Hot tub seats are what you touch every time you get in. Here are the bench heights, depths and lounger details I design to, and how to build them comfortable.
Author Archives: buildahottub
The 8×8 hot tub is the size I sell more plans for than any other. Here’s what it gives you inside, why it suits most gardens and budgets, and when you should pick a different size.
How big should your hot tub be? A practical guide to hot tub sizes for DIY builders: seating, depth, water volume, heating and the space you really need.
What does an infinity edge really add to a DIY hot tub? A 2026 breakdown of the extra build and running costs, from the balance tank and second pump to waterproofing, tiling and top-up, with where you can and can’t save.
How big should a DIY swim spa be? The minimum length for a swim jet, the width and water depth that work, how much water that means, and the real garden footprint.
Square, round, hexagon or octagon? How each hot tub shape affects seating, water volume, the walls, tiling, plumbing and the cost of the cover, and which shape I’d pick for which build.
Stock tank sizes explained: 6ft, 8ft and 10ft round, oval and poly tanks, how much water they really hold, how many people fit, how much they weigh, and which size I’d pick for a hot tub or a plunge pool.
What does a cocktail pool really cost to build yourself in 2026? A line-by-line budget for a 12ft x 8ft DIY build, from the dig to the heat pump, in dollars and pounds.
How deep should a hot tub be? The water depth, seat heights, footwell and step sizes I design DIY hot tubs to, in feet and metres, and why they all depend on each other.
Imperial or metric plans? How to choose hot tub dimensions that suit the blocks, pipe, tiles and timber you can buy locally, plus the conversions and traps worth knowing.










