Meet the retired carpenter who builds huge, luxury birdhouses which sell for thousands of dollars.

John Looser built human homes for 25 years before illness forced him to retire and he turned his attention to his feathered friends.

The 52-year-old, from Belgrave, Ontario, has been building extreme bird houses for over a decade now - with some luxury lodges taking up to two years to complete.

The extravagant bird mansions are priced at a staggering £2,500 ($3,200) with smaller options starting at around £60 ($77) and optional extras include more than 100 separate rooms, a swimming pool and fly-by tunnels.

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Retired carpenter John Looser has made a name for himself by building massive, intricate birdhouses which sell for thousands of dollars

Retired carpenter John Looser has made a name for himself by building massive, intricate birdhouses which sell for thousands of dollars

Looser built human homes for 25 years before illness forced him to retire, but he used his skill to build smaller pieces of art

Looser built human homes for 25 years before illness forced him to retire, but he used his skill to build smaller pieces of art

The 52-year-old, from Belgrave, Ontario, has been building extreme bird houses for over a decade now

The 52-year-old, from Belgrave, Ontario, has been building extreme bird houses for over a decade now

Some of John's miniature luxury lodges are so complicated that they take up to two years to complete

Some of John's miniature luxury lodges are so complicated that they take up to two years to complete

The most extravagant bird mansions are priced at a staggering £2,500 ($3,200) with smaller options starting at around £60 ($77)

The most extravagant bird mansions are priced at a staggering £2,500 ($3,200) with smaller options starting at around £60 ($77)

Optional extras in the majestic little homes include more than 100 separate rooms, a swimming pool and fly-by tunnels

Optional extras in the majestic little homes include more than 100 separate rooms, a swimming pool and fly-by tunnels

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The largest house John has built measures nine feet wide by seven feet tall and weighs an incredible 35 stone.

John, who uses reclaimed barn wood and new white cedar for his masterpieces, said people often requested replicas of their own houses and cottages.

He added: 'I get a lot of visitors throughout the year and their first reaction is usually, "Wow!".

'My father was also a carpenter so I grew up around a woodworking shop, he also built birdhouses sometimes but on a much smaller scale.

'I have always been a bird lover and any animals in general. I enjoy making homes for everything.

'I was forced to retire at the age of 37 due to fibromyalgia so I had lots of time on my hands.

'The smallest houses take about four to six hours to build but larger houses can take anywhere from one week up to a couple years depending on size and style.

The largest house John has built measures nine feet wide by seven feet tall and weighs an incredible 35 stone

The largest house John has built measures nine feet wide by seven feet tall and weighs an incredible 35 stone

John, who uses reclaimed barn wood and new white cedar for his masterpieces, said people often requested replicas of their own houses and cottages

John, who uses reclaimed barn wood and new white cedar for his masterpieces, said people often requested replicas of their own houses and cottages

'I get a lot of visitors throughout the year and their first reaction is usually, "Wow!"' John said of his birdhouses

'I get a lot of visitors throughout the year and their first reaction is usually, "Wow!"' John said of his birdhouses

John's father was a carpenter and sometimes also built birdhouses, but on a much smaller scale

John's father was a carpenter and sometimes also built birdhouses, but on a much smaller scale

'I have always been a bird lover and any animals in general,' said John, who was forced to retire at 37. 'I enjoy making homes for everything'

'I have always been a bird lover and any animals in general,' said John, who was forced to retire at 37. 'I enjoy making homes for everything'

'I rarely know what I'm building until I start laying down the logs. Most of the time my designs come to me as I am building and I never really know what they will look like until they are done. A lot of what I do is by eye.

'I have around 30 large houses up in my yard and they all have birds living in them.

'I have roughly 400 to 500 birds in my yard all day long, they love the houses.'

 

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