Can you build a Hot Tub in a Basement?

In short, the answer is yes. You can definitely build a Hot Tub in a basement. There are however, a number of design considerations that you need to think about. In this post, we will examine what the design considerations are for putting a hot tub in a basement.

Background

Over the last few months, I have been asked on several occasions to design a hot tub for a basement. It seems to be a “thing”. I guess it makes sense as the chances of you getting a plastic shell tub into a basement is next to none!

In general, there is just not the access. As more and more people are renovating their basements, I think this is going to become more and more popular. It is also a fantastic use of the space – there are just a few considerations you need to thing about when designing a hot tub for a basement.

Design Considerations

Size

The space available in basements does not tend to be the same as is available in your garden. Go figure?

Therefore, you need to work with a smaller sized hot tub. This is fine of course. Some of the things you can do to save space is make the seats narrower to give you a larger footwell.

You can always remove the seats at each end to give you more space inside the tub.

You can of course go for am “interesting” shape to make best possible use of the space you have available.

In ground or Step Up?

This question is not one that should be taken lightly. If you are going to dig down, you have the possibility of disturbing the foundations of your home. The last thing you want to do is that!

Usually, in a basement because of the foundations there is already a good solid concrete floor. Therefore, it can often be easier to build an “above ground” tub that you step up into.

One thing to think about here is the head height available. You tub is going to be a minimum of 1 meter deep / 3’6 so be mindful of the height of the ceiling. Last thing you want to be doing is banging you head on the way in a and out!

Control Room Location

With space at a premium in a basement, where are you going to locate the pump, blower, filter and heater – aka the control room?

One of the things you can do is build a set of steps onto the tub which can have access to the control room underneath.

This is quite a popular way of doing it as you can box in the control room – have some form of hinged access and then tile the whole things so it looks fully integrated.

Overflow/Overfill Drainage Considerations

OK, so the image I have chosen here is probably an overkill. That said, having some form of overspill/drainage is really important. If you think that the tub located in a basement is unlikely to have a skimmer – it is just not needed.

Therefore, you have to be mindful of how full you fill the tub. There should be 4″. /10cm of gap from the top of the brickwork/tiles to the water level below. This is to allow for displacement. An average adult displaces 70 litres / 15.4 gallons of water when they get into a tub.

This water need to be allowed for in the design. Also, the last thing you want in a basement is the water to overspill and flood the place!

You should hard plumb into the drain system of the property a drain that will allow the water to escape if the tub is over-filled or there are too many people in it!

Dehumidifying / Air Flow

By definition, basements tend to be below ground. There are usually not windows available. This creates a potential problem for a Hot Tub. What I mean is that the hot tub can cause damp and mould in the basement due to lack of air flow.

Therefore, it is a big consideration that you should be looking for some kind of dehumidifying system. This will remove the moisture from the air and in turn reduce the chances of damp and mould patches developing.

Air flow is key to this so you will need to size up the unit for the specific space that you have available. Whilst I depict stand alone units above in the image, you are going to want to opt for a more permanent wall mounted option for your dehumidifying.

There are units out there that will heat the space, remove the moisture and cool the space in the summer if it gets too warm. These multi-purpose units are well worth checking out.

Conclusion

It is most definitely possible to build a Hot Tub in your basement. There are however, a number of elements you need to consider. Size, location, orientation along with air flow are probably the main points swiftly followed by the control room location.

Happy Hot Tubbin’

Can I Help You?

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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.

Today, I've helped over 1000 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