Hot tub in a shed? What a great time it would be outside chilling with the boys relaxing in a hot tub watching the game relaxing outside on a nice brisk day. Could a shed realistically have a hot tub in it? Would the hot tub fit into the shed? All of these questions racing through my head with one true question at the root: Can you put a hot tub in a shed?
It is not recommended that you put a hot tub inside a shed. Sheds are designed to act as a storage unit or as a small workstation. To properly use a hot tub, you would need sufficient space, the proper utilities, and the proper environment to support it.
Is it impossible? No, but challenging yes. If you don’t prepare your shed properly than you could run into a host of problems and your wonderful hot tub could turn into a constant work and take your shed with it.
We’ll also be going into the best place to put a hot tub and a way for you to renovate your shed to be capable of housing a hot tub.
What is a shed used for?
Sheds are classified as small structures that serve to either be a storage unit or as a small workstation, as mentioned earlier. We’ll be assuming that your shed has four walls, a roof, and a door. It’s important that we make this distinction clear as to what purpose the shed is being used for.
Sheds are different from other structures because they, in fact, do not need any permits or regulations for them to be built under many circumstances. Depending on the size and base of your structure, however, you may need a permit under some circumstances. You will have to discuss with your local county office if your shed requires one.
Keep in mind that there are two vastly different kinds of sheds.
Tool Sheds
Multipurpose Sheds
Tool sheds often have the following characteristics:
- Made out of wood
- Usually around 64 sqft (can be a bit more or a bit less depending on what you use it for)
- Usually only has electricity as a utility(if any)
- One-story tall
- Capable of standing without a foundation or columns.
It’s important to understand what sheds are to properly plan out how you can best use your current spaces. We will talk a little more about multipurpose sheds below in the section of how to put a hot tub in your shed the right way.
Hot tubs: A brief overview
Hot tubs, also known as jacuzzis, are temperature-controlled tubs of water used for leisure purposes. Hot tubs require a lot of resources and energy to function properly. They come with many different features, ranging from water pressure therapy through its jets, temperature control, and an opportunity for other water therapy activities (salt bath, herb bath, etc.).
Hot tubs are usually delivered and installed by the manufacturer. This ensures that the hot tub will work properly and avoids any mishaps down the road due to improper installation(leaks, short-circuit, etc.)
The important thing to know about hot tubs are the following:
- Usually made out of PVC, Fiberglass, or any material capable of insulating heat well.
- Requires specific utilities such as plumbing and electrical. Lighting and mechanical utilities can also play a role depending on what type of hot tub you plan on getting and where you plan on placing it.
- Hot tubs have cabinets that are usually located along with their exterior shell.
- Hot tubs usually have a remote control for their different features. Nowadays, there is usually a dedicated app for this by the manufacturer.
- Energy efficiency is an important aspect to consider. Manufacturers usually achieve this by adding more installation, smart design, utility planning, etc.
These are the details that you should know while planning to install a hot tub in your home. Remember that this is just a brief overview and that you should practice due diligence in researching ways to get the best out of your future hot tub.
Why hot tubs and sheds don’t mix
Hot tubs and sheds don’t mix because of a variety of reasons. Below is a list of reasons why hot tubs and sheds don’t mix.
- Hot tubs exude a lot of moisture.
Hot tubs, as the name implies, involves heating the water to a relatively high temperature. This high temperature will cause the water to evaporate into the air, which creates humidity and causes moisture to form in the nearby environment.
Moisture can be devastating to your shed if left to get out of hand. In fact it can be fatal to your shed unless you take care of it early. In this article we discuss how to catch it early and take care of it.
Sheds are often closed, made out of wood, and are relatively small compared to other structures. You can already guess that this would not work well with how a hot tub affects its immediate environment.
- Hot tubs need a lot of utilities to work
We mentioned earlier that sheds typically only have electricity as a utility, usually for lighting or power tools/appliances. Hot tubs need electricity, plumbing, and even mechanical(depends on what type of hot tub you’ll use) utilities for them to function properly.
Unfortunately, your shed most likely does not have the adequate utilities to support a hot tub. Considering our first point, utilities may even be damaged if a hot tub were to operate inside a confined space.
- Hot tubs need space
Hot tubs often measure around 7ft x 7ft x 4ft. That’s around 49 sqft, and as we mentioned earlier, a shed typically measures around 64 sqft.
Aside from the hot tub occupying 49 sqft, you also need to consider how much space you need to use the hot tub properly. A 3 ft allowance around the hot tub would turn that 49 sqft into 100 sqft, which is way beyond what a typical shed is capable of housing.
- Hot tubs are not designed for the average tool shed
If we think about it, hot tubs are supposed to be a luxury addition to any home, considering how expensive they are to purchase, use, and maintain. Trying to fit a hot tub inside a cramped shed would not only be a stretch to even fit, but also a odd combination that may cause an eyesore.
Best place to put a hot tub
Since you looked up this article, we’re assuming that you’re finding a way to add a hot tub to your house. The good news is that we’re also going to briefly cover that in this article by going into the requirements and considerations for a hot tub.
A classic style that you can’t go wrong with is placing your hot tub on top of a deck with good landscaping surrounding the area.
Also, if you are looking to place your shed on your deck as a possible location for the hot tub than check out our article that discusses the possible complications about a shed on a deck.
Decks provide enough space for a hot tub to function properly, provide easy ventilation since it’s already outdoors, provide easy access from the house since it’s attached to it, and just work in terms of proximity to other utilities.
Creating a structure to house your hot tub
Since you also looked up if it’s possible to put a hot tub instead of a shed, we’ll also be assuming that you want your hot tub to be somewhere that’s outdoor, separate from your house, has four walls and a roof.
One of the largest differences you will encounter is that this new structure will require a permit. If you are putting utilities into a shed you are almost guaranteed to have to get a permit. Only sheds under a certain size(determined by the county) with not foundation can go without a permit.
Based on what we’ve established so far, a shed is not an ideal location for a hot tub because it lacks the appropriate amount of space, lacks utilities, and the general designs of sheds don’t work with a hot tub.
However, there is no reason why you cannot have a small structure built for your hot tub, one that we call a multipurpose shed. It will be much more expensive, will require more things to maintain, and will definitely cause some headaches during installation, but it does also provide its own benefits.
The main difference between this small structure and a regular shed is:
- Sizing
The structure should be capable of housing the hot tub and having an allowance for other functions (Keeping towels, keeping dry clothes, table for food & drinks, etc.)
- Ventilation
Good ventilation can be achieved through either windows or louvers. Moisture build-up and air quality should not be a problem as long as there is a proper exchange of air.
- Utilities
Proper planning and alignment of plumbing fixtures, electrical wires, lighting, etc., are important to ensure that your hot tub can function well and efficiently.
This is probable the greatest challenge as the allowable permitted proximity of the structure to the home may in question. If you want to know how close you can have your shed to your home than check out our article that discusses it.
- Proper material treatment
As mentioned earlier, moisture and humidity need to be compensated for. The walls, floorings, and ceilings of the space should be treated to withstand continuous moisture.
- Planning
Access points, movements around the space, usage of different parts of the space, etc., should all be accounted for and considered when planning the layout and design of this small structure for your hot tub. Don’t forget to submit your new shed plans to the county for approval.
- Design
Sheds are usually boring because they only serve as outdoor storage. Since this small structure will be housing a hot tub, it should be designed so that it looks like it. Good design and aesthetics could be expressed through the shape, form, layout, finishes, etc. of the structure.
We wrote a few articles listed below to discuss different design elements of your shed and how to get the look you are looking for:
There’s no reason why you can’t have your shed renovated to meet these requirements. However, take note that you’ll most likely need to work with professionals to get this type of job done, considering that it’s much more complex than what a shed should be.
Conclusion
A hot tub is an expensive fixture to purchase and to own. As such, it’s recommended that homeowners practice the due diligence needed to ensure that their hot tub will work efficiently, properly, and is capable of lasting. Sheds are simplistic structures meant for basic purposes. With enough effort, they can be redesigned into something capable of housing a hot tub.