A cute little birdhouse provides shelter and elements of charm and whimsy to a garden. Ideally, you’ll build your birdhouse and hang it in early spring when birds are already searching for a place to start their families. Birds that nest in tree cavities such as wrens, bluebirds, chickadees, titmice, tree swallows, and woodpeckers will also nest in a birdhouse.
For this simple, easy-to-make birdhouse, an old fence board is repurposed. You’ll need:
Fence board (6 feet long by 7.5 inches wide)
Saw for cutting the board into pieces (and use a miter saw for cutting angled edges on the two SIDE sections)
Impact drill and 2-inch finishing screws; or, hammer and nails to attach the wooden pieces together
Cut the fence board into seven individual pieces to create the base, two sides, front, back, and two roof sections (seven pieces total). Refer to the pictured pieces for measurements. On the front piece, measure four inches from the bottom and drill a 1.5-inch hole for the entrance. The two side sections must be each be mitered along the top at a 45 degree angle.
Attach SIDE 1 to the FRONT by drilling screws into the top and bottom of SIDE 1. Repeat procedure for SIDE 2. Align the BACK against the sides and screw that piece into place. Repeat that step for the FRONT. Attach the four-sided structure to the BASE and screw into place. With the birdhouse entrance hole facing you, screw or nail ROOF 1 (the smaller roof section) onto the left side of the house. Position ROOF 2 on the right side and secure in the same way. The birdhouse is now ready to welcome a feathered family of songsters into your garden.
Hang the finished birdhouse from a tree branch, on a pole, or tall fence away from predators
The cut pieces and their dimensions