New prefab Tiki Hut - updated with new YouTube video of backyard

I know that I am not that skilled at construction, but I knew that I wanted some sort of bamboo structure in my backyard for my luaus and tiki gatherings. At my local Spring & Garden show, I recently found a company called Oriental Garden Furniture in the Bay area that delivers and installs pre-fabricated bamboo structures. Since they own the factory in the Philippines, they can keep their costs down. After a lot of soul searching and budget analysis, I agreed to get one of their structures. I haven't had the opportunity to have a party yet (due to the wet and cold weather hanging around), but everyone who has seen, and sat, in my new bamboo room has loved it. I am still gathering decorations.. tikis, glass floats, tapa cloth, etc, for it, so it looks a little plain in these pictures.

The structure of the hut is made from mahogany and bamboo. The outside dimensions are 10.5' x 9.5', with the floor being 6 x 8. I believe the ceiling height is 13'. Included in the price of the unit (around $3500.00) is delivery and construction. You just need to provide a level space. I know they have different sizes and shapes to their products. I opted for the largest they offer; seating 12 - 14 persons. This hut is solid.. I am not a small guy and I feel VERY comfortable in it. The roof construction materials are waterproof and fire retardant. Everything has a good coat of urethane.

I can't wait to have my first tiki gathering! The hut comes with a hanging lamp (I am going to try to create one of my own), but I also purchased some seat cushions offered by OGF for an additional cost. I plan to get some hawaiian print pillows to support your back, but the bamboo seat backs are very comfortable and don't need pillows. Anyway, here are some pictures.

• Myke

The completed hut:

One side:

From the inside - seating and hanging lamp:

The floor and built-in seating:

The entry way detail:

Assembly in process:

The many personalities of Myke

[ Edited by: tikiwinebear 2009-10-20 16:39 ]

wow, when i glanced at that last picture of the assembly process, i thought that like hurricane winds came through and ruined your hut. That would be very bad. lol Nice hut though!

Myke, that is so nice. Looks great!

Do you know if they sell palapas? Can you send me info?

Myke, That is one of the coziest things i've ever seen. You would catch me napping in there every weekend. It looks great, congrats on the purchase. Did you run an electric line to it?

Thanks JT!
This manufacturer uses palm fronds instead of palapa. They claim that the knots and lacing for palapa doesn't last as long as their method. I asked how often I would need to replace the roof, and I was told that I probably would need no maintenance for at least 10 years. If I needed the roof to be replaced, it would cost around $1000.00. You can contact them directly at (408)306-3659. Josie and Gary are my two contacts there.

Heya Loki!
One of my prerequisites of the hut was that I could sleep in it. The floor measures 6'x8', so I can easily get an air mattress on the floor. We will be putting in a seagrass rug to cover the bamboo, so there wouldn't be any problems placing an air mattress on it. The benches are actually long and wide enough for someone to snooze on. One of the great features is the profile of the roof is low enough to block out sounds and light, so you don't need shades or blinds. You hit the right word when you said "cozy". The hanging lamp is suspended from the center of the roof and has a long enough cord to plug into an outlet near the base of the hut. We actually placed the hut where our hot tub previous sat, thus we had power. (We had to convert from 220 to 110 though.) We added a powerstrip on the bottom so we can add strings of lights around the edge of the roofline, and other electrical gadgets.

I can't wait for a decently warm day!!

• Myke

I just called them but the problem is the definition of palapa. My definition is just a very large umbrella style with the palm fronds on top. I'm not sure of their definition. A palapa to me is the whole umbrella style structure not just a part, or how it's tied. They only make the huts and bars. I'm looking for one for my backyard. I have found several websites that sell them, but I don't want to buy online. I want to see it, touch it, maybe buy it, and then build one, or a hundred. Just the same, thanks for the number Winebear.

Vic,
I have talked to a company that sells bamboo products and thatching, along with palapa, from Benicia, CA. It's a bit north of you, but if you wanted to physically check out something in the Bay Area, you should contact them. The name of the company is Bamboo Supply http://www.bamboosupply.net . I have spoken with them only, not actually purchased anything from them, but they seem to have decent rates. I was looking for a 7' - 8'palapa umbrella covering, and they said to save shipping, I could actually pick it up in Benicia. Check out their website and see if there is anything that might interest you to drive up. You can always stop by Trader Vic's Emeryville or the Conga Lounge in Oakland for a drink and dinner to make the drive more pleasant!

Good Luck!
Myke

That is really cool. Did you name it yet?

No name as of yet, we are waiting for a good day for the christening. Oriental Gardens calls it "Large Bahay Kubo" (Large Tiki Hut) and that was giving me some ideas. We are open to suggestions. I was actually thinking about commissioning Pariarts (Paul & Richard, Sacramento) to do a sign for us when we have agreed on a name. With my luck at languages, I would like the sound of something that translates as "the turkey that rolled in cow dung" or similar. :wink:

Suggestions?

• Myke

Correction to dimensions... the height is 9', roof eaves 13'x14'.

That would look great with a hot tub in the center! :wink:

I just purchased the large tiki hut from Oriental Garden Furniture in Sunnyvale, CA. I could not be happier with my decision the quality and service is top notch all the way. Great people to deal with and quick and professional construction included.

I am having my first tiki party with friends this weekend and really looking forward to it. My teen age daughter had her friends over last weekend to use it and they had a blast.

I would recommend this company to anyone seriously thinking about purchasing a QUALITY tiki hut. Gary and Josie are the best people to deal with and really know their product, do yourself a favor and check them out. John

Hey Everyone,

We just looked at the Tiki Bahay Kubo from Oriental Garden Furniture at the Sonoma County Fair. We met the owner and he seems like a really nice guy. We are looking at maybe getting the hut and the bar. It looks like a couple people here have purchased some of these. Now that you have had it for a little while what do you think? How is it holding up? What about the rain proof roof, how is that working out?

Thanks and if possible please let me know in an eMAIL. I'm new to this forum and may not be able to find my way back :wink:...

Thanks

Bud

[email protected]

Aloha Bud, and welcome to TC! Santa Rosa here... where in Sonoma are you? You are the second new "local" from the area to post this week. Finally, NoCal ohana are starting to gather!

We bought the large hut back in March, as you can see on this post. So far, I have had NO problems whatsoever. The hut was set on paver risers, to keep it off the patio concrete so the legs wouldn't come into contact with puddles of water; this was a great idea if they didn't do this for you during construction. We made a step up into the hut using garden wall pavers left over from our landscaping project. Some of our lady friends in dresses found it difficult to get into the hut without adding the step (and our dog needed it too).

Also, be sure to cover any sensitive plants or objects around your new hut before they spray the urethane. We had a couple of ferns which were shiny and plastic looking after they were done.. but since it was March, they started sprouting new fronds from the center, and we simply trimmed off the coated ones.

So far, we have had a couple small rainstorms. During one of them, I was actually sitting in my hut, working on my laptop, and only felt small misty overspray. The sound of the rain hitting the roof structure was incredible! I await the winter months of frost and mega rain to see how the roof holds up.

I strongly suggest you purchase the pads for the benches, as they are durable and are easy to maintain. If you have guests in nice clothes, especially ladies in short summer dresses, the pads feel great on the bum, and you don't stick to them like vinyl or leather.

So far, I have slept in the hut a couple times. We placed an outdoor rug on the floor of the hut, which makes a great pad for a queen sized air mattress. The bamboo lattice allow air to flow easily thru the hut, which can make it a bit cool, or is very welcome on a hot night.

The bamboo table which came with the hut is perfect for serving drinks and puupuus, but not if you are having a sit down dinner. We purchased laminated particle board and had it cut to snuggly fit a tabletop for the bamboo table. Our tabletop extends about 6 inches on all sides of the bamboo table base, and is heavy enough so it doesn't move around when using it. I throw a large hawaiian tablecloth over the table top for aesthetics and easy cleanup.

We were just at the Sonoma Fair yesterday, and asked Gary (owner of the business) about some creaking and settling in. I noticed when walking in the hut, a few of the bamboo slats seems "soft" but not to the point of breaking. Gary said this bending was normal as the bamboo wears in, and there should be no worry that the bamboo slat should break. The "creaking" is from the bamboo, not the mahogany framing. We have had 3 dinner parties in our hut, with 9 full sized adults eating at the table... and no problems!

As you can tell, I am very pleased with my purchase, and will be watching things very carefully this winter. But, I am hopeful it will withstand the milder climate we have here in Sonoma County, and will be in good shape for party season 2007, 2008, 2009... Gary did indicate that some of the urethane may wear off a bit on the "stronger weather" side of the hut, and suggests we clean and re-urethane it at the beginning of each season.

I hope this information is useful!!! You are very welcome to check out our hut before you make your purchase! Contact me for info!!!

• Myke

Hi Myke,

Thanks for the great reply. That is what I needed to hear. We are trying to figure out exactly where we want to put the hut and I think we will get the bar as well :wink:... Funny you should mention the laptop. I work at home on Fridays and I think I might work for the hut :wink:... I also like your table idea. That would be nice.

We are located in Windsor so not very far from you at all. We were also at the fair yesterday when we talked to Gary about the Huts. I just wanted to go online and see if anyone had any information on them and see how they are holding up. Do you know if they have a WEB Site?

Thanks again for all the information and the HUT pics you posted look GREAT.

Bud

PS My wife thinks she knows you. Do you have a rottweiler named Mandy? :wink: She works for a vet here in Windsor.

[ Edited by: BudACAD 2006-07-30 12:11 ]

That. Is. Cool.

It has been 3 years now since we purchased our prefab Tiki Hut, and it is holding up fantastically! We were unable to host many Tiki parties this past summer, but I managed to shoot a little video showing off our backyard in July. Check it out!

Aloha!
Myke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXwuA8StXe8

When do we get to bend some elbows there, Myke? :) Between you guys, Martin, Ron, Bincho, MP, and maybe a few others, we have enough destinations for a North Bay home bar crawl. Any takers?

Count us in for next year when the weather gets decent again for an outdoor gathering!! It would be great fun to have you all up this direction.

Mahalo!