Wing Tips
Ecology-Minded Artisan Crafts Birdhouses out of Ancient Barns

By Kevin Allen

Reprinted by permission of "The Paper", Grand Rapids, MI.
John Guertin knows his passion for ecology is contagious. Now he hopes he can move others to embrace his passion. To Guertin, it's as simple as putting a birdhouse in your backyard.

For the past four years, Guertin has been making and selling his Victorian Revival birdhouses and bat houses. The handcrafted birdhouses are designed to re-introduce native species of songbirds, such as chickadees, to backyards. Once the birds come back, he says, homeowners will be inspired to plant a garden or make other improvements to their backyard's ecology.

"It's easy to get involved in ecology," he says. "There's a lot people can do in their own backyard". "We're busy building, building, building, but we don't put back a heck of a lot," says Guertin. Making an ecological birdhouse is a long and intricate process. First, Guertin has to find an old barn that someone wants torn down.

Assuming savage Michigan winters and solar energy have not debilitated the lumber beyond productive use, he will begin taking the barn apart board by board. Next, Guertin will salvage the quality lumber: usually, only one side of the barn is in good condition to be used again. He then repairs the lumber with waterproof glue. After the lumber is prepared, Guertin begins the artistic part of the construction.

He estimates that it takes at least five hours to cut, sand and glue the lumber into a birdhouse. The precise cuts require a steady hand, concentration and a whole lot of patience. "To make them come back to life, you've got to invest some time," says Guertin. Since the wood has been exposed to elements of weather and been lived in before, it has an authentic rustic character. "It's the Lord's handiwork ready to be used as art." Last year, Guertin constructed 60 birdhouses from his basement workshop. "This is a work of passion, not profit. I wouldn't do it if others weren't passionate about it."

Frederik Meijer Gardens has been carrying those works of passion in its gift shop since last November. When Guertin brought the birdhouses to garden officials, they called them "The most beautiful birdhouses we've ever seen." The fact that the birdhouses were made by a local artist also made them enthusiastic about selling them.

Guertin learned woodcraft out of necessity after buying a 110-year-old Victorian home on the Southeast side of Grand Rapids. Through fixing up his home, he learned how to restore old wood and carve Victorian designs.

Guertin did his formal learning north of the border, in his native Canada. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts in English. At Sheridan College, also in Ontario, he was trained in classical animation and earned a certificate in computer graphics.

Guertin's interest in the environment was born early in his childhood as a boy growing up in Toronto. Every summer, he would work on his uncle's farm in rural Ontario. His uncle was a naturalist, so he got plenty of biology lessons there. He also spent a summer planting trees for the "Lands and Forests" organization in Ontario.

Grand Rapids became home to Guertin in 1992., He has been married to his wife, Irene, a Grand Rapids native and dietitian for Spectrum Health, since 1991. He works for the Grand Rapids Press designing advertising for the religion section's Invitation To Worship. He has also worked in feature animation and as an architectural model maker. Of his former occupations he says, "[They] gave me a tolerance for sitting on my butt for a long time."

For more information about purchasing a Victorian Revival bird box or bat box, contact Frederik Meijer Garden's Keeler Garden Shop (616) 975-3174 or call him at (616)456-5991. You can also catch him at the Fulton Street Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.