Building the Wave Hill Birdhouse

Let me begin by saying that I am not internet savvy in the least bit, but was told that I had to get some content up on the website.  So here is my first attempt, hopefully things go smoothly.

 I wanted to talk about my process in making this building, and highlight briefly what parts of the birdhouse are made of and finally, give some parting thoughts.

Before any of the work begins, I first photograph the project looking for classic or unique elements and architectural details that stand out to me.  In my workshop, the photos are then used to create a full sized mock-up.  After cutting out patterns, I dry fit them together.  I prefer making modules and assembling the project from the main building out, to the smaller branches or wings.

Every project is different, and in this one, I wanted to focus on the basic shell of the building, from the base to the roof and highlight what I felt were the important aspects. For the Wave Hill project, all the acrylic sheets were hand carved using a router and a veining bit. The assembly of the building was all mechanical, with an aluminum channel and stainless steel screws.  The base is exterior plywood with three quarter inch mahogany edging.  Mastic was applied and real slate was used on the outside.  To protect the base, one sheet of copper was cut and placed on top of the  mahogany base, then tampered down to prevent cuts from the sharp edges.  For those of you who are not familiar with birdhouses, the holes on the bottom are “cut outs,” used to clean up nesting material. I strive to create things that look nice, but are certainly functional.

The greatest challenge for me was the two curves for the roof of the main building. A lot of time had to be spent to get that part right. From inception to completion, it took me three weeks to complete this project. Hope you like it.

-Elliot