Building a Tiki Room in New York - Need urgent advice!!

Hi all,
I am on Long Island and I have a room leading out to my pool that I want to make into a Tiki Bar. I need a builder that really knows how to construct one, not just a general contractor giving it his "best shot".

Can anyone recommend a builder to help me with this project that works in the New York or Tri State area?

I would really very much appreciate any advice here as I need someone quickly.

Thanks,
Russ

Someone who knows Tiki on Long island...good luck. :o

sorry...what I meant was - any CONSTRUCTIVE advice.

Russ

BAMBOO BEN! He's on the west coast, but you might be able to ask him questions. He builds awesome stuff!!

Craig

The guy who built the waterfall and bar at Waikiki Wally's hangs out there. You might be able to find him with a phone call. He had a difficult name as I recall (but then the memory is alcohol-tainted) but was a nice guy.

It looks like 3 years of planning are coming together.

What you said is actually your best answer, short of flying Bimbo Ban out to do it. You get your contractor to build the bar out. They know how to do that. And then you decorate. Most of what you see at tiki bars are really just bars with stuff added on top. If you have some ideas of what you want to do, you can get that built by anyone. Then you add the bamboo and matting and thatch and tapa and finish out the project. Not that its simple, but its not horribly difficult. Lots of us have just figured out how to do these things on our own and so can you.

You can find answers here for things like how to split bamboo or attach matting to the wall.

On 2007-08-01 09:45, sashua wrote:
Hi all,
I am on Long Island and I have a room leading out to my pool that I want to make into a Tiki Bar. I need a builder that really knows how to construct one, not just a general contractor giving it his "best shot".

Can anyone recommend a builder to help me with this project that works in the New York or Tri State area?

I would really very much appreciate any advice here as I need someone quickly.

Thanks,
Russ

Where are you on Long Island ? I'm from South Jamesport . I could ask around .

[ Edited by: sushiman 2007-08-01 14:10 ]

check with Babalou - He builds the float for Ottos Shrunken head / Mermaid parade and is in Long Island. He actually has tiki boat cruise comin up in AUgust.

Tastysp on Tiki Central can help direct you to him / Tastysp also built out Ottos in some form so he may have other suggestions. He also decorated the set in my Fisherman video and can be seen dancing with the Lei and straw hat and tiki mug in the video.
search link here for fisherman ottos.

hope this helps

Urgent? Is this the same project you started three years ago?
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=7964&forum=18

He urgently needs a calendar?
Anyone...anyone....Ferris?

We had people come to our old house, and they were all going wow
this is great!
How long have you been here? 10 years.
Well how long did it take? Ah 10 years.
It does not go quick.
Unless you get a pro like Ben who does it all of the time.
Get a pro. Or take your time.
But don't rush it.
Sit down write out a plan.
And then take it on one by one.
Good luck.

Thanks all for your answers and advice. This is the same room that I actually finished a couple years back but as of 2 months ago it caught on fire and burned down. I used all fire-retardant materials from Benson's Imports but the darned thing burned down anyway (faulty Tiki wall sconce started it all).

Now I am rebuilding using more insurance dollars than the place is probably worth...SO....I figure why hire Joe Nobody to walk his way around in the dark when I can get a pro to do it on the insurance company's dime?

Do it myself...nah, no thanks. I am happy to pick all the materials out and furnish it when it's done but this is a full room of work, not a freestanding hut. I simply don't have the time to do it or the skill to do it really well.

I am in Port Jefferson, Sushiman.

Keep the advice coming folks as I am still following up on leads. I found a guy on the internet named TikiKev who is in Pennsylvania. Pretty close. Anyone have any intel on the guy?

Best,
Russ

TikiKev is probably the only one in the N.E. doing tiki huts/bars... Till P. Diddy puts one up in his Hampton's Beach House... Tiki will be dead on Looong Island !!!!

TikiKev used to post here but for some reason the 'koolkids' ran him away !!!
People I know have used him and they where very happy !!!!
Good Luck & Stay Kool !!!