full foam insulation. I have read complaints of over $100/month increase in hyrdo bills, for those specific tubs.

Tub #2

We bought a Sundance Optima, with all the bells and whistles, from a dealer, and it is going on the existing interlock patio, that surrounds our inground pool, which already has a pool fence.

Our main electrical panel is right beside the hole in the corner of the spa, where the power line goes in. Our spa also came with the outside electrical switch box and GFI breaker, that was included in the price.

Also included in the price were stairs, cover lifter, spa wand, delivery, and chemicals. Our total cost will also be over $12000. We will have a warranty, ongoing dealer support, and a full foam spa tub, better suited to severe Canadian winters.

Moral of the story.

We had a very good spot to put our tub, that left us with minimal cost to install the tub, and our dealer included just about everything needed to get up and running.

It makes a big difference.

old guy

[D.P. Roberts]

I know this is COMPLETELY OT, but it's been bugging me...

Why do Canadians refer to their electricity bill as their "hydro" bill? Is all your electricity generated by hydroelectric plants, or what?

[104 Degrees]

I know this is COMPLETELY OT, but it's been bugging me...

Why do Canadians refer to their electricity bill as their "hydro" bill? Is all your electricity generated by hydroelectric plants, or what?

Water spins the wheel

[lparsons]

Yeah, we found our additional costs added up quickly as well. Our house was only wired at 100amp when we moved in, and our 230V tub needed a 60amp double pull breaker of its own (20amp + 30amp + 10amps for safety).

So we upgraded the house to 200 amp, then the garage to 100 amp, and ran the tub off the new garage panel. Attached garage, but the garage was about as far from where power comes into the house as one could be.

Oh, and we needed a concrete pad for the tub.

Electrical work: $3200 + tax = 3456

Concrete pad: $700

Tub: $6000

So the total cost of installation ($4156) was more than 2/3 the cost of the tub itself. We're actually in for over $10k now. And to top it off, the display on our brand new tub isn't working, so we can't set the temperature. Tub for some reason has decided it likes 94F, which is a bit chilly, even in September. We're now waiting on the dealer to get a new control panel in so that we can remedy that. We've only sat in the tub twice now with full control.

Uff da!

[TinyBubbles]

So the total cost of installation ($4156) was more than 2/3 the cost of the tub itself. We're actually in for over $10k now. And to top it off, the display on our brand new tub isn't working, so we can't set the temperature. Tub for some reason has decided it likes 94F, which is a bit chilly, even in September. We're now waiting on the dealer to get a new control panel in so that we can remedy that. We've only sat in the tub twice now with full control.

Uff da!

That's a big fear of mine: Sinking this much money into something and then having a problem with it. I'm sure your problem will be resolved soon. What kind of tub did you get? I'd love to see pictures. Good Luck.

[lparsons]

That's a big fear of mine: Sinking this much money into something and then having a problem with it. I'm sure your problem will be resolved soon. What kind of tub did you get? I'd love to see pictures. Good Luck.

I also hope it will be resolved soon. We were hoping to have company over this coming weekend, but we may need to raincheck it depending on how long it takes to fix this.

The tub is a Tiger River Bengal....

Pictures are at

parsonsfamily.boldlygoingnowhere.org/~lparsons/HotTub

[TinyBubbles]

Thanks for the pictures parsons. When you get a chance, post some night pictures.

[lparsons]

Thanks for the pictures parsons. When you get a chance, post some night pictures.

Sure thing. Being as the jets and the lights do work, I can do that. The pictures just won't have us in them, since we can't get the temp to what we want, nor can we start the cleaning cycle to deal with the cloudy water...

I'm wondering if maybe I should just go ahead and empty it pre-emptively right now since we presumably won't be using it for a while? I haven't heard anything back from the spa tech on how long it will be until they have the parts for us. I just went out and killed the power to the spa - using the 20amp and 30amp circuit breakers from the dedicated panel - I figure there's no good reason to pay for power on a tub that we can't use.

[kengorman]

I wrote this a few days ago.

Your story sounds familiar. We went through the same thing. At first, I was planning on simply putting the tub on the deck. I had future proofed the deck by going overboard on the construction. The joists were 12 inches on center, I used 6x6 posts and 2x10 joists. I have 14 posts and 4 beams (doubled-up 2x10s) on a 500 sf. deck. The deck will still be standing long after the house falls over.

After the tub is ordered, my wife decided she doesn't want it on the deck. She wants it on the patio we had installed last year. Turn out, the patio is about 12x12, so the 8x8 spa takes up most of the space. My wife then wants the patio expanded. $$$

The blue lines show where the tub will be moved.

I will post an updated picture - the new patio was just completed on Tuesday. I'm unsure I want to move the tub right away. I was thinking about waiting one winter to see if the new patio settles at all. If it does, I'll fix the settled portion and then move the tub.

As promised, here's a photo of the newly expanded patio. I still haven't moved the tub and probably won't until I drain it.

Keeping with the theme of this topic, i.e. The "extra" Costs Of Buying A Spa, I also installed a Cover Valey cover lifter.

Close-up photo here:

and with cover lifted here:

Regards,

Ken

[lparsons]

As promised, here's a photo of the newly expanded patio. I still haven't moved the tub and probably won't until I drain it.

Thats impressive patio work! Did you do that yourself? I spent a good chunk of this spring and summer trying to expand one of our patio areas, and mine looks like the surface of mars in comparison to your stone work. (makes me even more happy that we had concrete laid down for our tub)

[kengorman]

Thats impressive patio work!

Thanks for the compliment.

Did you do that yourself?

This job I subbed out. I try to do all work around the house myself unless it requires special tools or I find it tedious. I witnessed a few of my neighbors struggle to do some hardscaping and realized that that kind of work is probably best left to those who do it for a living.

I got a referral for a guy who mainly does concrete who dabbles in paver and patio work. His prices were extremely competitive and his work was top-notch. This guy does it right.

He said he'd keep the price real low if I let him drive his equipment across the lawn. It would save him all the labor of having to dig by hand and hump all the stone with a wheelbarrow. I agreed. He showed up with a Case 580 backhoe, had the whole thing dug out (about 10 inches deep) in about 40 minutes. He left for the local quarry and was back in less than an hour with a truck-load of aggregate material. He used a gas-powered tamper and compacted the stone down until it was pretty solid. Another truckload later he came back with some sand. He laid out about 1.5 inches of sand and started cutting stones with a masonry saw. Aside from the curves which he cut individually, the rest of the stones went in pretty easily. He did the whole job himself over the course of 2 days. Total materials came to $700 and he charged $700 for his labor.

I'm extremely happy with the outcome.

Ken

[lparsons]

This job I subbed out.

I should have had the forethought to do that as well. I guess being as I hadn't seen anyone else struggle with it the first time I had the newbie ignorance towards it and thought "hey I can put bricks in place on top of gravel".

I got a referral for a guy who mainly does concrete who dabbles in paver and patio work. His prices were extremely competitive and his work was top-notch. This guy does it right.

He did the whole job himself over the course of 2 days. Total materials came to $700 and he charged $700 for his labor.

Ken

I would be extremely happy with that as well. $700 labor is nothing for patio work, considering we paid $700 for the concrete slab that our tub sits on and its not nearly as nice to look at as your patio. And the patio that I did, I probably ended up over $700 worth of supplies into it for a similar amount of area, and a lot more time.

Oh well, live and learn I guess.

[itsallgood]

They say misery loves company, so please share your stories. I can't believe how much we are spending to get our yard "spa ready". We didn't want our spa on our deck, so we decided to make a paver area in our yard. Then we decided we needed a patio area for lounging by the spa and a paver walkway. I swear, right now, it looks like we are putting in a pool. There is a huge hole in my yard from leveling the area. Then you have to buy gravel, sand, pavers and retaining wall blocks. Let's not forget the electrical supplies. Who knew wire could be so expensive. Can anyone out there make me feel better?

Sorry, you are spending so much.

You are right that preparing for and installing the hot tub can be very expensive.

Here is the tale of two tubs.

Tub #1

Friends of ours bought a Costco spa with all the bells and whistles for $6000, and then had to pay $400 for delivery. They had a contractor put in a reinforced concrete pad, at about $1000, and they are building a deck around the tub, that will cost a few thousand dollars - their yard is not fenced, and by code they need a "fenced" deck to provide a safe enclosure.

Their hot tub did not come with an outside switch box, or the GFI breaker, and there electrical panel is at the extreme opposite corner of the house. They had to pay the electrician for the switch box and GFI breaker. I heard the figure $1800 for the electrical, but I think he did some of the work himself and brought it down to around $900.

Their deal tub, did not come with chemicals either, so they had to buy those too.

By the time they are finished, they wll be over $12000. They will have no ongoing dealer support, and the company that made their tub is bankrupt, so they have no warranty. Then they will also be dealing with Ottawa winters, using a tub without full foam insulation. I have read complaints of over $100/month increase in hyrdo bills, for those specific tubs.

Tub #2

We bought a Sundance Optima, with all the bells and whistles, from a dealer, and it is going on the existing interlock patio, that surrounds our inground pool, which already has a pool fence.

Our main electrical panel is right beside the hole in the corner of the spa, where the power line goes in. Our spa also came with the outside electrical switch box and GFI breaker, that was included in the price.

Also included in the price were stairs, cover lifter, spa wand, delivery, and chemicals. Our total cost will also be over $12000. We will have a warranty, ongoing dealer support, and a full foam spa tub, better suited to severe Canadian winters.

Moral of the story.

We had a very good spot to put our tub, that left us with minimal cost to install the tub, and our dealer included just about everything needed to get up and running.

It makes a big difference.

old guy

WOW, I am confused by this post. Apples to oranges comes to mind.

Spa #1

Actual comparison cost for this spa is $6,000.00 + $400.00 for delivery + the GFCI box and breaker. (about $80.00 at home depot.)+ chemicals $100.00 (estimated.) for a total of about $6600.00.

The remaining costs would vary depending on the location of the spa, (I/E, the length of the electrical run, the need for a deck or concrete pad, the need for a fence, etc.

The warranty could be an issue, however that remains to be seen.

The operational costs seem to be Questionable at best.

Spa #2

Was delivered and installed on an existing site that required almost no modifications. (other than electrical.) for a price of +$12,000.00.

How are the two related

[D.P. Roberts]

WOW, I am confused by this post. Apples to oranges comes to mind.

How are the two related

I think I get where he's coming from. Let's say you have a budget of $12,000 to build a home theater. You buy some couches, and some drapes, and a DVD player, and a new satellite system, and a whole lot of speakers- say $6,000 for all that stuff, leaving you $6,000 for a TV. You could get a 60" SONY or some other reputable brand, but you decide to get an 80" from a brand you've never heard of. You decide to get the 80 incher. Unfortunately, the big but cheap TV explodes after a few months. You're left with a lot of fancy furniture facing a blank wall, and some speakers that sound nice but don't do much without a screen.

In other words, you need to consider the spa itself as only one component of your expenses. If you cut corners here, and something goes wrong with your "inexpensive" spa, you've essentially let the whole project go down the drain - at least until you can afford to replace it.

[TinyBubbles]

Ken, that patio does look great. I think your are going to be really happy with the decision to move the spa. Kudos on being smart and paying someone to do the work. Sure wish we had been. I'm just too darn cheap. Parsons, I'm still laughing about the "surface of the moon". We have the site excavated, retaining walls built and gravel down. This weekend we start sand and pavers. I'm really nervous about how it will turn out. I had the same attitude as parsons, "if they can do it, we can do it". I hope I still feel that way on Monday. Thanks for sharing your pics and stories.

[TinyBubbles]

Parsons, have you posted any pics yet?