Dan and Cheryl Dukesherer have been part-time residents of Idyllwild since 1989, spending the rest of their time in Westchester, Los Angeles. The duo has spent the last 48 years happily together, and in recent months, discovered how well they complement each other turning their hobbies into a business. 

Dan enjoys working with his hands building things out of wood and metal. Cheryl is a gifted painter, designer, and according to Dan, has a green thumb. Between the two, they created a mobile business selling rustic birdhouses. They also just started making walking sticks and plant holders.

 
Perhaps you’ve seen Dan’s Cabin Rustics set up in front of Idyllwild Gardens previous weekends. The tiny pop-up trailer was built by Dan by hand. The base is a 1955 Dodge truck bed that Dan found in Westchester for about $300. He took that and built wood shelves and a roof made out of corrugated tin and completed the tiny trailer with closing wood siding for easy transport. 

Dan builds about six birdhouses a day and then hands them off to Cheryl to put her artistic touch on each one, painting anything from mermaids to cats and flowers to holiday themes. Each birdhouse is unique and built with love.  

“Each birdhouse is made of repurposed wood with vintage garden and found items,” Dan said. “I use oak because it’s so solid and I’ve used manzanita to accent some of them. I‘ve found old shovels, railroad spikes, horseshoes and other gardening tools to accent many of the birdhouses. I just love building them.”

Dan wasn’t always in the birdhouse business. He worked for the Los Angeles Police Department in the ’70s and early ’80s, which is where he found his love for building.

“When I was a young cop, I started making wood containers that we ended up turning into planters,” Dan explained. “I’d build them and found old or antique faucets that I would screw into wood pointing down toward where the plants would go. Then my wife would put these beautiful plants in them. That’s when I got my start, I guess. I sold every one of those darn things to policemen I worked with. I guess I’ve always enjoyed building.”

The first weekend of December, Dan sold 18 birdhouses, and despite the freezing weather last Saturday, he sold five. These one-of-a-kind birdhouses are all made in Idyllwild and special requests can be made.

The birdhouses are not only unique but also functional, giving many types of small birds a safe nesting spot. 

While Dan’s Cabin Rustics is a team effort, Dan gives much of the credit to his high school sweetheart.

“My wife can put things together like I can’t believe,” Dan said. “I give her all the credit.”

If you’re interested in Dan’s Cabin Rustics, keep an eye out for him in front of Idyllwild Gardens or visit www.danscabin.com.