Birdhouses

This project was plagued with problem after problem. I went one direction, only to change my mind and go another route. There were color problems, roof problems and size problems. I even left the project on the wayside for a week due to frustration. But in the end, I think they turned out cute and better than originally planned!



Birdhouse Tutorial:

The first thing I did was cut the boards to make the birdhouses. I used cedar fence slats (1"x4"x6'). The final sizes I did were 36", 30" and 24". I originally used a wider board for the biggest birdhouse that was 4' tall. This birdhouse caused me the most grief, so in the end I scrapped it and cut out a 30" birdhouse.

I cut the side boards at 36", 30", and 24". The front and back pieces needed to be longer so the roof could be pitched, so I added 5" to the measurements above on the front and back pieces and then cut them to make a triangle.


Next, I used a brad nailer to attach the boards together. I then drilled holes in the front of the birdhouses. I drilled three in the largest one, two in the middle one and one in the smallest. I also drilled a small hole below each hole and put a peg into it. I then sanded each house.


Next, I painted each house.


I didn't like the blue, so I painted it gray. For the roof I glued books on. This is how the project stood for a week. There was something off about them. Like I said, I had color, roof and size problems...


I scrapped big blue and made a 30" birdhouse the same width as the other two. I also shelved the books.


Before you make the same mistake as me, be sure to paint the birdhouse first. There is no picture for this step, but I decided to stain the roof and the pegs. I also glued spanish moss into each hole.












Happy Spring!