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by Ed
Today we’ve got an overview of how to build a deck for a hot tub in a pretty easy and affordable way. Building a hot tub platform doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. It can be simple and cheap! We built ours in just two hours for about $250 in materials (though keep in mind that was 2016 wood prices).
Our intention all along with buying a hot tub was to bring it up to our weekend retreat. We bought this hard sided portable hot tub and we couldn’t be happier with it!
We’ve been making over our mobile home on the river – (you can read more on that DIY adventure here.) The kids love playing in the river – catching fish and kayaking – but the place really needed a water feature you could immerse yourself in. And really, who doesn’t love a hot tub?
How do you build a platform for a hot tub? We needed a to make a DIY hot tub platform that was strong, simple and cheap to build.
So, here’s what we came up with: our DIY how to build a deck for a hot tub…
We had the hot tub on our brick patio at home and found that feet would often track in leaves and gravel.
We decided that a deck would help minimize this and make the space more attractive too.
Time to get to work.
We didn’t want to spend a fortune on the deck, so it is built out of:
- 10 8-foot pressure treated 2×4‘s
- with 17-standard 8-foot deck boards on top.
Our hot tub is 6 feet in diameter, so setting it on a back corner makes a nice space around the outside to access the tub.
Hot Tub Deck Framing
I added a couple deck boards to keep it square while we adjusted for level. Patio slabs are the standard cheap ones – no need to be pretty as they are underneath and out of sight.
Can a wooden deck support a hot tub?
Yes, but you need to support the deck really well.
The deck itself is built directly on the ground, with patio slabs used under the area where the Spa actually sits.
This way, my puny 2×4’s aren’t actually supporting the weight – really just transferring it to the ground through the patio stones.
I shored up the outside edge with some 4×4 (this is a cottage, so I just had a bit laying around) to make it more stable while finishing.
When the tub is filled, it will keep everything in place and solid on the patio slabs.
And done….
An 8′ x 8′, pressure treated deck – no holes dug or cement poured. Easy on the eyes (and feet) and sweepable to keep the cedar out of the hot tub. Time to set up the tub, fill it and fire up the heater!
Notice the tub is set back with the heating unit in the corner to give lots of access room around the outside.
Assembled, full of water and heating.
Kids barely waited till it was ‘warmish’ till they got in to enjoy it.
And that was it.
Deck ninjas will likely express concern about the ground moving a bit on us with frost and runoff. We plan on emptying our hot tub over the winter (and maybe moving it home) so every spring I expect to re-level the deck a bit as needed before refilling it.
It has been on the 2×4 deck for two months now and there have been no problems.
UPDATE 2021: We’re on our fifth season with this deck and it’s still working well!
Also, we made two more upgrades to this place and they’ve made a world of difference! Check out these simple DIYs:
If your summer place has a spot crying out for a hot tub deck, we can’t say enough good things about a budget-friendly hard sided portable hot tub on a wallet-friendly deck.
Happy Hot Tubbing!
More of our DIY Deck Projects & Ideas…
Wood DIY Deck Planter Box to Upgrade an Old Deck with Plants and Style
Outdoor Visiting in Winter – The Physical Distancing Porch Set Up We Never Knew We’d Need
Adding onto a Deck: Our Simple DIY Deck Extension
How to Make a Deck Rail Bench – Simple DIY Builtin Deck Bench Seating Tutorial
We Built a Deck!: Free Online Deck Designer Software
Mary
Monday 5th of August 2019
Very attractive and suits your purpose! If you notice the 2 x 4's starting to twist a bit you might want to put some bracing in between the 2x4's; it'll make the whole deck stronger and less likely to warp. It looks so pretty you may also want to seal the wood with something like Thompsons' Water Seal, it'll keep that gorgeous color longer. Keep up the good work guys.
BobJinAZ
Wednesday 8th of May 2019
I love it! Looking for a simple yet practical design for my portable spa. Thanks for sharing!
Ed from Frugal Family Times
Tuesday 2nd of October 2018
Thanks! and apologies for taking so long to reply.About $100 worth of decking, $70 in 2x4s (all pressure treated lumber). The balance was patio stone slabs and fasteners. We had some pieces of 4x4 laying around, but even adding a new length of that keeps you under our total, I'm sure.
Marlissa
Tuesday 2nd of October 2018
If you used paving stones to put it up, what are the legs in the picture? Did you have to dig holes for them and how did you measure them to cut.
Ed from Frugal Family Times
Tuesday 2nd of October 2018
The paving stones bear all the tub/water weight since the 2x4s rest on them. The legs are really just to support/balance the outside edge/keep things level when the tub is emptied and stored away.I used 4x4's, cut to length before the deck boards went on by measuring the distance from the top inside of the joists to the ground. No holes. Just cut and screwed on. The corner leg has an old fence post spike supporting it, mostly because we had the laying around already. Hope this helps - Thanks!