Birdhouse

We came up with the idea for a birdhouse very quickly. We each had some good ideas of how we wanted to create the birdhouse, so we deceded to make one. Each of us used ideas from our heads as well as from other birdhouses and bird feeders we have seen. Also, we improvised along the way, looking to see how we could possibly improve upon our original ideas.

First, you need to cut the sides of the birdhouse so you can get a structure. The lengths and heights of the pieces may vary depending on how big you want the birdhouse, and in our case, the pieces were 6 inches tall and the sides were 12 inches long. Then, for the shorter sides on the front and back, we connected the square piece with the triangle piece, and cut them as one, as shown in the picture. This allows it to be more stable and it is less of a mess. You then attach the pieces together with hot glue.

Now you put together the roof. Make both sides of the roof equal in length and width, and glue one side onto the house. You will need to put a hinge on the other side of the roof, so don't glue it on yet.

Now it is time to add on the hinge. This is arguably the most difficult part of the process, as you have to be very careful. You don't want to get too big of a hinge, as it won't be able to close all the way. So get a hinge on the smaller side, and glue one side of the hinge onto the half of the already glued on the house. Then take the other side of the hinge and glue it on the part of the roof not on the house. Now the roof is perfect, as one side can flip over onto the other, allowing you to easily pour birdseed inside the house.

The floor is relatively simple. Just line it up perfectly on all sides, but add two or three inches sticking out on the front of the birdhouse. Then, once you glue on the floor, cut off about an inch on the front, and flip it up to form a small barrier, so that birdseed can flow out onto it so birds can eat seed without having to go into the house. But in order for the seed to come out, you need to cut about a half inch tall gap in the front of the birdhouse wall. If you look at the attached picture, that is what it should look like. Also, put the same height barrier on the sides of the floor on the front so the birdseed doesn't fall out the sides when coming out.

This part is optional, as not everyone likes a hole in the front. It can be used to look inside, but in this birdhouse, you can already look throught the roof, because of the hinge. So to make this, you need a saw that can cut a circle. That's all there really is to it. In addition to this, you can put a small platform just below the hole so birds can land on it and look inside.

Before you do this, you want to sand the edges of the wood, so that it is smooth to the touch. Once you do this, you paint on the wood stain. We opted to do a dark colored stain, but there are many different shades of brown you can do. Make sure to spread it all throughout the outside, and don't miss any spots. It is preferable that you wait a day and do another coat. As well to the wood stain feel free to add any gloss you want to enhance the image and most of all, make it real shiny.