Backyard project: The Narrow Escape!

Hey tiki gikis, I thought I'd send in the beginnings of my backyard lounge project.

The house we just bought has got a 7' x 32' sliver of a backyard that's perfect for a cozy outdoor lounge. This is the second Tiki-themed lounge I've put together, and for some reason the water feature always becomes the first priority. I guess they're a lot of fun to build.

This was pretty cheap to build, $50 of lava rock, a $60 fountain pump, a $25 half-barrel liner, some plastic hose and mortar. I dug a hole for the liner and dropped it in. Then I stacked cinder blocks with a little mortar in between to make the 'foundation' for the rocks. Then I stacked the large rocks, using only a little mortar so it wouldn't be too visible. The sweet jade tree was there when we bought the place.

This is the bar I built about 4 years ago for my first lounge at a house I rented. I built it out of discards from the cabinet shop I worked at--yes, that's all real mahogany!

I had to leave it when I moved into a small apartment in SF, but my housemates seemed happy to have it. In fact, when I went to finally pick it up a few weeks ago, I had to leave quickly because I honestly feared for my safety. Anyway, it was worth fighting for.

A wider view of the table and fountain.

The view from the bar.

So, here's the plan: I want to build a long bench along the fence, stretching from the fountain to the bar. In front of that will be a couple of long tables. Overhead I want to build an awning over the seating and the bar, starting high at the fence and sloping down into the yard.

Right now I'd like to get started on the bench and the awning, but I'm getting stuck on materials and style. Budget is a major factor here, so I'd like to use standard dimensional lumber, i.e., 2x4's, but I don't want it to look like 2x4's.

Thanks for any input!!

[ Edited by: bamboo stu 2008-07-14 16:13 ]

Um, where are the tikis? It's a decent start, but it ain't a tiki bar without tikis.

On 2007-10-02 05:11, GatorRob wrote:
Um, where are the tikis? It's a decent start, but it ain't a tiki bar without tikis.

Good point, but I want to get the construction out of the way before I move on to the planting and decorating. Maybe I'll try my own hand at carving one?!?

Here's an update on my progress. I built the bench and the awning, added some plants, and threw in a few low-voltage lights. I've been doing as much on the weekend and rushing home after work every day to put in a few hours before dinner. Guess I'm a little obsessed, although the lady has been interested in helping out too.

From here I'd like to do some bamboo trimwork, more lighting, a long table to go in front of the bench, and of course some outdoor speakers for the Martin Denny. And duh, some sweet Tikis and knicknacks.

Here's a flashless shot of the waterfall. It's really hard to get a shot showing the colored light. The lady of the house thinks it's "tacky", but as somebody here says, "there's 'good' bad taste and 'bad' bad taste, and the difference is in the eye of the beholder."

Okay, I bought a bunch of bamboo at OSH (fyi relatively cheap if they have it in stock), assorted between 1"-2". Not the highest quality stuff, but it'll get beat up in the outdoors anyway.

I went ahead and ripped most of it in half with my bandsaw for use as trim.

Anyone have some brainstorms on where to put it, patterns etc?

More pics, this time in the daylight and with the latest additions. It's really nice out there on a warm evening with the mood lighting on, but the camera can't do it justice.

The rare indigenous tiki bird in his natural habitat

Apparently the Target tiki is now being sold by OSH

The metal table sucks but it's all we got right now. I'm thinking of replacing it with several small tables along the bench, probably homemade to match the bench.


I added 12v lightbulbs to the chinese lanterns and hooked them up to the low-voltage outdoor lighting. My mom brought the lanterns back from a trip to china, not authentic Tiki but they look pretty nice anyway.

Nice job...soon the weather will be just right to spend evenings out there sipping a kewl one. Keep up the great work!!! :D

Update:
I just built this table so we could have some backyard dinner parties in The Narrow Escape..$60 of dimensional fir, not bad, eh?

I also carved this sign using my dremel. I think it needs a little more contrast than just the burninating I did with the blowtorch.

Hey tikifriends-
I've been absent for a long time here, got wrapped up in a wedding, obsessed about my other hobbies, started a cabinet shop, you know how it goes.

My outdoor bar has suffered in the mean time due to weather and neglect. Granted, the weather this summer gave us few warm, inviting evenings, but the poor Narrow Escape deserves better. I sat down last night and dropped my 12" of Quiet Village on the turntable, and remembered all the good feelings I've had in tiki bars.

Here's to the restoration of the Narrow Escape! I'll be watching your work for inspiration, so post lots of pics.

This is the sort of thing I've been doing recently:

Stu, I had missed (or forgot) this thread. I like the "Narrow Escape" name, nice play on words. The mohogany bar is nice, love the cantilever table design. The Tiki bird is so cool, looks like it moves in the wind! Sounds like the Narrow Escape needs a propane heater to extend your enjoyment season.

I agree...great name. Looks like you have been busy, really nice cabinet. Look forward to the resurrection of your bar.

Here are some more recent pics. I sealed the brick (hopefully no more mossy slime to track into the house this winter) and gave the table a fresh coat of stain and marine spar. The "Narrow Escape" sign also got accents with red paint.

Hibiscus in bloom at the lower left.

The bar needs to be refinished or rebuilt..I'm almost thinking of doing a built-in bar that can accommodate the stools better. Also the paper lanterns are fraggled, but that was expected.

Flowering Maple blooms on the lower left.

The reed fencing I used for the roof is pretty beat up from the sun and weather. Also the Lauan I used for the roof sheathing is thrashed. I guess maybe I didn't expect we'd be living here this long?

I’d love to see recent photos of the tiki bar... I’m assuming it’s of massive proportions by now!?

We moved to a fixer in Castro Valley in 2015 and I've spent all my time and money since then just trying to get this house presentable. Someday I'd love to have another bar. Until then I'll have to enjoy other's creations vicariously.

I always forget about this thread. Today I thought I would check it out and I was drawn in by the name of your bar. You've made a perfect place to entertain. That bird is wonderful too. I'm so glad I took a look at all your photos. Wendy