Hey Guys – it’s Melissa here. I’m following up on the outdoor grill article to give you a fun idea for a DIY Tiki Hut for your small outdoor space. It’s time to Party. This fun idea provides a shade cover with a little bit of coastal/tropical vibe – perfect for a small bar or sitting area.
My folks added a new 14’ X 20’ screened patio/lanai to their existing outdoor space and needed something fun to go with a dining area. They have a beautiful Polywood table with six chairs.
There was an empty space in the corner that needed something to spice up the space. And have a drink! This would be a great addition for your own house or something to add to an Airbnb Design.
They decided a small bar area was the perfect compliment to the table area. The issue was the space available to construct something that would provide the needed sun-block and also fit the design style (coastal/tropical).
The answer: A simple triangular shaped Tiki Hut Roof
First, I’m going to show you what the space looks like during my Dad building the Tiki hut. The stuff laying on the ground here is the Tiki thatch that will be part of the future roof.
Pre-fab kits are available on-line and there are contractors which do this kind of work. But the cost can be expensive (easily costing over three thousand to upwards of ten thousand dollars).
To keep the costs down on something like this, try buying the materials yourself and making it a DIY project!
Let’s start with some of the basics for this DIY project…
The area available for the bar was approximately 8’ X 10’.
The foundation was a paver patio. The tiki materials included three approximate ten-foot barn/fence poles as the vertical roof supports, three 2” X 6” boards/lumber for the main roof structure (cross-members to the vertical poles), and 2” X 2” and 1” X 2” wood slats to create a roof lattice.
The slats were arranged in a “V” pattern radiating out from the corner post.
The 2″ X 2″ Stainless steel carriage bolts and screws were used in areas which were subject to the weather.
Full Material List For Your Tiki Hut Bar Project
- Artificial Tiki Thatch
- 10′- 5″ round barn poles
- 2′ x 6′ pressure treated lumber for the frame
- 2′ x 2′ furring strips
- 1′ x 1′ furring strips
- Fiberglass screen mesh
- Outdoor Polywood Bar
- Polywood Bar Stools
- Power drill
- Carriage bolts
- Wood screws
- Wood stain (Valspar Sunbleached)
How to start building your Tiki Bar
The poles in this application were sunk two feet into the subsurface (below the pavers) with a concrete collar/base. The corner pole of the triangle was elevated slightly higher than the two outer poles to allow some roof slope (to the outer poles).
The poles were waterproofed and coated with a nice stain to give them a beach driftwood (gray-tan) type appearance. The color selected was Valspar Sunbleached. The finishing touch was a thatched roof which gives the structure the Tiki Hut look and feel.
The larger slates were run across the base of the triangle and the smaller slats slanted back to the corner pole. (See Picture) This allow the larger slats to be in position to attach the tiki cover material. Of course the tiki woudn’t be a “Tiki” without a thatch roof.
There are many types of thatch are available. As this project was located outdoors in Florida, something to hold up in the heat and rain was a must. Artificial thatch from Forever Bamboo (which comes in 30-inch panels) was selected.
This was the biggest expense for the DIY Tiki Hut project as about $600.00. A layer of outdoor window screen was laid atop the roof slates and stapled down. The thatch panels were laid atop the screen and screwed into the 2″ X 2″ cross slats. (See Picture).
The Tiki Hut is now complete!
Total project materials cost – just over $1,000.00. Note: This is just to build the Tiki Hut, not purchase the coastal bar set!
Not too shabby for an awesome corner bar area for your outdoor space.
Of course, to give it that tropical feel, add a few coastal/tropical trinkets and some manilla rope to fancy up the poles and facing of the Tiki.
Oh! Let’s not forget the primary reason for our Tiki – A BAR! Our choice: A seven-foot wide Polywood constructed offering from Berlin Gardens. We chose two swivel bar chairs and two
saddle stools to complete the set. Pretty expensive, but this number will hold up outdoors with
little to no maintenance for a very long time.
Here is the finished DIY Tiki Hut With A Bar!
How cute this is tiki hut with a bar for your small outdoor space? This came out perfect for having a drink at happy hour or a casual dinner.
