How They Pulled It Off: a Hot Tub Built Into a Boulder
The finishing touch on Tyler Quinn’s Joshua Tree build? A restorative oasis built with sweat equity and determination.
![How They Pulled It Off: a Hot Tub Built Into a Boulder](https://images.dwell.com/photos/6063391372700811264/7229909721010167808/small.jpg?#)
The finishing touch on Tyler Quinn’s Joshua Tree build? A restorative oasis built with sweat equity and determination.
![](https://images.dwell.com/photos/6063391372700811264/7229909721010167808/large.jpg)
Welcome to How They Pulled It Off, where we take a close look at one particularly challenging aspect of a home design and get the nitty-gritty details about how it became a reality.
With a hot tub built into a boulder, Tyler Quinn’s Joshua Tree project is the stuff dreams are made of. Situated in a fairly remote location in the desert, the modern take on a southwestern-style home is impressive on its face; it’s even more so when you learn that the six-year off-the-grid project was Quinn’s very first build.
![The porch overlooking the desert.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6063391372700811264/7229885603899326464-medium/the-porch-overlooking-the-desert.jpg)
The porch overlooking the desert.
Tyler Quinn
When people think of deserts, they think of heat. Quinn, who’d previously done stints working in film production and as a furniture maker in Los Angeles, says they don’t consider that the dessert actually gets cold and windy, too. "After living on the property for three years in a trailer, I found myself wanting a retreat from the cold more often than the heat, and I always knew I wanted a hot tub. It allows you to revel under the stars on a cold night when you wouldn't otherwise find yourself stargazing comfortably," Quinn says, explaining that this direction just made sense. "I frowned at the idea of a fiberglass spaceship, never cared much for jets, and wondered how I could create a soaking tub with natural materials."
![A boulder that will soon become a hot tub.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6063391372700811264/7229889202378174464-medium/a-boulder-that-will-soon-become-a-hot-tub.jpg)
A boulder that will soon become a hot tub.
Tyler Quinn
The tub, which looks like a mirage you’d stumble upon while wandering the landscape, was built right into the bed rock next to the house. Here’s how Quinn made it work.
How they pulled it off: a hot tub built into a boulder
- "I had a shape in mind for the tub so I started by scoring an 8 foot circle into the boulder as the boundary to work within, and would crosshatch in a checkerboard pattern across the circle one layer at a time," Quinn says.
"I accomplished this with a concrete saw, with my cuts about 4-6 inches deep. I would then remove the entire 4-6" layer of granite with hand tools; chisels and hammer."
But why didn’t he use just demo hammers or other power tools? "One, I felt I had a much better shot at controlling unwanted fracturing or cracking in the stone by swinging a hammer in hand, doing it one piece at a time," Quinn says. "Two, a demo hammer would have created a pile of useless rubble, and in this case I was able to treat the boulder like a quarry and turn the material into a granite block."
Getting the water in the tub is easier than it might seem. "The water comes from the well on the property, and is filtered and pumped through a propane heater," Quinn says. "The pump is a wonderful variable speed which allows me to sustain a low energy draw. Piping is simply plumbed over the rim of the tub!"
![Marking out the shape of the hot tub before getting into the drilling and such.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6063391372700811264/7229889940189470720-medium/marking-out-the-shape-of-the-hot-tub-before-getting-into-the-drilling-and-such.jpg)
Marking out the shape of the hot tub before getting into the drilling and such.
Tyler Quinn
See the full story on Dwell.com: How They Pulled It Off: a Hot Tub Built Into a Boulder
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