So you’ve decided you want a spa, hot tub or maybe even a swim spa. However, with all the choices that are available to you, making a selection can be a little overwhelming. You really need to do your homework before finalizing your selection. One question you might ask yourself would be if either building or buying a hot tub would work for me.
I don’t mind pointing out to you that one of the publications you get in my Spa and Hot tub building information package, is a book I did called “Spa Secrets Revealed”. In this publication I cover “in detail” all the considerations you need to think about before making your purchase decision. After reading it, you will find a lot of questions get answered about building or buying a hot tub.
I’ve been working in this industry for over 15 years now and I don’t mind telling you that there is a lot of crap, (inferior spas and hot tubs), out there. And, of course there are many excellent units as well. My “Spa Secrets Revealed” publication will arm you with all the information you need to make an educated purchase choice for yourself. I can assure you the cost of my info package will be peanuts compared to the money you could save by not making a bad decision. (I also cover how to negotiate with a salesperson).
With that said; would you ever considered both options of building or buying a Hot tub or Swim Spa?
“What, you can really do that”, you say? Yes, you can and it’s not as nearly as difficult as you might envision. I have been teaching people how to do this for over 15 years’ now and I’m ready to teach you as well.
I realize this option is not for everyone, but if you have a little ambition, you want something different than the typical cookie cutter portable spa unit, then building your own hot tub might be the answer. Plus, I’m sure you’ll like the idea of saving thousands of dollars over a commercial built hot tub and even more you’ll love the idea that someone is available to help you every step of the way. Well again, maybe this option is for you, it’s certainly worth taking a look at wouldn’t you agree?
SPA and HOT TUB COMFORT
Let’s talk about some of the pros and cons between building or buying a hot tub and or a “custom built spa”. First most portable spas are all very similar. They may not look like it from the way they are outfitted but they are. The main beef I get from my customers revolves around the size restrictions. They make them no higher than 36” because they need to fit through a standard door tipped on their side. They also rarely have an outside dimension greater than 8-foot square. (shipping constraints).
So right away you find yourself sitting in a portable spa with the water only half way up your chest, (for the average size person). Half of your body gets warm half is cold if the temperature outside is cold. Then because of all the seat contours and shapes, you have to sit in one spot or another and your movement can be restricted. How about the footwell area? This is the number one complaint my customers give me as to why they did not want a portable spa. They all said they wanted more sitting and leg room comfort. A no brainer for a DIY spa or hot tub.
A custom built spa is set up exactly how you want it be and the only real restrictions may be due to the size of the area you intend to place it. More importantly the depth of the water is whatever you want it to be and there is always plenty of leg room in the foot well area so you won’t be kicking your friends. Think about this, whether building or buying a hot tub with a custom hot tub will almost always have more water depth, your body becomes more buoyant and that overcomes most concerns of uncomfortable seating areas.
ACCESSIBILITY AND SERVICEABILITY
When it comes to building or buying a hot tub you want to think about accessibility and serviceability. If you ever took the cabinet panels off a portable hot tub, you will see a jungle of plumbing lines etc… everything is all squeezed in a very small space. Unless you’ve had experience with these units, chances of you being able to effect a repair when needed is very slim. You’ll have to call a spa technician and that won’t be cheap. I teach my customers to set their hot tubs up in such a manner that everything is accessible and serviceable, that is priority number one. Plus, if something does need service and you’re not sure what to do, my customers can call me and I’ll step them through how and what to do. This stuff is not rocket science.
OUTFITTING THE SPA OR HOT TUB
This is where it can get just plain crazy. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard spa and hot tub sales people bragging how their unit has so many more jets than the other guys, how they have 24/7/365 filtration, they have stereos, pop up tv screens… yada, yada, yada. Friends most of that stuff is meaningless hype. It adds cost to the unit but doesn’t make it perform any better than some other suppliers’ unit. To me, it just adds to more things that could fail and have to be repaired and gives you no return on your investment in the long run.
The truth on spa jets is that two to four high flow, large broadcast jets is all you’ll ever need for each designated seating position. There are only 4 to 5 real styles of water jet nozzles, yet you’ll see dozens of different names for them and hear how much this one is better than that one etc… It’s just more hype for the most part. After the right amount and style of jets, (which we help you select), the two most important things are filtration and insulation. Spas don’t need 24/7/365 filtering. They need the water to be turned over, (run through the filter) a certain amount of times per hour and per day. If you have to run a pump all day to keep a spa clean, that tells me you have to low water flow and maybe even too small of a filter. I can assure you this is never an issue with a custom built spa. I’ll show you how to keep the water crystal clear all the time.
HOT TUB VALUE
You may not know this but ask just about anybody who has ever bought a new portable spa or hot tub and they will tell you it’s true. They have very little resale value period. Even if a unit is only a year old and you decide to sell it, chances are you’ll be lucky if you can get 50 cents on a dollar for it. Value should definitely be a consideration when building or buying a hot tub.
With a custom built spa or hot tub, in most all cases, you’ll can actually add equity value to your home, it’s a permanent structure. At the very least you’ll add what you spent for it in extra value to your home. In some case that value can be two to three times what your cost was. Not a bad return on your investment if you ask me. How about this, if spa or hot tub use gives you needed relief from certain medical conditions, you may be able to write off some of the cost and operational expenses for your unit. More details available at www.custombuiltspas.com.
IN CONCLUSION
I’ve touched on some of the major but important differences between a portable hot tubs and a DIY hot tub. If I’ve got your attention and you want to know more details about building or buying a hot tub for yourself, get my information package, watch my video and look at some of the projects my customers have completed with this information and my help.
Feel free to contact me with any of your questions and thank you for the visit!
Gene Trumbull
Custom Built Spas
