Hot tub in summerhouse?

[BeanStew22]

Hello All, I bought a house with a summerhouse (actually a log cabin workshop (pics attached), and as my garden is so small I’m thinking it might be a good place to put a hot tub

The ‘shed’ is 2.5m by 3m, has electric and I also have an outside socket (& hose for water). Shed has double doors & a window, so I’m hoping that would be sufficient ventilation (maybe with a fan in the back corner to push water out?)

My only reservation really is the floor: it’s wood, raised about 2 inches off a concrete base on joists. Will it rot? (I guess I can put down other flooring to contain drips, or install inside a paddling pool ) and how would I know if it’s strong enough? I til the boards are 11mm tongue & groove. I called the manufacturer and they said it’s ok for eg a treadmill/motorbikes but I believe a filled hot tub would be heavier

Thinking about getting a lazy spa 4 person tub or similar (something around the £400 mark) as I suspect it won’t have heavy use : something to fit 2-3 adults is plenty, so 180cm wide would give a good 30 cm clearance all sides- and a metre & half in width to accommodate the pump etc

Does my plan seem sensible? Am I missing anything? I think I’d have bail it out with a bucket to change the water but I can cope with that (just about)

Thanks in advance for any advice

My parents have one in a purpose built hot tub house. The floor is tilled with standard bathroom tiles to avoid the rot.

I have a hot tub and the very best thing about it is being outside on a chilly evening and sitting gazing at the stars. I know this isn’t what you’re asking but I would absolutely have it outside!

@vickyc90: thanks for that, that’s an option to consider (tiles or some other flooring). I’m prepared to spend a few hundred to adapt the shed, past £500 or so I think it’s not worthwhile ..)

Does your parents’ summerhouse have heating?

I think the whole point of a hot tub is it’s outside, otherwise it’s jist like a big bath and you may as well bathe in your house. I mean why would you go and sit in it in the shed?

@ShirleyPhallus

I have a hot tub and the very best thing about it is being outside on a chilly evening and sitting gazing at the stars. I know this isn’t what you’re asking but I would absolutely have it outside!

@ShirleyPhallus: I think so too, hoping that having the doors open is the best of both worlds, seeing the sky but protected from the wind!

As long as you can afford the electricity bill for one - they do eat it up

[quote BeanStew22]@vickyc90: thanks for that, that’s an option to consider (tiles or some other flooring). I’m prepared to spend a few hundred to adapt the shed, past £500 or so I think it’s not worthwhile ..)

Does your parents’ summerhouse have heating?[/quote]
Nope you would bake alive if it was heated in the hot tub house. Theirs opens on all four sides to let the air in, we usually open the double doors and one window. I imagine you can tile it for a lot less than £500, just be aware of the weight, the sides of the house is usually fixed to the concrete base instead of a wooden floor like in yours.

If your talking a lazy spa it should be fine but doubt that floor would take the weight of a solid shell

@Gardeningdream: there is NO space for it in my garden, it’s tiny so I’d knock out the only space for a table and chairs

The shed is built already (previous owners used it as a carpentry workshop), so I was thinking it would be a bit of a compromise between open air and shelter, plus allow me to use the tub with a friend or 2 in the garden space. I did also consider a whirlpool bath but thought I might not use it much (hence going for a budget spa)

It’s more of a ‘log cabin’ than a shed : like an extra room and v sturdy

I’m sorry op, for me, I really can’t see the attraction of a hot tub in that shed come “log cabin” . I think if you like the idea of it though, then go for it.

I have an inflatable one. It was on my wooden decking last summer and the decking has sunk where it was. I put those foam puzzle mats underneath it to protect the wood a bit, but it still got wet underneath from water splashing about over the sides. I agree about not having a roof on it - I love to lie in mine with the bubbles off and just look up at the stars - saw loads of shooting stars and those satellites that went over every night too. If there was a roof on it I don’t think I’d have enjoyed it half as much. I know what you’re saying about protection from the wind, but you’d almost be better off with walls and no roof tbh!

I think it cost me about £50 a month to run last year, so could well be double that this year! I still thought it was worth every penny as I used it most days/evenings. XDP and I would hang out in the evenings instead of just watching tv and have a chat and a smooch. I would pop in after work or on my day off when the sun was out. I even went in it after a night shift sometimes at 3-4am. Peace and stars and warmth and relaxation. Love it.

If you have 1m cubed of water in it it would way a tonne. So if you bought something with an 80cm radius (160cm internal diameter) and filled it up to 60cm it would weigh 1.2 tonnes.

In terms of pressure, it would be putting a downward force of about 60cm/cm2 which i think must be less than e.g. the pressure going through a person's feet.

Worth noting if you tile onto wood you would need to use a special grouting as the wood will expand and contract (especially outside) and otherwise the grouting will crack and your hard work rendered ineffective.

Thanks @Gardeningdream and @RoyKentsChestHair… I think I’m going to clear the shed & sit in there one night to check the view!

I really enjoyed open air hot baths (onsen) in Japan so totally get the open air thing .., my other option I suppose is a v small tub (155cm diameter) and popping that beside the shed .. it wouldn’t have much of a view of anything but would be open to the sky

I'm definitely not an expert but I think the damp hotness will warp and possibly rot the wood. Probably better to keep it outdoors or have some kind of fixed gazebo to put it under.

Thanks @Gladioli23, I’ve just looked & filled weight is around 800k, so like 10 v chunky hot tubbers :) plus add another 250kg or so for people…

@RealRaymondReddington: thank you, I had not even thought about the heat aspect ! I know a bathroom fitter who has done a few handyman bits for this house so I might ask his ideas on what I can do re the floor!

I really don't see the point of a hot tub that you stick in a shed. You might as well just have a bath in your house and save the hassle.

The joy of a hot tub is that it feels like it's outside. You can go in them in almost all weathers. I was in one yesterday and it was chilly and rainy outside. Lovely. I've been in them in the snow too. It's lovely have the cold on your face while being warm and toasty and bubbly under the water. Honestly you are really missing a trick sticking it in a wooden house. It's just not the same.

If it's super windy just skip that day, there are plenty of days when the weather works for a hot tub.

I wouldn't want the electric bill in this current situation.

@RoyKentsChestHair I'm interested in the cost of running one, if you spent about £50 per month on electric for it last year, did you keep it hot 24/7 with a cover over it when you weren't in it? Not sure how they work tbh.

Take down the shed.

[quote ProfessorScarlett]@RoyKentsChestHair I'm interested in the cost of running one, if you spent about £50 per month on electric for it last year, did you keep it hot 24/7 with a cover over it when you weren't in it? Not sure how they work tbh.[/quote]
It was a very rough guess, but that was with the inflatable lid and cover on it all day & night when it wasn’t being used, keeping it at 38-39 degrees, which is lovely and warm.

Last year my bills went from £168 a month to £220, and nothing else much had changed in that time. However, it could be catching up on previous underpayments. I’m sure someone else will have more accurate costings for them.

No way would I do it. The weight alone means you’d need to reinforce the floor.

I have a log cabin in the garden - they get ridiculously hot in the summer. Can’t think of anything worse than sitting in one in a hot tub! I’d make the most of turning the space into a cosy cabin to enjoy throughout the year.

weight is an issue, condensation inside the hut will rot and mold it up very quickly, air quality from off gassing of the chemicals and then there is plumbing and drainage it's a lot of water to change out (minimum twice a year) should go into a city drain not your lawn. electric power etc.

For all those saying just have a bath, how big are your baths? My hot tub fits me, Dh 6'3" and Ds1 in it. I use it for pain relief and there is no way my bath tub allows me to hang over the side on my knees like my lazy spa does.

@BeanStew22 The main issue is the weight. Once filled it is the same as a small car. We bought the summer house so we reinforced the base before erecting it by sistering the joists with I think 4x2s. We also screwed through the floor into the new joists to support the spans (the gaps between the joists) too. It is sat on a patio base which we had laid for the shed we had there for a decade.

We then put in the interlocking tiles inside on the floor and tubbed the floor. That means we laid vinyl sheet flooring that also comes up the sides of the walls. It is held in place with metal straps, no screws through the vinyl but the vinyl is thick enough to be held in by the straps. Ventilation is key as the minute you take off the lid the steam is released.

A lazy spa will absolutely eat your electricity. We had ours outside for months and used it loads so are very aware of the cost, if you can hire one for a month I would to see if you use it. I have a chronic pain condition so I find it very helpful to ease that. Plus unlike a bath it stays warm and I can have company in there with me. Lots of people put them inside summer houses, you can open the doors wide to let air circulate too or open the windows.

Hire one, put it anywhere you can, see if it is of benefit to you and calculate the cost. Then buy one but reinforce the summer house floor. A lot of people on the support group I am on have sold theirs or packed them up as they cannot afford to run them due to the rising electricity prices.

Also for those saying too hot in summer, the water temperature can be set to whatever you want, we leave ours much cooler and use it to cool down.