Mum Dodges £500 Spend On Hot Tub Shelter By Building Her Own For £113
- Simone, 35, didn’t want to spend £500 on a hot tub shelter
- She designed and built her own for £113 using bargains from Wickes
- She saved money by using leftover timber from previous projects
So you’ve just splurged on a hot tub, but now that the colder weather is setting in you want to protect it from the elements. How do you set up a shelter without spending even more money? This was the question one budget-savvy mum of two asked when she went DIY to save just under £400 on her own creation.
Simone Fennelly, 35 from Essex who posts on Instagram as fenn.fam and is mum to two children, 10 and 7, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘We came up with the idea to create a hot tub shelter of our own after days, weeks and months of enjoying the sunshine during the lockdowns. We were thinking of all the lovely places we could be but couldn’t and focused instead on making the garden look good, which would include having a structure to make the hot tub area more welcoming.
‘Once the winter weather started to hit we wanted to keep our hot tub protected as well so we began thinking about getting a shelter. I searched online to see how much these types of structures would cost and the prices were so high - for the type I wanted it would set me back £500! I just laughed as, for what they were, I was not ever going to pay that amount of money.
‘Instead, I made a sketch based on a couple I’d seen and the kids added some bits, such as a step for Aimee and towel hooks for Keira. And of course John wanted somewhere to keep a drink cold.
‘Once I had the design confirmed it was time to start shopping for supplies. I made an order online at Wickes to avoid hassle. I got two standard fence panels which were 6x6ft and these cost £54 altogether. Those wanting to do a similar project may prefer to get one 6x6 panel and two 3x3 panels, but it’s cheaper to buy the two 6x6 panels and chop it in half!
‘I also picked up a pack of roofing battens for £32, a large tin of fence paint for £21 and decking screws for £6. I was able to save money on the timber I used as I had some off cuts left from another project and my Dad also had some left over. I also had rubber floor mats that I recovered when a local business was being refurbished and I had solar garden string lights already in the garden.
‘It was now time to get started. First, I removed the curved part off the top of one fence panel as that would be needed later. I made a frame around the fence panel. I cut the second fence panel in half to make the sides. The curved part from the first panel was put on top of the bottom half of the second panel, so both side panels had a neat curved top.
‘Next I framed the side panels to the height of a full panel. Then I framed the roof and floor. To add support I added corner struts. A centre post was added across the roof for strength. I cut the floor mats to size and fitted them. Then I added the roof slats. I painted the entire structure in a slate grey colour, using two coats.
‘With leftover battens and slats from the main project I made steps. Then I measured the space, made a batten frame and added slats to cover the frame. This was also painted grey. Aimee added the lights around the roof slats & Keira put the hooks into one of the upright posts. Overall the project was pretty plain sailing and we’re certainly pleased with the result.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Simone has made some impressive savings with this DIY project. Using timber and wood for a hot tub shelter is simple, economic and creates a natural, rustic look. Simone’s design is great as it will provide shade in the summer and shelter in the winter.’
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