Specification Sheet
FOOTPRINT5.5" × 5.5"
OVERALL HEIGHT10.25"
ENTRY DIAMETER1.375" (wren spec, per original pattern)
PRIMARY MATERIALReclaimed shortleaf pine, or period-appropriate substitute
DECORATIVE ELEMENTApplied botanical relief, tin, pattern included
FINISHMilk paint, sage or barn red, both period-accurate
DIFFICULTYBeginner · forgiving tolerances, historically
SHEETS INCLUDEDElevation, relief pattern, cut list, weathering notes
On the Original Pattern
The source pattern was one of several nesting-box designs
distributed by mail-order catalogs to Depression-era households
as a low-cost, high-morale project — cheap lumber, a coping saw,
and an evening's work standing in, we suspect, for a great many
things that evening's work could not otherwise provide. We have
tried to honor that origin rather than sand it smooth.
Materials Note
We recommend reclaimed shortleaf pine where available, on the
theory that new lumber weathers into a convincing patina slowly
and reclaimed lumber has, mercifully, already done the work. A
period-appropriate softwood substitute is acceptable and noted
in the plan set for clients whose reclamation yards have failed
them, as reclamation yards do.
Assembly Notes
- The roofline lean is reproduced intentionally, at approximately 0.25°. Do not correct it. Correcting it defeats the plan's entire premise.
- The applied tin relief pattern is provided at full scale. Trace, do not scan-and-reprint — the studio's archivist has opinions about this that we have chosen not to relitigate here.
- Milk paint should be applied in two thin coats and allowed to weather naturally rather than distressed by hand. We can tell the difference. So, eventually, can the birds.
