Thank you for watching the video and for the kind words. Great observation too on the smaller stuff we had thrown in there. That little bit of smaller gravel was actually some leftover gravel from another project that we just tossed in. It serves no purpose other than maybe it saved us a wheelbarrow of #57. :) Thank you for the question! -Dutch
Great video! I’m in Canada and can only source 6x6” 8ft ground contact PT. I’m building on a slight slope, so I’ll have to remove topsoil then ensure wood frame is level before adding fabric and gravel. Aside from the lag bolts, I’ve also seen recommendations to stake frame with 2 ft 1/2” rebar. Any thoughts?
Thank you for the compliment and especially for watching the video! I guess you could do the staking, but to me it is a little overkill. When you pack the rocks in, nothing moves and I am not 100% sure what the staking would do (if you pack layer by layer you'll be fine). Additionally, I don't like the idea of more wood penetration i.e. more holes for moisture to get in. It's been over a year and a half with no complaints so far for us. The only thing we will do next is apply another coat or two of sealer/stain. Good luck with your project! -Dutch
Thanks for this helpful video. Well done! Question, is that pea gravel I see between the chicken wire and flower bed felt? If not, what am I seeing? I looks smaller than the #57 material.
Hi Dave, great observation! That little bit of smaller gravel is what my wife used for some hardscaping in the area that we had left over, so we just tossed it in there to "use it.". -Dutch
Greetings! Thanks for the help! I have a TriStar coming, so the base is 6x6...but my yard isn't level. Any tips for leveling it off? It slopes down from our foundation. Not severe...about 2-3 inches. Thanks!
Thank you for watching the video...glad we could help a little bit with your project! Without getting heavy equipment involved, I personally would just use a square shovel and "shave" down so that you disturb the dirt as little as possible, leaving it compacted. It may be a bit more work and take some time, but it is what I did even though we didn't have slope, but did need to level out the ground as much as possible. Good luck with your project! -Dutch
Great video! I do have a question about patio stones on top of your wood frame and stone base. Do you know if patio stones on top are required or necessary? I am looking into buying a hot tub and just started researching. I was told you need a top layer of patio stones on the type of base you made. Thoughts?
Hello and thank you for the kind words! Patio stones could be added if you figured them into your overall depth and how you want the pad to look once finished and the hot tub on top. As a reference, once you pack the gravel in place it doesn't move. The better you pack the gravel the better the surface will be for the hot tub to rest on. I imagine some people say to put the patio stones in place for a "flat surface", which you will get a flatter surface, but how much more is needed? From our perspective/opinion they aren't necessary and this could ultimately boil down to personal preference. If you use the patio stones, you will need to know the exact dimensions so you can plan accordingly for the interior layout or plan on cutting the stone to fit. Best of luck in your project!
Thank you for good video and explanation. I am doing a base for hit tub - 6inch of HPB and 24*24 slabs. I am still thinking about the wood frame. Do you think it will be necessary?
Great question! The sole purpose of our wood frame was to contain the stone so that when we compacted the gravel is would have resistance to expansion. Without fully understanding your project (layout, design, etc) it would be hard for me to answer 100% a good answer. The only thing I can say is that with containment and good compaction, the gravel pad has worked flawlessly. I'd do it again if I had to, but probably have a bigger compactor! Good luck with your project!
What do you do to prevent the rough edge crushed stone from poking through the bottom of the hot tub, Which I assume is a not too thick plastic? If I used decomposed granite like stone dust I wonder if that defeats your drainage concern.
Hello! Great question! The stone is tamped flat so every edge is basically flat with each other. That is what is key...make sure to tamp the stone down very well! Thanks for watching the video! -Dutch
Hi Scott! Thank you for watching the video. As far as gravel size goes I don't know that there is a hard and fast "the gravel has to be such and such size." Thinking about your idea of 2" rock...that could be a good idea for the base, but for me I probably would still go with the smaller gravel for the surface of the hot tub to rest on. It potentially would allow for a better compacting to give a "smoother" surface for the tub to rest on. Just my 2 cents though. Thank you for the compliment and good luck with your project! -Dutch
Hi there! Good question. Probably how big the hot tub is (in gallons) would determine the depth of crushed gravel. The deeper it is the better you can pack it together and the more weight dispersal into the stone interactions. I believe our depth varied slightly across the bed as I didn't shoot for perfect level. If anything err on the side of more and you won't regret it. The key for the gravel pad is pack, pack, pack! Consider a driveway is 4" of concrete, so going more with gravel would probably be ideal. Good luck!
So the 4x6 board is in an orientation that puts the 6" "vertical". In other words our gravel is 6" deep and goes directly against the 6" length side of the board. That leaves the 4" facing up and into the dirt. Hope that helps! -Dutch
Hello! I believe we ended up getting just a tad over 1 cubic yard of the #57 washed granite and then my wife got another 1/2 cubic yard of #89 limestone for some decorative fill to match what we would do on our hardscaping around the hot tub. We got the stone from a local landscaping supply company. Hope this information helps! -Dutch
Would 1/4" or 1/2" minus be better to use? For suppor around I will have 2 sides against a cement retaining wall and the other 2 supported by compacted earth. My base will be roughly 6-9inches thick. Seems as most people in my area use 1/4" minus but am worried it's to small. Any input is appreciated. Thank you
Hello! Thank you for watching the video. I am assuming you are referring to the lag bolts. As long as they are long enough, the 1/4" lag bolt will be plenty. Regardless of what size you go with, predrilling will be very important to not split the lumber. Your 6-9" pad thickness will be more than enough! We have our hot tub installed (and filled) and everything set just perfect on ours. Pack the gravel good and you won't have any issues! Good Luck!!
Hello Eric! Thank you for the question and for watching the video. You can make the lumber flush with the ground if you like. The important part of the lumber is that it is severe weather rated or even better is "ground contact" rated. We added the water seal for coloring and even more wood preservation.
Hello! The hot tub frame will rest on the gravel. It is leveled and packed. There will be an inch or two gap so that any water that spills over the side can drain right down through the gravel. Thank you for the question!
This little ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxVoi3B4CB6Oygq1-vo4OTL1M_M5JkrXif tub works perfect in our 6 x 6 shower and is easy to get in and out. Also easy to drain.
Absolutely not! As long as you use the larger gravel and you pack it down real good you will be good to go. If you would like me to do a different video showing more detail on the Hot tub resting on the gravel or whatever just let me know!
Silly question for you...6 inches would be the depth correct? As in the 4x6 the 6 inch side is the one that is creating the depth of the gravel pad. Can you also let me know what your outside to outside measurement is? Looks great with the tub on it for dimensions. You said it was about 97 inches long but hard to tell what dimension that would be. Good job!
Hi there! Good question. We didn't have any notable stone shifting. I will make a follow on video shortly to show how things look so people can observe our hot tub having been in place now over 3 months. Stay tune and thank you for watching the video!
Great question! The black mat layer is not impervious completely, water can drain through it slowly. Between the matting and chicken wire, the goal was to prevent/stop/slow down any gravel settling issues. 99% of the water going through the gravel is just rain, not hot tub drainage water. I really appreciate your observation and it certainly is a fair question! -Dutch
There looks like 2 types/grades of gravel, smaller closer to the camera. Is that so and what is the smaller gravel? Thank you for a helpful video.
Thank you for watching the video and for the kind words. Great observation too on the smaller stuff we had thrown in there. That little bit of smaller gravel was actually some leftover gravel from another project that we just tossed in. It serves no purpose other than maybe it saved us a wheelbarrow of #57. :) Thank you for the question! -Dutch
Great video! I’m in Canada and can only source 6x6” 8ft ground contact PT. I’m building on a slight slope, so I’ll have to remove topsoil then ensure wood frame is level before adding fabric and gravel. Aside from the lag bolts, I’ve also seen recommendations to stake frame with 2 ft 1/2” rebar. Any thoughts?
Thank you for the compliment and especially for watching the video! I guess you could do the staking, but to me it is a little overkill. When you pack the rocks in, nothing moves and I am not 100% sure what the staking would do (if you pack layer by layer you'll be fine). Additionally, I don't like the idea of more wood penetration i.e. more holes for moisture to get in. It's been over a year and a half with no complaints so far for us. The only thing we will do next is apply another coat or two of sealer/stain. Good luck with your project! -Dutch
Thanks for this helpful video. Well done! Question, is that pea gravel I see between the chicken wire and flower bed felt? If not, what am I seeing? I looks smaller than the #57 material.
Hi Dave, great observation! That little bit of smaller gravel is what my wife used for some hardscaping in the area that we had left over, so we just tossed it in there to "use it.". -Dutch
Greetings! Thanks for the help! I have a TriStar coming, so the base is 6x6...but my yard isn't level. Any tips for leveling it off? It slopes down from our foundation. Not severe...about 2-3 inches. Thanks!
Thank you for watching the video...glad we could help a little bit with your project! Without getting heavy equipment involved, I personally would just use a square shovel and "shave" down so that you disturb the dirt as little as possible, leaving it compacted. It may be a bit more work and take some time, but it is what I did even though we didn't have slope, but did need to level out the ground as much as possible. Good luck with your project! -Dutch
Great video! I do have a question about patio stones on top of your wood frame and stone base. Do you know if patio stones on top are required or necessary? I am looking into buying a hot tub and just started researching. I was told you need a top layer of patio stones on the type of base you made. Thoughts?
Hello and thank you for the kind words! Patio stones could be added if you figured them into your overall depth and how you want the pad to look once finished and the hot tub on top. As a reference, once you pack the gravel in place it doesn't move. The better you pack the gravel the better the surface will be for the hot tub to rest on. I imagine some people say to put the patio stones in place for a "flat surface", which you will get a flatter surface, but how much more is needed? From our perspective/opinion they aren't necessary and this could ultimately boil down to personal preference. If you use the patio stones, you will need to know the exact dimensions so you can plan accordingly for the interior layout or plan on cutting the stone to fit. Best of luck in your project!
Great video!
Hello Jennifer! Thank you for watching and for the compliment!
Thank you for good video and explanation. I am doing a base for hit tub - 6inch of HPB and 24*24 slabs. I am still thinking about the wood frame. Do you think it will be necessary?
Great question! The sole purpose of our wood frame was to contain the stone so that when we compacted the gravel is would have resistance to expansion. Without fully understanding your project (layout, design, etc) it would be hard for me to answer 100% a good answer. The only thing I can say is that with containment and good compaction, the gravel pad has worked flawlessly. I'd do it again if I had to, but probably have a bigger compactor! Good luck with your project!
What do you do to prevent the rough edge crushed stone from poking through the bottom of the hot tub, Which I assume is a not too thick plastic? If I used decomposed granite like
stone dust I wonder if that defeats your drainage concern.
Hello! Great question! The stone is tamped flat so every edge is basically flat with each other. That is what is key...make sure to tamp the stone down very well! Thanks for watching the video! -Dutch
Is it Ok to go with slightly larger gravel? I think i am going to go with almost 2-inch gravel rock. Great video by the way.
Hi Scott! Thank you for watching the video. As far as gravel size goes I don't know that there is a hard and fast "the gravel has to be such and such size." Thinking about your idea of 2" rock...that could be a good idea for the base, but for me I probably would still go with the smaller gravel for the surface of the hot tub to rest on. It potentially would allow for a better compacting to give a "smoother" surface for the tub to rest on. Just my 2 cents though. Thank you for the compliment and good luck with your project! -Dutch
Where did u get the gravel from? Im looking to buy some to start my project
Hi there! We went went to a local garden supply store that has various rock, landscaping supplies, mulch etc...
@@dutchmenmodsandrepairs1427 ok thank you
is 4 inches standard amount of gravel? I'm building my own crushed concrete pad for my hot tub and trying to determine how deep to go.
Hi there! Good question. Probably how big the hot tub is (in gallons) would determine the depth of crushed gravel. The deeper it is the better you can pack it together and the more weight dispersal into the stone interactions. I believe our depth varied slightly across the bed as I didn't shoot for perfect level. If anything err on the side of more and you won't regret it. The key for the gravel pad is pack, pack, pack! Consider a driveway is 4" of concrete, so going more with gravel would probably be ideal. Good luck!
I am about to do this project. Which side of the boards is touching the ground, the 4in side or the 6in side?
So the 4x6 board is in an orientation that puts the 6" "vertical". In other words our gravel is 6" deep and goes directly against the 6" length side of the board. That leaves the 4" facing up and into the dirt. Hope that helps! -Dutch
Hello, How much total gravel did you use, and where did you purchase it?
Hello! I believe we ended up getting just a tad over 1 cubic yard of the #57 washed granite and then my wife got another 1/2 cubic yard of #89 limestone for some decorative fill to match what we would do on our hardscaping around the hot tub. We got the stone from a local landscaping supply company. Hope this information helps! -Dutch
We’re did y’all get the stones from
From a local landscaping supply business.
Would 1/4" or 1/2" minus be better to use? For suppor around I will have 2 sides against a cement retaining wall and the other 2 supported by compacted earth. My base will be roughly 6-9inches thick.
Seems as most people in my area use 1/4" minus but am worried it's to small. Any input is appreciated. Thank you
Hello! Thank you for watching the video. I am assuming you are referring to the lag bolts. As long as they are long enough, the 1/4" lag bolt will be plenty. Regardless of what size you go with, predrilling will be very important to not split the lumber. Your 6-9" pad thickness will be more than enough! We have our hot tub installed (and filled) and everything set just perfect on ours. Pack the gravel good and you won't have any issues! Good Luck!!
Can you make the 4x6 flush with the ground ?
Hello Eric! Thank you for the question and for watching the video. You can make the lumber flush with the ground if you like. The important part of the lumber is that it is severe weather rated or even better is "ground contact" rated. We added the water seal for coloring and even more wood preservation.
Do you need to stake the frame?
Hello! We didn't stake the frame as I didn't want any additional wood exposure points to moisture. -Dutch
Will the hot tub frame sit on the wood or the gravel?
Hello! The hot tub frame will rest on the gravel. It is leveled and packed. There will be an inch or two gap so that any water that spills over the side can drain right down through the gravel. Thank you for the question!
This little ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxVoi3B4CB6Oygq1-vo4OTL1M_M5JkrXif tub works perfect in our 6 x 6 shower and is easy to get in and out. Also easy to drain.
Thank you for watching the video and the kind comment!
So you don’t need the pavers with the gravel?
Absolutely not! As long as you use the larger gravel and you pack it down real good you will be good to go. If you would like me to do a different video showing more detail on the Hot tub resting on the gravel or whatever just let me know!
@@dutchmenmodsandrepairs1427 that would be AWSOME!👍🏽
did you use 4x6s or 4x4s ?
4 x 6.
Silly question for you...6 inches would be the depth correct? As in the 4x6 the 6 inch side is the one that is creating the depth of the gravel pad. Can you also let me know what your outside to outside measurement is? Looks great with the tub on it for dimensions. You said it was about 97 inches long but hard to tell what dimension that would be. Good job!
How did the move of the hot tub go with installation? Did you get a lot of stone shifting?
Hi there! Good question. We didn't have any notable stone shifting. I will make a follow on video shortly to show how things look so people can observe our hot tub having been in place now over 3 months. Stay tune and thank you for watching the video!
You said that the gravel will aid with drainage, why are you placing an impervious layer under the gravel? Seems counter intuitive.
Great question! The black mat layer is not impervious completely, water can drain through it slowly. Between the matting and chicken wire, the goal was to prevent/stop/slow down any gravel settling issues. 99% of the water going through the gravel is just rain, not hot tub drainage water. I really appreciate your observation and it certainly is a fair question! -Dutch