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Heating Up Your Hot Tub Design

Posted by Watson's on Jul 15, 2022 12:15:00 PM

The hot tub or spa is the perfect way to unwind at the end of a long day, to relax and absorb some health benefits, or even to catch up with your family members at the end of the week.

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While the hot tub itself is the perfect retreat to relax and soak away your stress, you can enhance the atmosphere around your hot tub to make it the ultimate getaway experience right in your own backyard!

Whether you already own a hot tub or spa and are looking for inspiring design ideas or just purchased and are in planning mode, we’ve got design ideas to take note of!

Privacy & Protection

One of the first things you’ll want to think about when designing your space for your hot tub is the privacy you want. If you have close neighbors or back up to public areas, you’ll likely want to consider a privacy wall or two.

There’s a variety of ways to add both privacy and/or protection to your hot tub. You can build your own screens or privacy fences using pallets or other materials. If you’d rather not do-it-yourself, you can purchase screens and walls that are easy to install or move.

Lattice fencing is another great option where you can still allow some airflow or even start a vine plant to add more greenery to your space while still getting privacy.

For protection from weather or insects and to create a more intimate space, you can consider building or buying a gazebo to put around your hot tub or spa. The top will eliminate the need to head indoors if rain starts and you can opt for a variety of sides such as screens, windows, full walls, or even a mixture based on your privacy and décor wants.

Even if you’re not worried about privacy, a fence is still a great option to add to a surrounding deck or platform for your hot tub, creating your own little sanctuary space.

Views & Placement

When designing your hot tub oasis, it’s also important to keep in mind the views you want. If privacy is not a concern and you have a beautiful landscape to take in, consider where you want to place your hot tub to take advantage of these views. 

Do you want an elevated perspective where you may want to build a deck or platform to place on, or do you have a specific side of your yard that captures the best sunsets or gardens?

Make sure to consider the views for all your guests when designing your hot tub space, as well as how close you place to other structures. 

Your placement should also consider your accessibility to your hot tub. Do you want it close by to your home or in its own area on the other side of the yard? If not close by to your home, you’ll need to consider electrical for the hot tub and a pathway to easily access your hot tub safely.  

Decking

Consider your whole landscape and what you want when designing your space. If you have a large space, a deck is a great way to add more lounge space and create cohesion in your overall design. Consider a deck for seating, outdoor dining, grilling, or maybe even a fire pit.

You can fully surround your hot tub, half-surround, or wrap with stone or wood. You can also consider a multi-level deck, offering a mix of patio, raised or terraced decks, or just one large platform deck. 

Common materials used are wood, composite, stone, travertine, and even veneer panels. The combinations of materials are almost endless to achieve your perfect relaxation space and overall look.

Hot Tub Tip: Make sure you’re building your deck after you install your hot tub to ensure accurate measurements and proper support of the hot tub. You also want to make sure you’re taking into account accessibility for maintenance needs.

Big Space or Small?

The best part about hot tubs and the designs you can create is that you don’t need a lot of space! If you have a smaller backyard or outdoor area, you can still do a LOT with your design. You can build walls and even create open shelving to add décor, plants, and lights to! 

But even if you have a large space, you may still opt to want to create a small, cozy hideaway for your hot tub or spa. It’s all personal preference and how you want to enjoy your hot tub.

On the other hand, if you have the space, and want to go big to create more space for entertaining around your hot tub, you’ll want to consider that as well. 

You’ll have to decide if you want the hot tub to be more of a focal point or a hidden sanctuary when designing your space to accommodate your wants. 

Décor and Landscaping

Don’t forget the décor details or the landscaping when planning out your hot tub design. Especially if you’re not going to build around it! If you opt to keep your hot tub exposed and, on a patio, consider adding some low maintenance plants around the perimeter. 

An outdoor rug is a great way to bring in texture and color while also keeping you safe by avoiding slippery surfaces when getting in and out of the hot tub. Consider adding one under your stairs or on your decking platform.

Lighting is another feature that adds ambiance and safety, especially if you enjoy a late-night soak under the stars. If you have a covering like a gazebo, posts with shades, or a privacy fence around your hot tub, you can consider adding string lights. Lanterns are a great option for pathways or even at the entrance of your hot tub.

If you have a larger space, consider what you want around your hot tub. A sectional with a fire pit? An outdoor dining set? Maybe some lounge chairs or a chat set! Watson’s carries a variety of outdoor furniture for any size space.

A bench is also a great addition to any outdoor space because of its multifunctional features. You can place next to or near your hot tub to store towels and place essentials on or as additional seating for those who want to converse with people in the hot tub, but not be in the hot tub.

Before Your Begin Designing

Whether you already have your hot tub or spa installed and are ready to design your surrounding space or are in the planning stages to add a hot tub to your outdoor oasis, make sure to consider the following factors while planning:

Know Your Codes! Especially if you’re considering building structures, make sure you know your city codes and what you can/cannot build, especially if you’re not going to be building close to your home or a property line.

Determine Your Budget! The choices and options you can choose when designing can seem limitless, but your budget will help to understand what you can do now (and maybe what can be done later). There are lots of factors to take into consideration with your budget: Are you doing it yourself or hiring the work out? What materials do you want to use? How much of those materials are you going to need? Make sure you get the full picture and scale back or add where you can.

Work With What You’ve Got! One way to save some money (and time) is to try to work as best you can with what you already have existing in your space. If you have a sloped yard, consider a terraced deck so you don’t have to level. See what elements already exist that you can build around or even into.

Accessibility. Make sure you’re considering accessibility from both the standpoint of entry/exit of your hot tub, but also for maintenance purposes. Don’t enclose or make equipment hard to reach and access.

Think About Maintenance. When designing your outdoor hot tub space, think about everything you’re adding and the level of maintenance you’ll need for upkeep. From the type of materials used to build a deck to the amount of landscaping and watering that may need to be done, it’s best to understand what level of maintenance commitment you want and plan around that.

Watson’s carries the largest selection of hot tubs and spas in a variety of sizes. Our experts can help you select the best spa for your space and preferred seating style so you can begin creating your own oasis outdoors and start relaxing today. Stop into one of our nine superstore locations and bring one home today!


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