Hi OkieGene! I LOVE making bird houses! LOL If you will e-mail me I'll get some shots of some of mine(I have about 100 of them up)and send them to you. They truely are fun aren't they? For me, the true test of a good bird house is that the birds use them and hatch their young successfully there. Right now I'm trying to design a Bluebird House shaped like a Fir Tree. I have both sides cut out and now must get the house it'self done. I do manage to keep the people who make wood filler in business! Can't saw a straight line! :no:
Second thought...Get your hands on a copy of "Birds and Blooms"..many great ideas in that Mag. I know someone here on the forum will have one laying around(I took all of mine to the Doc's office). Then, contact any of the well known wood working mags that sell the birdhouse supplies. There are very good ideas in them also. I like finding a picture that looks like it would be a good birdhouse and going from there. It's fun duplicating old barns, post offices, grain silos, cafe's, Bed & Breakfast places etc.

Then, collect old license plates, they make good roofs. Drift wood is neat too. LQ