Dear all,
Hope all is well at your end.
As a starting point, mods please point me in right direction if my message belongs to another channel etc.
We are having a bit of a dilemma at present.
We are close to moving into our property in Melbourne, Victoria. I have always wanted to have a backyard with pool but due to having typical estate issues we have a fairly large easement.
Me and my wife then ventured into looking at spa options and we settled into getting swim spa which basically, fulfills me getting kind of a pool and wife wins due to its spa properties.
Issue is only way we can get in due to easement issues is we need to place it essentially 200mm away from the dwelling, roughly I believe.
My questions are as follows:
Has anyone done something similar? We also do not want to breach CSIRO/VBA guidelines in relation to landscaping etc. I spent sometime couple of nights ago reading through the guidelines, and nothing was mentioned about the spa close to dwelling on a concrete. By the way, we will be doing the recommended concrete wrap around the house.
I have attempted to upload a photo (link: https://ibb.co/xS9hz60), where the blue border is the spa and as you can see it’s close to the 2 x bedroom windows which are going to be our future kids bedroom (if we get lucky). Windows from ground up to start of the window from bottom is essentially 1300 mm. Swim spa is around 1500 mm. so there is a little obstruction to the windows. I am not sure any legislation is against this kind of scenario.
Mrs. is keen but mother-in-law (the wise one) thinks, spa steam will come into the bedroom, means we can temporarily close the windows while we are using the spa etc. When we are not using it, we can put the cover on.
Investment in swim spa is significant and we do not want to get something which then ends up breaching our builder’s structural warranty.
Do we have any civil/structural engineers on this forum who can point me in the right direction.
What we are trying to achieve is, not F@#$ up our foundation or breach any laws. Is there a document available somewhere which says you cannot place a spa (nearly a tonne with water in it) so close to dwelling.
We just want to exhaust our options before we can move on. BTW, spa permit person reckons we should not have an issue getting the permit. They are obviously conflicted but if this is getting a tick from council then what issues I am not considering which bites me in the back side in future.
Looking forward to getting some wisdom from you all.
Having owned two spas and a pool or three.
The spa gets used a lot in first year or two, then less often. Then the most use is when you have to clean it and maintain it. Added to that the cost of heating eats the dollars.
The best spa is an above ground spa. You can even built a deck around it if you like. Then when it falls into disuse you can easily remove it. Removing an inground spa when you dont want the expense of maintaining it, can be very expensive.
Plus above ground can be left empty rather than having to be kept clean with chemicals etc. And also wont need all the easement approvals. (you cant leave an inground spa empty - the walls can collapse in.)
Would suggest you speak with an above ground spa company and get their opinion and ideas. At least to decide if this could be an option.