Build a Birdhouse
Take Up the Hobby of Building Birdhouses in Your Retirement
If you were a do-it-yourselfer over the years and did many of the improvements on your own home you probably have a wealth of tools sitting around the house and garage. Now that your house is finished or you have sold it in order to live in smaller quarters now that the kids have gone and you have retired, you don’t have to let those tools go to waste.
Need a new retirement hobby? Why not build a birdhouse? It is fairly simple to start and can be a rewarding way to spend your leisure time. Not only that, but you will have gifts galore to present to your friends and loved ones that they and your feathered friends will enjoy for years to come.
Enhancing the Environment
Building birdhouses and maybe even birdfeeders for the wild birds that gather in your neighborhood is not only good for you, but good for the environment as well. Many birds don’t have the nesting capabilities they had in the past because of human habitation infringing on their natural habitats. Giving them a place to mate and raise their young is one way to give back to the environment.
Enhancing Your World
You may find that once you begin to build a birdhouse or a birdfeeder that your interest in the native bird population increases. This may lead you to begin another new hobby; bird watching. There are bird watching clubs you might join as well as trips to exotic lands that cater exclusively to birders and their hobby. Meeting new people and expanding your boundaries are just one of the benefits that may come out of your retirement hobby of birdhouse building.
You Can Start Your Own Business
If your friends and relatives have been raving about your birdhouse designs you might think about selling them to make a little profit. If you are computer savvy you can set up your own website to highlight your creations and see how fast people want to snatch up your birdhouses.
If you prefer, you can also attend local craft shows, farm markets and fairs in your immediate area and beyond. This too will allow you to get out and socialize with other people as well as put a little money in your pocket from your woodworking efforts. You will be able to share your love of your hobby with others and perhaps inspire someone else to take the plunge and start building birdhouses themselves.
Finding the Plans
Finding traditional as well as unique birdhouse plans are easy as well. The internet is loaded with plans and many of them are free of charge. If you are not comfortable using a computer, your library or the bookstore will have a wealth of books pertaining to woodworking and specifically birdhouse plans. You can follow the directions to the letter or you can get creative and use your own ideas to make your designs truly one of a kind.
Many Happy Hours Spent
Once you put your mind to build a birdhouse and/or birdfeeder you can set up your workshop. Whether you own the tools already or need to go out and buy some in order to get started, you will find that building birdhouses is a rewarding hobby. Your workshop will have the pleasant aroma of wood and paint and the praise you receive from those that admire them will send your confidence soaring. Even if they aren’t the best you’ve seen, it is uniquely your creation and with time, patience and some practice you will only get better.
Having a place to be alone with your thoughts, use your hands and see the finished product is a very healthy way to spend your retirement years. You will be surprised at how fulfilled you will be when you take up the hobby of building birdhouses in your golden years of retirement.
Thank you to Francine Hunt for this "Build a Birdhouse" article.
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