Build a Birdhouse

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This wikiHow will teach you several ways in which to build a birdhouse.

10 Second Summary

1. Cut a 1-liter bottle in half. Discard the top.
2. Cut the domed part off of a 2-liter bottle. Discard the bottom.
3. Cut an entrance hole in the 2-liter bottle.
4. Punch 2 hanging holes in the 1-liter bottle.
5. Drill 4 holes in the 2-liter bottle's cap. Put the cap back on.
7. Thread wire through the bottle cap and the punched holes.
8. Hang the birdhouse.

Steps

Method One: Building a Classic House

  1. Connect the two bottom pieces. You'll need two pieces of 1x6 lumber. One should be cut to 5 1/2" in length, the other should be cut to 6 1/4" in length. Connect them so that they overlap and the top ends end up being roughly equal height. Glue them together and allow them to dry.
    • Once it is dry, nail or drill through one and into the other to secure them firmly (use 2 nails/screws, equally spaced).
  2. Attach the back panel. Cut a back panel from a piece of plywood to be 7" square. Glue along the back edge of the bottom pieces and them press the square into place. Once it dries, screw at four equally spaced positions, passing through the back piece and into the edge of the bottom pieces.
    • It may help to pre-drill the holes for the screws.
  3. Attach the roof. Lie the birdhouse down on a stable work surface, which the back flat against the surface. Take two roof panels, cut from 1x6 boards. One will need to be cut to 9" in length, the other will need to be 8 1/4". Fit the pieces so that they overlap and sit flush with the sides and back panel. Glue and then screw them into place, using 4 equally spaced screws, as before. 
  4. Add support braces. Get 4 L brackets and install them at the centers of the four corners of the box you've formed (connecting the sides and roof pieces). Make sure the screws used to install the brackets are not too long; they should go only to the mid-point of the wood.
  5. Cut the front panel. Using a 1 3/8-" hole saw, drill into the front piece, such that the top of the hole is 2 1/2" down from the top point.
  6. Add the perch hole. Find a dowel rod, as close to 1/4" as possible. This will be cut to size and used as a perch. Drill a hole using a bit appropriate for the size dowel you purchased about 1/2" from the bottom of the entrance hole.
    • The dowel will need to be at least 3" long.
  7. Add the front panel to the rest of the birdhouse. Glue the edges of the side pieces and roof pieces, then fit the front piece into place and add 8 screws to attach it, two evenly placed screws for each side and roof piece.
  8. Sand the edges and holes. Sand the edges and the entrance hole so that they’re smooth.
  9. Add the hanging points. Screw in two eye bolts at equal points at the very top of the birdhouse. It may help to pre-drill the holes.
  10. Add the perch. Cut your dowel rod to 3" and add glue. Place it in the perch hole. Allow to dry.
  11. Add finishing touches. If you intend this house to be used by wild birds, paint it in muted colors, like brown or green, as wild birds prefer these colors. Add any other desired finishing touches and hang the house.
    • Enjoy!

Method Two: Building a Gourd House

  1. Find an appropriately-sized gourd. Be sure the gourd is already cured (i.e. dried and solid) before you begin. The type of cavity-nesting bird(s) you hope to attract will determine how large the gourd should be. Since gourds are irregularly shaped, use the measurements below, which are ideal, merely as guidelines for selecting a gourd.
    • Tree swallows prefer an interior space that measures 5x5 in (13x13 cm) wide and 7 in (18 cm) high.
    • Wrens prefer an interior space that measures 4x4 in (10x10 cm) wide and 7 in (18cm) high.
    • Chickadees and downy woodpeckers prefer an interior space that measures 4x4 in (10x10 cm) wide and 9 in (23 cm) high.
    • House finches prefer an interior space that measures 5x5 in (13x13 cm) wide and 8 in (20 cm) high.
  2. Drill an entrance hole. Choose the size of the drill bit based on how large a bird you’d like to accommodate. This is perhaps the most important part of the birdhouse; providing a too-large hole for the bird you’d like to attract will invite predators to attack and bully it. The height at which you drill the hole is also important, as different birds prefer different nest-cavity depths. Use the guidelines below to determine how large the hole should be and how high up from the bottom of the gourd to drill it.
    • Tree swallows prefer a hole that is 1 1/2 in (4 cm) wide and 5 in (13 cm) high.
    • House wrens prefer a hole that is 1 in (2.5 cm) wide and 5 in (13 cm) high.
    • Carolina wrens prefer a hole that is 1 3/8 in (3.5 cm) wide and 5 in (13 cm) high.
    • Chickadees prefer a hole that is 1 1/8 in (2.85 cm) wide and 7 in (18 cm) high.
    • Downy woodpeckers prefer a hole that is 1 3/8 in (3.5 cm) wide and 7 in (18 cm) high.
    • House finches prefer a hole that is 1 1/2 in (4 cm) wide and 6 in (15 cm) high.
  3. Clean out the inside of the gourd. Use a spoon to scrape out any loose seeds, fibers, and debris from the inside of the gourd. Don’t worry about making it perfect; cavity-nesting birds are used to excavating their own homes and won’t mind picking out whatever you miss.
  4. Drill a narrow hole through the neck of the gourd to hang it. Using a small drill bit, drill completely through the neck near the top of the house so that you can string the gourd onto a string, leather strap, wire, etc. Don’t worry about the wind and rain that will enter the gourd through these holes; in fact, the ventilation will actually make the gourd healthier for its inhabitants.
  5. Drill three to five small drainage holes in the bottom of the gourd. Use a 1/8-inch to 3/8-inch (3-mm to 10-mm) drill bit to make the holes.
  6. Add a perch if necessary. Simply find a dowel, twig, or piece of scrap wood that is long enough to accommodate one bird, drill hole underneath the entrance hole with an appropriately sized drill bit, and place the perch inside the hole. You may need to glue the perch into the hole for additional stability; if so, allow plenty of time to pass so that the harsh stink of the glue can dissipate before you hang the nest.
    • Don’t try to make the nest more accessible than it needs to be. While providing an extra-long perch might seem like a kindness, it actually makes the house more vulnerable to predators, including larger birds.
    • Clinging birds like chickadees and woodpeckers don’t need perches. This gives them the advantage of having extra-safe entrances. Check to see whether or not your bird can cling to the front of the house before deciding to add a perch.
  7. Sand the outside of the gourd if desired. Use a fine-grit sandpaper to smooth out rough spots or blemishes. However, don’t expect the surface to look totally even; the naturally uneven texture is part of what gives the gourd house its rustic charm.
  8. Paint the gourd if desired. Use an outdoor paint that can take a weatherproofing finish. You can paint the gourd colorfully if you wish; however, note that birds prefer natural, neutral tones.
  9. Seal the outside of the gourd. Applying a coat of polyurethane, varnish, or Eco-friendly wax to the outer skin to protect the gourd from the elements. If applying a harsh-smelling finish, allow the gourd to air out for a very long time before you hang it; just because you can’t smell it anymore doesn’t mean the birds won’t.
  10. Thread a cord through the neck and hang the gourd. The exact height and position of the gourd will depend on what bird you’d like to live there. Read the ideal conditions below for ideas.
    • Tree swallows prefer to be 5 to 15 feet (1.5 to 4.5 m) off the ground in an open area near water.
    • House wrens prefer to be 4 to 10 feet (1.25 to 3 m) off the ground in a field or thicket.
    • Carolina wrens prefer to be 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to 3 m) off the ground in a field or thicket.
    • Chickadees prefer to be 5 to 15 feet (1.5 to 4.5 m) off the ground in open woods.
    • Downy woodpeckers prefer to be 5 to 20 feet (1.5 to 6 m) off the ground in forest openings.
    • House finches prefer to be 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to 3 m) off the ground in backyards.
    • Enjoy!

Method Three: Building a Soda Bottle House

  1. Get your materials. Get one {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} and one {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} bottles of soda. These should be bottles with straight bottom sections, rather than curved ones. Then, get at least 3' of thick wire, at least 2mm gauge. You will also want sharp scissors, a nail and hammer, and paint.
  2. Empty the soda and clean the bottles. Remove the labels and all glue.
    • Make sure you save the bottle cap for the larger bottle.
  3. Cut the {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} bottle. Cut the {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} bottle at roughly the halfway point between where the neck widens out and the bottom of the bottle. Keep the lower portion of the bottle.
  4. Cut the {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} bottle. Cut the {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} bottle at the widest part of the neck, where it evens out to form the tube of the bottle. Keep the upper/neck portion of the bottle. You can make the edges look fancy, if you like, by cutting a scallop or other pattern.
  5. Cut the opening. Cut a 1.5-2" hole in the side of the smaller bottle, roughly 1" up from the top of the feet. Just be sure that it is not less than 1/2" away from the top edge.
  6. Test fit the top and bottom. The bigger bottle will become the roof and the smaller bottle will become the main section of the house. Fit the two together to see how they fit. If the top section overlaps the entry hole or the top looks generally way too big, you will need to trim the edges so that the larger bottle section is shorter and looks more natural as a roof for the house.
  7. Add the hanging holes. Use the hammer and nail to add holes to the bottle pieces. These will be used to thread the wire through the bottles to hold them together and hang the house.
    • There will need to be two holes on opposite sides of the smaller bottle. These should be 1/2" away from the top edge of the bottle and not on the same side as the entry hole.
    • Now put four holes in the bottle cap. These should not be too close together, nor too close to the edge of the cap.
  8. Paint the birdhouse. Paint the bottle pieces using acrylic, tempera, or any other paint you have on hand. This is a great time in the project to get kids involved. Make the bird's house beautiful! Let the house dry before continuing.
    • Make sure all of the holes remain open.
  9. Put it together. Cut about 1.5' of the wire. Take the wire and thread it through the top of the bottle cap, through any one of the holes. Then thread the wire through the outside of the smaller bottle and then back up through the next hole. Repeat for the other side with a second length of wire.
  10. Hang the birdhouse. Making sure all of the wires ends are even, overlap their ends by about 2". Then wrap these ends to join them, either with heavy duty tape, wire wrapping, or more wire. You can also bend and twist them to hold together. Now you are ready to hang your bird house!

Building Other Birdhouses

  1. Build a general nest box for garden birds. If you’re more interested in building a nest first and seeing what it attracts after the fact, use these instructions.

  2. Build a bluebirdhouse. Note that bluebird houses are also roughly the appropriate size for attracting tree swallows. If you have a specific bluebird in mind, you might also want to:

    • Build a Make a Mountain Bluebird Birdhouse.
    • Build an Make an Eastern Bluebird Nestbox.
    • Build a Build a Western Bluebird Nestbox.
  3. Build a Build a Tufted Titmouse Nestbox. Note that titmouse houses are also roughly the appropriate size for attracting chickadees, nuthatches, wrens, and downy woodpeckers.

  4. Build a Build a Martin House. Note that house martins like to live in colonies and that these instructions are designed to produce a multi-compartment enclosure.

  5. Build a Make a Sparrow Nestbox. Sparrows like to nest in the eaves of houses and will happily take up residence in a less-than-rural area.

  6. Build a wood-duck house. If you have a large pond and would like to attract wood ducks, use these instructions to encourage them to nest.

Video

Things You'll Need

Gourd House

  • Dried, cured gourd
  • Drill
  • Appropriately sized drill bit for entrance
  • 1/8-inch to 3/8-inch (3-mm to 10-mm) drill bit for hanging and ventilation holes
  • Hanging cord (ex. string, leather, wire)
  • Fine-grit sandpaper (optional)
  • Weatherproof paint (optional)
  • Water-resistant finish (ex. polyurethane, varnish, Eco-friendly wax)

Tips

  • Try to add the colors blue, yellow, green, brown, or red. If you are using a clear bottle, don't paint it! The birds will like being inside their bird house but at the same time, being able to see things around them. But also keep in mind, that predators will also be able to see the birds. So use a plastic clear bottle or even a jar!
  • While it's a good idea to make the roof watertight, it's important to drill some small holes in the bottom of the box for drainage, so any rainwater that does get in can drain away. Also, air circulation helps keeps insect populations down.
  • Clean the inside of the bottle as cola is toxic for birds.
  • Never put food in a birdhouse. It's a nursery, not a kitchen. Food attracts predators and insects! In fact, nest boxes and bird feeders should be placed far away from each other. Bird feeders are great fun, and will attract a variety of birds, but place them in a different part of the yard.
  • Most birds prefer the colors, textures, and shapes that they find in nature, which is why rough, unpainted, asymmetrical gourd houses are such a great way to invite them to live in your yard. Gourd houses are also excellent insulators in both hot and cold weather.
  • Add several inches of untreated wood chips or shavings to the bottoms of chickadee and woodpecker houses to encourage nesting.
  • If building a wooden box, look for untreated cedar fence boards at your local hardware store; cedar is cheap, weather-resistant, bug-repellent, and ages well. This will save you a bundle.
  • This is a nice gift for nature lovers, gardeners, or for someone special on Father's Day or Mother's Day!

Warnings

  • Don't use super glue.
  • Put the birdhouse in a hard-to-reach location if you have any cats or know that cats come into your garden. It is safe to just presume that you should keep the house up high to discourage all predators.
  • Never paint or stain the inside of the birdhouse.
  • Don’t use treated lumber, which often contains many dangerous chemical compounds like arsenic that could poison the birdhouse's inhabitants.
  • Birds tend to look for specific features when finding places to nest. If you build a birdhouse whose interior dimensions, entrance size and height, and distance from the ground don’t accommodate a particular bird, it will very likely remain empty.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

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