December 19, 2008
Snow, Ice, and Tiki Thatch Don't Mix
You know it's winter when the Tiki hut hauls off and heads south.
Here's a big tip for those in Northern climates: Tiki thatch does not like to be soaked and frozen. A good icing will dramatically shorten thatch life.
Unfortunately, I never got around to putting everything away winter before last (before everything froze up) and our thatch paid the price (or more accurately, I paid the price).
After shelling out for a new bundle of thatch this spring, I swore I'd not make the same mistake twice. With the first real storm of the season slated to roll through just after daybreak, I woke up knowing that today was the day to take down the Tiki hut.
Taking apart the Tiki hut was simple, due to its ingeniously lightweight construction. I removed the lashing that held the cedar uprights to the deck railing. Then we tilted the structure over on its side, and with a dozen zips of the screw gun the thatched roof was removed from the uprights.
The toughest part proved to be finding a place for storage. Unfortunately, the 4x12 roof is too large to fit in the shed, without breaking it down into 4x4 foot squares. It's now sitting in the garage, waiting for a set of hooks to hang it from the rafters.
