DIY Fairy Door

Every spring we write out a to-do list for the year, most of which we get done and if not it gets carried over for the next year. Anything from build a new deck to paint the baseboards gets put on the list. Quite a few of them for this year are outdoor things which require more consistent warm weather. There is something very satisfying about crossing a finished job off the list.

So to fill in the gap between now and the warmer weather, I told suggested to Jim we build a fairy door. I watched as Jims eyes glazed over lit up, I think it was just the type of project he was looking for. Ha.

I grabbed a piece of scrap wood and drew the outline for the door plus another piece to add dimension to the top of the door.

Jim cut out the two pieces on the bandsaw, but you could use a jigsaw or scrollsaw.

Here they are cut out and quickly hand sanded.

Next I drew out rectangles to make into stairs. And cut those on the bandsaw. Once cut out I decided they were too wide so I just lopped an inch or so off, no need to measure.

Here are all the parts…

Now for a little paint. I put a coat of stain on the stairs, and painted the door orange with white trim.

And started adding in a few details, using a round wood bead left over from making Christmas ornaments.

Time to go back out to the workshop for some assembly using wood glue and brad nails.

For the stairs we just attached them together so they would look a little janky.

Time to attach the two parts together.

Last minute I added a bit of moss to the door. I don’t expect it to last but easy to fix if needed next year.

Then we installed it in a birch tree on the lawn. I wanted to be able to see it everyday.

Since it was a really quick and easy project we I decided to make a second one that we can see from the kitchen window. We tucked it into the woods a little ways.

I’ll update if I happen to see any fairies using the doors.

Later