Deer Scarecrow is about this architectural firm planning, designing, fabricating, assembling and installing a scarecrow to shoo away deer, that also functions as a yard light and attractive art sculpture. And this is in front of an award-winning mountain house also designed by this Architect. So not just any scarecrow will do.
Here’s a nighttime first glimpse of the finished sculpture. Above is what deer and people will see when approaching the rose bushes in the circle park. And upon advancing within 6 feet, a motion sensor on the solar powered light suddenly doubles its lumen intensity, sure to frighten woodland creatures.
Some people might not think having a scarecrow to keep away deer is a necessary thing. Well, in this area of western North Carolina, the deer here will eat thousands of dollars of rose bushes, daylillies and other decorative plants if nothing is done. The location for the scarecrow is on the northern side of an existing circular pet park in front of the Architect’s own house.
Now then, How did this interesting little project come to be?
STEP 1
This is the rather junky initial deer scarecrow that had previously been hanging on the tree in the front park. Not attractive at all. The time had arrived to replace it with something more artistic and functional.
STEP 2
The Architect wanted to see if he could design and make the new sculpture/scarecrow out of totally existing, leftover scraps of material and components, from previous construction on his family’s house. Here is one of two such scrap heaps from which the materials were used to build the new scarecrow-sculpture-light.
Just junk, right? Well, in the hands of an award-winning Architect, good things can happen.
Does anyone remember the original IronMan movie, where the Engineer was ordered to create and assemble miracles out of scrap metal? Stay tuned.
STEP 3
The program for the new deer scarecrow:
Cost: $0.
Functional Purposes: Yard light, scare deer away from the rose bushes, be attractive sculpture in keeping with the award-winning nearby house.
Materials: complement nearby house.
STEP 4
Parts:
The Architect found three lengths of PT (Pressure Treated) 4×4 lumber, two of them already with beveled end cuts. Also several 4×4 smaller pieces. He also found a length of galvanized steel EMT tubing and a PVC pipe with unattached end caps. And several cans of spray paint. And gallons of solid color stain and a couple of leftover brushes. And leftover recessed head star-drive screws of various sizes. And a leftover solar light. And a length of pre-stained (dark brown) small trim strip about 8 feet long. And very small panel nails. And of course the Architect’s existing tools and shop.
STEP 5
Main body:
Assembly and hole boring.
Note1 : a 3-point el-cheapo carpenter’s wood drill bit actually works much faster and better than a hole saw bit. The Architect used a 7 year old powerful corded large Milwaukee drill that might break some people’s wrists if they are not strong enough or careful enough. Don’t try this at home, kids.
Note 2: Architect cut some leftover pieces of PT 4×4 stubs and screwed them onto the long 4×4 to act as surrealistic “Feet” for the scarecrow, and also additional 4×4 blocks to continue the artistic effect lower down on the main scarecrow backbone.
STEP 6
Body staining and start of rod insertions.
STEP 7
Installation of solar light.
STEP 8
Installation of sub-light FLLW-like louver trim elements. Note: This Architect worked for one of FLLW’s main 12 apprentices in the early 1980s in Central Florida. These piece of trim serve to look interesting, in terms of pure style and also to filter and spread the light coming down from the solar light fixture. The “louvers” are actually from a single long piece of trim from a previous project and it was already stained the dark brown color, which technically is called “Burnt Hickory” by the solid stain manufacturer.
STEP 9
Fabrication and staining of 4 “bongers”, which could also be called “Piano Keys”. The 8 small triangles are leftover pieces from trimming the 1×4 lengths of “keys” on a compound table miter saw.
Something told the Architect that there could be an artistic use for those little triangles, although at this point, he didn’t know what his subconscious was thinking about. More on this later.
STEP 10
Finish insertion of rods. The silver one is the length of EMT, which the Architect sprayed with clear Krylon satin clear, to help protect the galvanized coating and hopefully make it last longer before rusting. Although in this particular instance, that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing aesthetically. The silver rod is what the Architect calls the “Sounding Board” of the “piano” and the top black rod is the support bar for the “Piano Keys” (pieces of brown stained 1x4s). The idea is that the wind in the front park will push the “keys” and when the wind gust dies down some, the “key” will knock against the silver metal rod, creating a “bonging” effect, not entirely unlike a wind chime, only on a larger, more macho scale. The thought is that the sound of 4 of these clattering against the metal sounding rod, will serve to scare deer that have the temerity to be munching on the Architect’s roses around the front circle park. The top rod has been spray painted with 2 coats of Rust-Oleum gloss black. This top rod is actually a length of 1″ diameter Schedule 40 PVC pipe, leftover from a previous project. The fit of both the top and lower rods is so snug that they had to be ram-fit with a hammer pounding against a piece of 2×4 (to avoid damaging the pipes). Nothing but the tight fit/friction is holding them in place.
STEP 11
Testing subconscious thoughts regarding usage and placement of small triangles.
The idea that finally worked itself into the Architect’s forebrain was to use the top small triangle and bottom triangle to conceal the bore holes for the top and bottom tree-mounting screws. Then the rest of the triangles create a extension of that pattern so it becomes a decorative element in and of itself. These triangles cannot be installed at this point. It must occur after the scarecrow has been screwed to the tree.
STEP 12
Attachment of scarecrow to tree. Used a carpenter’s 4′ long level vertically to insure plumb fit.
STEP 13
Installation of “piano keys” (or “bongers” if you prefer) to top bar, using creative method of zip ties to insure that the “keys” swing in the correct direction with the wind, in order to strike the “sounding board” (silver metal tube) to make sounds.
Also, attachment of the small decorative triangles to conceal the mounting screws holding the scarecrow to the tree.
And that is how it was conceived and accomplished.
Result:
A. 4 “bongers” to clatter against the silver sounding rod to frighten the deer.
B. Solar light with double lumen motion sensor to startle the deer.
C. Interesting artistic sculpture to enhance front rose garden park.
D. Zero cost to homeowner/Architect.
But if you’d be interesting in this Architect designing your entire house, please let him know:
Rand@HomeArchitects.com