Stand alone hot tub if you plan to use it year round in this neck of the woods. To me a built in spa is a large expense for the few short months it can be used.
In my opinion, No.
We don't open and close pools in my area. BUT, in the spring and fall, we use "solar" pool covers to both hold heat in over night and also to add heat during the day if necessary. It allows us to add 4-6 weeks to both our spring and fall seasons.
Mine went up $7k in 3 or 4 months last year. We thought about it too much and were punished swiftly for being cautious.
Pricing is all over the place due to supply chain issues and demand in any given area. That is why you need to have 3 bids just to compare and also verify which is a better builder through referrals or reviews.
Well this seems like an important thing to consider. So what should I look into? Using rigid PVC and not flexible? For a particular part of the pool plumbing? Thank you
Just tell them you want Schedule 40 PVC pipes, and home run them individually back to the equipment pad. That way if one gets clogged or something you have backup.
I could be mistaken but I believe flex and rigid schedule 40 have the same wall thickness, inside and outside diameters. That or when I was researching it I got all sorts of confused or bad info.
Yeah I've read that and visited the site buy I still am not surePVC Repair - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
I'm not at all arguing for Flex. Like I said I regret it. I also agree the durability certainly seems it would be less than rigid. My point was that I didn't think it was actually "thinner". When I looked into it the wall thickness of them both was either the same or Flex may have even been thicker (could be wrong). I don't believe that to be the problem anyhow as it's the pressure ratings and ability to kink that are my 2 biggest concerns. Anyhow I won't continue on this topic and hijack OP's thread. Just wanted to clarify.PVC Repair - Further Reading
For me personally it just seems there is a higher likelihood of failure with flex. Is there? How much higher is the likelihood? In cold climates could it actually be the opposite? I honestly don't know the answers to any of these and if you research it you'll just go back and forth of not really knowing. I also know some are against flex, rightfully so, in southern areas where termites are a potential issue. Termites can chew right through flex pvc but they are not a problem where I'm at. I told my builder I'd prefer rigid and then I let him convince me otherwise. He had been doing this for 56 years and my wife basically gave me the "look" to give in and I did. There are a # things I wish I would've demanded but didn't. I got to the point at the end I just wanted them and the other 3 contractors on my property to leave and not come back. Just do your own research and go with what you're comfortable with.
