A step-by-step guide to build a birdhouse
Making and installing a birdhouse can add beauty and attract nature to your outdoor space. Here’s a step-bystep guide to make your own from This Old House:
What you’ll need:
❚ 1-by-6-inch Board
❚ 1⁄4-inch plywood
❚ Exterior wood glue
❚ 11⁄4-inch nails
❚ Exterior wood filler
❚ Sanding sponge
❚ Exterior paint (or wood stain)
❚ Paint brush
❚ Rope or twine for hanging the birdhouse
Steps:
1. Size the pieces. Use a miter saw to cut the 1-by-6-inch board plywood pieces to the following sizes: Front and back walls (two 71⁄2-by-71⁄2-inch pieces), side walls (two 43⁄4-by-41⁄2-inch pieces) and base (one 8-by-8-inch piece). Cut the two roof panels by cutting the 1⁄4-inch plywood board into a 8-by-51⁄2-inch piece and 8-by-51⁄4-inch piece. Then, mark the center point at the top edge of the front and back walls. From the center point, clip each top corner at a 45-degree miter to create a peak.
2. Drill the hole: On the front wall, mark the center of the width, 31⁄2 inches from the peak. Create a hole about 13⁄4 inches in diameter. You can use a paddle bit, jigsaw or hole saw.
3. Attach sides and front: Set the two “sides” on edge so that a 43⁄4-inch-tall edge is facing upward. Apply glue to each edge. Place the front of the birdhouse onto the edges with the sides of the front setting flush with the outside face of each wall. Using a nailer, drive 1 1⁄4-inch brad nails through the face of the birdhouse and into the edge of each side wall.
4. Attach the back: Turn the house around and apply wood glue to the back edges of the side walls. Attach the back wall by pressing it onto the sides. Nail 11⁄4-inch nails through the back and into the side walls.
5. Mount the house on the base: Apply glue to the bottom edges of the house. Align the base so that the back wall is flush with the back edge of the base. This will create a lip in front.
Drive nails through the base into each wall.
6. Attach the roof: Apply wood glue to the front and back walls’ peaks. Place the shorter roof panel (the 8-by-51⁄4-inch piece) so that it’s flush with the peak, and secure it with nails to the front and back walls. Attach the second roof panel by overlapping the top edge of the first. Drive nails through it to secure it to the front and back walls.
7. Finish: Use wood filler to fill the nail holes (use filler rated for the outdoors) and let dry. Then, sand the house down until smooth and apply two coats of paint or wood stain.
8. Attach a hanger: “Drill a hole in each side of the roof along the peak. Push a piece of twine down through the hole, and then pull it through the front opening with a pair of pliers. Knot the end and then pull it back up against the inside of the roof. Repeat on the opposite side to create a loop.”