Pool and Spa Combination Layout Guide
A spa attached to a pool isn't just a smaller, hotter section of the same water, it's a separate plumbing and heating zone layered into one design. This site is built around the high end of what gunite construction allows: negative/infinity edges, swim-up bars, sun shelves, fire-and-water features, and full outdoor-living integration with decking, kitchens, and shade structures designed alongside the pool, not as an afterthought.
Raised Spillover vs. In-Line
A raised spillover spa sits above the pool deck level with water spilling over its wall into the pool, giving a visual and sound feature in addition to a separate soaking space. An in-line spa sits at pool level, separated by a low wall or nothing at all, simpler and less expensive to build but without the spillover visual.
Separate Heating, Shared Pump (Usually)
A spa needs to heat and circulate independently from the main pool (so it can run hot without heating the whole pool), which usually means a separate heater zone and valve-controlled plumbing even when both share the same pump, a detail that gets engineered during design, not improvised later.
Where This Fits
See our Gunite Pools service page, or Financing if cost is the next question.
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