Pouring mud

For the slab, I had originally planned on buying bags of concrete and renting a mixer to mix the concrete required for a 6" slab that is 8' X 10'. But when the calculations came in requiring a 9" slab and I figured I would need 130 bags of concrete it was clear that I needed a concrete truck!
2 1/2 yards of concrete later we were finishing up the slab.
I got enough blocks at Home Depot for the first of 5 rows required for the spa. I also got the blocks for the steps which are a different size.
I was curious about how much the 8" X 8" X 16" weighed. Do you want to guess? 35 pounds! Thank goodness I'm only going to need around 180 of them. Wait a minute, that's 6,300 pounds in concrete blocks alone! Maybe I shouldn't keep wearing flip flops in case I drop one!
While the concrete cured I began cutting the 3" holes in the concrete blocks for the spa jet housings and return lines. The hole cutter is pretty serious and requires a little patience or you run the risk of the cutter catching and twisting the drill out of your hand. I've cut about half the number of blocks that I need.

Putting in rebar

The County required me to have 1/2" rebar placed through the slab and up the walls every 16". I had not planned on putting in rebar when I started, which is probably a good thing, since I've never placed rebar before and I may have bagged the whole thing had I known!
I knew my brother Fred had worked with steel and that he had the tools to work it, including 3' bolt cutters, so I had a dozen, 20' lengths of #4s delivered.
I got to know Dave Rose when I first came to High Point and he and his company were constructing the concrete stadium seats overlooking the field, and later when he built the music building. He explained to me how to place the rebar and lent me his rebar cutter/bender to do the work. The right equipment makes alot of difference!
I cut, bent and placed the rebar after I leveled the hole and built the forms.
I passed inspection and I was ready to pour mud!

Digging continued with the help of Tommy (actually he is a big help, but I thought this picture was funny). Half way there I remembered the footings I had set for the play structure that I built for Tommy and Katie when they were little. I remembered them because they happen to be right where I was digging for the spa! Now I had to figure out how to get rid of these footings as well as a bunch of other concrete and bricks that were piling up quickly. I obviously couldn't throw them in the trash. Weeks went by and wouldn't you know, my neighbor needed a low dumpster just for concrete that he let me put the heavy stuff in when he was done!
By now I was getting an education in the permit process through L.A.County. The good news was that I got my plans back in 2 days when they said it would be weeks. The bad news was that they came with a list of corrections and requirements that included getting an architect and structural engineer to review my plans and do calculations to justify my plans.
I knew we used an architect at High Point for the kindergarten play yard and we were going to use him again for another project soon. He turned out to be an SC guy and generously agreed to sign my plans and recommend an engineer. The result was a successful effort that eventually resulted in approved plans and a permit to build the spa.
Back to the hole to finish it up, build the forms, set the rebar and prepare for pouring the slab.

From the beginning

Sometime in April I had completed enough research into the zoning and setback requirements to make some drawings and layout the proposed placement of the spa.
I submitted plans to L.A. County in the first of 3 steps to get a permit to build the spa.
I had to dig out the St. Augustine grass before I could even start digging the hole. I cut it with a flat-nosed shovel, pulled each piece out and turned it over so it would dry out so I could knock the dirt off and throw away the grass.
April 17th I started digging and found out just how nasty it can get throwing dirt around. I started wearing a mask and quickly went to a handkerchief over my nose and mouth. I remember thinking that the hole did not seem to be getting any bigger! I used what I thought was a lot of dirt for the tortoise planter, and then I started to realize that there was much more dirt to come out. Where was I going to put it?

First entry

Hello! This is my first entry as I chronicle my journey to dream, research, design, draw, permit, build, use and enjoy a 6' x 8' in-ground spa!
I'm planning on doing most of the work myself. I bought a book 2 years ago and I have been thinking about it since. This summer I'm finally going to do it. I'm going to build the spa!
It will be made of concrete blocks built on a concrete slab. The plumbing is large (2 1/2" and 2") pvc. I plan on tiling the entire inside.
It will be inground with about a foot out of the ground. I'm planning on a waterfall at one end.
The next entries will feature pictures, drawings and descriptions for you to keep up with my progress as I boldly go where no man has gone before. Not really, but I had to get that in here somewhere.
Spatrek Man