Hot Tubbing in the Woods

Since we bought this retreat in the woods in Wisconsin, we have talked about the possibility of a hot tub and where we might put one. Well, to coin a phrase, we finally "took the plunge."

Tubs weigh a bunch when filled with water--about the same as a mid-size car. We couldn't just plop a tub down on any of our existing decks. So, we had an extra sturdy one built just for this purpose off the east end of our main deck. Here are a few shots of the work in process on Monday. For those of you interested in the engineering requirements for the filled tub weight (my boys, perhaps??), the deck is built with 2x12 joists on 12" centers. There is a cantilever as well, and pads at 6' intervals. The entire deck is 12'x12'.




On Tuesday, our contractor (same great guy who finished the lower level and who built our garage) returned to finish the railing. That afternoon, Kathie and I bit the bullet and stained the entire thing, thinking it was our only chance before the tub was put into place. Here are Tuesday's results.



Today, the tub arrived on a flatbed trailer.



This was followed by installation of required electrical service, initial filling, chemical treatments (and related orientations for us on regular water treatments), installation of a cover and cover lift, steps, and replacement of deck railing, which had been temporarily removed to allow placement of the tub.




After hours and hours of filtering and water heatup, we took this baby for a test drive. (Please! No comments about the "farmer tan.") All we can say is, "Wow!" As before, our door is always open, and now you can look forward to cool, dark nights, under the stars, piney woods all around, views of the lake, refreshment in hand, while stimulating jets of water massage your tired selves.