Mini Wood House with Chimney
This little house is a favorite! Easily customizable and pretty easy to put together. And always a bonus if you have a lot of scrap wood laying around because then they are also free! No worries if you aren’t a wood hoarder like me, you can always buy a DIY Wood House Kit in my store all ready to be made or check out the project list at the end of the post!
This project idea was hatched from a pile of wood from a past project. A few years ago I built my daughter a cottage bunk bed that required about eleventy billion pieces of 1x6s and plenty of 1x2s for trim. She liked the natural look of the wood so we didn’t paint or stain it. This was a super amazing bonus for me because I hate, H A T E finishing work. I think it is the sanding, and the sanding, and oh yeah – the sanding! Gah! I can build things all day long but the finishing work is not my favorite.
This last year she decided she was too grown up for a cottage bunkbed. I know, how dare she?!? So I took the whole thing apart and realized I now had an impressive pile of 1×6 and 1×2 unfinished boards. Just sitting there. Waiting for a project. Or, if you ask my husband, waiting to be thrown in a fire. NOOOO! Thankfully, I had other plans.
I love when I can create a project from scrap wood. One project created with love is made into another project with love. It’s a beautiful cycle. Also, helps with the guilt I have over hoarding wood. You see? It’s a wood lover’s fairy tale.
I’ll walk you through the steps and give the measurements of how I made my little house but please know that this isn’t an exact science. I encourage you to adapt the directions to your own needs.
Mini Wood House with Chimney
Supplies
- 1×6 – 8” tall
- 1×2 – 3 pieces: 4.5”, 5”, and 1.75”
- Paint – white – I used chalk paint but acrylic would be fine too
- Stain – I used Dark Walnut by Minwax.
- Faux greenery – 15”
- Nail – 1/2”
- Sandpaper – 220 grit
- Gloves (for staining)
- 1″ foam brush
- Small paint brush
- Wood glue
OPTIONAL: vinyl stencil “Home Sweet Home” <*Link to SVG library OR link to Etsy to buy stencil*>
Tools
- Drill with 3/8″ drill bit
- Scissors to cut leather
Directions:
- Cut the top of your 1×6 (house) at a 45 angle using a miter saw or hand saw.
- Cut the end of your 1×2 at a 45 angle. This will be your chimney. Then, cut the chimney piece about 2” long. Cut 2 more sections at 4.5” and 5”.
- Paint the house white. Let dry. Stain the roof pieces. Let dry. Save yourself some work and use the paint and stain sparingly. Since we are going for a distressed look, the less you have to sand away the better.
- Sand the house and roof pieces. Pay special attention to the corners and edges to get a nice worn look.
- Optional step: Apply Stencil. Continue to Step 7 if not applying a stencil. Apply the “Home Sweet Home” vinyl stencil to the house. Check out this post for help with working with vinyl stencils. Use black paint. Remove stencil and let FULLY DRY.
- Sand the “Home Sweet Home” only after the paint has FULLY dried. Wait at least an hour. If you try to distress too early the black paint will just smear into your white paint. The only way to fix that is to sand everything and start over!
- Cut a piece of greenery about 15” long. Curl into a small circle 3 times – about the diameter of a golf ball. Pound the tiny nail into place about an inch down from the peak of the house. Attach the wreath to the nail with hot glue.
- Add a small amount of wood glue to the top of your house and add the 2 pieces of stained wood. Center the roof pieces on the top of the house. Here you can use nails to attach further or leave as is. I used my nail gun. Add the chimney with a little wood glue.
This little house cannot stand on its own very well. If you would like to to be freestanding, you could use thicker wood or add a small block of wood to the back.
I’d love to see how yours turned out! Don’t forget to tag #ThePolishedPine when posting.
