The Production Line - 18 Birdhouses (5)

Wren or Chickadee Houses

Three of six are ready for storage now that the paint is dry and eye hooks/string are in place.

One has a painted roof and two show off the red cedar used in construction. Which do you like best?

Please link to The Production Line - 18 Birdhouses (4)

Photos GH

Wren and Chickadee Houses 4

Colourful Summer Line Up

I build wee wren and chickadee houses on a regular basis. They look good in my summer line up.

More to follow about this one....

And I think one of them looks really good attached to an old birdcage stand.

Please link to Wren and Chickadee Houses 3

Photos GH

Wren and Chickadee Houses 3

Finishing Touches

Perches are in place

This trio of wee houses was completed yesterday. The roofs and perches were already dry. All I had to do to was add a metal eyelet and piece of string.

Voila!

I'll store them indoors - space is needed inside the shop - but they won't hang around too long.

Please link to Wren and Chickadee Houses 2

Wren and Chickadee Houses 2

These Will Be Sweet

Coming soon - a full-on-trim-day for these houses

Their colours are bright, the construction is solid and the back door (clean-out door) can be removed in a jiffy. No wonder this wee house is a popular model.

I will construct and paint three more once I create some space!

Please link to Wren and Chickadee Houses 1

Photo GH

Wren and Chickadee Houses 1

Small but Mighty Popular

The table is full of red cedar stock

I predict, based on the fact I can't keep wee wren and chickadee houses on the shelf, this batch of six red cedar (faces and sides) and painted plywood models won't sit around too long.

Faces are 5" x 5"
Sides are 6" long
Roof panels are 7.25"L x 5.75"

And a batch of five basic red cedar houses on the small side (on the same table) will likely be 'here today and gone tomorrow' too, based on past sales.

Faces are 8.5"H x 5"
Sides are 6"W x 5"
Models will sit atop a base 8" x 8"

Red cedar and popular colours seem to catch peoples' eyes

Upcoming projects:

 These two need a roof over their head

What to do with this? Hmmmmmm.....

Please link to Small but Mighty 6 "Voila!"

Photos GH

Small but Mighty 6 "Voila!"

Packed on a Shelf

These wee wren/chickadee boxes can be called '60-second birdhouses' because that's how long it takes to hang one from a reachable branch in the backyard.

And 'voila' means.... all done.

Please link to Small but Mighty 5 "Six in a Row"

Photos GH

Small but Mighty 5 "Six in a Row"

Paint Jobs Cheer Me Up

"Birdhouses, bare wood, brushes and Bob Dylan. Easy paintn"

It might have been cold, snowy blowy and white outside, but inside the workshop it was warm and cheerfully bright. Five paint cans full of warm colours helped.

My workshop schedule reads: "Second coats on Monday" 

Please link to Small but Mighty 4

Please link to Small PEI Models 1

Small but Mighty 4

Question and Answer

Dear Gord,
Do you use small bits of lumber in any way?

Dear Reader,
Yes. Some bits and pieces can be used for trim and perches. Some pieces (they have to be 5" x 5" at least) can be used for the faces of chickadee and wren houses. Other bits make a nice fire. P.S. Wanna buy a birdhouse? I've got six chickadee and wren houses underway!

More to follow.

Please link to Small but Mighty 3 

Photos GH

B&W Wee Houses

"Free Birdhouses!"

Some readers will know why I make a lot of wee birdhouses and place them on poles or benches attached to larger models.

(So I can say to a potential buyer, "And this large duplex comes with a free birdhouse! How about that!")

Link to B&W Rustic Duplex

Photo by GH

Small but Mighty 3

They Keep Sellin'

So, I keep makin' 'em.

These small ones are made from bits of scrap at times (e.g., the faces are 5 by 5 inches, sometimes a bit larger) and the pattern is pretty easy. I'm sure I'll be making them for a long time!

"This is my smallest duplex... for mosquitoes! : ) "

The smallest birdhouse I make (see above) will appear soon on a rustic duplex. Watch for it.

Link to Small but Mighty 2

Photos GH

Small Red Cedar Birdhouses

Small, Basic, Tight Quarters

"A metal bolt makes a sturdy perch"

After finishing a batch of 16 cedar birdhouses recently - using a combination of new and rescued wood - I made four small red cedar houses from fence slats purchased at Home Dept for about $5 apiece. On the batch of 16 I placed the sides on the outer edges of the front and back faces and then covered the butt ends with cedar trim. In that way the base can be 5 inches wide and 6 inches deep, lots of room in other words. But in the above model I attach the sides to the backside of the front face and to the front side of the back, thereby making the base a fair bit narrower. However, some birds don't seem to mind with tighter quarters as long as there is good head room.

Link to 16 Cedar Birdhouses 3

Photos GH

Small but Mighty 2

Sittin' on the Shelf

"Golf tees are easy to fit into place for a sturdy perch"

Later this morning I will take these small wren and chickadee houses off the shelf and get them ready for an afternoon sale. If you look closely you will see not only a blend of colours but new and rescued lumber used together as well.

Link to Small but Mighty 1

Photos GH

Small but Mighty 1

For Wrens and Chickadees

I think this batch of five small houses will be pretty colourful by the time I'm done later this afternoon. They still need a bit of trim, a perch, and a piece of string.  More photos to follow.

Link to Tiny Houses from Scrap

Photos GH

Tiny Houses from Scrap

For Wrens and Chickadees

 "I only have one 'tiny house' left. Better make more"

I save scraps leftover from other projects and every once in awhile, when conditions are right, I look through the scraps to see if a birdhouse is present in their midst.

"The face and back of a tiny house is only 5 by 5 inches"

"Leftover dark poplar will make a sturdy wren house"

"Leftover rustic cedar from a set of shelves will make a lovely house"

After cutting rustic cedar for shelves yesterday I saw a birdhouse. Now five are on the go, made from this and that.

Link to Tiny Houses 4

Photos GH

Tiny Houses 4

Life on a Shoe String Budget

I added a simple perch, simple trim, a cup hook and a piece of sturdy string. I had ten cents to spend and I spent it.

This model is as easy as it gets. And chickadees or wrens will love it.

Link to Tiny Houses 3

Photos GH

Tiny Houses 3

Good Progress

With three coats of big orange paint these little wren houses shine.

Today I add a wee bit of trim.

More to follow.

Link to Tiny Houses 2

Photo GH

Tiny Houses 2

The Big Orange

The wee houses, for chickadees and wrens, should stand out. I like the big orange colour so far. But, more to follow.

link to Tiny Houses 1

Photo GH

Tiny Houses 1

For Wrens & Chickadees

 Wee houses never stick around for long

The above photo is cropped from one shown earlier featuring two funky birdhouses with curved roofs. I didn't say anything at the time about the pile of stock behind them. Now I will.

The wee pile of stock will be used to build two wee birdhouses that can easily be made from leftovers, including a bit of plywood for back doors (I don't usually use plywood because I prefer softwoods for birdhouses, but I do use a bit as backer board for shadow boxes.)

Very easy pattern

The wee ones will be painted soon and then I will add just a titch of trim, including a cup hook and a short length of strong cord.

More to follow.

Link to Funky Birdhouses 1

Photos GH