Quote:
Originally Posted by EarlyPorsche
So I am outside of DC - so total midatlantic. Would use year round. The house really couldn't take a fiberglass - needs to be built in concrete or nothing.
I am thinking 4-6" walls with rebar. Pebbletech or something like that interior.
12" above the patio with a flagstone lip to sit on.
In terms of jets - can one just put threaded PVC into the concrete and then thread the jets in? I am unclear on how that end works. Planning now and hopefully starting in the late fall.
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I don't understand this statement : "The house really couldn't take a fiberglass - needs to be built in concrete or nothing."
This is what I meant by taking a fully self contained spa and building it into a deck. In-ground concrete look, most excellent spa ownership benefits:
Here is one installed with a flagstone seat. The spa always stays covered of course so the only time you actually see the shell is at night when you get in.
If that is not something you would consider, figure $4k for heater, equip, and controls, plus all construction, concrete, and plumbing costs. $8-15k total depending on your wants.
Jet plumbing needs to be balanced for rated psi and gpm. Each jet has a water and air line that connect at a venturi. Figure out how many jets, optimum gpm per jet, distance to equipment pad, plumbing line sizes, calculate total head loss, and then choose a pump that will reasonably provide the needed gpm at calculated head loss. It's not like rebuilding a GT3 motor but a lot more involved than just screwing the jets into threaded fittings at the wall. Like mechanics, anyone can learn this trade but it will require lots of homework.
I recommend pondering this question further. A well-engineered portable spa install can be made to look any way you want it to look. Flagstone, cantilever decking, natural stone, the only limitation is your imagination. The difference is in real everyday use a portable from a major mfg has a lot more to offer than anything I could build with concrete... And I have built quite a few.