Add A Rustic Feel To Your Garden With A DIY Log Cabin Birdhouse

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If you love a more weathered, makeshift vibe for your outdoor space, a traditional birdhouse might not match that aesthetic. Instead, consider crafting a rustic log cabin-style birdhouse to add a little woodsy flair to your garden. Depending on your skillset, you can create a very realistic log cabin house or more simplistic, stylized design from sticks. The birds who visit your yard will love it and it will fit in alongside other folksy decor.

Before you attempt this DIY, decide what type of house you will make. A more complex design mimicking milled lumber will require special tools, like a router or table saw, and a knack for woodworking. But you can also use twigs and small branches foraged from trees to build a simple, yet sturdy, house. Whether you decide to create a detailed or simple log house, it's very important to determine the perfect size hole for the birdhouse. Consider using a building plan or sketching out your design before you start. Other supplies you will need include a saw and wood glue, like Titebond III ultimate wood glue.

Designing spacious birdhouses is an excellent way to bring birds who are little helpers in the garden to your property. With a little imagination and some good foraging skills, you can turn twigs into a rustic log cabin abode for your neighborhood birds. Using branches about the same diameter, cut them into uniform pieces. Build from the floor up, laying out pieces and carefully gluing them together. To make the walls, stack alternating long and short pieces, to create the effect that they are notched and interlocking. The end result is an informal birdhouse with weathered charm. To make things even simpler, you can glue sticks to the sides of a birdhouse kit, covering the flat exteriors walls and roof.

If you have the patience, tools, and technical know-how, you can DIY a more complex log cabin house for your feathered friends. Make sure you have a power drill, screws, table saw or miter saw, and sturdy wood like cedar or pine. You can find several plans online. Cut the wood to two sizes using a saw, ranging from 5.25 inches long to 10 inches long. A rectangular, solid piece should be cut for the floor, 2 solid pieces for the roof, and 2 triangular pieces to serve as the roof's gable ends. Using wood glue and the drill, all of these carefully measured pieces get assembled into a very neat log cabin-style birdhouse. 

To put a little whimsical spin on either log cabin design, consider adding paint or decoration. But keep in mind there are several things you need to know before painting a birdhouse, like whether or not each color is safe for the birds. Try using warm browns and bright greens to add to the rustic, cabin look.