College Tiki Apt

Hey everyone! This site is great. I've been sittin here for hours reading posts. There is such a wealth of knowledge on here. I'm from ohio state university, but I am currently living in greenville, SC for the summer because of an internship. Anyways, my friend and I have been into the tiki culture for years and we are finally getting an apt next year. We are definitely trying to think of everything we can do to the room without gettin kicked out. So far, we are buying a tropical mural measuring about 9 feet by 12 feet. We are also going to make some sort of tiki bar. We are trying to decide whether it would be cheaper to build a frame out of wood and then decorate it or whether metal is the way to go. I have experience welding and woodworking, but I'm not sure about the prices. Any suggestions? Also, we are deciding on what material to use for the roof. I've noticed that thatch is quite expensive, so we thought that using cut up hula skirts might get the job done, but that's a last resort. Being in college, we obviously don't have tons of money to throw around so we are just looking for inexpensive materials that look decent. We also have a small little patio where we'll have our grill and possible a small hammock. If anyone has any other good ideas for tiki decor on a budget or DIY tiki decor, I'd really appreciate it. I've already learned so much from reading several posts. Thanks a lot.

-Zeek

Definitely get the book "Pad" -- it has all kinds of good projects, most inexpensive, even includes plans for a nice bar, lots of tiki projects, most all adaptable to an apt. Here is the link, I see that used it is only like $10 and WELL worth it --

Have fun!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0811826538/qid=1088605413/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-5720039-6752105?v=glance&s=books

Zeek-

Aren't there palm trees in South Carolina? It's been about 30 years since I was through there, but I seem to remember fan palms in South Carolina. Talk to arborists & tree trimmers and ask them for palm fronds, they'll often be happy to unload them without having to feed them into the chipper or take them to the dump. Borrow or rent a chainsaw & trim the stem from the fronds, leaving just a little nub to hold the frond together. When it comes time to put the roof onto your bar just overlap them like shingles on a piece of plywood & nail them down through the little piece of stem that you left on when you trimmed the stem off.

If you need bamboo for your bar & decor I know there's cane breaks in South Carolina, just cut down some cane & trim it up. Cane is the American bamboo, or at least it's closest native relative.

Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., D.F.S

[ Edited by: freddiefreelance on 2004-06-30 08:45 ]

welcome t-zeek,

for my part i would suggest building anything temporary out of wood, or maybe metal studs, but any building material you can assemble/disassemble with drywall screws is great for temporary/college construction. when i waz a senior my housemate and i built tons of stuff out of 2x4's plywood and drywall screws. mah 2 cents...

Tikizeek-you can get raffia table skirting at party supply stores for about $15.00 for nine feet-might be a way to go.Just don't light up a stogie near it-might be a little more spectacular than you'd wish-if you smoke stogies,that is.Sounds like a great idea-post pics when you can!

cheap stuff at http://www.orientaltrading.com (that raffia table thingie is only 10.95 there..)

have fun decorating!

elicia

I'm actually Zeek's roommate who will be transforming our home into a tiki heaven. I am planning on making a huge volcano like the one in Margaritaville Orlando and having it spew margarita mix. Any ideas about what kind of pumps to use and what material I should make the volcano out of? And yes, we will be taking pictures once it's all done. Thanks for everyone's help!

[ Edited by: VanillaRyRy on 2004-06-30 17:37 ]

[ Edited by: TNTiki on 2004-11-06 15:56 ]