Install Pool with Hot Tub or no Hot Tub

[wetiii1976]

We are in the planning process for a backyard remodel and originally had plans for a 40X18 rectangular pool and a gunite hot tub cascading into the pool...pool would be heated.

Anyhow, the PB has just about talked us out of a Hot Tub.

My wife and I really like them, but he says it goes like this: Year 1 you use it a lot, Year 2 you use it about half as much, Year 3 you don't use it much, and Year 4 you want it gone.

He says he refuses to cascade into the pool as the chemistry of hot tub water and pool water is too different and he thinks it is better to just keep the waters separate.

He is an advocate of a pre-fab with stone veneer VS a gunite due to the ability to get more jets, etc.

Of course, as he says, he is willing to do whatever we want as he makes more money.

I have been lurking around this site for a while, and I'm curious what the pool and hot tub pros out there think.

Thanks for your insight.

 

[harleysilo]

I agree with your pool builder, if you don't care about "the look" standalone are more comfortable and have more features.

 

[Jimrahbe]

wet,

Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for all backyard pool/spa remodelers...

This is a little like the "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" question... There is no right answer...

The great thing about a gunite Spa and Spillover, is the visual impact it has on your pool. In most cases, they are without a doubt beautiful.. Another positive point is that you only have to maintain one body of water with a built-in Spa.

On the other side of the coin is "comfort.." I am not sure if you have ever been in a gunite spa, but it is not quite the same as the comfort that you might be used to with a standalone fiberglass spa.

I am assuming that in Virginia, you will be closing your pool. It is a little more difficult to keep a gunite Spa open year round, but pretty easy with a standalone spa.

Obviously a gunite spillover spa needs to be.. well, connected to the pool. Depending on the location of the pool and house, it could make taking a winter trip to the hot tub a little challenging. Where a standalone spa might be able to be located nearer to the house.

In my mind, if you have a pool/spa combination you really need to have an automation system to control them, so that switching between the pool mode and spa mode is seamless. With only a pool, the need for an automation system is not as necessary.. (Although I love mine.. )

Keep in mind that while the spillover function has the most visual impact, it can also be the cause of constantly increasing pH due to aeration of the pool water.

I think you will find that there are plenty of pool owners on both sides of this question...

I would highly recommend trying out a couple of gunite spas before you make up your mind.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[Swampwoman]

I'm a fan of standalone hot tub if you're someone whose seriously interested in hot tub benefits. Easy to operate in winter, and to my mind, easier to trouble shoot and manage when the systems are separate.

Since I keep my pool in the neighborhood of 90, I like the hot tub at 104 Its much easier, and I suspect more economical, to maintain that heat in a closed system.

 

[jeffchap]

I agree with your PB.

 

[Holydoc]

I have a standalone spa with a hard, insulated cover. In the winter while our pool is closed and the pump is off, the spa is at a constant 102 deg and ready. We never have to wait for it to warm up or anticipate when we will use it. There is nothing like grabbing a bottle of wine and sitting in the spa while the mist from the water completely engulfs you. I would opt for a standalone.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I'm in the stand along hot tub group too. Not only that, but as Harleysilo points out- a spa built in to a pool doesn't have the jet features that a stand alone hot tub does. In my mind they are as important as the heat when I want to feel better.

Maddie

 

[Soupy]

I'm in Maryland near D.C., so similar weather to Richmond. The pool is only used 4 months or so, but our hot tub is used year-round. I'd get a separate standalone hot tub for sure.

Also, I like the jets more than the heat, so I'd absolutely get a tub that can blast some good bubbles!

 

[pooldv]

+1 for a standalone tub. We saved about $15k by not building a hot tub with our pool. We put a standalone tub on the screen porch for less than $6k. It is 10 feet from the back door, more comfortable, covered, cheaper to operate, always hot and ready to jump in and no rain or snow while your soaking.

 

[kcindc]

I have an inground spa that spills into my pool. I would prefer to have a stand alone spa. I don't use the spa very much because I close the pool at some point and the inground spa is far from the house, so I don't really use it in the traditional sense. My spa is pretty big and on the pool shoulder seasons I'll heat it to swimming temps instead of the whole pool to save $$.

If you do go with an inground spa, it is easier to maintain one body of water. I don't have automation, but need to manually turn a few jandy valves, manually turn on my heater and manually turn on spa blower. Automation would be nice, but not sure if it would make me use the spa more often.

 

[nefarious]

Very interesting perspectives here and opposite what I had expected. I landed in this thread because we're also in the design phase and are on the fence about including a spa in our build. I like the idea of a spa but in practice question how frequently I would actually use it. Being in So. California we don't really have to worry about closing our pool so it becomes a question of cost vs frequency of use.

 

[Bandit5]

I had this same question from a theoretical view while watching Pool Kings... a reality show on building custom pools and patios. Don't bother watching it, they build the same thing each episode. Most of the pools have a built in spa that spills over into the pool. I had a pool with a completely separate hot tub and I could not figure how you would use the spa in the winter when it is not useful, yet have the pool closed because it is freezing. It appears the answer is... you can't. That seals the deal for me that in an area that freezes, the connected spa is out. Also, in the show, I only see a few pipes which essentially look and function like regular return lines, creating bubbles for each bather in the spa. This is completely different from the 5-8 jets per seat that I am used to with my stand alone spa. She spa is great when it is cold out, and even when it is snowing. The only thing you want to avoid is a windy night... that isn't fun. But yes, I would definitely agree with your pool builder that a stand alone spa would be functionally better, although aesthetically less pleasing.

 

[BMK]

I can only amplify what others have already said. Our original design called for an integrated hot tub with spill, but after doing the research and talking to a number of owners, we've decided to go with a stand-alone spa. If you're truly going to use it, the separate tub offers greater comfort, many more jets, easier servicing, more features and massage options, greater flexibility of location, the ability to use it even if the pool is closed up, all for much less money. The integrated hot tubs are great aesthetically, but with a little creativity, you can incorporate a a separate hot tub into your overall design quite nicely. The deciding factor for us was that friends of ours built a pool with an integrated hot tub with spill-over several years ago. After talking with them about it, they advised not doing it. It looks great, but they don't use it much (she finds it particularly uncomfortable) and he calls it basically a $22,000 water feature. He said in retrospect, he wishes he would have spent that portion of the budget elsewhere on the build. Made sense to us.

 

[Desert Debster]

We are in the process of removing our spa and replacing it with a wet deck.
Hubby found the gunite spa very uncomfortable and never used it.
The pool we built in Florida had a stand alone spa and the massage/therapeutic properties and comfort(recline positioning etc) provided a much better "spa" experience.

 

[josh_s]

Great thread. Saved me some $ as I was considering having the spa component as part of my upcoming pool project.
I think my wife and I would get much more use out of a standalone.
The deal sealer quote for me was "basically a $22,000 water feature".

 

[Oly]

Yes stand alone. My number one reason, it is at the proper temperature 24/7. Also inexpensive to operate, easy to clean and can be shut down in the summer months.

 

[BMK]

I had the same decision to make when we first designed our pool last fall. The PB asked "do you want to actually use it or just look at it?" He was right. We have friends that went with an integrated spa and never use it. They dislike it. So we opted stand alone and are extremely happy with our decision, not to mention the $$ savings.

 

[TheBraLady]

We went the standalone route to save money. Plus we built a vinyl liner pool and I just didn’t like how the “spillover” spa was going to look.

We bought a Bullfrog spa and love it. Going on year 4 and use it frequently still.

I did find out later that Bullfrog can also do their jet packs for attached spa builds as well. Which I think would be absolutely perfect if your budget allowed it.