Make A Stone Birdhouse

stone bird houses by John

I just revised these instructions I wrote a few years ago after seeing how I could improve them based on how my stone birdhouse has aged.

I admired these houses on garden tours for ages. When I finally saw one for sale for $120CAD, I had all the fuel I needed to figure out how to make one for myself (for approximately $15CAD including adhesive).

Once I thought it out, like many things, I realized it was much easier and less expensive than anticipated.

Begin At The End
Before you start, think about where you going to put the birdhouse and how it will be mounted. It's much easier to prepare for this before you apply the stones than after.

I knew mine was going to be mounted on a tall 4"x4" wooden post in the yard, so I attached the house to a 12" x 12" wooden base with 2" edging first, and later attached this base to the post (when the house was all done).

And do yourself a favour and read the entire instructions before starting in case some fabulous brain wave comes by to make your project even better.

Materials
I give a bit of explanation with each item because I can't stand instructions that tell me to buy a bunch of things but don't say why, in case I don't really need them.

One wooden birdhouse I bought mine at Michaels on sale for $4 CAD. Next I'm going to do a stone lighthouse. They also have churches at Michaels. Just pick something without too many fussy details that would be difficult to work the stones around.

Hindsight: If you want it to last for years and years, you can't use a wood base. Concrete or metal would be excellent choices. If you choose wood, know that it will gradually rot over time, and more quickly if left outside year round.

Adhesive I used an outdoor adhesive with a caulking gun -- make sure you buy the kind that dries clear and/or Weldbond adhesive. This stuff is great because it's an all-weather adhesive and a sealant in one. I bought mine at a local stained-glass supply shop. If you already have some sort of outdoor wood sealant, and outdoor adhesive, just use that instead. No need to go running around throwing away your money.

Stones If you're lucky you have access to free, small stones. Really smooth ones would look really snazzy. I used bags of different coloured stones from the dollar store but any small stones will do. The ones I used were about the size of a nickle or thumb nail. You'll have to guestimate the quantity to buy -- I use them all the time for mosaic projects, so I'm not really sure how many bags I used for the birdhouse.

Roofing I used thick twine and glued it in a spiral around the roof. It was a bit fussy to hold in place while the adhesive dried, but I like the thatched look. Little pieces of cedar (used for dollhouses) or pieces as pinecones (thanks to my friend Gibsy for her suggestion) would look great too. The roof could also just be painted or stained as well. Use what you have instead of driving yourself mad trying to find something I've suggested. That's the satisfying part about making garden art and junk: the personal resourcefulness.

Acrylic Paint or Stain (optional) I painted the roof twine with one of those little containers of acrylic folk paint in a copper colour. But au naturel would have been pretty too.

Exterior grade Polyurethane To seal the whole thing if you're going to keep it outside year round.

Let's Get This Party Started
Step One: Seal the wooden house with polyurethane or Weldbond or some other type of wood sealer (e.g. leftover deck sealant). This will keep the wood from expanding and contracting in temperature changes and therefore prevent the stones from popping off. I didn't bother sealing the inside of the house, just the outside. Just remember, the more anal you are with this part of the project, probably the longer your house will last.

Hindsight: If you don't intend for actual birds to live in this house, block off the doors and windows with fine mesh screen. This way the wasps and bees won't nest in there either.

Step Two: Adhere the stones using either the exterior adhesive or the Weldbond. Plan out any colour arrangements you want to try (e.g. darker stones around doorways or whatever). I applied the stones from the bottom up so that each new row of stones would rest on the one below while the adhesive is drying. I placed the stones really close together because I didn't want to use grout to fill any gaps. If you end up with little weird gaps, just smash some stones to get smaller pieces to work with. (Smashing advice: place a few stones in a plastic bag and whack the bag with a hammer -- do this on a hard surface outside somewhere and wear safety goggles if you are born under a bad sign. It doesn't hurt to release any pent up angry thoughts while you're at it.)

Step Three: The Roof: I glued twine around the roof, starting from the top point, working my way down. You could use anything here -- cedar scraps, buttons, copper leaf, twigs -- whatever you have on hand. Or simply paint or stain the roof in a colour or texture that looks nice with the stone.

Step Four:Let everything dry for 24 hours (or however long it says to wait on your adhesive container).

Step Five: Weather Protection: Apply 3 coats of exterior grade polyurethane -- following the instructions on the can. Usually it says to wait a few hours between coats, and to lightly sand before applying each coat but sanding stones and twine is not really feasible, so do what you will.

You're donesville! Set it up, baby! There's a zillion fun things you can do to make the stonebirdhouse even more enchanting: you could use dollsize furniture or accessories to create a little scene around the house, add window boxes (just make them and glue them on), fake birds, weather resistant dolls in the same scale -- anything!

I had planned to grow grass seed on the 12" x 12" base -- I thought that would look really cool having a little lawn around it-- but when I went to plant it, I realized I didn't have any seed left, so I just placed some rocks around it instead. For some reason the mourning doves love to sun there -- probably from the warmth of the rocks, so that's fine. If I put birdseed inside, the sparrows go in to dine.

And if you are more diligent than me, you'll set the house up so that you can easily remove it in the fall and keep it protected from the winter weather.

Have fun.

Like to Make Stuff? See my Home & Garden Projects Index here Want some garden art/junk ideas? I've posted of my trash-to-treasure creations here