My house has an existing pool, but my wife wants to add a hot tub. Research seems to indicate that is it possible, but I'm curious what kind of money I'm looking at. Anyone have any guesses? I'm thinking to utilize the existing pool equipment/plumbing, we are basically looking at a pool renovation along with the hot tub. Just don't see any other way to "connect" them without doing some alterations to the pool.

Rule 1. I say go for the hot tub then send pics.

James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub!

The biggest mistake I did when building my pool was having an attached " built-in" hot tub. Horrible idea. The built ins are nothing but a fancy concrete bench in a concrete bowl of hot water with 5 or 6 jets that require hours to heat up ( depending on how far you are from your heater.)...
We ended up just buying a great stand alone, always hot and ready, comfortable as hell spa with all sorts of massage jets and seats etc for a fraction of the built in.
The stand alone are FAR superior to the poolside built ins in EVERY WAY ! I'll never waste money again on a built in spa.

Pool builder told me it is much more expensive to add after the fact.

Our hot tub that's connected to the pool heats up in about 10 minutes. We spent some extra money with jets. Instead of just single jets, two of the seating areas have like a panel of jets built into the side. Hits a large area of your body. As good as any stand alone hot tub I have ever been in. It's all about what you want and how much $ you're willing to spend.

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I'm thinking to utilize the existing pool equipment/plumbing,

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With a new pool, a hot tub will add about 10k to the cost. You'll be looking at more than that as this (maybe 40-50% more IMO) It will be a smaller job & more of a hassle that just tacking it on to an new pool. You have all the trades for a pool involved & will get billed higher sf costs due to the small scale of the project.

I don't think you'll be able to utilize the existing pool equipment as hot tub have their own pumps/heaters/controls etc.

The poster who said "buy a separate hot tub" is a good idea IMO. Or, skip that & spend it instead on blowing out your master bathroom (you'll get a much better return on your investment there for resale). Make the shower like a sauna, nice and big enough for two, be sure to include a bench. Trust me on the bench.

This might sound like a joke, but look into the Coleman inflatable hot tubs. My brother in law has one, and they are awesome, for just a few hundred bucks. It will get up to 106 or so, and it is sturdy enough to sit on the edges.

I just had a buddy buy a big stand-alone hot tub. Said they will finance it for 10 years.

Holy moses. Buy a $5,000 spa for the low, low price of $8,000.

The Original AG 76 said:

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The biggest mistake I did when building my pool was having an attached " built-in" hot tub. Horrible idea. The built ins are nothing but a fancy concrete bench in a concrete bowl of hot water with 5 or 6 jets that require hours to heat up ( depending on how far you are from your heater.)...
We ended up just buying a great stand alone, always hot and ready, comfortable as hell spa with all sorts of massage jets and seats etc for a fraction of the built in.
The stand alone are FAR superior to the poolside built ins in EVERY WAY ! I'll never waste money again on a built in spa.

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We had a pool built last year and we opted for a standalone hot tub vs a built in with pool one. I think it's showing itself to have been a very wise decision.

Retro-fitting an existing in-ground pool's plumbing to incorporate a hot tub is a nightmare. I've done it, and everyone involved would be better off if we had just wired up a pre-fab'd spa & stuck it in a corner with some tasteful landscaping.

PM me or reply if you want the pros and cons.

$10,000 for all the bells and whistles. Approx 6 feet long, four wide and four deep. Build it bigger than you think it should be. Warms up in 10-15 minutes except for coldest days of winter. Houston TX for temp reference.

Depending on how resticted your neighborhood is, most above ground hot tubs are not permitted per CCRs. Just make sure it's permitted if you go that route.

FIDO 96 said:

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Depending on how resticted your neighborhood is, most above ground hot tubs are not permitted per CCRs. Just make sure it's permitted if you go that route.

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hmmm. Ive lived in multiple HOA hoods and a hot tub has never been excluded . It is the ultimate " none of you business" item as it is , by nature, hidden behind the privacy fence, technically portable and can be seen in the same description of glorified patio furniture or large grills. Never heard of any needing to get permission for a hot tub. NOW above ground POOLS are absolutely another matter and , for good reason, prohibited in most HOA restricted hoods.

CE Lounge Lizzard said:

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James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub!

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Good gawd. Rub a dub indeed.

The Original AG 76 said:

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The stand alone are FAR superior to the poolside built ins in EVERY WAY ! I'll never waste money again on a built in spa.

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1. Its always hot
2. Apples to apples its cheaper (ours was/is)
3. Easy to maintain
4. Under roof & in view of TV, so usable 365 days
5. If you move, it moves with you.

Another thing to consider is the equipment needed for a built-in . Don't let the builder fool you into thinking that your pool plumbing is PVC... LIE ... All pool plumbing is made from PLP pipe...Probable Leak Path pipe. The additional pipe runs and WORSE the valves required are NOTHING but guaranteed employment devices for pool repairmen. KEEP IT SIMPLE !

Rule of thumb....... new build hot tubs run ~$1,000 per foot diameter

After the fact additions run ~$2,000 per foot diameter.

Over my career I've probably created over 100 HOAs. The trend over the last 5 years is to lump any non-permanent pool structure in the "above ground pool prohibition". What's behind this is the increasing popularity of above ground "endless or stationary lap pools" that are nothing but a glorified above ground pool with a water jet at one end. Sellers of these pools claim them more similar to hot tubs vs the above ground pool because it's pretty well known most HOAs don't allow any AGPs today. Most CCRs either outright deny or require ARC approval.

...and that's why l live on acreage with no HOA.