Spa Pad

[Cowboy0001]

I need to prepare a site for my 8' square spa. When it is full of water and people I am looking at a weight of 6,000 lbs. I currently have red brick pavers in the place where the spa will be going but it is uneven from the run off of rain water coming from my roof. I believe I have three choices here: 1) level the pavers and use that as my pad "if" they will handle the weight, 2) pour 1 yard of concrete 6" thick, 3) purchase interlocking blocks to lay as the pad. Can you advise on each for my options?

Also, I will be building a 15' x 20' free standing deck 20.5 " high around this spa and the deck will have a roof over it. The roof will serve two purposes: provide a place to build a gutter system for controlling the rain water run off coming from the house and second- enable me to screen in the deck at a later time.

I am a disabled Vet and have to work with broken joints in my legs and hips so I have to break this project into small portions I can handle. Any advice you can offer is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Kevin.

[kactuskid]

The best base for your spa would depend on what the ground in your area is made of and how much you want to spend. If it's clay then winter freeze and thaw can cause the earth to move so bricks and pavers will heave a bit and any water directed towards these will also errode the earth beneath. You'll definatly want a compacted gravel base beneath any material to provide drainage.

Below are a couple of links to show you some options depending on your situation.

http://www.spadepot.com/spacyclopedia/setup.htm

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/gardening/1273601.html

You'll also need to install 220 volts electrical to the spa so digging a trench 18" deep for the conduit will be required.