Area resident Gary Tolbertson set out last weekend to build a simple birdhouse as a relaxing hobby project, but the endeavor has since ballooned into what neighbors are calling ‘the most structurally ambitious thing on this block since the Hendersons put in a deck.’ The birdhouse, originally intended to be a modest wooden box with a hole in it, now features a load-bearing wall, a drainage system, and what Tolbertson describes as ‘just a few reinforced trusses, nothing crazy.’
The project began innocently enough with a $12 kit from a hardware store, but Tolbertson quickly determined the included instructions were ‘basically a suggestion’ and decided the structure needed to be able to withstand wind loads of up to 90 miles per hour, despite the fact that the birdhouse will hang from a single branch approximately four feet off the ground. He has since applied for a residential building permit, which the city clerk’s office initially assumed was a clerical error.
‘I’ve built houses for humans that required less paperwork,’ said local building inspector Denise Kowalczyk, who has visited the Tolbertson property three times to examine the birdhouse’s foundation, wiring for what Tolbertson calls ‘ambient interior lighting,’ and a small chimney that inspectors have not yet determined a purpose for. ‘At this point I’ve stopped asking questions. He mentioned something about a mezzanine level for larger birds. I just nod now.’
Tolbertson’s wife, Denise Tolbertson, reports that the garage has been unusable for six weeks and that her husband has begun referring to the birdhouse by a name, ‘The Aviary Project,’ complete with laminated blueprints pinned to a corkboard. Neighborhood children have reportedly begun asking if they can move in. As of press time, Tolbertson was seen at the hardware store purchasing a doorbell camera ‘for security purposes,’ insisting the birdhouse was ‘basically done’ aside from finalizing the HVAC system.
