DIY/NZ...Birdhouses
We were out in full force for this DIY Challenge...Mark, Michael, Peepaw, Mr. John and me. And of course Christine and the editor in New Zealand. Mr. John supplied the old fence board. Peepaw understood the vision. Michael did the cleaning, gluing...and whatever else he could do. Mark was on actual construction duty. And me, I guess I was the supervisor/camera person/get it to them before the deadline on this one person...
First thing we always do it gather all the materials. This one had a ton.
We try to use recycled materials in all our projects. This time we needed some old boards. Betsy and Dewey gave us some really nice wood but I thought we needed to use more rustic materials. We got some old left over fencing and we used those pieces on our first try. I had to ask Mr. John next door if he had any old scrap wood. I knew he would come thru. He has even given us permission to use whatever we need. The pieces of old fencing that he has needed to dry out for a few days. But before we could start it was Michael's job to clean the boards. He wasn't real excited about this job. He doesn't like to get dirty that much...not at all...OCD thing I am guessing.
I put the actual plans that we used on paper so this summer we can make some more for our friends and neighbors. I think I might tweak it just a bit with a hinge on the back for easy access for cleaning.
Peep was in charge of measuring and cutting on this project. I didn't trust myself...I have a little difficulty reading a ruler...all those 1/8's and 3/4's get me all confused. So he was in charge...if I heard him say it once I have heard he say it a thousand times...'measure twice, cut once.' The man built his own house and then the big house all with his own two hands. My Mom and I were there to help and then there was my grandfather...but that is for another blog...back to the birdhouses.
I don't know how or who cut the hole for the birdhouse. It was Michael's job to file it down nice and smooth 'so the birds wouldn't get any splinters in their heads or wings' (Check out that official DIY/NZ MITRE 10 shirt the magazine gave Michael to wear whenever he works on a project for the magazine. He has a bright orange one also. They had the specially made in Holland for him...I think it is pretty cool)
If I had to choose one part of this entire process that Michael liked the best it has to be gluing with wood glue. He had that stuff everywhere. I am surprised that he didn't glue himself to the table. Oh, and the reason we were inside, in the kitchen, on MY Amish made oak table...it was below 0 in the garage and we were down to the wire on the deadline. Defiantly not my choice.
See, I told you that he was a gluing fool. After we finished I made sure that the glue was way out of sight. We go through rolls and rolls of tape as it is. I don't need little trails of glue running all through the house from top to bottom. No thank you, mam.
Gluing the front was quite the challenge...you had to put glue on both edges and then shove it into place. A seven year old can't quite grasp the gravity thing...but again there was glue everywhere but the front got put into place...and I might add that it fit perfectly. Amazing isn't it?
We decided that we should put some finishing nails in all the edges to make the birdhouse a little more sturdy. To do that Mark, drilled two pilot holes on each side. Michael's job was holding everything in place. If you didn't hold your mouth just right the wood would split and that would be the end of the birdhouse.
Each one of those glues edges, the ones with all the pilot holes had to have a finishing nail hammered in very carefully. Mark did most of the hammering. I wish I had a picture of Michael taking his turn at hammering. My grandfather would crack up. I was taught that you always hammer holding the hammer down at the end of the hammer away from the head of the hammer. Michael was choking the guts out of the head of the hammer. But you gotta start learning somewhere. Who care, he had a blast doing it.
Everyone knows that you can't have a finished birdhouse without a little perch. Michael got a stick from the yard...what a tree hugger he is turning out to be) and Mark drilled a little hole to stick it in.
And again, more gluing! Somebody hide the glue!
Look, an almost finished birdhouse. We used old license plate that I have been collecting for the roof. Mark found some short screws and we just used the existing holes in the plates to attach it to the house. Worked out pretty well actually.
And here we have the official hanging of the birdhouse in the backyard. We did a little research (teachable moments, you know me, once a teacher, always a teacher) and found that you should place you birdhouses... 
And here we are... a close up of the finished product. Anyone want to place an order for your yard for next spring or summer?
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