Plan ahead for your new hot tub. Having a hot tub plan can help you achieve a “built-in” look, and avoid the impression that the spa was an add-on. As you shop for a new hot tub, keep in mind the dimensions of the patio, deck or yard for your spa installation. Look through California home and garden magazine for design ideas. And browse through the photos of hot tub owners’ backyards for patio, deck, and spa installation ideas.
Access to the spa from the house is usually via an existing wood, concrete, or masonry patio. You may have secondary access to or from a lawn area that provides continuity between your house, spa, and yard. The area next to the stairs leading from the spa to the lawn provides the perfect spot for a flowerbed, or a towel tree.
Transition between spa decking and the lawn area. Strengthen the continuity between your house and yard by creating a “stepping-stone” effect:
Allow the ground cover (i.e. turf, grasses, moss, etc.) to grow between the stepping-stones to blend the hardscape (decking) to the softscape (lawn area).
Redwood rounds make nice stepping-stones. If your decking is masonry, match the brick, flagstone, or tile.
Install garden lighting along the pathway to your spa. Hot tubs feature LED interior lighting, including sparkling, backlit waterfalls in most models.