Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

Building a hot tub platform is the first step to installing a hot tub in your backyard. Although this will take a little work, the costs will be much less than if you had hired professionals. You will also be able to select the materials yourself to guarantee the high quality of the work.

Steps

1. 1 Decide where you want to place the platform. If you are planning to place your hot tub where the lawn used to be, then you have two ways to do it.
   • The first one is to measure a square section of the lawn 2.4 by 2.4 meters and dig a depression, digging to solid ground. Then fill the hole with gravel and level.
   • The second way is to build a wooden deck that's strong enough to withstand a hot tub full of water and people. With the plan described below, you can build such a deck in one day.
2. 2 In the place where you want to install the deck, plan an even square with a side of 2.4 m. Drive stakes into the corners and then measure the diagonals. They should be the same - approximately 3m. 45cm.
3. 3 After tying a rope to the stakes, stretch it around the outer perimeter. Stretch the ropes diagonally to define the center. Drive a stake in the center of the square.
4. 4 Drive stakes in the middle of each side (1.2 m from corner stakes). Now you have a cross. Measure 80 cm from the center and hammer on the peg in the four directions of the cross.
5. 5Drive in the last 4 pegs, measuring 80 cm from the last, as shown in the figure. You should have 9 hammered stakes inside the square. These nine points will be where your deck supports will be located.
6. 6 In these places, dig 40 x 40 cm square holes. The depth of the hole should be approximately 9 cm. The bottom of the hole should reach solid ground. The dug out grass patches can be used to patch up unsightly areas in your lawn.
7. 7 Fill the bottom of the holes with sand to a height of 5 - 8 cm. Sand can be purchased at building supplies stores.
8. 8 Level out the sand with a flat-ended shovel or a piece of plywood. Try to keep the surface as flat as possible. Make a 40cm by 40cm template and smooth out the sand in each hole.
9. 9 Lay the foundations on the sand, aligning the pads with the direction of the beams.
10. 10 While rocking the unit, position it so that it is level. Make sure that the level is as shown in the picture.
11. 11 Do the same for each base. You can use a 10cm by 10cm beam to check how flat the bases are by placing it between the overlays.
12. 12 Fill the edges of the grooves with excavated soil and tamp so that the bases are still. Add enough soil to create slopes around the bases so that no water will accumulate there.
13. 13 You now have 9 foundations in the middle of the square. You can install bars. To install them connect two beams with a length of 2.4 m and a section of 5 by 15 cm with nails. Drive in 10 to 12 16d nails on each side.
14. 14 Install the center bar first. The deck will be the same height as the block plus 32 cm. Determine the height of the first block. The next bar should be long enough to be on the same level with the previous one. Do the same with the rest of the bars, leveling them up with the center one. But don't nail them to the ledges on the foundations just yet.
15. 15 Now place the "Post to Beam" connections on top of the columns and nail them through the holes. It is more convenient to do this on a sawhorse. Do not attach everything at once to avoid confusion. Measure 40 cm from the end of the beam and place on the outer columns.
16. 16 Do the same for the rest of the beams. Measure the diagonal between the outer corners. Adjust the position of the beams until the diagonals are the same length. Lay down the center beam and line up with the two outer ones. Drive one nail through the ledge on the post and the other into the fasteners on the beam.
17. 17 Ask others to help you fasten all beams to the columns with galvanized nails 8d.
18. 18 Nail the 5 x 15 cm cross-section beams to the edges of the beams. Check diagonally to make sure that the bars are exactly in the square. If everything is even, fill the square inside with the same beams as shown in the picture above.
19. 19 Nail the strapping beam to the ends of the crossbars.
20. 20 Now make marks on the outer joists, 15cm from each end. Lay the outer beams so that they cover the tie beams (see illustration). Nail them with 16d nails in the marked places and also in the middle at a distance of 1.2 m from the ends of the beams. Ask your family members to help you hammer in nails.

Tips

• Whirlpool baths weigh 300 - 350 kg and up to 1700 kg, filled with water. The placement of the spa must be well planned prior to installation. There must be access to a source of electricity. And above all else, you should like the place. If the hot tub will be located on the patio slabs, then this article is not necessary for you.
• If you live where the ground freezes in winter, make sure that the supports are deeper!
• In order to cut the posts and blocks, it is best to use a cutting machine.
• Check with your local construction department before starting construction on your deck. You may need permits and inspections for your project. Denying a permit can create difficulties in the future when you want to sell your home.
• Have all materials in the workplace.

Warnings

• When carrying out the project, make sure that all measurements are accurate. If there are inaccuracies due to inaccurate measurements, the strength of the structure may be severely affected.
• If you already have a finished deck, cut the beams and cross members in half and install additional supports.
• Be careful with heavy equipment and materials. You can seriously injure yourself.
• Do not use simplified spa deck layouts. They are not designed for heavy loads. This structure can carry 36 kg of live cargo plus 10 kg of stationary cargo per square foot (or 0.1 m2).