Building a Better Birdhouse
/We broke ground on Better Farm's second outbuilding last September during a memorial celebration for two dear old friends of mine,
. The memorial, coined "A Better Celebration", served as a launching point for future foundation and scholarship support for young women; and those in attendance at the event
helped us at Better Farm out with several projects
.
Blueberry bushes were planted, doors were painted (part of an ongoing art series led by artist-in-residence
), and we started the second outbuilding, which we're calling the Birdhouse for very obvious reasons. The design was found by
online, and we all fell in love:
The building is obviously amazing, but there were a few kinks we foresaw applying this model to the North Country: keeping the bugs out, having more space, and
. This building was intended from the start to house
at Better Farm. So, we tweaked the design a bit to make it an 8'x10' building, allowed for four stilts rising up out of the ground, and included a proper door and window. Here are photos from the memorial party last September, when we dug holes and laid the groundwork:
Truly a group effort! After the party, several Better Farmers teamed up again with Craig and Teresa Rice and Jody Szepeski to get three of the four walls up and the roof framed.
And there she sat, as the cold winds came and we were forced indoors to endure the particularly cold North Country winter. As soon as the snow melted, it was back to work. A new crew came onto the job; namely, Joel Zimmer and Mark Huyser. Mark built the steps and put the door on (reclaimed from renovations at the Riveredge Hotel), Scotty Tummons came in to lay the roof down, and then Joel and Mark finished the edging, cut out the window David Garlock helped to draw, insulated and sheetrocked the walls, and (maybe most importantly) put the perch on. And, at long last, the birdhouse is just about finished:
.
Many thanks to the entire Better Celebration crew, Craig Rice for getting the project planned and executed so skillfully, Redwood Lumber for meeting our demands for wood, David Garlock for donating the roof, Mark Huyser, Joel Zimmer, and Scotty Tummons for doing such nice work, and
for being the first person to call this birdhouse home.
