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The Before and After of My First Birdhouse Build
I built this birdhouse last spring and it looked PERFECT for about 2 weeks. Then the rain came and the whole thing warped like crazy, the roof started peeling apart. The wood I used was just cheap pine from the hardware store, no sealant or anything. Within 3 months it was basically a leaning shack, no birds ever moved in. Now I'm looking at pictures from day 1 vs today and it's hilarious how bad it got. Has anyone else had a DIY project go from decent to disaster that fast?
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leo_fisher1mo agoTop Commenter
Oh man, that reminds me of the time I tried to build a little wooden planter box for my porch. I had this vision of it looking all rustic and cute, you know? I used some leftover cedar fence boards, thought I was being smart. Two weeks later after a big storm, the whole thing just split right down the middle. Looked like it had been through a hurricane. The soil spilled everywhere, my herbs were just laying on the ground. I was so mad I just left it there for like a month and called it "modern art" every time someone asked.
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milacraig1mo ago
Respectfully, cedar's actually pretty tough stuff so that sounds like bad luck or bad sealing.
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wesley1811mo ago
Wait, was the wood pressure treated or just regular cedar? Because that makes a huge difference with moisture and splitting. I built a fence with untreated cedar once and it warped so bad within a year I had gaps you could throw a cat through. But my neighbor used the same boards with proper sealer and his still looks brand new after three seasons. Seems like people forget cedar needs maintenance just like any other outdoor wood.
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