Mauka Lounge - and Aloha

Aloha from Pasadena, Ca. I'm Jim with my wife, Larisa, and we would like to say how excited we are to see this great forum and everyone's great projects. We would like to share our little Mauka Lounge with you (Mauka - meaning towards the mountains or inland as Pasadena is in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.)

We bought our Townhouse in 2008. New Construction. And we paid a premium to have the added balcony/veranda/porch.
Little did I know that I would soon be thinking of having a Tiki Lounge.

So this is what we are striving for:

To have an outdoor Tiki themed/Tropical garden lounge for BBQ's and Parties. But, with that, we must dodge the HOA (Home Owners' Association) rules that apply to outside structures. (People get pretty testy when it comes to things hanging on balconies and such.)

So... we can't really go too Tiki(although we'd like to)

And, One of Larisa's rules is that it must remain functional while we're transforming it. So we keep adding on little by little as you will see.

Here is what we started with.

The first thing I had to change was the lighting. So I tapped into one of the exisiting lights and put flood lights around the top beam, and installed a dimmer.

Also note the height of the roof. From 9ft. up to 16ft.

And, it lacked electricity. (The builders I guess didn't think it was necessary) So I tapped into one of the inside outlets.

Punched a hole through the wall into the outside and ran ran power around the base.





Larisa finished up with some matching brown paint

We had originally put up a Bamboo shade only on one side. But, we wanted a shade on both sides. And we chose to have a split shade on one side.

The long shade switched to the other side.


Split Shade

The BBQ didn't really fit anywhere the way it was...

so I modified it...

...so it would tuck neatly in the corner.

It doesn't look like it, but it is a safe distance away from things that are flammable.
Also, as you can tell, Larisa has started to put out plants.

Then, we started to hang our ornaments. The first of what will be many Tiki Masks. Signs. Bamboo wind chimes. And I've added a couple of torches.

And this is where we are now, with our outdoor furniture in place and with these projects planned for the future. (Not necessarily in this order)

1. An outdoor bamboo ceiling fan.

2. Bamboo molding around all beams and railings.

3. Planters hanging off the railings for Flowers and such.

4. Small individual spot lights for the Tiki masks.

5. Replace the stock light fixtures on the house wall.

6. A small bar in one corner.

7. A small waterfall in another corner.

8. Bamboo fencing fit into the railings

I'll stop here with some night photos. And a photo of us having dinner with friends.

Thanks! And of course any suggestions are more than welcome.

[ Edited by: audiotikiman 2011-05-18 00:24 ]

[ Edited by: audiotikiman 2011-05-18 09:44 ]

[ Edited by: audiotikiman 2011-05-18 12:21 ]

Very Nice!
Can't wait to see the Waterfall

Looks like you've established a nice vibe already! My vote is for the bar next!

Looks great. Love the night time photos.

Welcome new friend. :)
Your little things look great, so are your bamboo blinds.

On 2011-05-19 18:41, Polly wrote:

Your little things look great, so are your bamboo blinds.

Ya, where can I find those blinds?

Ya, where can I find those blinds?

I know somewhere selling bamboo blinds: http://www.tikibambooandthatch.com/bamboo_blinds/
Another is: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_home-garden?_encoding=UTF8&node=1055398&field-brandtextbin=Lewis%20Hyman

Hope it helps. :)

On 2011-05-26 08:04, Unga Bunga wrote:

On 2011-05-19 18:41, Polly wrote:

Your little things look great, so are your bamboo blinds.

Ya, where can I find those blinds?

Home Depot :)

A little bit of work done while I'm waiting for materials and such.

I've added reed fencing around the railings.

I've also added small lights to spot the Tiki Gods.

And here is the visual concept for the Bar/Grill area.

What is there now.

The Bamboo framing. (Concrete board will be around the inside by the BBQ)
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The flame retardant thatch roof
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The added bar area.
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With some signs. :D
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Should be started within the next few weeks.

Will post more pics during construction.

Oh, and a little back story how I became interested in Tiki Lounges.

I'm an audio enginneer and also do composing.
About 6 years ago I was part of a composer's consortium in Bulgaria with none other than
Voodoo and Voodoo II composer Robert Drasnin. I had never heard his albums before. After listening, I became interested in the whole lounge vibe. A when we purchased our Townhouse, The Mauka Lounge concept was born.

It was great hangin' with Mr. Drasnin for the week.
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[ Edited by: audiotikiman 2011-06-06 12:06 ]

Here's a little update.

One corner is complete with TIKI Fountain.

Before
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Adding the base and power
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This actually a horse feeder that I found online. Works great as a corner fountain base.
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Sorry but I skipped a few steps here without pictures.

Basically this is a Wall Tiki Mask (half diameter) that had an open mouth that I found on ebay.
I formed a spillway out of clear plastic that is filled by the small fountain pump.
I also put in light fixture with a black light for the eyes and covered them from a plastic water bottle
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Again, past many steps. Added rocks to the bowl. Some flowers. A mist maker with lights, and Trellis that will be overgrown by plants.

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The harshness of the flash doesn't do it justice.

Reed fencing around the bottom hides the wires and wireless speaker.
The final step will be to add faux rock on the walls by the Tiki mask.
And we will paint the silver electrical outlets and wiring brown.

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Here's more accurate lighting
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Next...onto the bar.

I love the fountain!!!!

You must have a lenient HOA, mine would have nixed that project at the start. It looks wonderful...keep up the great work!!! Can't wait to see the bar.

I've been lurking around the forum for a while and I absolutely love this place.

Great job with the fountain! Looks fantastic!!