Faux Birdhouse Garden Decor
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Create faux birdhouse garden decor from reclaimed wood to add a whimsical, rustic touch to your garden. These decorative pieces capture the charm of old-fashioned birdhouses without the upkeep—perfect for adding character to flower beds, garden paths, or even a patio. Weathered wood gives them that naturally aged look, or you can use colorful paint, making each one a unique addition to your outdoor space. Plus, it’s a great way to repurpose scrap wood into something beautiful and eye-catching!
Will you love this easy garden decor project as much as I do?
Scrap Wood Pile
I lovingly call my getaway spot “The Hideaway.” Over time, we’ve tackled plenty of projects, so I’ve built up quite a stash of scrap wood — including reclaimed deck boards and leftover 2x4s and 4x4s. This project is the perfect excuse to dig into that pile!
Cut Reclaimed Wood to Size
I grabbed 1×5 deck boards and reclaimed pallet boards for this faux birdhouse garden decor. Any wood you have on hand will work — aim for a mix of sizes and textures for extra rustic charm.
Design Your Faux Birdhouse Garden Decor Layout
In this photo, I have planned how to assemble my faux birdhouse project. At this point, I haven’t attached anything yet.
First, I attempted to use a hole saw to drill the hole in the faux birdhouse. That didn’t work out so well, so I devised Plan B. I rummaged around to find a paddle bit. I placed a scrap piece of wood under the birdhouse board while drilling the hole.
The hole is a little smaller than I would have liked, but I have limited tools at The Hideaway.
Add Perch and Roof
I made a test hole in a scrap piece of lumber to ensure the small dowel I used for a perch would fit tightly.
Cutting the small dowel rods was easy with a jigsaw. I keep my blades in a lunchmeat container that easily hangs on my rolling tool cart.
I used a hammer to tap the dowel in place.
Deck screws were used to secure the roof piece to the top of the board.
I like to use a nail gun in place of clamps. In this case, a few brad nails hold the two roof pieces in place until they are secured to the top of their board.
Aren’t the faux birdhouse garden decor pieces adorable? You may notice the hole on the top left is larger than the others. It was the first one on which I used the hole saw, but the bit broke.
The roof options and arrangement possibilities are endless. I like how the narrow boards have just one slanted roof piece. What do you think?
Choose Colorful Paint for Faux Birdhouses
I gathered craft paint bottles to plan the layout and colors. There are two bottles on each faux birdhouse because the plan is to do a two-toned color scheme.
The faux birdhouse boards were dirty, and sawdust from drilling was on them. A handheld dust brush quickly removed dirt and debris to prepare the project for painting.
Because I wanted the faux birdhouse garden decor to be rustic, I used light coats of paint with a chip brush.
I laid the boards out on the driveway to dry. They make me smile!
All the pieces are painted and laid out on the edge of the deck, so they will lay flat without the roof sections being in the way. You may want your design to be different, or maybe spaced out a little more. I like the look of the faux birdhouses close together.
The board at the bottom was temporarily used to ensure the bottom edges were lined up.
Secure Upright Boards to Back Board
I opted not to paint the board holding the faux birdhouses together. It will eventually weather and turn gray, making it less noticeable in the garden. You can see that I was not going for perfection with this oh-so-easy project.
I was so anxious to see how they looked that I stood them up on the deck. My new garden decor is almost finished!
Drive 2×4 Stakes in the Ground
I cut 2×4 stakes and hammered them into the ground to hold the colorful faux birdhouse garden decor upright.
Brightly Colored Faux Birdhouse Garden Decor
Not visible here are the three stakes, one on the left, one on the right, and the last one in the middle, with deck screws holding the faux birdhouse garden decor in place.
These pictures were taken in the Fall. They show the faux birdhouse garden decor along the driveway with mums. The colorful display is visible from the road.
Update! The above photo shows my spring flowers in the log flower bed with the faux birdhouse decor.
Where would you use something like this faux birdhouse garden decor project?
