Birdhouse maker creates replicas of customers' homes

COON RAPIDS, Minn. (FOX 9) - Some structures only exist on a wing and a prayer.

A house of worship on Chris Sisterman's dining room table will be home to a different kind of flock.

"It's very rewarding. This one especially is going to a gal that is battling cancer. I'm really looking forward to getting it out there to her. It was a church that they were actually married in," said Sisterman.

Sisterman started building simple birdhouses for friends and family about 10 years ago.

But over the last few years, he's started branching out creating smaller scaled custom replicas of his customer's homes and cabins for their feathered friends.

A Coon Rapids man started building birdhouses for friends and family about 10 years ago, but recently his passion has really begun to turn heads. 

"When they see them in person they are like 'wow'. How did you do that? I get that all the time. It's a tedious process, but the receptions have been great," said Sisterman.

So far Sisterman has completed over a dozen incredibly detailed mini-masterpieces from photos his customers have sent him.

It's painstaking work that takes him months to finish because he suffers from severe arthritis.

But each one is close to his customers' hearts, like the birdhouse he built of an elderly woman's dream house that had recently burned to the ground.

"She came out and the tears were flowing and 'how did you do that? I was like 'you are going to make us all cry'. She was hugging me. It was great. That's why I do it," said Sisterman.

Until now, Sisterman has relied on word of mouth and Facebook to grow his side business.

But just like the birds he creates homes for, Sisterman is ready to spread his wings.

"Hopefully we'll continue on and friends will tell other friends and we'll see where it goes from there," said Sisterman.