The Best and Worst thing I did to my Tiki space, Via Tikiskip, Check here before you build.

So what temp is your pool?
Is it an in ground?

Ours is large and in ground so it heats slowly.

Ohio Sucks!

On 2016-06-15 18:12, tikiskip wrote:
So what temp is your pool?
Is it an in ground?

Ours is large and in ground so it heats slowly.

Ohio Sucks!

Ours is in-ground, too - I don't even use a thermometer anymore. My guess it's in the upper 70's - I like it just cool enough so it's still refreshing to walk into, but not so cold that I can be heard screaming when I step into it. I don't want it so warm it's like bathwater, that's for sure.

I will heat it up mostly if people are coming over; if it's hot outside and I've been working up a sweat doing things in the yard, I'll get in no matter what temperature it is. If I heat it up a little on a Friday night for use on Saturday, it's usually good for the rest of the weekend. I did have a solar cover; used it one season and now it (and the reel) are hanging up in the back of the garage.

I don't mind it here in Ohio at all. I like that we get all four seasons; last year, I had the pool open from May 1 to the end of September - 5 months isn't bad. I'd have had it open that early this year two - but I'm behind on everything about 3 weeks due to a overseas trip. When it gets hot, it's humid, too - every time someone mentions global warming, I say "bring it on."

If I need to escape for a bit, I just go up to Put-In-Bay; it's one part Key West, one part Cape Cod, one part NOLA. I had a boat for a while, but with the pool, there just wasn't enough summertime for both. Mostly now I just sit out back and vacation at home.

hi!

have some questions..
we decided to build a tiki bar/palapa after years of looking at them in the Caribbean & Florida. um yea right. we are in OHIO!! we had thought great idea,after obtaining a bar top that was offered up in our area ready made of bottle tops ( long story.......),
we had previously built an irish pub in our house, & added deck & pool outside, so natural progression was to someday add a tiki bar,
sooo not thinking it through, we started to build frame, ordered the thatching, & THEN started researching exactly what might happen to our bar in OHIO ( i mentioned Ohio, right?).
really did not think about it, since florida gets RAIN & so does Caribbean,, thought, ok, will cover it in winter... mm seems not so much idea huh?
alright Ohioan's,, ( or other northerners) is there any good news projects, ? or is this doomed?
the way i see it, i have 3 choices.

1. cover it in winter with tarp/plywood, whatever,, but it has to breathe , right? or will rot?
2. put thatch on for temporary? & remove /store/ for winter ( we only have 3 months left of good weather yet here (eek!)
   3)shoot, had another choice , but it left me for now.

ok, so what can you tell me? suggestions?
possible get artificial thatch in future?

thanks!!

Nice pool AkronTiki!
Our pool is about 90 degrees now.

And muffyn welcome to TC.
There was a guy here that did the whole put the thatch up then take it down thing.
When I heard that I said you will tire of that real quick.
Don't think he does that any more.

You could put it up in areas easy to put up and remove for winter.
BUT their are still the bugs, earwigs must love that stuff and you put it over your
head no less.

I think the rain, most summers we get LOTS of rain, kills the thatch.
This summer I think we are close to 4 inches below average rain fall.

So use the thatch till it craps out then for here the rusted old corrugated steel
would be the best bet.

That thatch is not cheap, plus you may get like 3 years out of it.
"since Florida gets RAIN & so does Caribbean"
They do but you can bet they got guys they pay that fix that thatch every now and then, that is the difference.

Good luck, post pictures of your work.

Good thread.

Not sure yet what the worst thing we did is yet, but we know what the best thing was: investing in rechargeable remote-control lighting.

Right now we have three remote controls:

regular tealights

spotlights (multi-levels of dimming)

strip lights (just in one display cabinet)

Before this, we went through a pile of tealight batteries a month, and on any night we were never sure how many lights would go out for good. It took 10-15 minutes to turn everything on and we had to go through the same process at the end of the night. And if we missed one, that was it, the battery was drained. So maybe going with cheap tealights initially was pretty much the worst thing we did. Hopefully!

Agree with Tikiskip about the right kind of bar towels. We had some microfiber towels as a gift when we first opened that just didn't do the job. You need the cloth ones with the red stripe, those are the best and yes they do get better with age.

To thatch or not to thatch?
It looks great but just does not like rain and snow.

So here is a bar where Thatch did not hold up for more than a year or so.
It is in London.

The Cogan grass thatch didn't last the winter and neither did the Nippa thatch so I may have to go the synthetic route unless anyone has any inspired ideas? its hard to get the real thing here and very expensive too.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=51371&forum=20&start=30&39

And here is a bar where it is holding up after one year, BUT it is in Atlanta GA.
Will need to see how long it lasts.

New Roof on the Bora Bora Bamboo Barn and Fish bar….
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=52761&forum=20&5

My vote is for the artificial stuff! We live in NJ, which is not too different from Ohio and our thatch looks as good as it did some 6 years ago when we installed it.

Here's what it looked like and still does, at least in terms of the thatch. Other stuff, not so much. The bamboo on the hut door is pretty discolored so if power washing doesn't bring it back to life it's coming off and being replaced with something artificial.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=42865&forum=20&start=0&hilite=Gator%20hut

Great addition Lori.
A guy here in Ohio said he would use the real stuff and would just change it as needed.

That did not last long.

Can you tell us how costly it was to do that tiki bar?
If you don't want to give exact amt you can just say expensive or not too much.
I do know it costs more than the real stuff.

6 years is a good time for it to last.

And where did you buy thatch from?

Ok so I saw a show about decorating Disney for Halloween on TV and it was even more labor intensive than I thought.

First they put it up all in one night, and they start painting, fixing, etc. in July!

So that is to say they repaint the décor every year, that's right they repaint the stuff that only spends like what 30 or so days and nights out in the elements!

While the stuff we put out to decorate sits out all the time in the wind, snow, ice, rain, and sun.
Well not that much sun in Ohio, but this year was good.

BUT think of that when you build your outdoor spaces, I say let the harsh elements work for you, rust can be your friend.
Rotting and molding boards can be a replacement for that painting every year, and hey it will only get better and more Kronkie with age.

Heck who wants to be painting every year that cuts into drinking time.

31 Nights of Halloween | Decorating Disney: Halloween Magic | Freeform
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAQDh0r8Xfc