How to Craft a Stone Birdhouse

I collected stones in varying sizes and colors and used a silicone sealant to glue them in place. I also attached small sticks at the corners so I would have a workable edge for the grout.

I spooned grout into a ziplock sandwich bag, cut a corner off the bag, and piped the grout around the stones (just like you would pipe icing on a cake, if your grout doesn't move well, you can mix in a bit of water). I then used a bazillion Q-tips to push the grout around the stones and clean off the surface of each stone. Sometimes you want to use dry Q-tips and sometimes it helps to dampen them a bit. (I didn’t wait the 20 minutes they suggest before cleaning up the stones. I just cleaned as I went.) Here’s a picture of what the process looks like. You can see the progression from stones to messy grout to neat stones and grout.

I let everything dry for 24 hours and then brushed a coat of matte water-based sealant over the stones and grout. Most everything on the birdhouse is water-based to keep it fairly bird-safe (just in case a bird actually decides to make it home).

Here the stonework is done and I've started attaching the pinecone bits. I cut down some pinecone scales to create the fascia of the roof (that’s the outside edge of the roof) and then overlapped scales to cover the surface of the roof, finishing off with bits to decorate the top roof ridge.

I scattered a bit of sphagnum moss here and there and tied some twigs with raffia at the peak of the roof.

I wanted to make the stone house look old-fashioned country, so I added a flowering vine (artificial), a twisted landing stick, and a vacancy sign (made from a stained popsicle stick and a bit of wire.

And here is the finished project set out on a fence post.

How to Craft a Stone Birdhouse