How to build a fun backyard tiki bar

Step 1: Laying the foundation

First, select the location for your tiki bar. Guizzo's tiki hut is a lean-to design and is intended to be built next to a house. Excavate the location of the floor base and fill the area with 2 inches of leveled driveway gravel.

Next, assemble the four fence posts to create an 8-by-6-foot base. Measure diagonally from each corner to ensure that it is square. Insert five 2-by-4s every 16 inches from the center and fasten them to the fence posts with 3-inch deck screws. Use 2-by-4 hangers to help hold them in place. Make sure the base is level and square before continuing.

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Step 2: Making the deck

Lay out and secure 12 pressure-treated boards over the base using 1¾-inch screws, leaving a quarter-inch space in between each board for drainage and expansion. Now, stain the deck.

Make sure the pressure-treated boards have been dry for a week before staining. Pressure treating involves toxic chemicals; staining the wood when it is dry helps seal the toxins away from you and your guests.

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Step 3: Assemble the walls

Assemble the front and back wall frames with six 3½-by-3½-inch fence posts using brackets and lag bolts to fasten. The height of each wall will depend on where you build it. In this example, the back wall is 96 inches and the front wall is 82 inches — any shorter and your guests might hit their heads on the gutter. Use spare 2-by-4s to hold these in place. Screw the posts into the floor by toe-nailing 3-inch deck screws. Attach the back of the wall to the house, either with mounting plates or directly into the side.

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Step 4: Design tip

These 5-inch corner braces are a nice touch to hold the posts together. Also, their weathered look adds to the tiki theme. If your hardware is new, a faux rust coating can be added in a two-part paint process, which can be purchased at many craft stores.

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Step 5: Secure the posts

Attach the front wall posts to the back wall beams with two 2-by-4s at the top outside corners with brackets and lag bolts.

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Step 6: Working on the rafters

Now, start working on the rafters. Place seven 9-foot-long, 2-by-4-inch boards every 16 inches from the center. Make a small bird’s mouth notch (right-angled cut) in each rafter to rest it on the top of the front frame. Taper the bottom part of the overhang to increase headroom under the rafters. The rafters can be attached to the back wall using metal hangers.

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Step 7: Framing the counter

Using 2-by-4s, frame in an area that will become the counter space and cupboards.

The counter should be about 42 inches high. To create the base for it, run two 2-by-4s 24 inches apart across the vertical posts. Then attach 42-inch vertical lengths every 32 inches for support. Customize the inside of the counter to suit whatever you plan on putting in there — a small fridge, a dishwasher or a sink.

Guizzo added a fifth vertical post on the right side of the structure to create a doorway and to support the bar. However, a counter-height vertical beam can be used instead.

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Step 8: Roof it

This tiki bar uses rusted tin roofing from an old barn. However, thatched palm leaves can be used instead for a more authentic Polynesian look.

Design tip: Make ornate corner blocks out of scrap pieces of the deck boards. Cut them to fit in square at a 45-degree angle and freehand a design into them. Make one, and use it as a template for the others.

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Step 9: Side the structure

Side the structure using cedar fence boards and screws.

Here, a split piece of bamboo is made into a rustic gutter and edging for the countertop. Bamboo, which resists rot, can also be used as paneling in place of the cedar board.

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Step 10: Install the countertop

Stain and seal the 2-foot-by-8-foot-by-½-inch plywood and install it as the countertop.

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Step 11: Finishing touches

Details such as fishnets, lanterns, seashells and saloon-style doors will make your tiki hut come alive. Add a sound system and a blender and call your friends over for a luau — Hawaiian shirts are mandatory attire.

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