Two Words: HOT. TUB.

We’ve been looking for a hot tub for a while. We have this nice concrete patio in our backyard that was just meant to be the home of our very own heated spa.

Now, we weren’t about to go drop thousands of dollars on a new hot tub, so we’d be searching kijiji for a used tub that wouldn’t break the bank. The problem was, most of the hot tubs that were in our price range needed repairs that would cost more than we wanted to pay.

Then, as luck would have it, my aunt and uncle asked if we wanted their hot tub! So we ended up with a hot tub that has been very well taken care of over the years in exchange for a replacement breaker and Kyle’s help building their new deck. Awesome!

The hot tub was set into their deck, so it didn’t have skirting. It was not the most visually appealing, as you can see.

Thankfully, Kyle has skills. With the help of one of his best friends hooking up the electrical, and another friend helping with labour, we got it looking good in only one weekend!

We started off by laying some insulation boards underneath and leveling out the tub since the concrete pad it’s sitting on is far from level (shown in the photos above).

Then came the frame. We kept it simple: 2×4’s for the walls with 2×6’s to cap the top.

Along one side, we inserted a stud horizontally to support the stairs. The frame for the opposite side was left with a space open in the middle to allow for a hatch to access the inner workings of the hot tub.

Someone was helping a big help.

Next, the guys capped the frame with 2×6’s to give the hot tub a nice ledge to sit on. It also makes a great shelf for beer. 😉

After the frame was up, we slid in some more insulation boards in between the hot tub and the frame.

We saved money by using a bunch of old fence boards we got from my parents for the surround instead of buying new material. The worn look is totally our style and contrasts nicely with the new wood ledge around the top.

Kyle threw together a quick set of stairs with some risers from the hardware store and a few leftover boards.

That was it for day one. We capped the night off breaking in our new fire pit with some great friends.

Day two was all Kyle (with a little help from me for an extra set of hands).

We got 4×4 posts set up at each corner, connected at the tops and bottoms with 2×6’s. A 4×8 sheet of wood lattice created a privacy screen on one side – a barrier between us and our commercial building neighbour.

The pups enjoyed watching us work, haha.

This was as far as we got for the weekend – we’re not done yet.

My plan is to get some curtain wire from Ikea for the two remaining open sides. Then, I’ll either find some outdoor curtains or some fabric shower curtains. I’m thinking a cabana stripe in natural or navy or something like that. We’ll share the finished product when it’s complete!

All in all, it was a very successful weekend. We’re stoked to finally have a hot tub!