Tiki house remodel (updated 06-19-05 with patio pics pg 8)

We bought our home three years ago. It was built in 1959. Needless to say it needed to be remodeled.
This is what the front looked like when we started.

Notice we had already knocked down the brick planter in front of the door in the last two pictures. That was our Thanksgiving day project 2001.

And here is what it looks like as of today.

And here is a night shot.

We did all the work ourselves except carving the tikis. They were carved by our local carver "Tiki Dan"

[ Edited by: onatiki on 2005-06-19 11:55 ]

That night shot looks awesome.

Very nice. Any vandalism problems?

Vandalism...??? Not yet and hopefully not ever.
The Tikis are large, heavy, bolted down and set in concrete. They're gonna have to want them really bad. We have very watchful neighbors too. :wink:

The palapa has also been sprayed with a fire retardant.

As for the night shot... We just picked up a new digital camera from Costco. It is very cool and has a special setting for night shots. We are having lots of fun with it.

Stay tuned for more pictures of the back yard and interior.

Aloha
:drink:

Excellent Remodel OnaTiki!
No more need to go on vacation.

WOW I love it!!!!!!!!
You did a fantastic job. But I still hate you people that can have all of the palms and tropical plants in your landscape.
OK, I don't hate you, but I'm jealous as hell.
We really struggle to find plants with the right features that we can use here in zone 4. Thanks for the awesome photos. Love the night shots too!

Here are a few pictures of the back yard. It is about half done. We are adding on to the deck and building the new 'Ona Tiki Lounge and waterfall. Hope to have them done by the end of summer.

Before....

looking from the back door of the house to the only existing landscape.

our trash pile from the gutting of the kitchen cabinets.

looking towards the parking area at the back of our lot.

The future 'Ona Tiki Lounge

And now.....

Left side of path still needs stone work done.

The "Ona Tiki Lounge patio.

Note that some of these shots are from last summer before the mural was painted.

And now for some current night shots...

My first tiki carving obscured by the jungle.

More pics to follow of inside the 'Ona Tiki Lounge and inside the house.

Thanks for looking :)

Aloha
:drink:

[ Edited by: OnaTiki on 2004-06-02 00:03 ]

DAMN!!!!

Absolutely Incredible results.

You will certainly have visitors in the near future. I'll bring the RUM.

Nicely done.

un-flipping-believable! Probably the coolest, most tiki-tasteful house I've EVER seen!

HOLY MOLY ~ those nighttime photos are amazing. you've singlehandly skewed the TIPSY factor of san diego ! great work ~ its hard to believe those plants grew so much in just such a short time. they must feel very happy in their new environment.

yours in plant envy
tiki envy too
elicia

Onatiki-what an unbelievable setup!The creativity on this site never ceases to amaze me-I can smell the sea breezes from here!!! You all did a wonderful job!!!

man..what an inspiration! That work is out of sight.

Looks like I know what my next project is gonna be.

WOW What an Incredible Transformation!!! You should be (and I'm sure Are) SOOOO Proud. Your place looks just like the place for my next Vacation.Super Lush, Tropical Hidaway, deep in the rain forrests of polynesian Island. Soft Hawiian music playing in the background, Mai-tai's for everyone,Tikis to watch over and guide you on this long journey to peace and tranquility...
Did I wake up yet?
Nice.

I sure love it!
WHO DID THE MURAL??!!!
Absolutely Amazing! Clever idea with the floral blending in and the waterfall!
Ahem, where's my room?! :wink:
JK

Wow! That's amazing. It's hard to believe it's the same place.
:)

Ona ~ to quote a wiseman, "that's dope yo!" Good job. When's the party?

I'm currently in the process of working my backyard (well, kind of)... if you don't mind me asking, how long did this tranformation take? Did you do the work yourself? How much coin did you actually spend (if you don't mind sharing)? And lastly, who carved the tikis?

Great job! We had a sneak preview a few months back and you could see how nice it was going to be. As we were looking for the address I jokingly said to Mrs. Fury " just look for a big Tiki in the front yard" .....no joke! There it was! The inside of the house is just as cool/tropical as the outside. A great team effort by the OnaTikis. Love the lighting.........

Inspiring!
WOW!
Amazing!
Gorgeous!
etc...

Thanks for all the great feedback. It makes us feel warm and fuzzy :wink:

You are all welcome to visit or stay over anytime. We have a guest room that is always ready.

As for the work, we did it all ourselves. It started when we moved in and we've also remodeled the inside of our house and the granny flat over the garage. It has been a labor of love. Pretty constant for the last three years. We've kept all our receipts and maybe one day we'll be brave enough to add them up to see what we've actually spent. At this point, lots!!

The tikis were carved by Tiki Dan, with the exception of a few. The mural was painted by local artist Nancy Isbell.

We're hoping to have a party by the end of summer once the other half of the back yard is finished and we can celebrate the opening of the new 'Ona Tiki Lounge (we're moving it from across the yard) It will be bigger and better.

Mahalo,
:drink:

[ Edited by: OnaTiki on 2004-06-02 10:39 ]

Beeeauuutifullll!!!!

Incredible! Such a thing to be proud of!

Onatiki, are you in San Diego? I'm new to the forum and just moved to Carlsbad/La Costa. My fiance and I are looking to completely gut and redo our entire landscaping front and back and are looking for recommendations for landscapers, nurseries, pool companies, etc that people here might have used/recommend. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for any help...

Josh

Congrats on the transformation of your beautiful oasis OnaTiki! Your home will have to be part of a San Diego tiki crawl someday!

Tbird.

tikisurfer, sent you a PM.

UN-FRICKIN-BELIEVABLE!!!!!That is truly awe inspiring!!! What is your secret for the lava rock planters/boulders and how did you build the stone tiki head?

Monster House has nothing on you Ono!! One question though, WHAT TIME IS THE PARTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY ?!?!?!?! I will bring the rum!! Booking my flight right now.

I don't like you.

:lol: Flounder you are too funny. Besides, what'd we ever do to you.... :lol:

Your house is beautiful and your landscaping is out of this world! Are you for hire?

all good - fun night shots - like everything the lava rock pit looks rad!

On 2004-06-01 22:31, OnaTiki wrote:
We bought our home three years ago. It was built in 1959. Needless to say it needed to be remodeled.

cool.
Love those 50s homes!

lesseeeee....
ona tiki lounge;
trans.
the infatuated tiki lounge?!

this place of yours should be on dat before and after HGTV show!

On 2004-06-02 14:55, diesel tiki wrote:
how did you build the stone tiki head?

It's a 7' sono-tube filled with concrete, wire mesh is then applied to the outside to shape it. Several more coats of concrete, texture it, color it and you're done. Instant Moai !

On 2004-06-02 20:49, Atomicchick wrote:
Your house is beautiful and your landscaping is out of this world! Are you for hire?

Absolutly,
If you're in the San Diego area and are really serious, PM me.

Mahalo,
:drink:

suuuuweeeet!

Hello again my friends, it was great meeting you 2!

I love your pix of your casa and will for sure be by to spend a night in da hut out back! That little opened area looks like I could just melt in those nice lounge chairs and get no carving done!

Hope you had fun in paradise and will see you guys again!

Aloha

That is truly an awesome transformation!!! Makes me wish we didn't live in a neighborhood with a homeowner's association. As much as I would love it, I know we could never convince them to let us have a large tiki in the front yard. I also really like the carving details on your deck posts and trim. I'm sure the backyard will be equally great when you're finished. Great work! We'd like to stop sometime, if you don't mind, and check it out in person.

ModMana :drink:

What a KILLER job. I especially dig the lighting. It looks super good at night. If it was a restaurant or a bar, I'd pay money to get in!

WoW!!!Love it!
Can you recommend any tropical/tiki landscapers near south O.C.?

Oh you make me so mad....

I was looking at the Nikon at Costco today and thought of the two of you. I think I may have to go back tomorrow and buy it. I love how the pics came out.

Are you going to post anything from Hawaii or should I go first?

The yard is amazing. Are you going to put up some shots of the interior? I'd like to see how you display your newest aquisitions.

Aloha,
Kate

What a great job! You are Trader Ona Tiki!

I want you to adopt me or at least give me the den with a fold out couch. Those pictures effing ROCK! but what about the inside of the house? Is it the next project or what? I'm dying to know. Well not dying per-se. But you know what I mean... spill the beans my man.

OK, I forgive you. :D :D :D

Holy Crap!

how did I miss this post for so long?

Anyway, seeing such a beautiful finished project like that makes me wanna just give up. You have set a new high standard for backyards...

BTW, did I see a fire pit? is it natural gas? Excellent idea... please give some details on how you put it together.

-Z

Wow, you really should contact HGTV about that extreme makeover!

I feel inspired to create an Oasis like that! The volcano next to the pool, what is that? Is that real water going into the pool or is it, painted to look like it?

The mural is wonderful, and I agree Monster House has NOTHING on you! But I imagine yours took more then 5 days.

Feeling Z...
Yes, that is a fire pit. Natural gas line with a burner from BBQ's Galore covered by Lava rock.

Unc.....Yes the inside is finished. We'll get those pics up soon. You are always welcome.

Here's the pics of the 'Ona Tiki Lounge as it is today.

Can you hear the jungle drums? What's that off in the the distance?

getting closer....

You have arrived! Would you like a Mai Tai? Have a look around.

Some of our collection of carved treasures. Anybody recognize the carver of the large one with the red eyes?

Thanks for coming. Hope you enjoyed your mai tais.

Sure, thats a Gecko original. Sorta looks like ALL of TC approves of your Re-Do. Looks like you put Heart,Body and Soul into the project and I believe we are All proud along with you. THANKS for sharing this tremendous project.

What is that line from the song? "Check in but never check out" And I agree, you really need to contact one of those home make over shows, and show them the before and after. And please keep those pictures coming, I am dying to see the rest of the house.

Zowee.
Great shots.

Looks like the kind of place I could stumble around in for hours.

And will.

Thanks for the shots - killer job.

You really have a beautiful place there, OnaTiki! It must feel great to take something and make it so much better.

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