Spa or hot tub? In-ground or portable? This guide will help you maneuver through these tough decisions.

Planning for a Spa
The general distinction between a hot tub and a spa is construction. Hot tubs, first popularized in California, are made of wood. Spas come in a rainbow of shapes and sizes. Most portable spas are made of acrylic while most in-ground varieties are concrete.

Portable and In-Ground Spas
Portable spas average between $2,000 and $12,000, depending on size and features. In-ground spas average between $15,000 and $20,000. It is often more cost-effective to build them in conjunction with an in-ground pool.

Aside from costs, the advantages and disadvantages of portable and in-ground spas vary.

Portable
Advantages:

• These all-in-one units come equipped with the spa, support equipment, and skirting that hides the equipment.
• Easy to install. They can be operational in a matter of hours.
• Suitable for small yards.
• You can take it with you if you move -- unless you have built it into a deck or patio.
• Typically very energy efficient.
• They often have more jets than their in-ground counterparts.
• Because of the standard shapes and sizes, purchasing accessories like covers is easy and economical

Disadvantage

• Difficult to disguise, many portable spas become an unwanted focal point of a landscape, sticking out above the surface.
• You are limited to the size and shapes offered by manufacturers.

In - Ground
Advantage

• You can customize their shape and size.
• They can easily be integrated into a deck or patio.
• Teamed with a pool or other features they can turn your yard into a dramatic landscape.

Disadvantage

• They are more costly because, essentially, you are building a miniature pool with water jets.
• They must be built by a professional.
• The more features, such as additional jets, increase the cost because of the construction and additional fittings involved.

Indoors or Out?
Indoor spas are typically made of formed acrylic. Outdoor spas come in a variety of materials, including:

• Acrylic. Acrylic spas come in preformed designs although manufacturers offer a large variety of shapes and sizes to suit your needs.
• Concrete. Easy to customize to your site.
• Tile. Tile often adds a nice decorative touch to a spa. Tile spas are labor intensive and tend to cost more.
• Gunite. As for a swimming pool, the site is excavated, forms are put in place, and the gunite product is applied.