Post #747047 by Kedex on Tue, Jul 14, 2015 10:51 AM

Hi everyone,

My obsession with tiki came from when I moved to Minneapolis from New Orleans, and discovered a little place down the street called Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge. I fell in love with the place, and when I moved back to New Orleans, I missed it dearly, even though I'm now a regular at Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29. The house I'm living in now was built in the 1950's by my grandparents, and I'm slowly working on updating the place and making it a bit more modern.

I was laid off from my job earlier this year, so in an effort to keep me occupied while I find a new job, I decided to tackle the back patio and turn it into a tiki bar. This covered patio off the back of my house has seen little use over the last few years, and has been filled with old patio furniture and other random objects. Once cleared out and screened in, I think it'll make a fine place for me to relax and mix drinks, instead of using the dining room as a makeshift bar. So, here's what I'm working with:

These shots were taken from opposite ends of the patio, after clearing it out and hosing off the floor. The random concrete slab in the corner in the second photo is where the original central A/C unit for the house was. It's also where I'll be putting the actual bar, after I build a small deck over it. The open wall was originally covered with screen, but it wasn't in great shape, so I ripped it down and will replace it with something a little more heavy duty. We're currently in the process of repainting the concrete floor, and the ceiling has already been repainted.

As for the name, I've decided to call it TI-5335's Tiki Trooper Tavern. There's some backstory here, so let me explain: I'm a huge Star Wars fan. I'm also a member of The 501st Legion, a worldwide Star Wars costuming and charity organization. Each member in the organization goes by an identification number. For example, I am TI-5335:

So, I'm going with a Star Wars/sci-fi themed tiki bar, with elements also inspired by Disney's Adventureland (I'm also a huge Disneyland/Disney World fan). A strange combination, yes, but, well, it's what I'm known for. It's going to be an interesting project, but I can't wait to have it finished so I can show it off to my friends. I'll be posting progress reports here along the way.