In 1995, Brown’s Foster Home, a facility in Rome, Maine for developmentally disabled men, began a wood shop program and their first project was to build a classic birdhouse. The guys enjoyed the collaborative process and began experimenting with not only various house shapes and rooflines but also with recycled and repurposed materials. As their skill improved and they refined their designs Recycled Reflections became a full fledged enterprise. And now more than 15 years since inception the guys at Brown’s have made literally thousands of birdhouses all of which they catalogued: stamping, numbering, dating and photographing each piece.

Inspiring story aside, the birdhouses really are quite remarkable with their trademark pine cone shingled roofs, patina of age lent by the recycled materials and quirky personality acquired from their unexpected perches. They average between $65. and $75., a price tag tempered by the knowledge of the sense of accomplishment and dignity the guys get from their efforts building birdhouses.

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