A Remote Island Cabin, Read Island British Columbia
Joanne McSporran and her husband installed their AlumiTub beside the ocean on a remote island in British Columbia, a year into a cabin build. She wrote to us afterwards, and what she sent is the most useful thing an owner has ever told us about siting a tub, alongside an honest admission about how she felt before it arrived.
Her words, in full.
We installed our tub by the ocean on a remote island one year ago. We were advised by neighbours (seems this island has as many AlumiTubs as personal sawmills) as to location: where will any smoke blow? Avoid blowing smoke toward sitting areas or windows. Situate where you have a great view of the stars. In our case, the ocean too.
Now the plug for having a tub. If you are planning on building a home or cabin, put the tub in FIRST. I didn't think I would be thrilled with it. It seemed like a bit of foolish extravagance. But day after day of doing major repairs to our cabin, living in a construction zone with none of the usual comforts, like a place to cook, we found a soak in the tub before bed to be absolute heaven. My husband even discovered that he could use the fire of the tub to cook smokies for dinner. Hot food, on a cold rainy night.
It's usually not a daytime thing for us. We work hard all day. But in the evening, whether pouring rain, silent fog, full moon or a million stars, listening to the creatures in the ocean and feeling the wind, smelling the trees, it's all good. And comfortable enough to stay outside and come in feeling content and ready for bed.
So, make the project fun by treating yourself to the hot tub first. After that everything else is tolerable.
Joanne McSporran, Read Island BC
The siting advice is the part to keep
Three questions, in the order her neighbours put them to her.
Where will the smoke blow? A wood fired tub produces smoke, least of all when the wood is dry, and prevailing wind decides where it goes. Siting the tub so the chimney is downwind of seating areas, doors and windows is the single decision most likely to affect how often the tub actually gets used. It costs nothing to think about beforehand and is difficult to undo afterwards.
What will you be looking at? A tub is used at night more than in daylight. That makes the sky the view, before anything at ground level.
What else does the site have to carry? Ten feet of vertical clearance from the top of the chimney cap to anything overhanging, a level and fully supported surface, and enough room to load the firebox without brushing against it. Local fire authority requirements are worth confirming before the tub arrives rather than after.
More on preparing a site in how to prepare your property for arrival.
Ocean siting on a remote island
A waterfront property with ocean access can be filled from the water in front of it. The marine-grade aluminum structure is built for salt, which is why the material was chosen in the first place. Ocean fills are changed every five to seven days rather than left standing, and the tub is rinsed between fills. On an Electric or Hybrid intended for ocean water, a titanium heating coil is specified at the time of order, so it needs raising before the build starts.
More in saltwater against freshwater, and on sourcing water at a remote property in how to handle water access.
Put the tub in first
Her main argument runs against the order most people build in. The tub is usually the last thing, the reward at the end of the project, which means living without any comfort at all through the part of the build that is hardest.
Joanne's case is that reversing it changes the whole experience. A hot soak at the end of a day spent in a construction zone is worth more than the same soak at the end of a finished house, and it makes the months in between tolerable. She did not expect to feel that way, which is what makes the point land.
See more properties at where AlumiTubs live, or explore the Wood Fired.