Build it and they will come...

The happy Guvna...



...and guests!

Ready for prime time

The Swanky Monkey Tiki Pub, like Disneyland, will "never be finished as long as there is imagination left in the world". But, it's done enough to have a Mai-Tai!

Woody and Witco!

The awesome surfboard bar counter from Erik Hurst at http://www.woodensurfboards.com



Equally awesome Witco barstools!

Tikea?

Adding the modified Ikea furniture. Primitive, yet functional!

Pain in the Grass

Perhaps the most difficult task so far - bamboo siding.

This required help from my pal Jonathan and my step-father, Peter. Of couse, lifetime free drinks were promised...

Getting decked

My buddy (and famous television actor/host) Jonathan Levit lends a gloved hand to help install the redwood deck. The deck is attached to old railroad ties used as a foundation.

We tied little strings to plastic spacers so they are easy to remove. We so clever!

That's me working - you don't think JL did ALL the work, do ya?

The finished deck...

Resident #2 at the Tiki Pub

Here is my second tiki carving, entitled "Hear No Excuses Tiki", the spirit who watches over the pub and makes people forget about things like "having to work tomorrow" and "it's getting late" when offered another cocktail.

Tiki Transformation

I bought some polished reed fencing and cut it to fit between the ceiling beams. This gave a nice illusion that we are seeing the underside of the thatched roof.


An old sliding closet mirror door will serve as the back bar mirror - notice the rollers still intact on the bottom! Hey, you gotta be creative sometimes...

THE BIG EVENT! I finally got to cut the opening in the pub. Now it starts to look like a tiki bar.

Here is the interior decor material - Java Grass from Oceanic Arts. I am trimming it to fit, but both sections will be used...

And here is another part of the interior wall covering - Bac-Bac with Sisal, a woven mat that comes in rolls 3' x 32' long. Again, from the mecca of Oceanic Arts in Whittier, CA.

The flash on the camera has washed out the look in this photo, but it looks sweet in person. Notice the mirror, a/c and window framed with old bamboo from my yard!


After a little more work, and the addition of a lamp from - guess where? Did I mention that place is a mecca?

Attack from the inside!

The interior demolition has begun on the pub.

Here are some before and in-progress shots...

The designated "bar" area:


Junk to be cleared to make way for booze:


Ceiling gets 86'd to reveal cool beams:

New resident for the SMTP

Here is the first of many tikis I'll be carving for the Swanky Monkey Tiki Pub. This is an olive tree branch from the tree right next to the Pub. Huge winds tore down a limb, but they will live on - guarding the precious rum and Guinness!

Before and after pics...

Thatcher, Rufus...

That's not really a name, I just couldn't think of anything more clever as a header for this post - about thatching my roof.

I bought these "raincape" sections of palm thatch at Oceanic Arts in Whittier, CA. Each one is about 4' square and has been treated to be flame retardant.

I mounted them to the roof using fender washers and roofing nails. This seemed to work well, after my initial plan to use an air-gun stapler failed - the staples cut right through the thatching.
I started with the fringe and worked my way back toward the top of the roofline.
So far so good... Can't wait for that first ice-cold Zombie!
to be continued...

The Tiki Pub Project begins...

The transformation of a small, detached writer's studio...
...to a swingin', swank Tiki drink mecca began on March 7th, 2008, with the purchase of some "beachin" pebbles - specifically, 3/8" Sunset Pebbles from La Canada Rustic Stone in Pasadena. This small area required sixteen 80 pound bags.
to be continued...