This is a nice project; I developed these little bird-dwellings, but they're so clever and different from the typical, gabled "birdhouse," that I had to call them something else.
So it was "birdjoint," suggesting some kind of hip, avian hangout.
Eventually, I intend to use the site to either publish the plans, or to archive all my "birdjoint" development notes, or sell kits, or something.
For now, the wire-frame illustration will have to do.
Frequently marveling at birds and their behavior, I always appreciate their ability to make nests with whatever materials they find; the only time I've seen birds at the hardware store was when a new shipment of birdseed on pallets showed up in the warehouse.
They manage to create their safe dwellings from whatever materials are at hand.
I like providing accommodations for birds, too, but is it possible to create bird dwellings without buying lumber?
Indeed it is -- in my area, cedar shakes are a common roofing material. When they're eventually torn off and replaced, there are still some years left in the old, gray, lichen-encrusted wood, before it turns to mush. Old cedar shakes would be ideal for bird dwellings, particularly for chickadees, who like a rustic house.
One challenge I abruptly encountered was to develop a design that would apply to material with a random, varying thickness. Cedar shakes are split with a taper, and are often rough on both sides, so at any point, the thickness could be anywhere from .5 cm to 1.5 cm.
You can get an idea from the wireframe illustration how I solved the challenge; clearly, mitered corners were out, unless I didn't mind them being sloppy and beyond my control.
Front and back virtually identical, sides mirrors of the other; front, back, and top all the same length, as a motif;all connected with dowels and glue, except the back, which is held on with screws (there's a 1x bit of cedar at top and bottom: sub-roof, and floor -- and old fence board; I didn't have to buy it, either), so it can be cleaned out in the off-season.