Post #778604 by tikitube on Mon, Aug 7, 2017 9:36 AM

Hello all! I'm finally getting around to starting my very own thread about our tiki room build. I've enjoyed seeing everyone else's projects, and have gotten some excellent ideas and advice reading about your experiences. Thanks for all the inspiration!

Our build is a bit different, in that it is a screened-in porch addition to our small, off-grid home. The style of our home is a hybrid of Craftsman, and Japanese, with a touch of Medieval/Tudor half-timbering. We designed it ourselves, and have been building it ourselves for over 6 years now. It's a never ending project!

Our home is small - about 500 square feet. We live off-grid, so air conditioning comes at a premium...we have to run the generator. Living in the Ozarks, summers can be brutal. The humidity is high, and it doesn't really cool off at night like in other climates. I detest sweating in bed. Trying to stay cool is challenging...there are only so many layers of clothing you can take off! So, we decided to build a screened-in porch off the side of our home. Not only will it be great for parties and lounging space, but we plan to also sleep in it on those hot summer nights, hopefully catching the breeze.

In addition to having enough space for two adults and two teenage kids to sleep, we also wanted to include a small bathroom, and room for a small washer and dryer (we've grown tired of using the laundromat). I also wanted a sunken seating area, with access to an old cistern buried below it, which we plan on outfitting as a storm shelter. We settled on a 12x16 footprint, which is tight, but won't visually overwhelm our small home.

The idea of making the addition a tiki styled room didn't occur to me until after we had already designed the floorplan and started the framing, but once it took hold, well you know how it goes! My wife didn't grow up with the same tiki experiences that I did, so she wasn't quite as "gung ho" about it at first. She was worried that the style wouldn't fit with the rest if our home...that the often cluttered "flotsam" look of traditional tiki would just look bad next to the clean lines of our home. So, I promised to do my best not to make it look too dated and/or cluttered. Working together on it, I think we are finding a good balance, while still tying it into the style of our home.

I've got photos of work that we've already done, and hope to continue to post progress pix as I find the time. Your feedback, and words of encouragement are always appreciated!

Mahalo!

• Jeff