After a couple years in the house we rehabbed on a shoestring and seeing as how the deck made from free recycled wood made it thru the extreme frosts we had this winter we are about to do the unthinkable and actually buy something new.
We have long wanted our own hot tub and have used others enough to really know that it would be a great thing for both of us and our plan with this house has always been to make the house a kind of destination resort for us without having to get in the car and go anyplace. So maybe the destination idea is more for friends and family to come join us. Its also kind of fitting the little town we live in was 100 years ago a destination location for people to come to from all over the world and it once had 22 hotels. Cambridge Springs Pa was known for its mineral springs that would cure anything that was wrong with you. The town prospered until modern medicine of the 1940s explained that there really wasnt anything special about the water here. That and the interstate highway system made train travel obsolete. And being exactly half way between NYC and Chicago on the main rail line no longer was important.
Well we want to capture a bit of that history along with todays technology and medical reasoning explains maybe this soaking in hot water when its 30 below zero outside isnt without merit and if nothing else it might have some mental benefits even if it wont cure gout.
Being a cheap bargain hunter by nature I believe she calls me a cheap SOB I started my search where I always do on Craigslist and soon found out a used hot tub from a fraternity house was not going to be acceptable to the little woman. I found a few that were ok but maybe 6 or 8 years old and selling for 75% of what they paid for them. Most people it seems are upgrading to something better as the technology in these tubs has went from hot water and bubbles to some really powerful massaging machines that offer some real therapeutic benefits. Not to mention they are way more energy efficient and have all kinds of maintenance improvements.
When we made the decision (she did) to actually shop in a real store, we have 4 places close that sell this stuff and only one of them I didnt feel like I was being lead down the primrose path by a slick talking used car salesman turned spa salesman. It happened the place we liked also sold the brand we like (she liked) and after research I liked. I think some of the people here have some experience so I would welcome any opinions on the brand and model we want to get. We like the Caldera Brand and the model is the Geneva. Here is a link to what we are thinking about.
http://www.calderaspas.com/shop/utopia/geneva
I was pretty set on the Marino as its priced 30% lower and Im sure would be a really nice tub, but as she pointed out its more the tub people were upgrading away from.
http://www.calderaspas.com/shop/vacanza/marino
I find it strange at this age in my life making a purchase of something purely frivolous is so hard to do. All those years of always prioritizing and providing for others I guess put me in a mindset more like my parents had instilled in me being they came from the depression era. I kind of am justifying the purchase by thinking this will keep me going and working longer and harder as a result. When what I really know is I just want the decadent luxury of jumping in this thing a couple times a day.
Well I will have a whole bunch of questions about wiring this up and if my deck can take the 6000 pounds of weight. I thought it would at the time I built it but now Im thinking a few more posts wouldnt hurt. But for now I was just wondering if there were other spa people in the forum and what you think of the plan.
We have long wanted our own hot tub and have used others enough to really know that it would be a great thing for both of us and our plan with this house has always been to make the house a kind of destination resort for us without having to get in the car and go anyplace. So maybe the destination idea is more for friends and family to come join us. Its also kind of fitting the little town we live in was 100 years ago a destination location for people to come to from all over the world and it once had 22 hotels. Cambridge Springs Pa was known for its mineral springs that would cure anything that was wrong with you. The town prospered until modern medicine of the 1940s explained that there really wasnt anything special about the water here. That and the interstate highway system made train travel obsolete. And being exactly half way between NYC and Chicago on the main rail line no longer was important.
Well we want to capture a bit of that history along with todays technology and medical reasoning explains maybe this soaking in hot water when its 30 below zero outside isnt without merit and if nothing else it might have some mental benefits even if it wont cure gout.
Being a cheap bargain hunter by nature I believe she calls me a cheap SOB I started my search where I always do on Craigslist and soon found out a used hot tub from a fraternity house was not going to be acceptable to the little woman. I found a few that were ok but maybe 6 or 8 years old and selling for 75% of what they paid for them. Most people it seems are upgrading to something better as the technology in these tubs has went from hot water and bubbles to some really powerful massaging machines that offer some real therapeutic benefits. Not to mention they are way more energy efficient and have all kinds of maintenance improvements.
When we made the decision (she did) to actually shop in a real store, we have 4 places close that sell this stuff and only one of them I didnt feel like I was being lead down the primrose path by a slick talking used car salesman turned spa salesman. It happened the place we liked also sold the brand we like (she liked) and after research I liked. I think some of the people here have some experience so I would welcome any opinions on the brand and model we want to get. We like the Caldera Brand and the model is the Geneva. Here is a link to what we are thinking about.
http://www.calderaspas.com/shop/utopia/geneva
I was pretty set on the Marino as its priced 30% lower and Im sure would be a really nice tub, but as she pointed out its more the tub people were upgrading away from.
http://www.calderaspas.com/shop/vacanza/marino
I find it strange at this age in my life making a purchase of something purely frivolous is so hard to do. All those years of always prioritizing and providing for others I guess put me in a mindset more like my parents had instilled in me being they came from the depression era. I kind of am justifying the purchase by thinking this will keep me going and working longer and harder as a result. When what I really know is I just want the decadent luxury of jumping in this thing a couple times a day.
Well I will have a whole bunch of questions about wiring this up and if my deck can take the 6000 pounds of weight. I thought it would at the time I built it but now Im thinking a few more posts wouldnt hurt. But for now I was just wondering if there were other spa people in the forum and what you think of the plan.