After a long day at the office or working in your Minnesota garden, your muscles are probably tense and nothing sounds more relaxing than a nice soak in a hot tub. A hot tub or spa can turn your bathroom into a luxury retreat, but they can add another dimension to entertaining on your deck as well. If you’re thinking of buying one to ease those aches, alone or in a group, take use this information to get the highest quality possible.
Since there’s a lot more that goes into putting a hot tub in than a regular bathtub, it’s wise to talk to an electrician, plumber and remodeling contractor before you start shopping. They’ll help you determine if your floor or deck needs extra reinforcement, what sort of framing is needed to support the tub, and if there are any technical concerns. Since electricity is needed to run it and it needs extra water to work properly, you will probably need new pipes put in and special wiring installed.
Shape and Size
Hot tubs come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Before you hit the stores, measure the space you’ve reserved for the fixture and take those numbers with you. While some tubs fit the space a regular tub takes, others are oval, and some are specially shaped to fit in corners for maximum floor space.
Stores
Your local home improvement store most likely sells some hot tubs and so do specialty stores. Some of these centers will also offer installation costs included with the price of the tub. As you shop, watch out for warranties for individual parts and compare what various manufacturers have to offer. Things like pumps, movable parts and motors will wear out over time, and having a warranty will save you money when it comes time to replace them.
Cost
Hot tubs usually cost about two to three times of what a standard tub will, plus installation will most likely cost several hundred dollars. They’re more labor intensive to put in than a typical tub, and have more parts involved, but the relaxation they offer is worth it.
Iron River Construction provides full-service home remodeling options like decks and porches – a great place for summertime entertaining or just relaxing at the end of the day.
