A spa or hot tub can grow to include a deck surround, built-in seating, privacy walls, and other features. You might want to add mosaic glass tiles or surround it with cut stone or flagstone.  Styles and designs should reflect the architecture and materials of your home and landscape. Ready for some inspiration? Enjoy these fabulous and vastly different hot tubs and spas.

Finding out how much the type you want will costGetting recommendations from neighbors and friends for pool builders to use and to avoidFiguring out how much space it will take and where it will be located in your yardIdentifying the costs and availability of materialsBuilding permits and zoning lawsFactors like plumbing and electricity

Like a swimming pool, the pit or hole for an in-ground spa will need to be excavated by a machine, which means the equipment must access your yard. Reinforcing rebar will be built to create the shape of the spa along with steps and benches. Plumbing, which includes drains and inlets for those therapeutic hydro-jets, will need to be installed, as will electrical wiring. After this, gunite or shotcrete will be sprayed on the rebar to create a nice, tight shell. Then it will be smoothed with a trowel and cured for a few weeks. Once it’s dry, either plaster or tile will be applied to the surface. And this is just the spa part of the project.