Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: KarlXII on March 18, 2006, 07:51:03 pm
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I bothered you guys earlier with questions on the Caldera Geneva and on deck construction...well, now it's time to goto work! :o
The Geneva 2006 arrives here next Friday - somewhat unexpected - and I have nowhere to put it. Yet. I had in mind to put i temporarily on a spot on the deck, but it is too weak.
So best thing is to build a new spot.
I built the deck just a few years back. At that time I didn't know if I wanted to keep the old swimmingpool - I hate water below 85 - or if I wanted to restore it with new pumps and liner and , well, the works...
When I got interested in a tub, the ideas about restoring the pool flew out the window.
So now I'm decking over it. Part of it will be reinforced to hold the weight of the spa.
Since I don't like snow on my deck, I've been keeping it clean all winter. Being the idiot I am, I have dumped a lot of it into the pool. Which I now have to shovel outtathere.
God, my back hurts now. I could really use a hot tub massage already.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa1.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa2.jpg)
Now I've got the area clear of snow where the tub is going to be.
I'll do the footings here first since I want the concrete to have gained sufficient strength til the spa arrives. I have drilled three holes out of nine, and I will do the rest and cast the concrete tomorrow. The orange threads are pilots for where the beams are going to be. I will use 2 2x9 under the spa and do 1 2x9 under the rest of the deck. Under the spa there will be three beams. On top of that 2x6 with 10 inch spacing. And deck boards, of course.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa3.jpg)
More pics and stuff to come... ;)
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I love the "in progress" pictures!
Brrrrrrr - cold - snow! I haven't seen snow in person in almost 20 years!
Wow - looks like you have a great location! Also looks like you have taken on a major piece of work to get your deck ready for the spa. I know you will enjoy it once it is all done!
Keeps the pictures coming!
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Awsome view. Good luck with the project, and keep the pictures comming.
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Update:
I'm delayed. (So very unexpected ::) )
The ground is not frozen, but the rock, stones & roots makes it a living hell to dig and drill into it.
Also the truck with the wood & concrete didn´t make it up the hill to my house...so I've been carrying it today by hand.
I hope to do some footings tomorrow.
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Saturday: I finally got the footings done. It has been REALLY cold here, so I had to get at winter concrete, that hardens down to 5 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact it has been even colder, below zero, at night. It was tough to dig through the frozen ground, as well as to get all the snow out of the way.
The snow in the corner is from the roof. It was very hot in the sunshine that day.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa4.jpg)
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Sunday: Posts are up. 4x4.
I love those adjustable footings.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa5.jpg)
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Beams and joists are coming up.
Three double 2x10, just under 3 feet spacing under the tub, single 2x10 rest of the deck. Joists are 2x6, 12 inch spacing.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa6.jpg)
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Sunday: All joists are up and posts adjusted. Ready for decking.
My tub, btw, was supposed to be delivered Friday. New delivery date is next Monday.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa7.jpg)
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wow......I've got to say this is the first time I've ever seen someone just build OVER a pool.....kinda cool, IMHO, though. ;D
Looks like you've got your hands full, and it seems everything's working well, congrats!!
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Given you already had a hole where the old pool was did you give any thought to putting the tub down lower to make entry into the tub easier?
Probably a lot of reasons not to but tubs down in the deck always looked nice to me, as if they were a part of the deck rather than just sitting on top of the deck.
Obviously you would have to provide access for repairs but that could potentially be done with a hinged portion of the deck on the side with the panel. Or leaving the deck at tub level open on one side.
Too late now but love the shots of all the work you have done! Great job and great looking place (If a bit too cold for my blood!)
;)
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wow, nice job.
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Looks great. Lots of work!
If I were building that here in CA, I would be required to put plenty of X bracing from the top of one post to the bottom of the next. And beefy ones too.
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That header is doubled up under the tub part of the deck I am assuming? Ya can't really see it in any of the pictures but you seem to have a handle on it so I will assume. 9 posts is good and the tighter spacing on the joists but ya can't see if the header is doubled.
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Beams and joists are coming up.
Three double 2x10, just under 3 feet spacing under the tub, single 2x10 rest of the deck. Joists are 2x6, 12 inch spacing.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa6.jpg)
That header is doubled up under the tub part of the deck I am assuming? Ya can't really see it in any of the pictures but you seem to have a handle on it so I will assume. 9 posts is good and the tighter spacing on the joists but ya can't see if the header is doubled.
If you look at the middle header in this post I think you can see the doubled up header. I suspect the header on each side continues to the end doubling up those as well. You can sort of see it on the left side.
Or I could be having diplopia... :o
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Oh yes, they´re double. :)
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Given you already had a hole where the old pool was did you give any thought to putting the tub down lower to make entry into the tub easier?
Probably a lot of reasons not to but tubs down in the deck always looked nice to me, as if they were a part of the deck rather than just sitting on top of the deck.
Obviously you would have to provide access for repairs but that could potentially be done with a hinged portion of the deck on the side with the panel. Or leaving the deck at tub level open on one side.
Too late now but love the shots of all the work you have done! Great job and great looking place (If a bit too cold for my blood!)
;)
Yes, I did consider it.
What made me choose the standard solution was:
Service accessability.
Easier to build.
Better view from the spa.
More coverlifters to choose from.
I'm planning to surround the tub with stairs, boxes, flowers and, well, stuff. Let's see how it turns out. :)
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Looks great. Lots of work!
If I were building that here in CA, I would be required to put plenty of X bracing from the top of one post to the bottom of the next. And beefy ones too.
This really has got me thinking.
Ground here is extremely stable...but a few X-braces won´t hurt, right?
Hmmm.
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Being tied into the exsiting deck X-bracing may not be required here. It will however hold it sturdy until the decking is in place. And if the decking is screwed down and it is tied to the exsiting then for sure x bracing may not be required. If it was floating and not attached to something (another deck, the house) then for sure. But hey for piece of mind a few 2x6 braces will never hurt.
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Update!
The weather here has been really terrible.
Snow and rain every other day.
One morning there was two inches of snow on the deck... ::)
Soo...I'm not done yet. But I HAD to finish the half where tub is supposed to be, and I have.
Thursday was really beautiful, and I could get the decking screwed down in a few hours. 750 screws to cover this area! Pretty tricky to get the new boards aligned with the old, maintaining a nice spacing in both the front and back end. Picture is taken before screwing.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa8.jpg)
After that I went below and X-braced the spa frame. Just in case. ;) I feel confident with the sturdiness of the deck now.
Since then, nothing much has happened. Weather again. I just can't make myself go out there when it´s raining and freezing at the same time. In stead, I' ve been looking out the window pondering upon what I'm doing this far north and what made the old cavemen settle down here. In a skin cloth, I'd be thousand of miles from here. ;D
Sunday:
In order to make sure that the crane on the delivery truck could operate, I took a big old pine down. It was in the way for the TV-antenna anyway, so... it had to go. Also, running a chainsaw furiously into a large tree boosts the mail ego. Or something. Anyway - It´s fun. :D
Tuesday:
Yeey! Now we're in business.
The truck had no problem to operate. Impressive machines - the guy remote controlled the crane 85 feet away with a precision of half an inch and set the tub down with the smoothest of touchdowns. But when he lifted the tub clear across the roof of the house I was i little bit nervous.....
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa9.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa10.jpg)
After unpacking the tub...jeez...that was A LOT of wrapping!
There it is. Finally.
Isn't that thing beautiful? :)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa11.jpg)
One thing: Who came up with this bright idea?
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa12.jpg)
A sticker that just refuses to be removed. Any ideas to get that sticky thing removed without scratching the acrylic?
Next up: Filling. Just started - will be ready in appx. 4 hours. TBC....
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Congrats!
the deck came out nice.
The view is great. What part of the country are you in?
4 hrs to go? To be at temp? More like 8 ;)
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And is that a hard top cover?
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Congrats!
the deck came out nice.
The view is great. What part of the country are you in?
4 hrs to go? To be at temp? More like 8 ;)
Thanks. :)
I'm 22 miles south of Stockholm.
Oh - we're talking 4 hours just to fill. At least. Probably I have to recondition the ironfilter halfway. If the well doesn't run dry. ::)
The export models has a measly 3000 watt heater, so it won't be warm until tomorrow afternoon, I guess. The water I'm getting out of the well is 39 degrees.
:o
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And is that a hard top cover?
That is a lid to the filter.
I'd try to use Windex on it but once the tub gets hot the water will break the rest of that sticker down I'd suspect.
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And is that a hard top cover?
You mean the last pic?
No, it's a closeup of the filter lid with the waterfall infront.
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4 hrs to fill? Why?
We talked about the smaller heater on exports (Specifically HS) a few months ago and couldn't get a clear answer on why they have the smaller heaters, do you know if it's req, or just a cost savings trick?
Anyhow Great set up! Enjoy! More pics!!!!
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Gorgeous view- nice job on the deck!
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Karl,
For what it's worth - I've used mayonaise to remove stubborn stickers in the past. If you slather it on pretty thick - let it sit a half hour or so - then cleaning the whole mess off with a plastic spatula.
Deck looks great! It was hard work in anticipation of the spa arriving - now the wait for it to be up to temp for use is agonizing!
I'm looking forward to seeing the 'finished product' ! :)
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I've heard that WD-40 works well for removal of stickers.
A hair dryer may also help a bit.
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4 hrs to fill? Why?
We talked about the smaller heater on exports (Specifically HS) a few months ago and couldn't get a clear answer on why they have the smaller heaters, do you know if it's req, or just a cost savings trick?
Anyhow Great set up! Enjoy! More pics!!!!
Actually it just took 2,5 hrs. ;D
I think the heaters here are smaller; we have a different setup. Usually the incoming power to the house is divided into three phases - common is 3x20 amps at 230 volts.
The house I've built is extremely energy efficient, we only use 11400 kwh a year, heating and everything else. Right now my service is 3x16 amps, but I'm afraid it won't suffice. I
ll prolly have to goto 3x20.
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Thanks Anne, SurqTec and TN__HOT_TUB.
This is what it looks like up & running.
The well water was crystal clear and had perfect alkalinity and pH according to the test strip.
Everything went fine except for an airlock in jet #2.
I had to loosen the plumbing there to let some air out.
Caldera states they should only be "hand tightened"..
Yea right. In that case they have Clark Kent in a bad mood working there. I had to use a wrench to get it loose.
After that - just beautiful!
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa13.jpg)
Yes, that's right. That's SNOW you see on the deck. :'(
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Oh yes, one more thing:
Watertemp is now 55 degrees.
I was really tempted to jump in, but reconsidered. ;D
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GOOD idea......*lol*
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Whoa. That really took it's time.
Now I'm officially at 104 degrees.
Time to take a bath!
I hope I like it...(Didn't wet test. :o)
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I bet you will It looks great ........ congrats and enjoy!!
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Karl,
Your "spatopia" looks awesome! Just don't step out of it on the wrong side!!!! (i.e. - the one where the deck isn't finished yet!
It looks so apealing in the picture you posted - till you mentioned the 55 degree water! Glad that it is up to temp now - happy tubbing!
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[size=24]Oh yeah![/size]
That was GREAT. Worth all the effort. I had a sore back from working on the deck tonight - it feels fine now.
But damn I'm HOT! Feels almost like a fever. Well, a pleasant fever then. :)
Everything worked fine. I'd would like to have a 4-5 inch deeper spa, but all in all I am very pleased with the Geneva.
I loved the air massage. It really shook the body up.
The foot massage in the lounger...wow. The spinning and pulsating jets here and there are very good. Powerful but not itchy.
I'm happy. :)
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Congratulations! What a view! Enjoy! ;)
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Looks fantastic! I must say I do like the lights on the outside of the spa. Caldera is the only one I have seen like that. Might be that some wouldn't like that feature but I do.
And I agree that the foot jets on the lounger were nice when I wet tested it.
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We talked about the smaller heater on exports (Specifically HS) a few months ago and couldn't get a clear answer on why they have the smaller heaters, do you know if it's req, or just a cost savings trick?
It is what is needed by most parts of Europe. The heaters are made the same, just with a slightly different wattage. Until they sell more Export units than Domestic, I'm afraid the cost per unit will stay HIGHER for the Export version.
For what it's worth, some export areas get a 220 volt 1500 watt heater, because the local power mains will not support anything higher.
A dealer who shall remain nameless sold a domestic tub into the Middle East, and the customer ended up buying a (US) generator to be able to run it. Worked fine, btw as he also had a bunch of home-theatre stuff and major appliances from the US. Half his home was US power and the other half was local power.
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It is what is needed by most parts of Europe. The heaters are made the same, just with a slightly different wattage. Until they sell more Export units than Domestic, I'm afraid the cost per unit will stay HIGHER for the Export version.
For what it's worth, some export areas get a 220 volt 1500 watt heater, because the local power mains will not support anything higher.
A dealer who shall remain nameless sold a domestic tub into the Middle East, and the customer ended up buying a (US) generator to be able to run it. Worked fine, btw as he also had a bunch of home-theatre stuff and major appliances from the US. Half his home was US power and the other half was local power.
What if one was to sell and ship a US tub to Say, SCotland or England?
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Everything went fine except for an airlock in jet #2.
I had to loosen the plumbing there to let some air out.
Caldera states they should only be "hand tightened"..
Yea right. In that case they have Clark Kent in a bad mood working there. I had to use a wrench to get it loose.
After that - just beautiful!
Yes, that's right. That's SNOW you see on the deck. :'(
Well, the good news is you don't often have the airlock after the first start up - when you change water down the road the pump tends to hold enough water to start right up at refill.
As for the finished product - WOW. Other than the snow I would trade you in an instant! Looks great and I bet it's just in time for your back. I jokingly tell our customers who are doing big projects to always put the tub in first so they can soak the backaches away as they proceed.
Do you think there will be any problem with the sidewalls of the pool giving way and dirt falling into the hole over the years?
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What if one was to sell and ship a US tub to Say, SCotland or England?
Some manufacturers are not above simply putting in 50 cycle motors and calling it good....
Nobody that we know of, of course.
;)
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Well, the good news is you don't often have the airlock after the first start up - when you change water down the road the pump tends to hold enough water to start right up at refill.
As for the finished product - WOW. Other than the snow I would trade you in an instant! Looks great and I bet it's just in time for your back. I jokingly tell our customers who are doing big projects to always put the tub in first so they can soak the backaches away as they proceed.
Do you think there will be any problem with the sidewalls of the pool giving way and dirt falling into the hole over the years?
Thanks!
Yes, I really needed that bath yesterday. It actually gave me enough energy to finish up today. :D
Which means I need another bath tonight.
No, the sidewalls will most likely not cave in. The ground is very stable in itself, and the framwork and sides of the old pool is still there. So, hope not.
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Fantastic job! Beautiful view! The Geneva is a beautiful tub. Almost bought one several years ago, but lost the opportunity on a year end model and dealer didn't have another to wet test. New model price was lots higher. Ended up wet testing the Euphoria and buying it, but I always loved the looks of the Geneva, especially with its fiber optics lighting.
Do you have summer pest like misquitos? Will water puddles collect under the deck in the pool? Any concerns?
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Finished! And S P R I N G is here!
Well, almost. I need to build a stair around the tub and a towelwarmer. But the deck is done. Now I just have to wait for it to loose it´s greenish color and turn grey with the rest och the deck and the tub.
I really like the coastal grey cabinet to this type of deck.
Here's some pics.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa16.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa14.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa15.jpg)
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Fantastic job! Beautiful view! The Geneva is a beautiful tub. Almost bought one several years ago, but lost the opportunity on a year end model and dealer didn't have another to wet test. New model price was lots higher. Ended up wet testing the Euphoria and buying it, but I always loved the looks of the Geneva, especially with its fiber optics lighting.
Do you have summer pest like misquitos? Will water puddles collect under the deck in the pool? Any concerns?
Yep. There are mosquitos. Darn. I had almost forgotten about them. ;)
There are some, but they're not that many. And not under the deck, the ground is sloping and the pool area is extremly well drained.
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Karl, that is a stunningly beautiful picture. Congratulations and I hope you create a lot of fond memories in that spa. I am very impressed!
Terminator
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lots of memories, not necessarily lots of kids..... ;)
Is saying "Wowie Zowie! :o " adequate to show my sense of awe over your home setup?
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Karl, that is a stunningly beautiful picture. Congratulations and I hope you create a lot of fond memories in that spa. I am very impressed!
Terminator
Thanks, Terminator. :)
Yes, we are very happy how it turned out.
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lots of memories, not necessarily lots of kids..... ;)
Is saying "Wowie Zowie! :o " adequate to show my sense of awe over your home setup?
Nah, no kids. :)
Yes, it's adequate. Thanks. :D
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It proved to be rather troublesome to enter & exit the tub with at least some remaining dignity, so I built a stair yesterday from the rest of the lumber. Works fine, sturdy as few but weighs a ton.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b200/slipsen/spa17.jpg)
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*lol* I understand the dignity loss bit.....our tub's got 2 entrances right now....one's the step from the dealer, which works great, but is really a secondary way in the tub that's not used much. The MAIN entrance, however, is about 33" below the lip of the tub......it makes for an "interesting" experience trying to get in or out of the tub. I've got a plan that hasn't got any farther than my head to make a lifted step/platform on top of the existing one.....sure beats the feeling of flashing the neighborhood....or waiting to catch something important on the edge of the tub!
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Karl, looks like the third deck board from the left is off by 2mm - I think you had better tear it all out and start over.
Other than that, it looks great. Your stairs look like they will handle the snow load and aren't likely to be damaged by the snow shovel.
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Thumbs up on your DIY steps. They turned out much better than mine:
(http://www.viperdude.us/LatestHappenings/HotTub/steps.JPG)
Mine were built out of the scraps of 2x4's the construction guys across the street through away. (And excuse the mess in the photo, it was rather muddy the day the hot tub was delivered, and I couldn't clean it up until it got above freezing).
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Thumbs up on your DIY steps. They turned out much better than mine:
(http://www.viperdude.us/LatestHappenings/HotTub/steps.JPG)
Mine were built out of the scraps of 2x4's the construction guys across the street through away. (And excuse the mess in the photo, it was rather muddy the day the hot tub was delivered, and I couldn't clean it up until it got above freezing).
Viper dude...how long are your legs? ;)
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Viper dude...how long are your legs? ;)
Stretch Armstrong got nothin' on me. ;D
Actually my fiance didn't like the steps that came with the tub, so I built these. Each step is 14 inches. She likes them now, but is insisting on handrails. ::)
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Viper,
I'd put a hand rail up. They honestly look dangerous.
I think there are actually building codes on steps (something like 10" tread and a 7.5" riser, )
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Actually my fiance didn't like the steps that came with the tub, so I built these. Each step is 14 inches. She likes them now, but is insisting on handrails. ::)
It's always something. Steps, handrails, clean water, mow the lawn, take out the trash, keep a job, blah, blah, blah
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Karl, looks like the third deck board from the left is off by 2mm - I think you had better tear it all out and start over.
Other than that, it looks great. Your stairs look like they will handle the snow load and aren't likely to be damaged by the snow shovel.
2mm you say...hey - nobody´s perfect. ;)
Yes, they can probably handle 5 or 6 freezing bathers without breaking a sweat. Speaking of snow - note the extra lip on top of the upper stair to keep the snowshovel from touching or scratching the cabinet. 8)
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Wow that looks great! If you dont mind can i ask how much did you pay for it.
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Wow that looks great! If you dont mind can i ask how much did you pay for it.
Thanks! :D
I'm not sure if it's the right thing to talk money, since most things (all the funny, pleasing, electronic, enginedriven, battery operated and manly things) are much more expensive here in Sweden. I went to a HotSpring dealer the other day to get some chemicals and happened to look at at a HS Grandee. 24600$ :o
Anyways, for the project I described here all materials was about 1800$: I did the job myself so that was "free" ::) :)
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I went to a HotSpring dealer the other day to get some chemicals and happened to look at at a HS Grandee. 24600$ :o
ACK!!!!!!!! :o :o Now THAT is expensive!!
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I assume you have already thought of this so please forgive 'the reminder'.. Considering that you are literally 'building over a hole' (swimming pool), just know that unless you put a sump pump or something to 'get rid of the buildup of snow, ice and water that will have fallen down between the deck boards(with every snowfall, rain water etc).. the 'water' below the deck will destroy the footings (erosion around the footing) and be a great breeding ground for mold and mildew in the spring and summer.