You’re making progress! You have access for your delivery, your electrical is in, now it’s time to prepare your hot tub foundation.
If you already have a surface in place, most surfaces will have a slight pitch to them to allow for water runoff. While this is perfectly acceptable, you want to make sure it’s within reason.
You certainly don’t want your water level to be 4” difference on each of your spa.
The most obvious foundation people use is concrete. While it doesn’t necessarily have to be rebar reinforced, it’s is definitely recommended. It is also recommended that your cement be at least 4” thick. That said, your cement contractor will be able to determine the specs for your concrete pad best.
Your next hot tub foundation option would be pave stones, brick, etc. It is very possible for the do-it-yourselfer to do this on his or her own, but it is very important to make sure the surface underneath is properly packed and prepared. This isn’t for everyone, so make sure you know what you are doing. If not properly prepped, the ground can settle and cause your hot tub to become un-level or sink.
Another common surface foundation is a wood or composite deck. This is also something some people can do on their own. This is a given though, you want to make sure that thing is built to withstand up to 8000+ lbs depending on the model of hot tub. If you aren’t familiar with this, then it is a good idea to consult with a structural engineer. The same thing goes if you are putting your hot tub onto an existing deck.
The last way you can go is with a product such as EZ-Pad. This is something that we currently have in stock, so if you need one, please contact us. You need to make sure the surface is prepped like you were going to put down paving stones, but this is much easier to install. An EZ-Pad consists of four 4’ x 4’ sections that lock together.
This goes straight down onto your prepared surface, and the hot tub goes on top. The benefit here is if you move, not only can you take your hot tub, but you can take the surface underneath.
With all that said, there is one small thing to keep in mind: making your hot tub foundation larger than your spa itself can be a good idea. This way, instead of standing in your grass, dirt, shrubs, etc, before climbing into your hot tub, you can be standing on a cleaner surface. This reduces the amount of debris that finds its way into your hot tub.
