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Young Ben Murch is the one with the reputation for unique folk art birdhouses, but this Rustic Country Cabin is the work of his Dad, Bruce Murch. This is the first of my birdhouse efforts as I work my way more into the actual production area of this Father/Son partnership.

This cabin is constructed of high quality Southern Yellow Pine, and the siding is pine as well. This birdhouse is functional with several features that we include in all our birdhouses such as:

  • 3/4" solid pine construction recommended for insulation from both heat and cold.
  • Thick bird openings and no perches outside of bird holes, which protects small songbirds from larger predators.
  • Ventilation along eaves to keep birds from suffocating heat.
  • Removable roof for easy clean-out in between bird families
I hand carved the cabin's foundation piers and chimneyfrom Southern yellow pine, transforming it to the look of natural stone with intricate hand-painting. Notice the interesting grain in the door and front window frames. I found a piece of hickory with this unusual grain to use in front. The rest of the window frames are hand cut from red oak. The windows are cut-out, not glued on the surface. The wood is oiled, not stained. It will weather to a beautiful silver gray over the years. The base dimensions are 14" x 14" and the house is 12" high.

    

Along with the woodpile in front of the cabin, I hand-made an axe to go with it. The axe has an oiled hickory handle, which I carved from a piece of square stock. The oak steps have the look of foot traffic wear as well.

On the side of the house is some ivy that got a little rambunctious over the years and has creeped all the way up the side of the house.

Ah, the roof! The roof on this house is made with hand-cut cedar shakes, each one individually applied just as it would be on a real house. It has a dark gray stain applied. Over time, the stain will fade and be replaced with the natural gray of weathered cedar.

This birdhouse was built to be maintenance-free. The chimney and foundation piers have several coats of polyurethane on them, which will last for several years before they begin to fade somewhat. The house itself is painted with two coats of 15-year exterior latex, and weathered with an exterior latex deck stain. By the time this paint begins to peel, you will STILL have the beautiful weathered look you bought in the first place!

Ben & I strive for the kind of detail which makes a birdhouse unique. Besides the windows with hand-painted curtains, the oak front door has a gun that I carved by hand from red oak leaning against it. On the oak steps sits two milk bottles. Are you old enough to remember milk bottles on the steps? 'Fraid so!

Thanks for looking at another piece of folk art from Covenant Farm Woodworks!