How to Make a Grass Craft Hut
Stop at Mile Marker 81 in the Florida Keys and you will find grass tiki huts used as bars, scuba paraphernalia kiosks and souvenir shops. You can use the same grass-thatched construction to make a craft hut at a campground, park or beach. You can build a grass craft hut in under an hour, use it all summer and tear it down in minutes at the end of the season. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Twelve 8-foot-long, 2-inch-diameter PVC poles
- Eight 2-inc-diameter three-way PVC connectors
- PVC cement
- One 8-foot by 2-inch by 2-inch length of stock lumber
- Four 4-foot by 2-inch by 1-inch lengths of stock lumber
- Two 2-foot by 2-inch by 1-inch lengths of stock lumber
- 38 1-inch wide by 1/2-inch thick by 4-feet-long wood strips
- 90 1-inch wide by 1/2-inch thick by 8-feet-long wood strips
- Staple gun and 1/2-inch wide, 3/4-inch long staples
- Several bales of wheatgrass or ryegrass straw
- Four stone blocks
- Tent support lines
- Measuring tape
- Carpenter's pencil
- Power drill with 1/4-inch diameter bit
- Four 2.5-inch long, 1/4-inch diameter galvanized carriage bolts
- Four 3-inch long, 1/4-inch diameter galvanized wood screws
- Eight 1/4-inch diameter hole fender washers
- Four 1/4-inch diameter acorn nuts
- Jute twine
- Tables, chairs and storage cabinets
- Art and craft supplies
Instructions
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1
Apply PVC cement to the inside of each three-way connector. Use them to make two PVC squares by connecting four of the 8-feet-long, 2-inch-diameter poles. Connect the two squares by fitting the remaining poles in each of the open connections. This is your grass craft hut frame.
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2
Mark the center point of the right and left sides of the grass craft hut frame you made in Step 1, using a carpenters' pencil. Drill two 1/4-inch diameter holes one inch apart vertically, on that center line, through the poles and out the other side. Drill matching holes in one end of each of the 2-foot by 2-inch by 1-inch lengths of stock lumber and attach them using 2.5-inch long, 1/4-inch diameter galvanized carriage bolts with fender washers and acorn nuts. These are your roof end supports.
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3
Lay the 8-foot by 2-inch by 2-inch length of stock lumber on top of the two roof end supports. This is your top roof rail. Attach it to the supports using two 3-inch long, 1/4-inch diameter galvanized wood screws through the top roof rail and into each end support.
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4
Attach 19 of the 1-inch wide by 1/2-inch thick by four-foot-long wood strips across the roof frame every 6 inches, beginning at the left side, using a staple gun and 1/2-inch wide, 3/4-inch long staples. This is the support frame for your thatch.
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5
On three sides of your grass craft hut frame, attach 1-inch wide by 1/2-inch thick by 8-foot-long wood strips vertically every 6 inches, beginning 6 inches from the right front edge of the right side of the hut frame. Repeat attaching these strips horizontally, beginning 6 inches from the top edge of the frame and working down. This creates 6-inch square lattice framing, which will provide the support needed for your grass thatch walls.
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6
Begin thatching the roof by laying bundles of wheatgrass or ryegrass straw along the lowest edge of the roofline. Overlap the next row by half the length of the previous row. This provides a necessary sheeting action during rainstorms.Continue until both sides of the roof are thatched, then begin thatching the sides. Tie all bundles securely to the frame using jute twine. Finish by thatching the sides of the hut, tying bundles securely to the lattice frame.
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7
Tie the stone blocks to tent support lines. Attach the other ends of the lines to each bottom corner of your grass craft hut.
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Tips & Warnings
Furnish your hut with craft tables, chairs, storage cabinets and display stands. Provide supplies for scrapcrafts, painting, sketching, pottery, plaster casting, sandcasting and candlemaking.
