Frank Saggus

Building birdhouse gives me an excuse to do three things that I have loved to do since I was a kid, tear stuff up, put it back together and dig around in your trash. All my birdhouses are built from salvaged lumber and found objects either purchased at an antique store, flea market, yard sale or picked up off the street. I built my first house out of lumber from a hay barn I tore down at my grandpa’s house and junk out of his workshop. I used up that pile of lumber and goldmine of junk long ago. Now I am always on the look out for a house or barn being torn down or falling down where I can stop and pull off a few sticks of lumber or buy the whole thing and take what I need. Our family vacations are now focused around finding good flea markets and junk shops where I can look for interesting stuff or unusual junk. I walk with my head down looking for rusty washers and change to get an espresso. (but never from starbucks, they’re of the devil; them and Wal-Mart.)

All of my birdhouses have an inch and a half entry hole and the tops come off to be cleaned. The lumber is in found condition, I just sand off the dirt and loose paint and apply a spar varnish to try and maintain the finish. All birdhouses over 12 inches tall have a false bottom so the nest cavity is the right depth for occupancy.