How much does a pool with a spa cost in Ohio?

There are two main routes with the fiberglass pools we install, and they suit different yards and budgets.

The first is a Deluxe shell. Liberty Composites makes several of its models with a spa molded into the same piece of fiberglass as the pool. The spa sits at one end or corner, separated from the main pool by a wall, and it comes out of the factory already shaped, with seats and a step. It is the simplest way to get a spa, because there is one shell to set.

The second is a separate spa set beside the pool. Liberty makes two fiberglass spas, the Blessing and the Refinement, each in a spillover version whose water pours over a low wall into the pool. That gives you more freedom to place the spa where you want it, raise it for a waterfall effect or angle it toward the house.

These are our installed package prices for Liberty's Deluxe models, next to the same shells without a spa:

Every one of those prices is a complete package: the Liberty shell, Pentair variable-speed pump, Pentair DE filter, Pentair MicroBrite LED lights, a 4 ft concrete wrap deck, a cleaning kit, starter chemicals, installation and the electrical hook-up at the equipment. The Heavenly 14 Deluxe also adds a tanning ledge and swim-up seating, according to Liberty.

Liberty's specs show how much of the footprint the spa takes. The standard Hero holds about 7,000 gallons and the Hero Deluxe about 4,500. If swimming room matters more than soaking, look at a larger Deluxe shell or a separate spa.

Liberty lists the Blessing Spillover at 9'8" by 10'6" and about 550 gallons, and the Refinement Spillover at 8'6" by 9'8" and about 600 gallons. Both are 3'4" deep.

A separate spa is its own small project within the pool build. It needs its own excavation and base, its own backfill, plumbing lines back to the equipment, jets, a light if you want one, and valves or automation so the system can switch between spa mode and pool mode. The deck has to wrap it, and the barrier fence has to enclose it. That is why we price it from the design instead of listing one number. Where it sits and how high it rises above the pool both change the cost.

A spillover spa is usually plumbed to share the pool's circulation, so the water runs through the same filter and the spillover keeps the two bodies of water mixed. We work out the equipment layout for your build as part of the design.

Yes. An unheated spa is a small, cold pool. The heater is what makes the whole thing worth having, and in Northeast Ohio it is what lets you use the spa in April and October when the main pool is too cold.

HomeGuide's 2026 figures put a natural gas or propane pool heater at $1,500 to $4,500 installed, and a heat pump at $2,000 to $6,000 installed. Gas heaters warm water quickly and work at any air temperature, which is why they are the usual choice for spas here. Heat pumps cost less to run but heat more slowly and lose efficiency as the air cools, which matters on the chilly evenings when a spa is most appealing. HomeGuide's national running estimates are $200 to $500 or more a month for gas and $50 to $150 a month for a heat pump, though your bill depends on your rates and how often you heat the spa.

A spa heats far faster than the pool because it holds so much less water. The Blessing's 550 gallons is a small fraction of a 12x26 pool's volume. Many owners heat the spa on demand in spring and fall and heat the whole pool only in summer.

If you plan a gas heater, the gas line has to reach the equipment pad, and the length of that run affects the price. We check the route on the site visit.

• A spa cover. A spa should be covered when not in use, both to hold heat and for safety. Look for a lockable cover that meets ASTM F1346.
• Automation. Switching valves between pool and spa by hand gets old quickly. Automation lets you start the spa and the heater from your phone before you walk outside.
• A bigger deck. People sit around a spa, so plan some patio beside it, not only the 4 ft wrap.
• The electrical run. The package covers the hook-up at the equipment. The run from your house panel to the pad is priced from your site.
• The fence. The barrier your town requires has to enclose the spa as well as the pool.

In our climate, often yes. A pool here is comfortable roughly from Memorial Day to Labor Day without heat. A heated spa is usable far beyond that, on cool spring nights, after a September football game, and on a clear October evening with the leaves coming down. For many owners it ends up being the part of the backyard they use most days of the year.

It is also a reason to heat the pool less. If you mostly want warm water at the start and end of the season, heating a 550 gallon spa costs far less than bringing a whole pool up to temperature.

Keep it safe. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says hot tub water should never go above 104 degrees Fahrenheit, recommends a 100 degree maximum for pregnant women and suggests special caution with young children. Set the controller accordingly and keep the cover locked when the spa is not in use.

A portable hot tub is a self-contained unit with its own pump, heater, filter and cover, set on a pad or a deck. It is a separate appliance with its own electrical circuit and its own water to test and change. An inground spa built with the pool is part of the pool system. It sits at the same level as the deck, is finished to match, and in a spillover design shares the pool's water.

Which is better depends on what you want. A portable tub can go anywhere there is a pad and power, and it can move with you. An inground spa looks like part of the backyard instead of an appliance in it, and there is one system to maintain instead of two. If you are already building a pool, adding the spa during the same project avoids a second round of excavation, electrical work and deck repair later, which is where most of the savings come from.

Pick a Deluxe shell if you want the simplest build, you like one of the four Deluxe layouts and the swimming area left over suits your family. It is usually the less expensive way to get a spa because the spa comes in the same shell.

Pick a separate spa if you want to choose exactly where it goes, raise it for a spillover effect, keep the full swimming area of a standard shell, or pair a spa with a model that does not come in a Deluxe version. Expect it to cost more, since it adds a second set of excavation, base, plumbing and deck work.

Either way, we design the pool and spa in 3D on your lot before anything is dug, so you can see the spa's position relative to the house, the sun and the view before you decide.

Start with the Deluxe price in the table, or a standard shell plus a separate spa. Add a spa cover, and then let us see the site. The walk-through tells us the gas and electrical routes, the access, the drainage and the barrier your town requires. The quote lists the package and every addition line by line, and we handle the permits. If you would like to finance part of it, we work with lenders including PoolLoan.net and HFS Financial.