Hello, I bought a. home 2+ years ago with an in ground SPA. It was not filled when I inspected the house, and while it was advertised as a feature of the home, was actually NOT adding value in anyway, and had been abandoned for some time. The equipment in the back yard was behind many overgrown plants.
I own the home myself, but I use "we" often because my boyfriend has been involved with my renovations. We filled it up, to test the pumps, heater, etc. While the home warranty company was happy to take my premium money, when the time came to work on the equipment, they refused. One creative pool technician got them to pay for a replacement pump at least. The old one was working, but they insisted they needed a new pump for some reason. Anyway, I ditched the home warranty company. Most of my appliances are now new, fingers crossed on the AC holding out one more year (but our climate is mild & many don't even have AC). The spa equipment was "working" in that it circulated water, the spa itself holds water, jets & bubbles work. We couldn't get the heater to kick on. Its an old gas heater from the 60s or 70s. Nobody will work on it, because of its age. So I have consulted with several pool people to get quotes for replacing equipment. Most have been in the same price range (not including any tile work) and one was way higher, and another was suggesting things that nobody else brought up. So now after seeing so many perspectives from "experts" on what they recommend, I'm confused. The old tile is actually pretty secure and clean except for at the water line. I have scrubbed & scraped. I was going to get the old grout out, and then just regrout, and MAYBE try to cut just the top (there are no plumbing elements to worry about around the top) inner surface tiles out and resurface just that top edge and down to water line. This will eliminate having to scrub anymore (I have tools to remove tile & grout, or I'll hire someone. I have been thinking on this for 2 years. Just recently (I don't get out much) I had the idea that a rounded edge (rolled edge) might be nice, and I thought it was my own genius idea. I googled and found that this is actually a thing and I saw several photos.
OK, great, so, now just to find some instruction for DIY or find someone willing to do the edge retiling and the surrounding floor.
This spa is INSIDE a sunroom.
I travel for work.
After we filled it, we covered it, and let it sit. Because we wanted to make sure it held water without leaks, and also Ii was busy traveling for work. When we took the cover off and looked, it seemed to have had an average amount of evaporation (with the cover on, unheated, indoors). So, by that we presume its holding, and then I emptied it and continued cleaning.
The story from the neighbor who has known the prior owners, and also did some work on the house, is that it was first a patio cover, and then they finished the sunroom with regular walls and windows, with insulated walls but not insulated ceiling/roof. We have enclosed HALF of this sunroom, where the spa isn't, and it will be finished in a few weeks. We added insulation to the ceiling, drywall, electrical, and it will be a more useful space. We did not do anything with the spa side, yet.
I have plans, not fully formulated, that involve:
Wood-look tile flooring. Since this is a wet area, but also indoors, I'm treating it like an indoor spa space, not a patio. I was undecided on what kind of floor to use, and then someone was selling this tile cheap, so that decided for me.
Framing around the exterior brick of the fireplace (this was the back of the house, and living room fireplace is working fine, not ready to replace). Framing is cheap and easy, with my boyfriend being very handy with all that. This creates an opportunity to add an inexpensive electric fireplace/heater to this space.
Himalayan Pink salt tiles. If you haven't seen salt rooms, salt caves or pink salt features, you can google it. Again, I found some cheap. A stonemason who had completed a project with some surplus (that was his story, anyway). So, I have enough to do probably the whole "breast" for the fireplace heater surround, but then I'm afraid that might interfere with electronics. The salt will degrade over time, in regular air, and it being a wet area, I expect more.
The new wall that we added to create a new "room" dividing the sunroom in half, is where I can add the salt wall or columns or accent panels. They would be the pink salt tiles 8"x4"x1" backlit, and framed with wood(affixed to clear plexiglass on the back side). I have seen demonstrations and spoken with companies who build these walls or make the DIY kits, but there aren't any in my area that I know of, so the best I can do is order parts and pay for consultation ( the best company I found, makes their money on selling the salt products, which I don't need. While they are helpful, they don't have exactly what I'm looking for).
I know this is a lot about things other than the spa, but this is the space I'm trying to create in a 1968 ranch style basic home with a small-ish room & yard space. The outside yard has pavers, and a new shed, and needs the block wall to be redone or covered for aesthetics, but has 2 mature citrus trees that look healthy and we do a little gardening. Its not large enough to do simple aesthetic landscaping around my little dirt perimeter, AND still be able to grow vegetables. So we grow veggies and herbs, which don't look as pretty as a carefully crafted backdrop. With that said, this yard is what you see when looking out the windows of the spa sunroom. So, I was thinking about getting those vinyl cling things you can put on the windows making it so you can't see out and it can have a pattern like leaves or whatever. I like the idea of looking out on the yard, but it isn't a great yard, so, mixed feelings about that. I can add flower planters near the windows, but frankly I feel like having that stuff close to the house attracts critters, even fake plants. Places for spiders to hide.
I will have questions about "automation" as one pool technician mentioned, he didn't seem to be clear on me asking how I can update my old switches controlling pumps, air, jets, heater, and still have the manual control of all of these things. One young man said its just all automatically controlled. Like, I have to just let him install the stuff and let the pump run on a timer and that makes no sense to me for a spa. I mean, you turn the jets on when you're in the spa. And the bubbles. And the heat can be turned up just before you're going to use it and then let it sit at a lower temp with a cover when not in use, right? There may be spa or hot tub forums that could help as well, but my spa is large, and so I figure the water volume is more like a swimspa or a small pool. And many of the members here have a pool and spa.
I will get to the chemistry questions eventually, but first I'm figuring out the rehab: how hard is it to reconstruct a square edge and make it a rolled edge?
Any helpful systems for controlling basic functions? I will have a. basic timer, but also the existing manual controls are old-school toggle switches. Maybe just swap for newer rocker deco switches and leave it?
The old tiles are plain white with sky blue, and I think they are timeless or at worst retro. NOT so dated that they have to go. With all the holes in the walls, and everything functioning, I figure its best not to mess with that (just the grout fix) The surround immediately around the edge is 3 layers of old tile that prior owners just covered and recovered. I'm taking this all down to bare slab at the top edge. The surrounding floor was just one layer of tile and is coming up easily. So the final look will be flush edge at floor level.
The existing hand rail is painted white, a welded steel square tubing railing style (2" approximately). I don't hate the railing if it can be repainted. When we get all the tile up, I'll see if it's too rusted where it fastens to the ground, to be saved. If its too rough or I just want t new look, I'll be shopping for that too.
Having an expensive motorized pool deck is not an option, but I do like the idea of having it covered with something that is strong enough to be a useful deck with not using the spa. There is a chance in the far future that this will become a rental, and if there's a good cover that can hold weight, I would feel better about that.
I have read a few threads here and I certainly hope that I can eventually give as much or more than what I get from this forum. For now, I'm just learning. I have owned a house with a pool in the past, but honestly my ex took care of stuff and then a paid pool guy after divorce. So I'm old to understanding the responsibilities but new to learning to apply all the processes.
I own the home myself, but I use "we" often because my boyfriend has been involved with my renovations. We filled it up, to test the pumps, heater, etc. While the home warranty company was happy to take my premium money, when the time came to work on the equipment, they refused. One creative pool technician got them to pay for a replacement pump at least. The old one was working, but they insisted they needed a new pump for some reason. Anyway, I ditched the home warranty company. Most of my appliances are now new, fingers crossed on the AC holding out one more year (but our climate is mild & many don't even have AC). The spa equipment was "working" in that it circulated water, the spa itself holds water, jets & bubbles work. We couldn't get the heater to kick on. Its an old gas heater from the 60s or 70s. Nobody will work on it, because of its age. So I have consulted with several pool people to get quotes for replacing equipment. Most have been in the same price range (not including any tile work) and one was way higher, and another was suggesting things that nobody else brought up. So now after seeing so many perspectives from "experts" on what they recommend, I'm confused. The old tile is actually pretty secure and clean except for at the water line. I have scrubbed & scraped. I was going to get the old grout out, and then just regrout, and MAYBE try to cut just the top (there are no plumbing elements to worry about around the top) inner surface tiles out and resurface just that top edge and down to water line. This will eliminate having to scrub anymore (I have tools to remove tile & grout, or I'll hire someone. I have been thinking on this for 2 years. Just recently (I don't get out much) I had the idea that a rounded edge (rolled edge) might be nice, and I thought it was my own genius idea. I googled and found that this is actually a thing and I saw several photos.
OK, great, so, now just to find some instruction for DIY or find someone willing to do the edge retiling and the surrounding floor.
This spa is INSIDE a sunroom.
I travel for work.
After we filled it, we covered it, and let it sit. Because we wanted to make sure it held water without leaks, and also Ii was busy traveling for work. When we took the cover off and looked, it seemed to have had an average amount of evaporation (with the cover on, unheated, indoors). So, by that we presume its holding, and then I emptied it and continued cleaning.
The story from the neighbor who has known the prior owners, and also did some work on the house, is that it was first a patio cover, and then they finished the sunroom with regular walls and windows, with insulated walls but not insulated ceiling/roof. We have enclosed HALF of this sunroom, where the spa isn't, and it will be finished in a few weeks. We added insulation to the ceiling, drywall, electrical, and it will be a more useful space. We did not do anything with the spa side, yet.
I have plans, not fully formulated, that involve:
Wood-look tile flooring. Since this is a wet area, but also indoors, I'm treating it like an indoor spa space, not a patio. I was undecided on what kind of floor to use, and then someone was selling this tile cheap, so that decided for me.
Framing around the exterior brick of the fireplace (this was the back of the house, and living room fireplace is working fine, not ready to replace). Framing is cheap and easy, with my boyfriend being very handy with all that. This creates an opportunity to add an inexpensive electric fireplace/heater to this space.
Himalayan Pink salt tiles. If you haven't seen salt rooms, salt caves or pink salt features, you can google it. Again, I found some cheap. A stonemason who had completed a project with some surplus (that was his story, anyway). So, I have enough to do probably the whole "breast" for the fireplace heater surround, but then I'm afraid that might interfere with electronics. The salt will degrade over time, in regular air, and it being a wet area, I expect more.
The new wall that we added to create a new "room" dividing the sunroom in half, is where I can add the salt wall or columns or accent panels. They would be the pink salt tiles 8"x4"x1" backlit, and framed with wood(affixed to clear plexiglass on the back side). I have seen demonstrations and spoken with companies who build these walls or make the DIY kits, but there aren't any in my area that I know of, so the best I can do is order parts and pay for consultation ( the best company I found, makes their money on selling the salt products, which I don't need. While they are helpful, they don't have exactly what I'm looking for).
I know this is a lot about things other than the spa, but this is the space I'm trying to create in a 1968 ranch style basic home with a small-ish room & yard space. The outside yard has pavers, and a new shed, and needs the block wall to be redone or covered for aesthetics, but has 2 mature citrus trees that look healthy and we do a little gardening. Its not large enough to do simple aesthetic landscaping around my little dirt perimeter, AND still be able to grow vegetables. So we grow veggies and herbs, which don't look as pretty as a carefully crafted backdrop. With that said, this yard is what you see when looking out the windows of the spa sunroom. So, I was thinking about getting those vinyl cling things you can put on the windows making it so you can't see out and it can have a pattern like leaves or whatever. I like the idea of looking out on the yard, but it isn't a great yard, so, mixed feelings about that. I can add flower planters near the windows, but frankly I feel like having that stuff close to the house attracts critters, even fake plants. Places for spiders to hide.
I will have questions about "automation" as one pool technician mentioned, he didn't seem to be clear on me asking how I can update my old switches controlling pumps, air, jets, heater, and still have the manual control of all of these things. One young man said its just all automatically controlled. Like, I have to just let him install the stuff and let the pump run on a timer and that makes no sense to me for a spa. I mean, you turn the jets on when you're in the spa. And the bubbles. And the heat can be turned up just before you're going to use it and then let it sit at a lower temp with a cover when not in use, right? There may be spa or hot tub forums that could help as well, but my spa is large, and so I figure the water volume is more like a swimspa or a small pool. And many of the members here have a pool and spa.
I will get to the chemistry questions eventually, but first I'm figuring out the rehab: how hard is it to reconstruct a square edge and make it a rolled edge?
Any helpful systems for controlling basic functions? I will have a. basic timer, but also the existing manual controls are old-school toggle switches. Maybe just swap for newer rocker deco switches and leave it?
The old tiles are plain white with sky blue, and I think they are timeless or at worst retro. NOT so dated that they have to go. With all the holes in the walls, and everything functioning, I figure its best not to mess with that (just the grout fix) The surround immediately around the edge is 3 layers of old tile that prior owners just covered and recovered. I'm taking this all down to bare slab at the top edge. The surrounding floor was just one layer of tile and is coming up easily. So the final look will be flush edge at floor level.
The existing hand rail is painted white, a welded steel square tubing railing style (2" approximately). I don't hate the railing if it can be repainted. When we get all the tile up, I'll see if it's too rusted where it fastens to the ground, to be saved. If its too rough or I just want t new look, I'll be shopping for that too.
Having an expensive motorized pool deck is not an option, but I do like the idea of having it covered with something that is strong enough to be a useful deck with not using the spa. There is a chance in the far future that this will become a rental, and if there's a good cover that can hold weight, I would feel better about that.
I have read a few threads here and I certainly hope that I can eventually give as much or more than what I get from this forum. For now, I'm just learning. I have owned a house with a pool in the past, but honestly my ex took care of stuff and then a paid pool guy after divorce. So I'm old to understanding the responsibilities but new to learning to apply all the processes.
