Christmas in the HUT

I got into the spirit this weekend....Enjoy 

Merry Christmas from the Tiki Rancher!

 Chris Smith came by the Fish bar the other night

New Railings for Code inspection

I've finally started working on the Hut again.  I had a neighbor decide to call the City of Roswell on me, after he called the HOA (jumped through those hoops) So, I had to apply for a building permit...but ha got one. So a couple of items out of code had to be fixed...Railings were the main issue. So this past weekend I added some more safety to the hut.  I'm also making the loft safer for wee little ones. Check out the progress!

DIY kits are now available for Royal Grand Hut

Finally after a year in the making, the DIY kit for the Royal Grand Hut are available! In the kit you will get all the bamboo and thatching needed to create your very own slice of heaven.  The kit also comes with a fully illustrated book of easy to follow instructions.  The blueprints are color coded and easy to read and execute. All the knots, joinery and tips to make your build as successful as mine. The Royal Grand Hut was built by the tiki rancher single handedly....so if you have a team or even a couple of people this hut will go up quick and last for years. Go to my etsy store for more details....

https://www.etsy.com/listing/106076206/diy-plans-and-materials-to-build-custom

Peace of Mind in the bamboo barn

As I sit in the bamboo barn behind the bar, looking out into the yard I get an overwhelming feeling of being at    peace with all. Something about the natural materials - the smell, the color, the shade of the thatched roof makes me calm - or was it the rum drink I just poured? Anyway, I love the addition to the yard and hope everyone has the time and resources to put something up in their life that brings as much joy as my bamboo barn.  

Do it yourself kits are coming for three sizes...Grand hut (like the one I built), kids playhouse and a dog house version is coming soon. Mahalo!

Tiki Rancher breaks out the chisels!

Ever since building the Bamboo Barn I've been itching to give my hand at some carving.  I saved some 6" round scrap wood left over from a Twin Peaks railing. They used this cool material to build railings at the Buckhead Twin Peaks recently built.  Pine isn't the best carving wood but it was free and I figured I could get a little practice in before I start carving larger tiki statues. I prefer Bass wood when carving and I have some in my shop so next carving will be with that and will be much more detailed due to the material. Tjhe finished tiki was polychromed (painted) because the pine wood grain was ugly.

Here is my first attempt at a tiki god...I just did from my head so it's not very authentic but fun. This carving was done with hand tools (home depot chisels and a wooden hammer) It took me about 4 hours total over a couple of sessions. It stands 18" tall by 6" round. 

a good start but still about an hour left of work

front view still incomplete

This is the completed tiki next to another piece of wood identical of what I started with. I decided to polychrome the wood since it was pine. 

PRO photos thanks to Kevin Garrett

This week Kevin Garrett world class photographer came by the ranch and took the best pictures of it yet.
ENJOY!

More Party pictures!

Here are some more party pictures from people at the Luau...enjoy

The Tiki Rancher is happy

80 lbs of LOVE

Flipping the pig with Ron

barn at night

king and queen 

Frank and Angela

Frank and Chris

My son the night before

Nectar of the Gods

Now that's a man size hunk of meat

Calm before the storm

party in the garden

some of the 75 guests that night

Lets see how this bowl tastes....

STRONG!!!

Fear the TIKI

The Bora Bora Barn party PIG ROAST

Hello all tiki fans, 
The bora bora barn is complete with a new railing and completed bar area.  Thanks to all that have helped me find cool artifacts and craigslist goodies.  Last thing I had to do was build out the bar and backbar / finish the bamboo trim and build a railing for the porch. DONE! I started cutting bamboo for this project a year ago. So stoked it turned out better than I even imagined. Enjoy....