Extreme Birdhouses

I have built bird houses before but never as large as yours,they are magnificent have you ever thought of putting some pictures in” Bird and Bloom” magazine you should win first place.I just checked out your web site “Unbelivable” a true craftsman.I’m enjoying GT web site more each day between it an lumberjocks,being new to computer world myself it is outstanding.

-- '"Inthedirttn" SE Tennessee,7B

is this the one with 90 apartments?

I really love this one. hahaha I just thought that I should have shown a picture of this one to Rick and say that it was his next one to build.. hahahaha He would have had to change his pants!!! lol lol

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Thank you inthedirttn and Debbie , I have sent my pictures to Birds and Bloom but they are ignoring me for some reason. That,s funny Debbie lol

-- John in Cranbrook , http://www.extremebirdhouse.com http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

Well that is too bad they are ignoring you cuz your bird houses are SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!! :-)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

That is one great-looking birdhouse if I was a bird I would love to live there

-- Louise Edgwood,Md.

Always amazes me…........that is a mansion, a castle,................should be in Banff.

It’s that time of year again, time to make a couple dozen bird houses and place about the ranch

-- Central northish Ontario

Thank you Loiuse and greenthumb . I have been looking at that hotel in Banff just recently and i would love to build that hotel. It would make a nice house to live in. lol
I started this one last week , it is going to a friends house in Guelph. It is 6 ft tall and 6 ft wide with the base. He wants to mount it on top of a arbour or walkway .
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1566/7747528/14629832/310997911.jpg

-- John in Cranbrook , http://www.extremebirdhouse.com http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

You have too much time John <g>

Stupid question or comment but you have the first shop I have ever seen with flowered wallpaper in it.

regardless….....nice bird house mansion castle hotel

-- Central northish Ontario

The ugly flowered wallpaper is in a room that was added on to the house years ago and because it is so ugly i use that room as my workshop in the winter. Actually the whole house is really ugly and old .The house was built in 1854 and has seen better days . I found a penny in front of the house dated back to 1854 .It,s about the size of a toonie.

-- John in Cranbrook , http://www.extremebirdhouse.com http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

Woa!!!
Love your house & wallpaper. As well as the story!
Would love to see pics of the old one!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Here is a picture of my house , i hope it,s not too hard on the eyes. lol
Luckily my yard is much nicer .
These are some of the things i found in the house and outside of it.
3 Pennies , 1854 , 1913 and 1918 , fat nail , 2 watches , big one still works , i put a toonie next to the large penny .

This im my front yard in the summer.

-- John in Cranbrook , http://www.extremebirdhouse.com http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

old houses…......always wanted to renovate one but I know for sure…..I will never have enough $$$$.

Lovely home and beautiful front yard

-- Central northish Ontario

I’‘m envious John, there is so much more to enjoy in a country setting.

Bob

-- I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Alberta Canada Zone 3A or maybe 3B

wonderful.
I love all the trees you have

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Hi John,
Thank you for the pics. I just love your house and your yard.

Interesting collection you have there.
The coins, have you had them evaluated?
Might be interesting!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

NICE house John!!!! I too used to dream about renovating an old house … lot of work, but so worthwhile. Very neat that you found all those historic pieces …

And, last but not least … beautiful view; your front yard! (Loved the cat resting on your lawnmower!!)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Thing on the far right looks like a trench lighter. Not real sure, what says you?

Nice house, BTW.. Looks fine to me.. :)

Pic of the front yard looks almost ethereal, not quite real.. Funky lighting and tones throwing off my eyes.

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b

Thank you everyone for all the great comments.
Scott i was told the 2 lighters are from world war 2
I took the 1854 penny in to a coin shop and he said it is worth $ 39.00 now. lol

-- John in Cranbrook , http://www.extremebirdhouse.com http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

All very interesting!
And maybe a few more years and they will be worth???
Always nice to dream!:-)

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Kewl… I wasn’t sure about the one, but the far right is definitely a trench lighter then… Nice pieces to have and for a lighter, they’re great. Really nice finds indeed.. :)

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b

Will birds nest in all the individual apartments on those large houses?

Hi Zach the birds are filling them up faster then i can build them . This first house has been up 3 years and it is full . Most of the houses i have up have at least half a dozen birds in each of them . I think it just depends on the type of bird .

I also just built a house for Purple Martins but i didn,t put no where near as many apartments in it .I just have to paint the roof .

-- John in Cranbrook , http://www.extremebirdhouse.com http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

Oooooooh, nice John!!!!! :-)

Do love your bird houses!!!!

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

that is a unique one.

We haven’t seen any birds at Rick’s yet… it took most of the summer before one went in his little birdhouse that he built. I think it is the smell of the sealants … could be wrong

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Thank you GrandmaT and Debbie . I love building birdhouses and it is tough to let some of them go , mostly the largest ones .The main thing i can always build more .

Debbie : If you have some bird seed try putting a bit up on the base and then they might go on there and get comfortable after a few times . I have had birds fly right in them as soon as i walked away from them with a ladder after mounting the house. Sometimes it just takes a bit of time .

-- John in Cranbrook , http://www.extremebirdhouse.com http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

I thought about the bird seed idea yesterday!! You must have been reading my mind.. or I was reading yours.
I didn’t do it because I could picture the ladder slipping off the roof and leaving me hanging with nobody around to help me…

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

John,
Your birdhouses are absolutely awesome. Hubby and I have been looking at putting out some houses in the 2.5 acre yard. He is an awesome woodworker. We recently reclaimed all the wood from a deck that was around our pool which split open at the seams this past spring. We are using some of the wood for different projects around the house and yard. We’ve started on a garden shed for my garden tools to get them out of his wood shop for one. The wood was treated, but has not been waterproofed or anything in quite a few years, so it’s pretty dry. As we plane down the planks, the wood looks pretty good. Is this wood something we can use to make some bird houses, or is therea problem with using it to hosue birds?
I don’t think our houses wil be as grand as you have here, but I may just incorporate some of your ideas into our houses.

-- Ms.Terry, Delaware

Hi MsTerry and thank you for your nice comments . I think you should be ok using the wood mainly because it is fairly old . I use old barn wood ( hemlock ) I also use a waterseal on some of them and it hasn,t stopped the birds from moving in .

-- John in Cranbrook , http://www.extremebirdhouse.com http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

Ms Terry… john sells birdhouse plans. Check out his site.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Excellent work, John. Truly excellent.

-- jroot