Learn how to make a DIY wooden Christmas village for your mantle this holiday season with this step-by-step tutorial.
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How cute are these DIY wooden Christmas village houses??!
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I LOVE Scandinavian Christmas decor! I can’t get enough of that simple black, white, natural wood and green garland combination.
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So, to incorporate a little Scandi into my decor this year, I built a Scandinavian style DIY wooden Christmas village for my fake brick fireplace mantle!
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It’s obviously a very simple style, but I LOVE the natural wood colors and the option to use them all year long since they aren’t specifically just for Christmas. These would be cute decorated up for any holiday or season, or just left natural for some modern shelf decor 🙂
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Oh, and did I mention that this whole project cost less than $20?? You couldn’t even buy one tiny piece of a regular Christmas village for that price! But, the real reward isn’t the dollar saved…it’s the fact you can say “I made that,” amiright??
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Okay, so let’s get to the how to, shall we? First, let me explain a little something. I’ll show you a very general way of how I made the tall skinny house. You can customize whatever size or window/door design you want…there is no right or wrong way of doing this.
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The two houses on the left and right are made exactly the same as far as procedure, but with different dimensions and window placement. The house in the middle is made the same way as well, just with different dimensions and I added a little piece on the front. Feel free to get creative with it 🙂
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How to Make a DIY Wooden Christmas Village
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For These DIY Wooden Christmas Village houses, you will need:
Materials:
- ¼ plywood (I used birch–one of these sheets will be more than enough to make one house)
- 2×2 scraps (just need a little piece for the chimney)
- Wood Glue
- Clamps (varying sizes)
- Wood Putty
- Square
- Polycrylic
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Step 1: Decide on the Sizing for Houses
First, you need to decide how large you want your Christmas village house. I made mine fairly large. The tall one is 16″ tall x 6″ wide and 6 ½″ deep. But you can make yours however large or small you want.
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Once you decide on your sizing, use a jig saw and a straight edge, or a table saw if you have one, to rip your ¼″ plywood to the correct widths.
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To make it easy, I just did 6″ wide for the fronts and sides of my house so I only had to rip one size. Then cut two pieces the height you want your house. So in my case, it was 16″.
Step 2: Cut Pieces for DIY Wooden Christmas Village
Mark the center of the top of both pieces and use a square to draw a 45 degree angle to cut for the roof.
Using a miter saw (or jig saw), trim the top corners 45 degrees from the center mark down. Then measure from the bottom of the piece to the point where the miter starts on the side and cut your house side pieces this long.
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NOTE: this length for the house sides should be: height of front piece – (½*width of side piece). So in my case: 16 – (½*6)=13″.
Use a square and tape measure to lay out your windows and doors in whatever design you wish.
Use a drill and large bit to drill a hole in each window so you can get your jig saw blade in it to cut–just like with this fall leaf sign and these modern Christmas ornament signs.
Use a jig saw to cut out all the windows and doors you want on all four sides of the house.
Step 3: Glue House Sides Together
Use some wood glue and clamps to glue the house together like shown. OR use super glue if you don’t have clamps and need a quicker hold.
Once the glue is dry, putty and sand the edges.
Step 4: Add the Roof and Chimney
Cut two pieces of ¼″ plywood to cover the roof. You can make your roof as large or small as you wish, but I cut mine about ½″ longer than the width of my house (so 7″) and about 4 ½″ wide.
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Simply glue these two pieces on, butting them at the top. You can use masking tape to hold in place until the glue dries.
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If desired, you can use a piece of scrap 2×2 to glue to the roof as well for the chimney. I did this on two of mine, but it’s totally optional.
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Then, just putty any spots you missed, give it a good sanding, and finish as desired. I really loved the natural wood look, so I just sealed mine with a Polycrylic clear coat.
I cut a little branch from the garland to make a little wreath for one of the houses.
The other two houses were made the same way, but with different dimensions and the middle one, I added a little extra “box” on the front.
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The far right house I made only 12″ tall, 8″ wide, and 6 ½″ deep. The middle house is 12″ long, 9″ tall, and 6 ½″ deep (without the front door “box”). You can flip flop the roof direction and change up the sizes pretty easily.
I love this simple little project. Luckily, even though Christmas is coming quickly, you still have time to whip up a few of these for your mantle or centerpiece. They will only take you a few hours including the glue dry time 🙂
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Pin this first, then go get building 🙂
Until next time, happy building 🙂
DIY Wooden Christmas Village
How to make your own DIY wooden Christmas village perfect for Scandinavian Christmas decor. Easy and free project tutorial
Materials
Instructions
- Decide on the sizes of your houses.
- Cut wood for DIY Christmas village houses. Cut out doors and windows using a jigsaw.
- Glue house sides together.
- Add the roof and chimney.
- Sand and finish as desired.
Kathleen Conery
These are super cute! I don’t decorate much for Christmas usually (we’re out of town every other year, and don’t have kids around), but this is exactly how I’d decorate if I did!
Shara, Woodshop Diaries
Thank you! So glad you liked them! They’re so simple and I still have them out for winter decor 🙂