Top 80 Best Hot Tub Deck Ideas – Relaxing Backyard Designs
A hot tub is no doubt among the highest ranking luxuries one can procure for their home.
Having a hot tub in your own backyard is a mini luxury. It’s like having a piece of that vacation resort you visited at home. After a long day, you can slip into it with a glass of wine and let the stress melt away. Or perhaps you’ll invite friends over on a Saturday night for a party.
The hot tub is the first step; the deck is what completes the atmosphere. The right deck design makes it easier to get in and out of your hot tub. It can shade you from the sun and create a barrier from spying eyes.
Try these deck ideas in your backyard and create your own hot tub oasis.
1. Hot Tub Decks for Simple Backyards
The minimalist design and aesthetic looks modern and clean. So whether your backyard is small or large, you can embrace the simple approach. This means keeping the landscaping to a minimum and creating a decking area that has minimal details.
The most popular hot tub decks for simple backyards include using large stones or wood decking to create a large deck area around your hot tub. You’ll use one type of wood that’s cut into a uniform shape and size.
If you want to add some detail, you could create multiple levels. This will enable you to create steps that will raise your hot tub deck’s height and make it easier to get in and out of your hot tub.
When creating your simple backyard design, skip the railings on your deck, intricate wood designs, specialty lighting, and multiple material types.
2. Small Hot Tub Decks
Just because you have a small hot tub doesn’t mean you don’t need a deck. You can create the illusion of having a larger hot tub by constructing the right type of decking around it. The trick is to make your decking proportional to the hot tub.
Have your deck design wrap entirely around the hot tub. This lets you walk around the outside of the hot tub and create the illusion of more space. Next, drop your hot tub into the deck. The wood deck should be flush with the top of the tub. This hides the bulk of the hot tub body and hides its real size.
Try creating a patio area or outdoor space as a part of your deck design. You could create a seating area by building a bench around the outside edge of the hot tub. This allows people to socialize together both in and out of the tub. Or you could create a deck area next to the tub with comfortable seating. This gives you a nearby place to hop out and cool off when you’ve had enough of soaking in the tub.
3. Hot Tub Deck Landscaping Ideas
Don’t be afraid to include plants and greenery in your backyard design plans. You can still plant trees and brush around the outside of your deck. This will help to create a natural privacy barrier both visually and for sound. Try to choose native vegetation for the area so that you’ll achieve a natural look.
If you have a large wall and not a lot of ground space, you can plant a vine that will cling to the wall. Living in warmer climates means you can plant more lush and tropical plants like birds of paradise and palms. Arid climates of the southwest call for water hardy plants like cacti or grasses.
When your deck is large, and you can’t plant directly in the ground, you can place potted plants. This gives you the freedom to add color with seasonal flowers.
4. Poolside Hot Tub Deck Ideas
When a hot tub and pool are next to each other, it makes sense to create a single deck that wraps around both. This visually ties the two water elements together and creates a cohesive design to the backyard.
The most obvious approach is to have your wood deck built around both. But you may not want wood around your entire pool. In this case, you can build a smaller wood deck around a portion. This will create a beautiful design accent while also providing a comfortable walking space to access the hot tub without getting into the pool.
5. Tiered Decks for Hot Tubs
There are no rules about how you design your backyard deck. Creating tiers gives your deck visual interest and design. It also helps create naturally divided zones or living spaces. If your property isn’t perfectly level, tiers are an easy way to address the changing landscape.
You should always have a flat area that leads out of your home’s door. From there, you can have a step down or a step up to a tiered dining level. You could build your deck in another direction that has a separate tier for your hot tub. Then you could have another area that has casual seating and a fire pit.
Creating successful tiers will have a limited number of steps up or down. This eliminates having a traditional staircase to get from one level to the next.
6. Wooden Hot Tub Decks
Wood is the most popular material for building decks around a backyard swimming pool or hot tub. You’ll need a concrete slab to place your hot tub on. This gives it a secure and stable base that’s strong enough to support it. But concrete isn’t beautiful or attractive.
You don’t want to use just any wood for your deck project, though. Only use pressure treated or hardwood for your building project. Anything else will absorb moisture and rot. Even with pressure-treated wood, you’ll need to treat all sides of each piece of wood before you assemble your deck. This will ensure a reliable seal all of the way around each piece of wood.
Hardwoods are more expensive than pressure-treated wood, but they’re from high moisture environments, so the wood is designed to survive outside.
7. Hot Tub Decks for Natural Outdoor Spaces
One of the most enjoyable things about a hot tub is being able to soak outdoors. You can breathe in the pleasures of nature as you listen to the birds chirp. Some people are lucky enough to live in a remote place, where their backyard is mother nature and not more houses. For these people, an in-ground pool or hot tub naturally feels like they’re in the middle of nature.
For those of us who aren’t so lucky, you can still create this feeling of nature by including garden elements in your backyard design. Make your pool deck level with the top of your hot tub. This creates the illusion that you’re sitting within your surroundings. Then use rocks to create your privacy fence. Plant lush and thick greenery around your hot tub. Include flowers and plants that will attract birds or butterflies.
8. Large Decks for Hot Tubs
If you have a large backyard, you may choose to include your hot tub with a larger outdoor living plan. This is common in places where the ground isn’t flat, and people build an elevated deck level with the second floor of their home. In areas where the land is more level, a floating deck is used to create an elevated patio surface.
If you have an elevated porch, then a deck railing is a must for safety purposes. You should also have stairs that allow you to exit your home via the back door and take stairs down to the ground level.
Whether your large backyard deck is elevated or ground level, you need to create usable zones. One area will have your outdoor hot tub, another could have a fire pit with seating, or a space for a table and chairs. This creates an outdoor extension of your home for entertaining.
Keep in mind that hot tubs filled with water are very heavy. Should you choose to place one on an elevated deck, be sure to use the proper support and reinforcement. The best authority for this would be your local building inspector.
9. Composite Hot Tub Decks
Do you love the look of wood, but find the maintenance required a bit tedious? You aren’t alone. Wood looks beautiful the day it’s installed. But then it requires regular cleaning, staining, and sealing. Fail to do this, and your wood will fade, splinter, and warp. This will look ugly and be dangerous for people to walk on barefoot.
An alternative deck material to this is to use composite. It costs about the same or slightly more per square foot than cedar wood decking (and significantly more than pressure-treated wood).
You gain a lot of advantages for the extra cost. You don’t have to sand, seal, stain, or paint it. Just give it a cleaning once or twice a year, and you’re done. Composite decking is also stain, insect, and fade resistant, so it’ll look beautiful for years longer than a natural wood deck. You can expect your natural wood deck to last about 10 to 30 years, while composite can easily outlast that and may last as long as 50 years.
10. Pergolas, Gazebos, and Covered Hot Tub Decks
You want to use your hot tub more, but the sun is so harsh and bright that it makes it unpleasant to be in it. A roof structure can shade your hot tub and protect it from the trees above.
When creating your deck plans, think about adding a pergola. These are freestanding structures supported by four posts. The top is made from several cross beams, which leave open spaces between each beam. This gives you a shaded area below, but still plenty of opportunity for a breeze to flow through.
If you have trees that tend to drop leaves, pine needles, branches, or anything else, you’ll want to build a more solid roof. This will prevent all of that debris from falling in and around your hot tub.
When constructing your overhead structure, think about how the sun moves across the sky in relation to your hot tub. This will help you determine the best placement for the right amount of shade.
11. Privacy for Hot Tub Decks
Picture this: You’re relaxing in your jacuzzi, letting go of the stress from the day. You look over, and there’s your neighbor staring at you from their kitchen window as they wash dishes.
Or maybe the hot tub in your yard happens to be right outside your neighbor’s master bedroom window. You can’t blame the neighbor; modern housing is built close together, and your hot tub is entertaining to look at.
If you find yourself feeling exposed when using your hot tub, then it’s time to create some privacy. The most obvious way is to build a privacy wall.
You could create a spa-like atmosphere around your hot tub by using exotic hardwood. Or you could add stacked stone and mix the two materials together for an upscale look. Another option is to use your landscaping to create a natural wall of bushes.
Hot Tub Deck FAQs
Is the size of my hot tub important?
You can find hot tub deck designs to accommodate any size. The size of your hot tub is essential to ensure you design the right style of deck around your tub. It’s also crucial if you have an existing deck that you’re fitting your hot tub into. Measure the tub and yard space so you know what size deck you can build.
Do I need a fence around my hot tub as I do for my pool?
You should always check your local laws because jurisdictions can vary. But most states require that if your pool or hot tub is deeper than 300mm (about 1 foot), you need a fence. You can accomplish this by including a fence on your hot tub platform. But most people choose to build a fence around their entire backyard.
Is deck building a DIY project?
This depends on your level of experience with power tools, woodworking, and construction. If you aren’t confident and proficient in these things, then it’s best to leave your backyard deck construction to a professional deck builder. The more complicated your deck ideas are, the more likely you’ll need a professional deck builder. Remember, you and your guests will be walking around on it, so it needs to be safe and secure.
See some more backyard deck ideas here.
