Creating a Backyard Oasis With a Costco Hot Tub
This spring we began our backyard project. We started with a muddy, blank slate with plans to add a fence, deck and a small hot tub. The end goal was to “create a backyard oasis as affordable as possible”!
We always do our research and being BIG Costco shoppers, we of course included them in our search. We settled on an Aquaterra Spa, available on the Costco Canada website. Not only was the size and price right, we loved the unique look and shape of the tub and we knew shopping from Costco would mean there was a good warranty and return policy if necessary.
Through the ordering process we found out that when you order this particular hot tub (maybe others as well), from Costco online, the “curbside delivery in 10-40 business days” is very accurate. We therefore placed our order to coincide with our backyard being ready for the hot tub.
The Aquaterra hot tub/spas sold by Costco are made to order and we received an email approximately 20 days after we ordered it, advising it had shipped. We notified the landscaper we were working with and he came and laid an 8x8 “pad” out of interlocking brick, sturdy and solid for the size of tub we had ordered. We had also already built the deck around where the pad for the hot tub would be and my husband had run the cable we would need to wire it.
Our next dilemma was figuring out how to get the hot tub into our backyard since delivery is to your driveway only.
Thanks to You Tube we learned how to make a type of “sled” out of some flooring underlay from Home Depot similar to a Crazy Carpet!). We made sure my husband was home on delivery day and we had two extra bodies to help move the tub. It went super smoothly, we even surprised ourself! And i sold the rest of the roll of underlay on Marketplace!
The Aquaterra Spa we purchased is called a “Plug and Play” which means you have the option of simply plugging it in and using it, or converting it like we did to 240 volt and wiring it into our electrical panel. My husband, being an electrician, was able to find and download the user manual for our Spa months before it was delivered and was able to purchase all the necessary supplies to do the conversion. Shopping at an electrical supply warehouse, the materials cost approximately $1000. it was a tedious job that took him a full day but we know it was done well and right.
Waiting for the hot tub to be wired into our home!
Filling the hot tub
Now it was time to fill the hot tub which holds 1000 litres of water and it took approximately four hours to heat it to 100 degrees Celsius with the insulated cover on it (that is included).
The various settings allow us to travel without worrying about heating the tub or running the pump. It has a setting that keeps the water filtered and the cover helps maintain some of the heat. It quickly reheats to our desired temperature within two hours.
Some of our favourite features of our 4 person Aquaterra Spa are the 22 jets, the adjustable waterfall and underwater multi-colour LED light. It comes wth an insulated thermal cover and convenient bottom drain.
We have never owned a hot tub and have easily learned how to run and maintain this one.
The control panel is compact and easy to use
To say I love this little hot tub would be an understatement! With the jets, lounge seating and underwater lighting, it is more than just a fun addition to our backyard, it is therapeutic and relaxing. Starting and ending the day in our new Aquaterra Spa is the best thing ever! And to think we were able to purchase it from Costco and DIY the installation!
We have truly created a backyard oasis that we will be able to use all year long.
