A birdhouse is a great addition to any yard or a great gift to give any bird lover. Sure you can buy one at your local birding store or online, but in this post, I’m going to share with you how to build one yourself for $10.
To build a birdhouse you need very few woodworking skills and only a few tools. This project is great to do with the kids or grandkids and can be completed in less than an hour.
All that is required is a 1″x 6″x 5′ cedar fence board and some 1-1/4″ #6 wood screws available from your local home improvement store. Since the pandemic started cedar has been a bit hard to find and if so you can also use pine. You might even have scrap wood laying around your garage or workshop that will work. Just be sure not to use wood that is pressure-treated, stained, or painted as these chemicals are potentially harmful to the birds.
The plan I use to build this birdhouse I found for free online and is actually for a winter roost box, the only difference is for a birdhouse you mount the front with the hole at the top. Those plans can be found here. Follow the instructions for cutting the wood and assembling the house. Painting or varnishing the birdhouse is not necessary and I recommend leaving the wood natural to avoid any potential ill effects to the birds from harmful chemicals. Cedar or pine left untreated will last many years.
Over the years, I have made many of these birdhouses for my own yard and given several away to friends and family. The 1-1/2″ inch hole will accommodate a variety of species and I personally have seen Carolina Wrens, House Wrens, and Tree Swallows use this house. Other birds including chickadees, nuthatches, and even Downy Woodpeckers may use this house.
When you are finished mount the house 4 to 8 feet off the ground and place it where it is out of prevailing winds or hot afternoon sun. It’s a good idea to put a birdhouse up early so the birds have time to find it and the wood can weather a bit.
Watching birds raise a brood in a house I built myself is something I find incredibly rewarding. I’ve used this plan to build a lot of houses and this has been the most successful design I’ve tried.
If you are thinking about adding a birdhouse to your yard, are looking for a unique gift idea for a friend, or just want a fun project to do with the kids or grandkids why not build this birdhouse? The joy of the building process will far outweigh the time and cost of making it and watching birds raise a brood in it will provide plenty of enjoyment year after year.
Good birding,
Paul
We had three of these in our barnyard last year. The birds were fighting over the rights to the houses so we put up three more. Birds were happy! Ended up with Tree Swallows in two boxes, House Wrens in two boxes and Eastern Bluebirds in two boxes. Boxes were well spaced apart. What time of year is best to clean them?
That is awesome Margaret! It sounds like you have a great setup and as you mentioned well spaced is key when you have many boxes. You can either clean them in the fall when the birds are done nesting or any time now as you want them clean and ready to go when the birds are. Swallows will be into them very soon after returning to the area.
Hi Paul. It was nice meeting you (and your dog) yesterday. I couldn’t figure out how to attach that picture of the blue heron to this message.
Jim Gadsden
Hi Jim, It was great meeting you, your wife, and your dog yesterday. I enjoyed chatting with the two of you very much. I have replied with an email as well where you can send the image.
Hi Paul,
I live here in the city and have had a Carolina Wren visiting my bird feeders all winter – especially the peanut feeder! They’re such active and interesting little birds.
I just saw your photo of the birdhouse you built – that’s great that a Carolina Wren moved in…that’s last year I assume.
My question is: is it too late to put one up? If I’m too late, do they maybe have a second brood later on?
Thanks Paul,
Rob
Hi Rob, it’s definitely not too late. Carolina Wrens are actively calling establishing territories and attracting mates. Also, Carolina Wrens can have 1-3 broods per year.