When Miami Meets Northern Ireland: Jody’s DIY Pool and Hot Tub Combo

Last updated: September 2026

Every now and then a project lands in my inbox that makes me laugh out loud, and then makes me think “that’s actually genius”. Jody’s pool and hot tub combo in Northern Ireland is one of them. It’s a Miami-style design, built for a Northern Irish climate, with a clever trick to dodge what I call the “swimming pool tax”.

Background

Jody got in touch with me in May 2022. He was planning a pool and hot tub combo in his backyard, but pool builders were quoting him astronomical amounts of money.

Having spoken to Jody a number of times now, I know he isn’t the kind of guy to let something like that get in the way of what he wants. He’s certainly very determined, but he’s also going to get it on his terms, and that means not paying a fortune for it. He wanted to find a cheaper way of doing things, and that led him to me and this website.

Scope of work

At first, the job was to design the hot tub part of the build. That quickly grew into me designing the plumbing layouts for the pool as well.

Getting the right parts locally in Northern Ireland was also a challenge for Jody, so I supplied all the parts he needed for the hot tub and the pool.

Before we get to the build, I want to take a step back and talk about the design stage, because Jody knows exactly what he wants.

“Andi, you must think I’m crazy”

That was Jody, during one of our conversations about the design. My reply was quite simple: “Jody, yes, you are crazy.” So why is this one of the craziest projects I’ve been involved with?

Take a look at the artist’s mock-up of what Jody was planning to build. I didn’t draw this. It came from a third party Jody was brainstorming ideas with.

I can only describe it as “when Miami meets Northern Ireland“. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in some pretty cool DIY hot tub and pool projects, and this one is challenging for the top spot.

The design is beautiful. There’s no arguing with that. So why do I think Jody is crazy? I’ve worked on projects in Florida, Hawaii, Thailand, South America and more. What do those places have in common? Fantastic weather.

Northern Ireland, for all its stunning scenery, doesn’t average 70°F (21°C) all year round, and it doesn’t get the hours of sunshine the Sunshine State does. My biggest concern for Jody’s build was the Northern Irish climate.

“Don’t worry about that,” said Jody. His plan was to enclose it all the following year, so if the weather proved to be a problem, it would become an indoor pool. As I said, he knows what he wants, and not even Mother Nature is getting in the way.

If you’re weighing up a similar project, I’ve covered the big decisions (layout, shared or separate water, heating and chemicals) in Hot tub pool combo: DIY design considerations.

Avoiding the “swimming pool tax”

I’ve mentioned the “swimming pool tax” many times on the blog and on my YouTube channel. It’s where parts and anything to do with pools cost more, just because the words “swimming pool” are attached.

Jody is a smart chap. So how do you get a poured concrete pool without paying the swimming pool tax? In Jody’s mind, it was straightforward. If you don’t know Northern Ireland, once you leave the cities it’s very rural: open spaces, rolling countryside and absolutely stunning landscapes. Quite a lot of properties are “off grid” for some utilities, so building external concrete water storage tanks is quite normal on farms and homes alike.

So what did Jody do? He rang round local contractors for quotes to build him a “water storage tank” that just happened to be the size and shape of his pool.

Once he had the written quote, the fact that this tank would later be fitted with plumbing and become a swimming pool didn’t give them a reason to charge more. He got a poured concrete pool shell for the price of a poured water tank. Genius!

When he called and told me what he’d done, I nearly fell off my chair. My whole approach is to help customers save money by doing pools and hot tubs themselves, but this was another level. Jody, hat off to you, sir.

One word of caution if you’re tempted to copy him. A tank contractor still needs to know where every pipe goes through the walls and floor (main drains, returns, skimmer and any jets) before the concrete goes in, so you need the plumbing design finished first. Having that design done up front is what makes this approach work. My DIY hot tub plumbing guide explains how those pipe routes are planned.

With the “water tank” pour quoted, the pool and hot tub designs done and the parts supplied, Jody was onto a winner. He shared his budget with me, and it was impressively low.

Breaking ground

It’s easy to forget the sheer amount of earth you have to remove to build a swimming pool. Look at the size of the mountain next to the digger. In the photo you can clearly see the shape of the pool, with the hot tub coming off the side.

Jody kept the waters separate, so there’s no overflow from the hot tub into the pool. Instead, we put in a plumbing design that lets the pool and the hot tub be heated by the same air source heat pump. Keeping the waters separate is my usual recommendation, and I explain why in Why pool and hot tub plumbing should remain separate.

If you’re planning the dig for your own build, my DIY in-ground hot tub build guide covers how deep to go and how much spoil to expect.

Pouring the footings

With the hole dug, the next step was the foundations for the walls, known as footings. This still from Jody’s drone footage shows the size of the site, and you can clearly see where the pool and the hot tub go.

After that came the shutters for the walls, which are the wooden forms the concrete is poured into. Jody wasn’t going for a monolithic (single) pour, so the plan was to pour the walls first and the floor a few days later.

That’s a common way to do it, but the joint between a wall and a floor poured on different days is a natural weak spot for leaks. If you’re doing the same, ask your contractor how they’ll detail that joint (a waterstop is the usual answer), and don’t skip the waterproofing layer inside. My waterproofing, grout and tile adhesive guide covers the options.

Time for some walls

With the footings poured, Jody and his contractors started on the walls, framing and pouring them in stages. You can see the process under way below, and the sheer size of the pool Jody is building. It’s a pretty impressive structure.

When things don’t go to plan

This next update was a small one, because things weren’t quite going to plan. One of the downsides of a DIY build is that the plan has to stay very fluid. For Jody, the problem was his concrete contractors. By managing the build himself, he reckoned he was saving the best part of $40K, but it also meant he was at their mercy.

From my conversations with Jody, they certainly weren’t the most reliable. Unfortunately, I think (and he agrees) that’s the price you sometimes pay for a cut-price pool build.

By this point, the walls were all in and the next step was pouring the floor. That relied on the concrete contractors turning up, which, to Jody’s frustration, they hadn’t done for several days when they’d said they would. The videos below bring you up to date.

If you’re using trades on your own build, I’ve put together some tips in How to avoid mistakes when using contractors to build your hot tub.

Fast forward a year

Some projects are complete in a matter of weeks, some take months. In Jody’s case, it was the best part of a year.

He had his fair share of setbacks along the way, from contractors not showing up to parts going missing, but he got the job done.

Does it look like the “Miami super pool” in the mock-up? Not quite, but he has a beautiful pool he can now use. The eagle-eyed among you will notice that the hot tub still needed finishing and there was more construction to do on the building, but Jody was finally in his pool.

This has come a very long way from a hole in the ground and some drone footage. Well done, Jody!

Planning your own pool and hot tub combo?

A combo is two builds in one, and the plumbing and heating are where most of the thinking goes. Start with Hot tub pool combo: DIY design considerations. If you’re thinking of a smaller pool rather than a full-size one, my DIY plunge pool guide is a good place to start, and there are ready-made plunge pool plans in several sizes.

For a project like Jody’s, where the pool and the tub need designing together, my custom hot tub and pool combo design consultancy covers the layout and plumbing for both. If you already have a design and just need the plumbing worked out, there’s the hot tub and pool combo plumbing consultancy. And if the hot tub is the only part you’re building, my DIY hot tub plans give you CAD drawings, the plumbing layout, a parts list and the video course.

FAQs

Can one heat pump heat both a pool and a hot tub?

Yes, with the right plumbing. On Jody’s build, the waters are separate, but valves let one air source heat pump heat either the pool or the hot tub. The heat pump has to be sized for the bigger job, and you’ll usually heat one body of water at a time. See How to choose the right air source heat pump for your hot tub or pool.

Should the hot tub overflow into the pool?

It can, but I usually recommend keeping the waters separate. An overflow means the pool water ends up in the hot tub, which makes it hard to keep the tub hot and the chemistry right. You can still get the look of a spillover with a water feature.

Can a concrete tank contractor build a pool shell?

That’s what Jody did. It can save a lot of money, but you need a finished plumbing design first so every pipe and fitting through the walls and floor is in place before the pour, and you still need a proper waterproofing system inside.

What do you think of Jody’s “water tank” trick? Let me know in the comments below. I read them all.

Cheers,
Andi

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Thanks - Andi

 

Hi, Andi here. I own Buildahottub.com and also write all of the articles and info pages on the site. Some years back now, I built my own hot tub but struggled to find the information I needed. So, once my tub was complete, I started this website to help others in their own pursuit of hot tub and plunge pools DIY building information.

Fast forward to 2025, I've helped over 1400+ DIY customers just like you all over the world build hot tubs and pools. Have a good look around the site, there are lots of resources here. Please do get in touch if I can help you. - Cheers, Andi