Bird House Design Preview

For my project, I have decided to make a bird house. I want this bird house to fit the cottagecore aesthetic, as I think there are not many bird houses that go for this type of aesthetic, and it could look cute. Cottagecore is an aesthetic that romanticizes rural living, especially that found in cottages and countryside living. The aesthetic usually features lightly-colored houses with plants and flowers, and a thatch roof. The bird house I will be making will have a moving front door and a moving back panel. I plan to make the bird house out of birch wood, and paint it light green. The roof will be brown, and I think I might actually make it out of roofing material, so that it withstands the elements better. Additionally, I would like to put a piece of fabric over the window, so that light can get in, but other animals cannot.

Above are pictures of the prototype I make in SolidWorks. The prototype does not feature a door, but the back panel opens up to reveal the inside of the bird house. This will be a feature on the actual design, so that the user can clean out the bird house at the end of the season. Additionally, I think I will edit the bird house design to make the door frame not overlap with the wall, and add a post for the bird to land on when entering the bird house. I am also considering adding a front porch fence to incorporate the rural white picket fence that is so iconic to the cottagecore aesthetic, which will be painted white. My idea of a bird house came from the example below. I thought the green bird house looked cute, and had a lot of the features I was looking for. My design will not feature leaves, but I would like for my design to look similar in a lot of other respects.

In terms of the dimensions of the bird house, I decided to make the bird house for the bird breed, “Pygmy Nuthatch”, as they are common in the area that my parents live, which is located in Colorado. As such, the interior will be 5.5 inches in length, 5.5 inches in width, and have a height of 8 inches inside. Additionally, the entrance hole will have a 1 inch radius, which is the proper size for a Pygmy Nuthatch. I plan to have the bird house mounted on a wooden post at my parents house. The wooden post is there to provide protection from squirrels.

Another aesthetic that I considered was a modern aesthetic. However, this aesthetic would have been difficult to make a bird house out of, and I believe the neutral colors of a modern house would have made the bird house look odd in my parents back yard, which has many trees and is full of nature. Additionally, I wanted my bird house to fit the look of my parents’ house, and a modern aesthetic would not fit their home at all.

I will be making a more defined plan of what materials I want to use between April 1-5. Around April 7-12, I will be cutting out the wooden pieces, and assemble it the following week, April 14-20. This will give me a few days to create the presentation, as well as a few days of buffer time if needed. I already have all the skills I need to accomplish this project from past knowledge working in the shop with my dad. Therefore, I won’t need to spend any time learning any new skills. This will ideally make the manufacturing process work very smoothly.

I will be using a miter saw for most of the wood cutting, but will also need to use a table saw and a jig saw, especially for the front panel of the bird house. I plan to drill a hole where the window will be, and use the jig saw from there. I will need to also drill a hole for the bird entry hole. The back panel will pivot open on a hinge, so I will need to use a power drill to screw in the hinge to the back panel and bottom panel. To attach the rest of the wood together, I will be using wood glue, followed by a nail gun to ensure all pieces are firmly locked together. I will then paint the outside of the bird house, and nail the roofing material onto the top as well.

https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/birds/pygmy-nuthatch/