Although Joe Danella's designs for birdhouses range from elaborate Gothic and Victorian mansions to an 8-unit bird condo, he claims making a birdhouse can be quite straightforward.

Some of Joe's birdhouses can take days and even months to build. However, Joe also offers a way to make an elaborate looking birdhouse project that requires only rudimentary carpenter skills. His bird condos simply require the skills to build a basic birdhouse and attach it to several others to create a complex. Once these are built, they can be embellished with copper roofs, perches, and other decorative architectural details, if desired.

Materials:

Tools:

Note: Holes for larger nails can be predrilled to prevent wood from splitting or you can try Joe Danella's method to prevent splitting. Joe dulls the tips of the nails with a few strokes of the hammer before using them and claims never to split the wood.

Directions: 

2. Build first bird house which will be the center of the complex. Use miter saw to cut three 4" x 4" floors from the 1" x 6". Center one on base and attach to base from the top using outdoor screws. Set other floors aside.

3. With miter saw, cut to 24" lengths 1" x 6" for front and back of house. Mark top center of each board and use miter saw set at a 45 degree angle to create gable.

4. Mark front house panel on center 4 inches below peak and another 8 inches below that. Drill entry holes with 1 3/8" bit at each mark.

5. Use table saw to rip house sides to 4 inches wide from remaining 1 x 6 stock and cut into two 20" lengths with miter saw.

6. Butt front of house piece to sides so that interior measurement is 4 inches wide and nail together. Set second story floor (remaining 4" square piece cut earlier) just above the entry hole for the first level; nail in place through side walls (Nails will be covered by house next store when finished). Add first story floor as well four inches from base, if desired. Attach back in same manner as front of house was attached.

7. Place the square house on top of the center 4" x 4" base and nail on from outside of house.

8. Build next two houses, which are 8" shorter than the first house and only have one hole and one raised floor. Cut four 4" x 4" floors from remaining stock, two 12" x 4" side walls and two 16" x 6" fronts and backs and miter roof line as on previous house. Drill entry hole into front of houses, 4 inches below peak of gable on center.

9. Use screws to attach 4" x 4" base to platform as before, using a 1" spacer (wall width) between it and wall of neighboring house. Repeat on other side of center house with other platform.

Build houses in same manner as center house, adding one floor below the entry hole of each house. Attach to base as before.

Cut the base 4" x 4" and with a 1" spacer (wall width) place it between the house #1 and back of the house where you will place house # 4.

10. Screw down base and then repeat step 17 at the back of house # 1.

11. For next two houses, cut four pieces 6" wide x 8" tall for front and back of houses and create gable with miter saw set at 45 degrees. Cut two 4 inch square bases and four side walls that are 4" wide and tk" tall inch (12 inches must be wrong). Drill entry hole into front of both houses, 4" below peak on center. Build houses as before and attach to platform as with previous houses.

12. Build roofs for houses. Each house will get the same roof. Rip and cut four 4" x 4" and four 5" x 4" and butt joint them making a 90 degree even sided roof. Place on top of house and nail or screw the roof into the front and back peaks of the houses. Screwing will allow you to remove roofs to clean houses at end of season, if you prefer.

13. Cut ¼" doweling into tk 3" lengths. Below each entry hole drill a ¼" hole about 1/2" deep and add a perch, using exterior grade wood glue to lock in place.

14. Add any decorative details below that are desired.

Copper roof: Using metal shears and a bender, cut copper roof to size and bend copper to lay over the wooden roof. Attach with copper brads.

Chimney: Cut scrap wood into 1" x 1" x 3" blocks. Miter one end at 45 degrees. Toenail with two finishing nails through the angle into the roof.

Copper door surrounds. How are these added. Adding copper around the bird hole opening is essential to help stop predators from gnawing their way in.

Porch rail: This means nothing to me.
Rip sixteen 1" x 1" and cut 3" long. Cut out ½" x ½" on bottom. ½" down from the top drill ¼" holes. With two finishing nails attach a post 1" in from each corner. Attach a second post 3" in from the eight corner posts. That is now a total of sixteen posts.
Cut down eight shy of ¼" rails, 4" long. Slide them through the holes in the posts from the corner in. There is now a 4" opening at the center of each birdhouse.

Special Thanks:
Joe Danella
2627 Hartford Ave. US Route 6
Johnston, RI 02919
401.934.4400
www.joedanella.com