Buying a hot tub spa is a major investment and a decision not to be taken lightly. One of the factors that is often overlooked is the installation. Getting the right hot tub spa contractor can be crucial to the process. Getting the very finest and most experienced contractor is not as important as avoiding a contractor that will leave you with a disaster. As they say "it is cheaper to do it right the first time than it is to redo it."

The best way to find a good builder is through word of mouth. Most people that have gone through a major home improvement project with a builder will have an opinion, one way or the other about the work and professionalism of their contractor.

If you don't know anyone that is able to recommend a quality craftsman, you can work it from the other direction. Get a list of options and then look at their reputation. You can search the yellow pages, newspapers or Internet to find someone. At the bottom of this article you will find links to free Internet services that will recommend established contractors in your area.

Using any of these sources you should have each business you contact supply references. An established business will have a list of customers that you can talk with to get an idea of their overall satisfaction. Do a full job of due diligence and get beyond the first name on the list. Talking to several people is important to getting the full picture.

In addition you should check how long a company had been doing business and how they rate with the Better Business Bureau and any local organizations like the Chamber of Commerce.

"Stuff happens" so discuss ahead of time what responsibility the contractor takes on and what they will do to rectify and problems. Withholding a portion of the payment until after the project is finished and your satisfaction has been established is a good practice.

Most general contractors will not focus only on hot tub installation and the degree of experience with this somewhat specialized project is important. This is different than typical framing work and rough carpentry. The skills needed are not difficult but they are varied. There is plumbing, electrical and carpentry work involved.

One of the problems with using any outside service to install your new hot tub spa is that they do not care as deeply about the end result as you do. They will be moving on the next project and you will be living with the product for a long time. This is one reason the many people are now building their own spas. As intimidating as a project like this sounds, with some guidance and basic skills it is surprisingly easy to design and build your own custom hot tub spa.

As you can imagine the cost saving are huge and the end product beats the typical cookie cutter hot tub hands down. You save money and get the best hot tub in town, what could be better? There are some excellent sources of guidance at the links below.

Whether you use a hot tub spa contractor or go the do it yourself route it is care and attention to detail that will make the difference between a dream and a nightmare. Whoever builds what may become your favorite place in the world needs to be the kind of person that will put the care and effort into the project that it deserves.