hot tubs

[cjnix29]

Ok, my DH brought up the possibility of getting a hot tub. Not a really big one, but honestly, I have no idea what it will cost. Not just the initial investment, but the upkeep, area preparation, etc. Anyone have any insight?

 

[beachcorey]

My husband always wanted a hot tub and I was completely against it. After years of discussion I finally gave in and we bought one. Turns out I completely LOVE it. He installed it outside and we love sitting in it in the evenings after the kids are tucked in. It's like a mini-vacation. However, the mini-vacation comes with an electric bill that is $100.00 MORE a month than it used to be (when we have to run the heater). We also live in western Michigan so we have to run the heater most of the year. This is the second year with the hot tub and we now turn the temp way down if we know we aren't going to use it for a few days. I know if it was inside the bills wouldn't be as high but we don't have a place to put it. The cost of the chemicals aren't enough to comment on, it's the electric bill that hurts the most. I still don't regret getting it. We love it.

 

[Kate and Pete]

We have a Softub hot tub - and it costs us about $10/month to run, except Nov. - April, when it probably is more like $20/month (we are in Maine - so, it gets a workout during the winter!). We have the model that holds 4 people, so it's small, but it's incredibly efficient!

We love our tub and use it at least 3x/week. We love to sit in it when it's snowing (which is a good thing, considering all the snow we've gotten this year!).

Softub is something to look into if you want a hot tub without the huge electric bills!

 

[cjnix29]

Did any of you have to put in a special patio or anything for it? Thanks or the responses!

 

[Havana]

Besides the cost of the unit, the biggest expense for us is the electric bill. I think in the winter months in NC it adds $100 a month.
You will need to make sure you have the proper outlet where you will be placing the hot tub. We had to run a 220 (i think?) for it. It cost $200 for the electrician to do this.
We placed ours on our back patio. I have noticed a hairline fracture in our pavement from it's weight.
It will need spa chemicals, but I find their cost is minimal. I buy a new $70 supply every year to 19 months.

 

[hsmamato2]

I see ads for the swim spa...like a swimming pool on one end,hot tub on the other.....I like it....

 

[Kate and Pete]

We have a small wooden deck that our softub sits on - it was already here when we bought the house. It's right at ground level. I suppose we could put it right on the ground, but then we'd have to level it (if you and DH are at all inclined to do yard work, you can do this yourselves - lots of instructions online!).

 

[Magical-Memories]

We had to re-do our deck this year and at the last minute decided to splurge and add a hot tub. It has been the best decision and worth every penny. Ours was a lower model fits 6. (although we can fit more). Off the top of my head, I think it is a 'hot spot' by Hot springs...I think the relay model.

We had our contractor put a cement pad on the ground and just built the deck around it. We did have to hire an electrician to connect to electrical, etc.

We just did this in Sept....if you average out the year, I think it's going to end up being about an average of $30ish a month...with winter being more and summer being less. We do use the more expensive but easier maintenance which of course I can't remember the name, but it's like $150 ish a quarter.

It has been used almost every night by someone in our family of 6. A lot of the time we all use it at the same time. Makes for some great family time!

And there is just nothing like it being 15 degrees out and sitting under the
stars in a warm, bubbly tub. Good luck!

 

[labdogs42]

We got our hot tub this summer. Haven't figured out the electrical bill impact yet, but it definitely went up. We like it a lot. We did have to have a concrete pad poured for it. My DH did a lot of the prep work, but we paid someone to pour it. The whole pad ran us about $2000. We bought the hot tub used from a friend, so we got a good deal on that. Don't forget, you might need a permit, too. That ran us $175 alone!

 

[ceecee]

Our city also requires a fence around the tub or yard, so check that out as well. I got a notice about DD's pool which was 8" deep!!!

 

[clarabelle]

We have not had such a good experience
Ours stays broken -I think we got a lemmon
We have a hard time getting it worked on. The company we bought it from went out of business.
Make sure you know what your service options are before you buy one.

 

[bucket o' butter]

Did any of you have to put in a special patio or anything for it? Thanks or the responses!

We just had a normal wooden deck. We were afraid it wouldn't be able to support the weight of the hot tub so we had a simple cement slab poured. The other option was to cut out part of the deck and then have the hot tub sit on the ground. Still would have needed a cement slab poured. So, we just had the slab poured next to the deck. We took off part of the railing and we can just walk right into our hot tub. I have never regretted getting it although we do not use near as much as we should. One person posted that her electric bill was $100 a month. Ours certainly didn't go up that much. Maybe $20 in the winter and $10 the rest of the year. Chemicals aren't too much. It varies on what we spend, depending how much we use it, but nothing to break the bank on.

 

[pandamom]

Did any of you have to put in a special patio or anything for it? Thanks or the responses!

We built a four seasons room for our hot tub and it was well worth the money. The foundation of the room had to be reinforced for the weight of the hot tub. The foundation was put down, the hot tub delivered and put on the foundation, the walls and roof put up, the tile put down and then the hot tub put in its final place and filled. We also had to have an electrician setup the dedicated 220 outlet -- coordinating it all was not fun. We have a Sundance Optima and the added electric is only about $20 a month in the winter and less the rest of the year -- probably because it is indoors. It has an Ozone filter system and maintenance is super easy. We had one problem with a part needing to be replaced at about the 5 year mark but it was still under warranty and was resolved quickly. I use it at least once a day during the fall / winter (dd10 and I just got out) and love it.

 

[jmunutt]

We bought a hot tub a few years ago. DH installed the electric and the concrete slab it sits on. The cost for electricity and chemicals was not a huge impact on our budget.
A few things to know, you should try out any hot tub you consider. Most dealers will have a demo model you can try. You will find what fits you and what doesn't. Seats that fit my DH are too deep for me, my face would be underwater! Also, lounges look like they would be nice, but ours is hardly ever used. Another consideration is getting into the tub. We decided not to sink ours into our deck. It would have been too hard to me to get in and out since I've already had one knee replaced, it's a big step into a hot tub from the top edge to a seat. We decided to put large steps halfway up the outside of the tub so you can sit on the edge and swing your legs over.
I agree that sitting outside in the snow is one of the most relaxing and peaceful things you can do in the winter and still be nice and toasty.
Good luck with hot tub shopping!
Debby

 

[britfish]

Our electric bill went up about $25 a month, but we are in NH and in a valley so its often very cold and windy. We built a small low deck to put it on. I believe the other option we considered was leveling the ground a putting it on gravel but we went with the deck. Ours came with a cover and stairs. We had to have a special outlet installed, my parents have a bigger one and they had to have theirs hard wired.
We love ours, its awesome in the winter and we turn it down in the summer and still use it more as a pool. My daughter has been a little fish in it since she was about 2 and a half!

 

[shortbun]

We built a four seasons room for our hot tub and it was well worth the money. The foundation of the room had to be reinforced for the weight of the hot tub. The foundation was put down, the hot tub delivered and put on the foundation, the walls and roof put up, the tile put down and then the hot tub put in its final place and filled. We also had to have an electrician setup the dedicated 220 outlet -- coordinating it all was not fun. We have a Sundance Optima and the added electric is only about $20 a month in the winter and less the rest of the year -- probably because it is indoors. It has an Ozone filter system and maintenance is super easy. We had one problem with a part needing to be replaced at about the 5 year mark but it was still under warranty and was resolved quickly. I use it at least once a day during the fall / winter (dd10 and I just got out) and love it.

Hmm, I'm trying to decide wether to do this-4 season room with a hot tub or gut and refit our master bath with a laundry. We have lots of unused space for the bath and our current laundry is downstairs which is nearly impossible for me with my arthritis/carrying clothes up and down. We had considered a roman soaking tub for the bath but decided to get a steam shower and use the other space for the laundry. I only have so much money to throw at these projects so I can only do one. I don't want to have to go outside for the hot tub but a floor level hot tub would feel so good on my knees. I am having trouble finding a handrail for the hot tub; I need it for support to my knees. Seems hot tub manufacturers expect people to be able to throw themselves in and out of their tubs. Anyone found a good tub that's accessible?

 

[herdtoDisney]

I have a hot tub, but only because it came with the house. Had the house not been a foreclosure, I would have asked for its removal (couldn't ask in the situation).

It does actually work, and we use it seasonally. Fill it in April and drain in Sept. I'm too cheap to pay to heat it all winter. We only heat it if we're going to use it, otherwise heat is off. I"m sure my electric bill would soar if I was heating it today when it's 10 deg outside!

It is on the deck but there are support piers under it-concrete ones. We had it inspected and found the wiring was out of code, so we paid $400 to have it corrected and the safety shutoff box thingy installed. So the wiring is an expense too.

I don't think it's worth it, but I have friends who use theirs year round and love it, and don't mind the expense. I'd personally prefer a nice soaker tub in the bathroom...

 

[firsttimer03]

We have a 7 person hot tub (really fits 4 comfortably) and LOVE IT!
We use ours every other day just about. We will drain it in the early summer and won't refill until fall.
DH did the electrical and poured the concrete slab right off our covered porch. We have a short walk from the house to the tub.
We pour up some cocktails and head out even when it's 10 degrees! It is the best!
Our electric bill did go up about $50 a month, have the setting on 99 degrees and that is good for us. Putting it up over 99 degrees makes us feel sluggish and too hot and can't stay in as long.
If you want help for chemicals, we use spadepot.com they are wonderful and cheaper than other places. They have great customer service and ship quickly. They even sell spas!
Hope this helps!