Can You Put a Swim Spa on a Deck?

One of the first things that people think about when they are considering purchasing a swim spa is where they will put it and how it will fit into the overall look, feel and layout of their home. Often, people will already have an existing deck or patio area at their home, and they wonder if their swim spa installation can simply go on top of the deck that’s there.

Here’s the answer: while some companies may say it’s okay, at Hydropool we don’t install swim spas on decks. A Hydropool swim spa can only go on a properly prepared and leveled concrete pad. 

The risk otherwise is too great. Using a concrete base when you install a swim spa ensures that your swim spa will sit level and stay level, so that no long-term warping or any other issues can occur. If a swim spa’s resting surface isn’t completely level – or won’t stay that way - the water can shift and cause pressure on a certain area of the spa. This will eventually lead to warping or more serious damage such as a cracked shell. So at Hydropool, our warranty only covers swim spas placed on concrete bases.

Could you put a swim spa on a deck? The answer is actually yes. If it’s properly reinforced and supported, you could build a deck to hold a swim spa. Some manufacturers do allow this, even if Hydropool doesn’t.

Instead of a swim spa on a deck, there are options for you. Two questions to consider include:

• Can a swim spa go in a deck?
• Can a swim spa go in-ground, surrounded by a deck?

The answer is yes to both questions and we will go over both of those applications in this article. In almost every situation, putting a swim spa on a concrete base and then surrounding it with decking is a better solution than putting a swim spa on a deck itself. You can achieve the same results with a better, stronger base that will ensure your swim spa lasts.

So the answer is can you put a swim spa on a deck? Yes. Should you? At Hydropool, we don’t think so. Surround one with deck? Absolutely.

In this article we will cover a couple of decking applications that we think make the most sense for swim spas. Hopefully by the end you’ll have a strong sense of how to incorporate a deck into your swim spa.

 

 

Can a Swim Spa Go in a Deck?

Yes. A swim spa is an ideal height to go beside a deck or to have decking built around it. Some of the most attractive swim spas we have ever placed have been set up with decking surrounding the swim spa.

The reasons why this works so well are several:

• Your swim spa becomes integrated into your backyard.
• You don’t require additional steps to enter or exit the swim spa as you can make the steps part of your decking area.
• The swim spa can either become a focal point with this method or become relatively hidden by the deck, allowing the deck to become the focal point, whichever you prefer.

In this picture, the swim spa is integrated into an existing deck, with the deck taking centre stage and standing out. The swim spa shown here is the Hydropool Aquatic Sport 17AX, which you can read more about here.

How Do I Put a Swim Spa in a Deck?

We do have some tips about putting decking around your swim spa. This allows you to do an above-ground installation, which costs you less, while getting all the advantages of having a deck around your swim spa.

Here are our tips:

1. Keep in mind local building regulations change region by region. Always check your local regional requirements before embarking on any deck-building plan.
2. Build the deck around the swim spa, rather than assuming the swim spa will fit into any deck you’ve made. Even if you have specific measurements for your swim spa, it’s always better to use the real thing. Even minor discrepancies can leave gaps.  It’s also much easier to build a deck around a swim spa as opposed to placing one in a hole just for it.
3. Consider leaving space between the lip or top of the spa and the deck. If you do try it this way, you may run into the following issues:

• You could have issues with the swim spa cover, which is generally designed to be attached to the cabinet of the swim spa.

A deck lower than the top of the swim spa will allow sufficient space to attach the cover to the sides of the swim spa.

• Should the swim spa ever shift, the acrylic could come in contact with the deck, which could cause it to warp, crack or break.
• If you leave your deck under the top of the swim spa, it will act as a natural step climbing in or out of it. We’d suggest leaving about a 40 cm or just over a foot gap to the top of the swim spa, so it feels like a natural step to take.

A step around a swim spa is both user-friendly and attractive. The swim spa shown here is the 17-foot Aquatic Trainer.

• You will definitely want to leave space underneath the deck to allow access to all sides of the swim spa for potential future servicing down the road. Without this space, you will end up having to remove the swim spa entirely from the deck area any time you’d need to service it, a prohibitive expense.

The decking here is hiding an area surrounding the entire swim spa, which ensures that repairs or access to the panels is always achievable, on this Hydropool 19-foot DTAX Aquatic Trainer.

Can I Put My Swim Spa in the Ground and Put a Deck Around it?

Yes you can definitely do this! You will want to make sure you know and understand the local requirements and regulations. Our main tip with this method is to ensure that you leave sufficient space underneath the swim spa to allow for access to all sides down the road.

The visible deck is covering a cabinet underground that surrounds the swim spa but that ensures it can be accessed.

This requires a cement cabinet around and underneath the swim spa, which can easily be covered by attractive decking. The cabinet will act as a drainage pit for your swim spa: It needs to both allow access for swim spa repairs and ensure that it doesn’t hold water.

The cement cabinet surrounding this 19-foot Hydropool Aquatic Trainer DTAX allows sufficient access, drainage and stability for the swim spa.

Can You Put a Swim Spa on a Deck? (Or Should You?)

We say no! Only put a swim spa on a concrete slab, built to hold and support your swim spa investment.

You can do it, and some manufacturers will sell you a swim spa designed to go on a deck, urging you to have professionals ensure that the deck is built strong enough to support your spa. Hydropool does not do this, because our swim spas require a concrete slab. We find there are simply too many risks of shell or cabinet warpage on anything other than concrete over time.

The choice is ultimately yours. We suggest that if you want to integrate decking into your swim spa, that you use decking to surround it rather than put the swim spa on top of it.

If you want to see even more images than what’s on this article, a local Hydropool retailer will be happy to show you more options on how to integrate your swim spa with decking. Find the one nearest you here.