Using Barnwood to Fix a DIY Birdhouse

Several years ago, I saw a “junk shop” decorative birdhouse in an antiques shop. And while I didn’t make the purchase, I never forgot how cute it was. So, when I found this broken DIY birdhouse while thrifting, it seemed like I had been given a second chance at a junky birdhouse. I just needed to fix it up and I already had the right piece of barnwood to do it!

Here’s the original (that I didn’t buy)…

See what I mean? I regretted passing it up.

And this is my thrifted find (for about 10% of the cost of my inspiration birdhouse!).

I can finally have my own “junky” birdhouse!

I honestly didn’t have to do much to fix up my fixer upper. Just a new base, a new roof, and a hanging wire. Easy peasy and I knew it would look adorable in my yard! This post contains affiliate links for your crafting convenience.

Using Barnwood to Update a DIY Birdhouse

To fix up my broken birdhouse, I needed to remove the remaining roof slats. With work gloves on, I pried them off and gave the interior a good sanding to remove splinters and extra-rough surfaces.

Getting down to the junky bones…

This was the plank of barnwood that I planned on using for the base and roof. It was wonderfully weathered and already a good width. Plus, it was on the thin side and wouldn’t add too much weight to my DIY birdhouse.

Don’t you just love salvaged wood?

After taking some measurements, we sawed off three sections – two coordinating sections for the roof (which I planned to make hinged) and one for the base.

New base and roof!

Theoretically, this is what it’ll look like when I’m done. Just want to add a splash of color first! 

To give you an idea…

Speaking of adding color, I wanted the barnwood roof and base to coordinate with the existing colors of the shutters and doorframe of my DIY birdhouse. YES, I love the natural barnwood…but for a decorative birdhouse, a touch of paint was warranted.

Let’s see if I can make the magic happen.

To keep the paint job “washed out”, I used a wet chip brush and just a drop of paint (sometimes blue, sometimes green). After the paint dried, I lightly sanded each piece of barnwood to both smooth it out and weather the colors.

Almost ready to assemble!

After this, I sealed the roof pieces and base with top coat and used a spray-on sealant for the birdhouse itself.

Now it was assembly time! Using a combination of small screws and wood glue, I first attached the small section of barnwood roof to the birdhouse, lining it up with the peak. Then, using two small hinges, I connected the second section of roof, linking it up with the edge of the screwed-on roof section.

After that, I drilled a couple of small holes in the middle of the birdhouse base (for ventilation/drainage). Then, I used wood glue on the base, centering the birdhouse on top. How did I weigh it down and help the wood glue adhere without clamps? I made a makeshift “weight” by filling a produce plastic bag with our coin jar contents! It sounds silly but it worked like a charm! 

Weird yes, but effective!

DIY Birdhouse Fixer Upper with Barnwood – Ready to Hang!

Here’s my new hinged roof on the birdhouse! This will make it easy to clean out each season.

It worked!

For hanging, I drilled pilot holes under each gable and inserted a small eye screw. Then I simply strung some braided picture hanging wire between the two screws. Ta-da! My DIY birdhouse is all fixed up with barnwood and ready for the yard.

Let’s go hang him outside!

It really is adorable wildlife habitat – I’ll let you know if any of my resident wren or chickadee families move in. As you may recall, those are my most frequent birdhouse nesters.

What can I say? I’m obsessed with upcycled bird projects – check them all out here, if you’re curious! Thankfully, my birds seem to love them as much as I do, too.

Craft on!

S

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