I looked at Mitch and asked "Do we need a Hot Tub?" He wasn't officially living at my house yet, and responded very diplomatically with "Well, do you want a hot tub?" Of course I wanted a hot tub, who doesn't want a hot tub?!? So I asked again, "Do we need one? We might need one." Mitch agreed, a hot tub would be really nice to come home to after a long day of dealing with teenagers... So I emailed the poster and said I'd like to come look at it.
We'll skip the boring part, and jump ahead to: I bought the Hot Tub!
I may have skipped over a few of the logistics when deciding to purchase a hot tub, but again- HOT TUB!
I assumed we'd use my dads truck, load it on the bed, drive it to my house, and lift it over the wall. 5-6 adults should be plenty, and my parents and brother had been roped into helping, but I was confidant I could recruit a few friends. Everyone is a winner when a hot tub is involved.
I was informed that I was wrong. Turns out hot tubs are really heavy- even when they're empty. And the yard we had to move it out of was lower than the very narrow alley and a truck couldn't back into the yard due to the steep slope. And apparently a hot tub can't just sit on the bed of a truck to drive across town. So my dad and brother went to Uhaul and rented a truck. My parents neighbor and Mitch's brother also got recruited to help in the moving of it, and with 6 adults we were able to lift it and move it into the Uhaul. When I drove Mitch's brother Jon home after it was loaded he very suspiciously asked whose idea it really was to get the hot tub. I assured him it was indeed mine and Mitch just supported it, he wasn't the mastermind. I'm pretty sure Jon thought I was crazy, but also the perfect match for his brother.
The hot tub was then unloaded in my garage. Where it sat for several weeks. We cleaned it up but there was no way it was being lifted over a 6 footwall. So plan B was concocted- Take down the wall!
Luckily my garage is an add-on and really just an enclosed car port, so the back wall is attached by 2x4s and a few bolts. I invited some friends over with promises of beer and pizza, and just like in Germany, the wall came down! The washer and dryer were moved, and the hot tub was lifted up by another 6-8 adults and moved the 30ish feet into it's new home. We rejoiced and drank beer and marveled about how awesome it was going to be.
Then came the next obstacle- making it work. My house is older and the electrical is sketchy at best. I had some friends look at it, but due to the high voltage, they didn't feel comfortable with the wiring. Luckily my mom has a friend who does electrical work and she and her husband were able to get it wired in an afternoon and for cheap.
We filled it up, flipped the switch, held our breath, and then rejoiced as it worked! We had a hot tub!
It's been put to good use, hosting many a relaxing evening and a few parties since it's relocation to my backyard. All totaled, it probably cost about $500, but it's been worth every penny. By far the best impulse purchase I've ever made! I look forward to many more hot tub evenings to come.
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