# Forum Home Renovation Pools, Spa & Water Features  Spa cover recessed in decking

## jacy_m

Hi all, 
We are considering getting an inground spa and using a lockable cover (this is allowed where I live). Some restrictions I think are imposed are that it must be operable by one person (with pulley/winch ok) and remain attached to the spa when opened. The spa will be constructed of concrete and a long rectangle (final size yet to be determined but we were thinking about 1.5m x 3m). It will probably end up shorter than that due to finances and future heating costs! 
I really hate the look of those normal vinyl spa covers and saw a picture where someone had used decking as a cover. The entire deck slid sideways underneath a giant planter box. I don't have the room for it to slide sideways, so I thought maybe it could be flush with the deck and when opened the the decked lid will have to fold up and depending on how many sections of lid there is - become a seat (3-4 sections) or stand vertically (2-3 sections). I only have extra space on the ends of the spa (hardly any space on the sides). When closed, the deck would just be flush and you wouldnt even know there was a spa underneath. The decked cover would need to support the weight of a person walking on it.    
These are my initial pictures on how the lid might look. There would have to be multiple pieces of this hinged together due to the size. I've got a couple of ideas on how the folding mechanism will function... But I have no experience in this field what so ever      
So is what I am proposing completely impossible? Or could it possibly work??

----------


## jacy_m

This is a photo of the example spa I got the idea from. I can't find a photo with the lid closed but you can see the track it runs on and how it tucks away under the planter box when the spa is in use.    
This is a photo similar how I would like it to look when finished, plus the lid would need to be somewhere up the end - either standing up vertically or folded up somehow. When the lid is shut, i would like it to be flush with the deck, so you wouldnt even know there was a spa underneath

----------


## Bloss

These are reasonable common and of many designs. Main concerns are: a) that the loads from the cover are taken to a solid structure and not by any part of the spa itself b) that the design is sufficient to take any potential load (so not juts one person, but perhaps a few!) and that includes that there is sufficient purchase on whatever it is supported by and that it can't be dislodged (people walking on an off, kids playing etc create dynamic loads). 
But it is just a wooden frame using joists so as long as the spans are within spec not a problem. Using steel would be OK to, but access to sizes for any design etc are probably harder to get without an engineer's advice. 
Any sections or folding too would need to be foolproof and failsafe - eg: cannot collapse inwards to the spa. The weight could be considerable so you need to think how it will be removed and replaced  - ideally it should be a one person job, but that means no more than 30-40 kgs at maximum - that's why the sliding mechanism is a good solution - but not flush of course.

----------


## jacy_m

Thanks for the reply 
I guess some sort of supporting structure could be built just outside of the concrete spa and be covered by the same bullnose pavers, so that the load is on the supporting structure, rather than the walls of the spa. Perhaps the concrete spa walls could be designed to take this additional weight though. I plan on building close to the fence line (if I can get council approval to do so), so would like to reduce the supporting width as much as possible 
The reason I thought aluminium might be more suitable was because it was lighter and would not rust. In regards to lifting it by one person, maybe a pole with a winch could be installed at one end of the spa. The (retractable) cable/s could hook onto a location in the middle of the lid and lift it up, which would cause the lid to fold into 2 pieces and stand up at one end of the spa. I drew a picture but I have no idea if this is possible to do 
I was planning on getting it engineer approved in regards to what loads it can support. It would only have to span 1500 or so, which I hope wouldn't be too much of a problem?

----------

