Site Preperation

Lay the foundation for your ultimate backyard retreat. This guide walks you through all the essentials, choosing the right spot, preparing your base, managing access, and meeting power and permit requirements, so your hot tub becomes a seamless, stress-free part of your home sanctuary.

Site Location

The first is finding an ideal location with adequate space. Our hot tub range comes in 3 different sizes. Aside from size, other concerns when picking the location in your yard might be ease of access for bathers, privacy from neighbours, views, delivery access and accessibility for maintenance.

One way to help you visualize the hot tub as you look around for the ideal spot is to take chalk, rope, or cardboard and create the desired size and shape you are looking for and place it in those locations to make sure they are adequate.

Foundation & Configuration

Site preparation means choosing a strong, level foundation—most reliably a reinforced concrete slab, though paving blocks, compacted gravel, or a properly engineered wooden deck can also work. Whatever the base, it must support the weight, allow drainage, and permit access for servicing.

For configuration, the spa can sit freestanding, be partly surrounded, or fully built into a deck. Freestanding is simplest, while deck surrounds look sleek and ease entry but need access panels for maintenance.

Service Access

Another important consideration when doing a deck application is service/maintenance access. Most hot tubs are self contained units and have at least one service panel that needs to be accessible to get to equipment (controls, pumps, heater, etc…). This can be difficult if one decides to sink the spa or lower it into a deck part way or flush with the surface of the deck to achieve a more custom or built-in look.

This can be done properly by creating access hatches or trap doors in the decking surface all the way around the tub so that a service technician can easily remove that particular section of decking and climb down to access the equipment.

Electrical Requirements & Permits

The third consideration is power and electrical requirements. Consult an electrician to ensure you have a large enough electrical panel to support adding a hot tub. Our hot tubs require a 10amp (3kw heater) power cable. In either case there must be a dedicated line and circuit which means the location for the hot tub can be dependent on how far it is from your home’s main electrical panel. In essence, the further the hot tub is away from the house the more wire, materials and obstacles would be involved to do the job which can make the installation more expensive.

The final consideration for a hot tub is permits and approvals. In most areas, hot tubs are considered portable structures that are not permanently attached to the home, therefore, they don’t usually require a permit or approval from your city’s building and planning departments but our advice is best to check with your local council just to make sure what is required.

Concrete pad / slab

A concrete pad or existing patio is the most common type of foundation prepared for a hot tub. Pouring the slab a minimum 4” thick and rebar reinforcing is recommended to prevent the slab from cracking over time. Also allowing proper cure time is important to prevent settling and sinking.

Cure times for concrete can vary based on type of concrete used, time of the year (weather and temperature), and size/thickness of slab.

Paving blocks

These are another cost effective options when creating a foundation and can be very decorative and aesthetically pleasing as there are a multitude of shapes, sizes, and stone types to utilize.

It is important to level out the area ahead of time with sand or crushed gravel before setting the pavers to avoid sinkholes or settling. The recommended paver thickness is at least 2 inches.

Wooden raised deck or wooden pad

Decking is also a very common foundation for a hot tub since there is a great deal of flexibility with design to meet anyone’s taste and budget. It is important to consult a licensed contractor or structural engineer when placing a hot tub on an elevated deck due to the weight which can be anything up to 2 tonnes.

Use screws and not nails when building your deck (if tub is set into the deck) just in case you need to gain access at a later date. If placing your tub on top of your deck, the beauty of the tub can be better appreciated.

Crushed gravel road

Trusted by you

"Hi Mike, FYI the spa arrived, and we have set it up and used it. Very impressed with the workmanship on the cedar! Also the size is perfect, exactly what we were after! We are very happy with the product, thank you!"
David (Napier)

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"Hi Mike, FYI the spa arrived, and we have set it up and used it. Very impressed with the workmanship on the cedar! Also the size is perfect, exactly what we were after! We are very happy with the product, thank you!..

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David (Napier) See more Google Reviews

"This is the second tub we've bought from Mike so it's interesting to see all the changes and improvements. Everything is streamlined and simpler. The wiring up/ connection/ working parts are more straightforward and will be I suspect longer lasting."
Peter F (Auckland)

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"This is the second tub we've bought from Mike so it's interesting to see all the changes and improvements. Everything is streamlined and simpler. The wiring up/ connection/ working parts are more straightforward and will be I suspect longer lasting...

There are wee improvements everywhere, such as the rubber between the steps and the base and the double jets - 8 against the 4 in our earlier (medium sized) tub. The tub was lighter and so easier to maneuver into position. Also as the delivery is now done with a crane it's possible to get it plonked right where you need it I suspect for most people. The finish on the cedar around the rim and steps is less complex and WAY easier to keep clean - there are no cracks for leaves and debris to accumulate in. The new spa sanitizer is definitely a step up. It looks very well overall, and suits the vibe of our house SO well. We're just thrilled (and now have to stain our deck which looks rather tatty against it's elegance and beauty!)"

Peter F (Auckland) See more Google Reviews

"We purchased a hot tub in March 2021 and had it transported from Napier to our house in Christchurch without any issues. It was straight forward to set it up and we had it operational within a few hours."
Hugh W (Christchurch)

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"We purchased a hot tub in March 2021 and had it transported from Napier to our house in Christchurch without any issues. It was straight forward to set it up and we had it operational within a few hours...

I positioned it in our garden and added decking, a cover over the filter / pump and some steps. With the ferns and lights looks impressive at night. About the only maintenance is changing the water and cleaning the filter 4 times a year (at the change of session). About once a year we apply some oil to the cedar. After 4 + years it still looks great. Over this time we have had almost flawless operation. The only issues I’ve had were a leaking light cover and a small leak due to a faulty O ring (this was actually my fault). Both issues I quickly fixed. Relax Hot Tubs have been quick to respond if I had any issues and always very helpful. I highly recommend them."

Hugh W (Christchurch) See more Google Reviews