Our 8-year old hot tub hasn't worked for 2 or 3 years, and I finally got my Dad started on fixing it this summer. About a week ago, we went to Royal Spa and talked to their engineers about getting it repaired, but just hauling it to the factory would cost $1,000 in itself. Fixing the cracked pipes (from water freezing in them over the winter) would cost even more. So, we looked at other options. The final decision was to recycle the old hot tub and buy a new one at a discounted price because it was our second purchase.

Well, two days ago, our old hot tub was taken away. That left one problem: a giant hole in the deck where it sat. Here is what the deck looked like right after our old hot tub was lifted out and taken away:



Yesterday, Dad and I bought the treated lumber to build the framework that will sit in the hole. The new hot tub will sit on top of that, making it even with the deck. We screwed all the pieces together on top of the deck, then pushed it into the empty square. Moving the assembled framework was probably the hardest part. One 2 x 12 x 8 is heavy, but when you attach 9 of them together, it's nearly impossible to lift.



Dad is thinking about buying more 2 x 12 x 8 lumber to make the framework sturdier. That will be the next step. Otherwise, now it's just a matter of waiting for the new hot tub to be finished and delivered.