Any suggestions for Detroit Michigan area builders?

I'm looking to remodel a generic late 90s indoor basement bar into an awesome tiki themed room. I'm not really handy with this sort of thing, so I'm wondering if there are any professionals in the Metro Detroit area that might be able to remodel for me. In addition to that, any idea what such a project might cost?

Failing all of that, I may just have to get my hands dirty and do it myself.

Well now is the time as the garden stores and other décor stores have what you need now.
AND since what you need is bamboo and natural materials they order a small amount
at the start of the season and that's it.
This stuff splits and has a short shelf life span so they don't want to get stuck with it.

Plus in a month or so they will move on to fall and Christmas stuff anyway.

Good luck!!

I feel your pain. As a Michigander myself, the toughest part is getting your hands on the supplies. Swallowing the cost to ship bamboo poles, matting, decor, etc. from sunnier warmer locales is painful. Although it'd be dangerous if I could just drive over to Oceanic Arts on a whim and pick stuff up. I'd be very poor very quickly... but I'd have a kickass tiki bar to drown my sorrows. :)
:drink:

Nice to see some more locals on the forum!

Regarding builders...I would say do it yourself.

1. When I pay someone else, I rarely get just what I want.
2. Good luck explaining what you want to "Joe Contractor" when it comes to building a tiki bar.
3. Given the nature of what your building, the extra cost of paying someone to do it would make it a poor investment.
4. Doing it yourself is more rewarding...and less frustrating (see #1).

[ Edited by: jimsflies 2015-05-21 11:51 ]

Thanks everyone! Anyone know of a good resource on how to source and install panels, ceiling, etc. in a tiki style? Any kind of a how-to guide, or is it more of a figure it out as you go kind of process?

Oh, and my new tiki bar will be located in Commerce Township. Any one else here in the Metro Detroit area?

Jeff,

Before we built anything I poured over this thread and looked at tons of pictures! A lot of the nice people on TC have posted step by step photos which helped a lot. It's worth it to spend the time before you build. Start with this thread:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=43018&forum=20

Things to think about before you build.

Good luck! Take & post lots of pictures.

Michigan might as well be an island when it comes to tropical decor being available to us wanting to tikify our home bars. I've never had enough extra cash to pay for online supplies plus the shipping so I have had to make due with what I have and found items. The threads here on TC are loaded with ideas and "how to" instructions for tons of projects. A look through the home bar thread is a great way to get inspiration. Sven's whole series of books are pure inspiration and a must for anyone wanting to build a home bar. My advice is not to make your build a chore. Keep it fun and remember that a tiki bar is never really finished.

If we get enough of us Michigan folks here, we should have a get together. I'm just west of Lansing.

How's your build coming along?

One nice thing about your project is its inside...my space is outside, so for 4-5 months out of the year, I just look at it out the window covered in snow and ice. :( (Although, I've put some thought into it and decided it makes it even more special when I do get to enjoy it.)

[ Edited by: jimsflies 2015-09-16 11:14 ]

I've been working on the menus, drinks, alcohol, recipes, glassware, etc. I need to get going on the hard stuff soon. I do have quite a few decorations around, and I can play some tiki music, but that's not quite my end goal. :)