Hello I'm new to the site. I have been given a hot tub and i am trying to figure out how to turn it into a fish pond It cracked over winter so I'm just going to seal it.. It works ... So can I use the jets and it has a little built in waterfall ???I know the jets are powerful so I would have to find a way to weaken them.... Any ideas.... I would like to use as much as the original hot tub as possible .

I am seeking a recommendation for an affordable tub filler for a 66" Kohler Mariposa drop in tub. There will be a small tile deck around it. (I think the smallest area is around 4".) This is for my parent's build and I cannot get them to budge on budget for the faucets. So far, we have lucked out with the shower/tub combo for the spare bathroom and the simple shower unit for the master bath shower. Combo unit was the Moen Caldwell ($141). Shower unit was the Moen Banbury ($128). Both units have been in brushed nickel and spot resistant. Now we need a tub filler and there is not one in the Banbury line. I think we would like to stay with a similar feel and look since we may use the Banbury line for the sink faucets (multiple choices for that). Any suggestions? From what I have been able to view online, the Moen Brantford line is similar and has two sizes of Roman tub fillers. One comes out farther and is slightly taller than the other one - we do not know if this is needed (and is about $80 more in price.) If you have a Mariposa tub, where is your faucet located? Are you happy with it? What is the measurement from the center of the faucet base to the center of where the water comes out? Thank you for any advice. The tub has been ordered, but is not in yet and I know they will want the faucet soon.

For a jetted tub used as a shower, it has to have an integral tile flange. That allows the wall cladding to overhang and any water that hits the wall to not go behind your walls. There aren't that many in that size that are inexpensive. It will need a specialized drain, and, if you want to spend any time in the tub, a supplemental heater so the water doesn't cool off so fast. Since it's a tub/shower, the wall cladding will need to be redone to be waterproof into the tub. It's possible, if the build is recent, and it was done with the proper vapor barrier behind it, that only one row of the tile would need to be pulled in order to replace the tub. But, I wouldn't count on that. I'd count on having to replace all of the wall cladding in the alcove. That can be as cheap as a plastic surround for around $100 or cheap tile with the proper vapor barrier for probably $150 or so. The first is the easiest and the least chance of leaking. The second will read as more upscale, but you have to be sure your contractor understands about the vapor barrier and correct materials to use to tile this (NOT mastic.) And since you have that torn out, it would be foolish to try to keep your current control valves for the bath unless they are also very new. New safety standards are in place for anti scald mechanisms. So, you will need a new shower/bath faucet and valve. Then you will need the electrical line run from the panel to the location for the whirlpool pump and supplemental heater. That location is usually opposite the drain side of the tub. You will need to be able to site an access panel that is removable to be able to get to the electrical innards here. That can be from an adjacent room, or from a hidden panel on the tub itself. All in all, you might be able to get all of the needed materials for 2-3K if you shop the box stores carefully and find some bargains. The danger to that is that if you are inexperienced, you don't know if you're buying quality or crap. They sell both. And that's one reason that it would be simpler to let the pro pick the products after you tell him the features that you want. Then you've got to pay the contractor labor to install all of that. The electrician's price will depend on how difficult it will be to access the panel and run the wire to the location. For that, it's a really good thing you are on a crawlspace! That makes it cheaper for both the electrician and the plumber. On the whole, I'd expect your project to cost between 5-7K, depending on location, and if you have no DIY skills to bring to the table and have to hire professionals for the whole job. And be sure that you hire someone that is licensed and insured to be in your home, and will pull the proper permits to get the job inspected with your code office. Some handyman guy isn't licensed to do electrical of that nature, and while he might be able to do the demo and get the tub in place and glue on the plastic surround, it's unlikely that he'll have the right insurance to deal with a large job like that, and thus probably wont' want to pull permits and be inspected. They are usually limited to smaller jobs like simple fixture replacements like a faucet or light. Which this isn't. Just remember, you are doing a project that combines electricity and water. You really have to know what you're doing here! A small General Contractor should be able to do the complete job, and also carry the needed papers. And he should have no problem with the code guys coming in to inspect his work either. If he does, then he's not the right person for the job.

Thanks, dabunch. I'm trying to think through all of this. Our doorways are all going to be wide enough for a wheelchair to come through straight on. If we add a shallow ramp, a wheelchair will be able to get from the front porch or garage into the house, then all around the LR/DR/kitchen, into the MBR and the master bathroom. A wheelchair will not be able to go into the master closet, but I don't forsee either of us living alone if we are in a wheelchair. I was at the cabinetmaker's shop yesterday at the same time a woman in a wheelchair was there planning her kitchen. So many things I would never have thought of...like the microwave not only lowered, but also not over a cabinet. Well, as Bette Davis so famously said, "getting old isn't for sissies." We're not old yet, but we are hoping to be. So we are planning for it.