# Extreme Birdhouse # 20



## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Hi everyone 
This is one of my Extreme Birdhouses i did a few months ago. 
It is made from120 yr old reclaimed barn wood.
It is 7 ft wide and over 5 ft high. :cowboy:


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## joasis (Sep 15, 2006)

Those are high end bird houses for sure....impressive work.


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Thank you joasis


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## Burlkraft (Oct 15, 2006)

*Nice.....*

Awesome bird house John......

I believe that I have seen your website before......

If that was you...the others are spectacular as well..

Great work :thumbsup:


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## Nathan (Aug 17, 2006)

The cat really shows how large it really is. 

Very nice work!


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## Tom R (Oct 11, 2006)

Wow, - - them lucky birds get a Mansard-Mansion, - - awesome!! :thumbsup:


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Thanks guys
I am actually working on one now that is just over 9 ft wide.


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## Burlkraft (Oct 15, 2006)

Have ya ever built a dog house???

It seems I'm in one most of the time and the houses you build are lots better than the one I'm stayin' in....:devil2:


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

I built a two room dog house a few yrs ago. 
the roof lifts off for cleaning. 
i have thought about doing a cat house but they would destroy it in no time. :laughing:


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## Burlkraft (Oct 15, 2006)

That looks pretty comfy to me......

You said sumpthin' about a cat house???? :laughing: :laughing:


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## Big Dave (Sep 16, 2006)

Nice work John. They look like more work than I would want to put into it.


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Thanks Dave
i am officially retired as of last week so i have lots of time to work on them now. :yes: 
john


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## Burlkraft (Oct 15, 2006)

John,

I actually had a dream last night about a cat house. We have 2 and they love the little wooden boxes with large pvc pipe between them. It's amazing how little it takes to keep a cat occupied :laughing: 

They would love one of your houses with a few little kitty occupiers in it.

By the way...I have been divorced for just about 10 years now......
I love every minute of it too.....:icon_wink:


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

That's a great idea
Extreme Cat houses :thumbsup: 
I,ll call it the Burlkraft Inn :laughing: 
I,ll let you know when i come up with a design. :yes: 
john


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Here is the what i am working on now.
The cats seem to like this one.:tt2:


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## Burlkraft (Oct 15, 2006)

That's awesome John...:thumbup: :thumbup: 

I suspect the cats are wondering ......Where are all the birds...:chef: :chef: :chef:


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Impressive houses. What I want to know is how you got those smileys placed right on the pictures?


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Thanks guys
I had a ton of birds here a few days ago.
they were on all the birdhouses in my yard. gettin ready for winter. :cowboy:


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

This is a new house i started today. it is a 7 plex 
it measures 24" x24"
Since winter is coming i am going to stay inside and build some smaller bird houses until spring :laughing: .


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## Burlkraft (Oct 15, 2006)

How come you're going to build smaller ones???

One time I built an entertainment center that had to stay in the basement.....I guess I forgot to measure the doorway...:thumbdown: :thumbdown: :thumbdown: 

I then had to build a entertainment room in the basement....:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: 

The new smaller house looks great, John..:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Thanks Steve
I take my tools in the house for the winter. :cowboy: 
I am building 1 more this week but a little different style. soon as i figure out what to build. i like the natural colours in this wood.

I built this in my kitchen last year.


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Here is another one almost done. 
I need some ideas on colours for the roof.
I,m not crazy about green.:laughing:


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## Big Dave (Sep 16, 2006)

I like the green. Just curious, what size holes do you drill, in other words what birds are gonna inhabit these houses. I remember from school that certian birds required certain size holes.


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## Burlkraft (Oct 15, 2006)

Well John,

That's a pretty nice house just the way it is. Jill was just saying that after we get the addition on the house she's sending you a picture so you can make a birdhouse like our house. That's gonna have a copper colored metal roof on it. If ya keep building and sending pics....we're gonna keep you pretty busy.....:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:


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## joasis (Sep 15, 2006)

So now you are retired...do you get to build an extreme shop for yourself? It might be better then building in the kitchen.


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Thanks guys
Dave
I drill the holes all different sizes from 1 1/4" - 2 1/8"

I just did a copy of someones cottage last month.
they sent me a few pics and i took it from there. 

I am slowly building up materials to make a bigger shop.:yes:


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## Burlkraft (Oct 15, 2006)

Nice Job John...:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Thanks Steve
Here are the final shots. :cowboy: 
I like the red better.


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## Burlkraft (Oct 15, 2006)

Ooooohhhh.......Those look great. You are right, the red metal looks better :thumbsup: :thumbsup: 

Lucky Birds....:icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin:


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## JP Sinclair (Nov 13, 2006)

John-That's amazing work. 

This isn't quite to your scale. I've been experimenting with some small clock frames in spalted rock maple. It's kind of delicate but I love the look--


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Thank you JP 
Thats a beautiful clock.
I love the wood


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## dayspring (Oct 30, 2006)

Cran, Those are sho' nuf some beautiful birdhouses. 

JP, Nice work. I have never seen any wood like what you built the clock from, where does that stuff grow?


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Thank you day
I just finished one more today . middle one:huh: :cowboy:


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## JP Sinclair (Nov 13, 2006)

Dayspring-It's spalted rock (hard) maple. It's basically a dead tree that fell over in a nice moist, shaded environment. The natural degeneration process produces the dark pencil lines in the wood. If you can catch it about 18-24 months after it died, you can really find some great, unique designs in the wood. Luckily, I have a logging business so I'm always on the lookout for blown down maple on my jobs. The surprising thing is that log dealers won't give you a flat dime for the logs but after milling it myself, I can sell it for $6 - $10 per bdft!. I've got some other buddies that log on the lookout too and told them I would buy anything they find that has spalt. I'm hoping I'll have a couple thousand feet in inventory in about a year.


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## Burlkraft (Oct 15, 2006)

Wow John...They look great. It looks like the weather up there is nice too...:yes: :yes: :yes: It's been 60 the past couple of days..

Keep up the good work...:thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Thanks Steve
It's been beautiful here for the past three days. 
I hope it stays a little longer. :cowboy:


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Hi again everyone
Here is my latest extreme birdhouse. :cowboy:


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## Burlkraft (Oct 15, 2006)

John, You've been a pretty busy guy..:yes: :yes: 

I'm not even going to show Jill the picture of that one...:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Thanks Steve.
I am only getting warmed up.:blink: :laughing:


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Here are a few pictures of how i put up the smaller houses.:cowboy: 
The post is 48" in the ground and 100" exposed.








Then i center the base on the post and add 45 degree angle supports underneath.








I lift it up halfway then climb up and lift it the rest of the way. :icon_wink: 
pretty easy.








The total height is 13 ft.


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

*Extreme Birdhouse # 27*

Hi everyone 
Here is my first birdhouse of the year.
It is made from 150 yr old barn wood.


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## Mitch Cholewinski (Mar 11, 2007)

*cranbrook 2*

John
Those are some spectacular birdhouses you make. Do you draw from your own plans or what? One question that I keep thinking about as I look at another birdhouse is this. Being your so prolific in turning them out, what in the world do you do with them? Where do you keep them? Don't tell me you make big barns to keep them in John, I'm not gonna believe you.By the way welcome to the world of the retired. Life is good. Mitch


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Hi Mitch and thank you

I originally started building them to stay busy and then i started getting people asking for them so i began to build more and more of them.

I have built 27 birdhouses so far , I gave away about a dozen to friends and family. I have 6 in my front yard , 3 for sale and 2 very large ones almost complete.

The birds fill them up as fast as i build them.
Now when i build them i take lots of pics then i send them to my son and then he turns them into plans. We have two plans done now .
I design them as i go. 

I have had 3 newspaper articles done so far including a article coming out this week in my area and then i have two articles coming out in Canadian Woodworking and Canadian Home Workshop magazine coming out in a few months.
I have a feeling i will be pretty busy this year.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

John, your birds live better than many people.


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 14, 2006)

I know exactly what you mean.
I live in a 150 yr old rented farm house and it is missing a ton of shingles and i have leaks everywhere.
Lots of mice in the walls.:laughing: 
I only stay because i,m on a 100 acres and the land is beautiful.


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