Why You Should Reconsider Installing A Hot Tub On Your Deck

There is little doubt that a hot tub has all the potential to be a wonderfully luxurious addition to your yard. Their therapeutic qualities can help you sleep, reduce stress, relax sore muscles, and even burn a small amount of calories. Very few things can help you unwind as much as a hot tub. However, if you've been thinking about installing one on your deck, you might want to reconsider.

To begin with, getting a hot tub installed on your deck is not as straightforward as simply placing an outdoor soaking tub on your decking boards. Because a fair amount of construction is needed to build the hot tub into the deck, you are going to have to sift through the weeds of local building codes and regulations. There are also safety measures that need to be considered. In California, for example, pools and spas are required to be enclosed by a safety barrier. 

Other aspects to consider are your access to water, the electrical requirement of the hot tub, and how you plan on heating, draining, and ventilating it. Privacy and style are also elements that you want to think closely about. As many decks are elevated, and therefore within view of the neighbors, you might want to think of some creative privacy solutions that will help make your hot tub a true oasis. 

Let's say you've decided to go ahead and deal with all the paperwork that's required of installing a hot tub on your deck. You want to move forward with the project, but there are two huge things you need to consider: is your deck big enough, and can it support the weight of the hot tub?

A lot depends on size, but most hot tubs require at least 150 to 200 square feet of space for proper fitting. If you have a small deck that can't fit the hot tub or the additional requirements like guard rails or steps, you're probably going to want to put it somewhere else. You want the design to integrate well into the existing deck, not look like an eyesore.

Most importantly, you need to make sure that your deck's foundation is going to support the additional weight of a hot tub. This includes the dry weight of the tub, the weight of the water, and the weight of the people sitting inside. A large hot tub is going to clock in at around 4,200 pounds fully loaded, which translates to about 82 pounds per squarefoot. In order to properly determine whether or not your deck can handle that kind of weight, you will need to talk to a licensed contractor. The very last thing you want is for your hot tub to come crashing down through your deck.

While a hot tub and deck are outdoor upgrades that can add serious value to your home in the long run, this project is going to cost a lot of money upfront. Unless your deck is close to the ground or you plan on installing a sunken hot tub, you are most likely going to need to shell out some cash to get your deck reinforced. This can be done with joist sistering, as well as a concrete pad. Depending on the square footage, a poured concrete pad can set you back upwards of $7,200. That's an additional cost on top of the hot tub itself. 

The condition of your present deck is another important consideration. If your deck is already poorly aged and falling apart, you'll be looking at even more costs to get it up to the task. Then there is the moisture presence from the hot tub itself. If you're not careful, it could lead to the weakening and rotting of existing boards. That's why a hot tub needs to be properly ventilated.

Then there are the utility costs. You'll see an average of $10 to $50 increase in utilities during the peak months of using your hot tub, and even more if the tub doesn't have a cover. Additionally, you will need to replace other parts of the hot tub periodically over the span of its lifetime. So, unless you're prepared of all of these potentials, we'd recommend thinking twice before installing a hot tub on your deck.