Hilton Head’s new iconic Tiki Hut is getting a roof. Drone video gives an inside look
Once completed and ready for enjoyment, nothing makes the spirit of the island come alive like a cool summer afternoon with an umbrella adorned drink under a perfectly thatched tiki hut.
Beach House Hilton Head Island, including the iconic Tiki Hut beach bar, is getting an upgrade, changing the landscape of Coligny Beach Park’s entrance and bringing live music closer to the beach. The around $11 million in renovations started in October and are set to be completed by Spring 2024, according to Beach House general manager Jay Wiendl.
Florida-based Big Cypress Tiki Huts anticipated it would take their team about four days to build the roof so visual journalist Drew Martin made his way to Coligny Beach Tuesday to capture the unique roof build in progress.
While waiting for a construction hat and a safety vest, a worker 15-feet up yelled down to Martin, “what are you doing here boss?” as the team was working on timbers for the new musical acts stage. “You should have been here Monday, we ran out of branches. We’re getting more delivered tonight.”
Bring on gusty Wednesday and Martin’s return to the Polynesian construction zone - and this time they had plenty of palm branches to install.
How the roof is built
Watching from above, it seems as though the roofer is pulling fronds from a shelf just below the rafters.
But they aren’t.
Quiet and precise, workers on the ground, prepare the palm fronds and have them at their feet.
Here’s how the process works:
As a roofer needs another frond, they pop their hand through the wooden timbers.
A worker on the ground, already grasping a frond, embracing it like an ice skater preparing to throw his partner, heaves it into the air and into the waiting hands of the man up top.
The roofer pulls it through, nails it down and repeats the process.
Watching from Hilton Head’s beach is much better than an ice rink.
