The Creative Thrift Store Flip That Will Fill Your Yard With Birds

Were you forever enchanted by the animated birds dressing Cinderella for the ball? There's a DIY birdhouse trend popping up on socials that is cute enough to become a home for these magical friends. Teapots hung by their base or attached to a wooden structure can become shelter for feathered tenants while adding a huge dose of charm to your outdoor haven. Hanging just a teapot makes a cozy bird home, but an extra wooden base provides a perch, too, and a gable overhang can keep a bit of the weather out.

Make the thought of chirpy friends living in a teapot-turned-charming birdhouse a reality with a trip to your favorite thrift store. Seek out a teapot that has a generously-sized interior. Ones with damaged or missing lids are ideal, since they're not as useful for brewing. You'll need washers and long wood screws for hanging. If you want to mount your birdhouse on a wooden base, purchase a length of 1-inch by 6-inch lumber, sandpaper, outdoor-rated paint or stain, a 1¾-inch screw with a nut, and some hanging hardware like a couple of these BOGZON Heavy Duty Picture Hangers. Also set aside a saw, a hammer and nails, and wood glue.

Surprisingly enough, it's possible to drill holes in ceramics without cracking the material. This will allow you to secure the teapot to the wooden base or directly to the surface where you want to hang it. Grab some painter's tape, a spray bottle, and a drill fitted with a carbide-tipped bit. You'll need a folded towel or piece of foam to cushion the pot while you're drilling as well.

Start by drilling a hole in the base of the pot for hanging. Turn your pot upside down on a thick folded towel or foam. Adhere two pieces of painter's tape perpendicularly across the pot's base, spray the area with water, and drill through the material very slowly with light pressure. Remove the tape, place washers on each side of the hole, and screw your teapot birdhouse directly to a fencepost or a wall. With the right steps, you can also safely screw it onto a tree without killing it. Another option is adding a hanging hook to make moving and cleaning the pot easier.

For a birdhouse with a wooden base, cut a piece of 1-by-6 that's several inches longer than the width of the pot from the handle to the end of the spout. Leave a margin above the pot for your angled "roof". Make two 45-degree cuts on each side of this upper area, with the ends meeting at a peak. Also cut a piece of wood that's a few inches longer than the height of the teapot's spout; this will be the perching area beneath the pot, where you could attach a teapot and saucer with multi-surface adhesive if desired. Finally, cut two pieces of wood to make the gable. One should match the length of the angle, and the other will be 1 inch longer so that it will also cover the extra 1-inch added by the "roof" piece.

Assemble your pieces of wood with both wood glue and nails before attaching the pot; nail the perching platform to the lower end of the longest 1-by-6 piece. Attach the shortest roof piece to one of the 45-degree roof angles followed by the one that will overlap its cut end. Sand the wood and treat it to a coat or two of paint, stain, or protective sealant. Once dry, drill a hole in the wooden backing where you'll screw on the pot, and screw the hanging hardware to the upper back of the structure. Using a washer on each side of the ceramic hole, affix the pot to the wood with the screw and nut. You could also attach the teapot lid with adhesive.

The opening of most teapots are pretty large. Since teapots themselves aren't very spacious, adapting the house for smaller birds is a good way to up your chances of residents. A circular wood cut inset with a smaller hole can encourage varying types of birds to take up residence while also keeping others out. Make a disk that fits into the mouth of the teapot with a bandsaw jig, the best way to cut circles in wood.

A perfectly-sized 1½-inch entrance hole in the disk is a good size for bluebirds, house sparrows, and tree swallows while keeping pesky starlings out. Appeal to smaller birds like nuthatches, titmice, and warblers with a 1¼-inch entrance hole. Adhere the disk inside the mouth of the teapot with a non-toxic glue like Weldbond Multi-Surface Adhesive that will bond wood to ceramics.