A tiki bar is an excellent, recreational addition to your home, whether you live in the tropics or just want to pretend you do. Tiki bars are great for backyard gatherings, pool parties or simply relaxing with family and friends for a round of tropical drinks. If you're building your own tiki bar, there are a few helpful hints that will assist you in completing your design in the most aesthetically pleasing and functional manner possible.
Building Plans
The best starting point for constructing a tiki bar is to find a set of tiki bar plans that appeal to you. Do your research and find a plan that has simple instructions that can be completed step by step. Also look for plans that feature support such as a customer service number or hotline you can call if you run into any problems. Finally, when selecting a plan, keep in mind that the plan must be customizable to your property. A complete tiki bar shed may not be ideal if you have a small backyard, while a freestanding tiki bar should fit in almost any space.
Building Materials
Building materials for a standard tiki bar are typically one or a combination of some of the following materials: wood (cypress, teak, cedar and so forth), bamboo, thatch and even PVC piping. If you're building from a plan, it will most likely provide instructions on which materials are best suited to your design. The problem is that some of these building materials (particularly bamboo and thatch) are often hard to come by. Some builders choose to substitute these hard-to-find materials for others --- for example, using PVC pipes in place of bamboo poles. If you have your heart set on truly tropical building materials, however, an Internet shopping search usually yields viable options for online retailers who sell the material.
Roof
The tiki bar's roof is one of the most important features you need to keep in mind when constructing one. The distinguishing characteristic of a tiki bar (as opposed to a regular bar) is a thatched roof. This is accomplished by weaving dried grasses or palm leaves into a thatch pattern. Many builders also choose to place netting over the final roof design. This layer of netting keeps the pieces of grasses or leaves from falling to the ground or blowing away in the wind.
Tags: tiki, bamboo thatch, building materials, keep mind, plans that, your design
