We Bought A New House!
Actually, we got two of them but they’re for the birds. Literally. We picked up two cheap ol’ $3 birdhouses at Michael’s after learning that now is the time to put them out to hopefully catch the eye of some feathered friends (who will someday repay you by catching their fair share of mosquitoes in the spring). But they weren’t much to look at, and didn’t seem built to weather the elements, so of course we whipped out our tools for a little home makeover. Here’s they are before the renovation, with their porous and rickety balsa wood frames and their woven (and therefore not at all rain proof) roofs:
Zero dollars later (thanks to some leftover all-weather deck paint from the sunroom floor project and a few extra roofing tiles that we had lying around) we whipped up something a bit sturdier and a lot more rain-friendly. We just reinforced the rickety wood frames and attached the roofing tiles (cut to size) with good ol’ Liquid Nails, and drilled a small hole in the back of each house to allow them to hang on a tiny nail hammered directly into the tree. Voila:
Something sturdy and sweet to come home to. Times two.
So what do you think about our two new homes? Any tips to get some fabulous mosquito eating birdies to come to roost? We can’t wait to see who comes to feather our little nests…
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Comments
Look at that. You guys are now bird decorators, maybe they’ll be sending you design dilemas themselves “Dear Sherry and John, we have this nest we got for free from your neighbors yard, we like it but we don’t like the color of the twigs and we’re thinking of adding a floor rug…”
The truly best ever roof for a birdhouse is an old license plate, folded over the top…it keeps them dry, it’s hardy and it’s a memory of somewhere you once owned a vehicle. :)
Super cute idea guys!! I wish we had somewhere to put one at our place…. But the condo balcony isn’t so great for this, and with no trees in the area….boo!!!
Such good ideas about the bat houses (totally on my Christmas list along with a rain barrel) and the license plate roofs! I love how smart you guys are. Brainy and beautiful, I love it.
And Heather, as for your question about how we reinforced ‘em, we just used some wood glue and some tiny nails to make things less rickety. That effort paired with weather-proof paint and new roofing tiles made ‘em ready to brave the elements. Hope some fine feathered friends come to roost soon…
Oh and EvY, your comment made us both laugh out loud. Seriously entertaining. Big smooches for making us snicker like schoolchildren.
xoxo,
Sherry
A-Dorably clever, as always.
Have you researched if birds like food near their nest? I’m wondering if hanging a bird feeder nearby would help or hinder lovebirds moving in . . .
I would also highly recommend a bat house, since they eat mosquitoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. :)