easy DIY birdhouse
Do you remember the giveaway I won from Pat at Corn In My Coffee Pot? I told you I was going to make an easy DIY birdhouse and use the license plate for the roof.
I just sort of jumped in and started cutting some scrap wood.
This is a dry fit to see if everything is going to come together.
I didn’t want to use a dowel rod for a perch. I first thought of using some silverware, but I have lots of handles in my stash. I chose one that I didn’t think I would be using for some other project. To get the spacing right for the holes, I pressed the handle into the wood to leave an indention. After I had the impression in the wood, I used a pencil to color it in to make it easier to drill.
I used wood glue and my nail gun to put all the pieces together. I used a hole saw blade to cut out the hole.
These are two of the pieces I cut off the “pitch” of the roof. I was trying to figure out if I wanted red under white or white under red. To get his look I painted the undercoat, let it dry, then painted on some watered down Elmer’s Glue All. I let the glue barely dry. After the glue is almost dry, I gently brushed on the topcoat, being careful not to “overpaint”. I decided I wanted to get the look on the left.
To get that look, I painted the birdhouse Colonial Red from Rustoleum, I then painted on the Elmer’s Glue All, and then put a top coat of white on being careful to just paint it on lightly. You can see more details of how to achieve this technique in my post Thomas Kinkaid Decoupaged Window
This is the birdhouse that I am replacing. Don’t you think it’s seen better days? I think it should have been condemned a long time ago. Don’t you love the sun roof?
But even the poor little birdies need a floor in their home.
This is how the diy crackle paint technique worked when I painted the white over the red and diluted glue mixture.
I took down the old birdhouse and put the new house right in the same place.
I’m not a huge fan of a crackle finish, but I think it does have it’s place.
I think I need to hang out a vacancy sign. There are no new tenants yet.
I suppose this may be the wrong time of year for birdies to look for new homes. I’ll keep ya posted though.
gail
See more Easy Projects below:
Jona says
April 18, 2018 at 9:56 pmHi I love your birdhouse.it gives me confidence to attempt it now. I did some research because I wanted to start building my own as well, I read that you shouldn’t use metal as it makes the inside get to hot and that is bad for the eggs. Also not to use pressure treated lumber. Nothing I read said anything about the outside being painted but the inside should Definately be raw wood, no stain, no paint.
Gail Wilson says
April 18, 2018 at 10:04 pmThanks for your tips Jona! I appreciate you sharing what you found out in your research.
gail
Diane says
January 1, 2016 at 12:22 pmMerry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Wishing to happy and healthy New Year.
I seemed to have lost your posts to my facebook and now that I have you back . . . . I MISSED YOU. I need to catch up on a million things. I still have headboards and footboards for benches. They have been in my garage for almost three years!
TrishAnna @ AHomesteadHeart says
December 18, 2012 at 4:29 pmTwo and a half years later … I think I’ll comment anyway. 🙂 Love the drawer pull as a perch!!! I was going to suggest you put the bed in a corner – I have a large bedroom and I’ve done that as well, and it really makes the bed “important” in the room, but I see at least two people already suggested that — and to top it off, I really love the suggestion about curtains around the corner! I haven’t “finished” mine yet, and I was thinking of putting a dramatically-shaped plant there with an uplight for drama, but now I think I’m really liking the curtained-wrapped corner idea. 🙂 I always hate putting a bed in front of windows too – of course it can be done if you want to do it, but I don’t like to. Though maybe some creative curtains as suggested here, or maybe the sheers with white Christmas lights behind them, or another interesting treatment. I just love reading all the creative suggestions. 🙂
michelle@somedaycrafts says
July 8, 2010 at 6:22 amAnother great one! Love how you used a drawer pull for the little perch! Cute!
Rachel says
July 8, 2010 at 3:08 amOops! Just call me “bird brain.” had to cut and paste my comment and I see I really did cut “1)” from my previous comment. What it said is that I really like the look of the birdhouse and clever use of materials, but I’ve heard conflicting reports on birds not liking painted or stained or sealed birdhouses. They don’t like the smell or something. So, I’ve never painted any of mine and don’t have any knowledge one way or the other. Maybe someone who has painted or stained or sealed one can submit a report before we all start making one.
Rachel says
July 8, 2010 at 3:05 amThis comment has been removed by the author.
Rachel says
July 8, 2010 at 3:01 am2) I’d put the bed in the lower right hand corner, angling into the center of the room. I’d also build (or you could buy) a triangular-shaped piece the same height (or an inch or two higher) than the headboard to take up the space behind the headboard in the corner. You could use it as a display shelf area or a place for reading lamps, leaving the rest of the area around the bed for furniture, chairs, etc. If you want to divide the room into 2 usable, separate areas, this would give you the option of splitting the room either horizontally or vertically. OK, I’m sure it’s confusing, but I can see it REALLY clearly in my head!! ;-} Good luck, no matter what you do. And, whatever you do won’t be wrong and/or is easily changeable.
Kelsi says
July 7, 2010 at 11:27 pmI love the idea of repurposing the pull. Very creative!!!
Kelli says
July 7, 2010 at 11:25 pmLove the bird house! So cute, and I like the color combo with the crackle. The license plate is cool, but the hinge is my fave.
What about putting your bed kitty corner and making a sweeping wall of curtains in the corner, going around the corner, almost like a partial canopy, in front of those two windows, that way it looks purposeful. (I’m imagining using a curved rod, like you would in the shower, but much longer…do they make such a beast?). Also, making it possible to open windows when you want, but for drama, you’d have this ‘canopy’. Then, on the other corner, you could create a sitting area. Of course, I’m not good with dimensions and always move furniture a million times til I get it right! It’s hard to tell on the screen what the sizes are. 🙂
Tricia says
July 7, 2010 at 11:21 pmHey there, Ms. Creativity!
What if you tried centering the bed on the wall opposite the closets and covered the entire width of area behind the headboard with curtains? Obviously it would put the window off center, but if the room gets enough light w/o it, maybe just covering it and making the bed a focal point with the curtain backing would work. Just a suggestion. Can’t wait to see what you do.
Sylvia says
July 7, 2010 at 10:47 pmBird house is very cute! You may place your bed in front of a window if you want to. It is your room :-). One idea might be to place the bed in front of a window and hang the curtain(s) wider than the window covering some of the wall on each side. I have seen a lot of designers use this idea.
I love your blog. You are very creative and can actually build what you design.
Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures says
July 7, 2010 at 9:10 pmI love your birdhouse. Love the pull idea.
The Polka Dot Closet says
July 7, 2010 at 9:08 pmCute bird house! I think you can put the bed in front of a window, I don’t know why not? I did a bathroom make over, bless your heart, it is a lot of work!!
Carol
Kelli @ RTSM says
July 7, 2010 at 5:36 pmI love your new birdhouse! The drawer pull for the perch is a genius idea! My boys built a birdhouse a few weeks ago at a community day, and their frame was pretty similar to what you built.
Nana's Fun Stuff says
July 7, 2010 at 5:02 pmOh I love the cute birdhouses 🙂 Great job!!
Stephanie says
July 7, 2010 at 3:42 pmwow – you can just jump in and make whatever you want! great job – very adorable with the license plate roof!!
Pam says
July 7, 2010 at 3:29 pmWhat a great birdhouse. Love the license plate. Very cute.
Betsy ~ GAhandygirl says
July 7, 2010 at 2:51 pmI think the crackle finish is perfect for a birdhouse. I’m assuming that the glue won’t run or come off outside once it’s dry? A great alternative to the crackle “paint” that’s more expensive.
The bedroom… What other furniture do you have in there other than the bed? The on the right wall (front the door) could still be the focal point. I would put the bed on the wall on the same side as the door. More space. A sitting area on the far right corner bewtween the two adjacent windows. Are you going to use curtains, or you could put up some inside shutters over your windows? Just a thought.
Lenore @ Lather. Write. Repeat. says
July 7, 2010 at 1:53 pmWhat a lucky bird to land on that perch! So cute and thanks for sharing.
XO
Lenore
Suzanne says
July 7, 2010 at 1:34 pmLove that birdhouse with the license plate as the roof — so clever! I can’t wait to see what you do to the bedroom. I’ve never put a bed in front of a window, but lately I’ve seen many photos just like that the rooms are beautiful!
Rose @ Confessions of a Curbshopaholic says
July 7, 2010 at 12:02 pmI love the crackle finish on that birdhouse. It’s perfect for it.
And the license plate is so cool.
Looks like you’re ready to embark on a big project too. Good Luck with that! At least you’ll be out of the heat.
I subscribe to the “move it around until you’re too tired to move it again rule for furniture placement”
When you can’t move it anymore, that’s where it belongs!
Try it, it really works, lol.
I think you may need to consult with Deb on this one.
Granny J says
July 7, 2010 at 11:17 amLove the little birdhouse and I’m sure that come next spring you won’t even have to hang out the vacancy sign.
I have no suggestions for rearranging your bedroom. I suck at furniture placement. When I was young I rearranged all the furniture in the living room every week when I cleaned. Now that we’re older Grampy and I usually place things when we move in and that’s where they stay unless we get something new.