Hot tub shelters and pool houses
The short answer
A hot tub sitting in the garden isn't a building, but a roofed shelter, gazebo or pool house over it usually counts as a garden structure, within the 30 m² total for all garden buildings. A filled hot tub weighs well over a tonne, so it needs a solid, level base, and most need a dedicated electrical supply fitted by a registered electrician.
Planning
- A roofed shelter is a garden structure. Together with any sheds and garden rooms, keep it within 30 m² and leave 25 m² of garden.
- Keep it behind the front wall of the house and within the height limit of 3 m, or 4 m with a tiled or slated pitched roof.
- A raised deck around the tub can have its own limits. Ask your council if the deck is high.
See the planning rules. If you're close to a limit, a Section 5 declaration gives certainty.
The base
A hot tub holding around 1,000 litres weighs about a tonne in water alone, plus the tub and the people in it. It needs a level concrete slab or a base designed for the load. Ordinary decking or paving on sand isn't enough. See foundations.
Power and water
- Most hot tubs need a dedicated circuit with RCD protection from the house. A registered electrician must install and certify it. See electrics.
- Plan a drain point for emptying the tub, and an outside tap nearby for filling.
- Heating a tub all year adds noticeably to electricity bills. See the running cost calculator for a feel for electricity costs.
Shelters, gazebos and pool houses
A 4 × 3 m shelter with a changing area, drawn to scale:
- Open-sided shelter: roof and one or two walls for privacy and wind. Steam escapes easily.
- Pool house: a shelter with an enclosed changing room or shower.
- Inside a garden room: possible, but needs strong ventilation and moisture-resistant finishes. See condensation.
Common questions
Do I need planning permission for a hot tub shelter in Ireland?
Usually not, if the shelter is treated as a garden structure that meets the same rules as a garden room: within the 30 m² total for all garden buildings, behind the house, within the height limits and leaving 25 m² of garden. Ask your council if you're unsure how a roofed shelter counts.
Can a hot tub go inside a garden room?
It can, but the steam causes serious condensation and damp in a small timber room unless the room is designed for it, with strong ventilation and moisture-resistant finishes. An open-sided shelter is simpler.
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