Hot Tubs continue to be very popular and a properly designed deck is necessary to not only hold the weight, but create easy access to the hot tub. Hot Tub decks need be very strong as the average hot tub when filled can weigh as much as a car. This usually means extra beams, 6×6 posts, spaced closer together, and shorter joists spans.
Raymer & Son Exteriors has been building Custom Vinyl Decks, Custom Composite Decks and Custom Wood Decks since 1998
The tub can sit on top of the deck with stairs or platforms up to it, be partially sunken, or sit on a lower level with one or more sides butting up to the main deck. This creates an easy entry point aiming for the top of the tub to be about 16″ above the main deck. Even elderly can now sit down on the top rim of the tub and swing their legs in.
Hot Tubs can also be fully sunken or flush mounted to the deck, but a hot tub that is fully sunken is the most difficult, and dangerous, to enter and could be a hazard for small children.
Remember to keep the distance to the house or mud room as short as possible, for those cold winter sprints from the house to the tub, as a good hot tub will be used year round.
A privacy wall is also a good idea for hot tub decks especially higher decks. Also, remember to allow space for the cover lifter and access panels. A 7′ by 7′ hot tub will use up at least a 10′ by 10′ area of your deck. So keep that in mind when deciding how big to build your deck