Easy Bird House Plans

Table of Contents

Easy Birdhouse Plans And Ideas

Finding easy birdhouse plans or ideas can prove to be harder than you thought because there are so many options to choose from. Sure, there are lots of free birdhouse plans on the internet, but free does not always mean easy. Free birdhouse plans are often difficult to follow or don`t make sense. In addition, there are endless possible birdhouse designs. You may also wonder if it is easier to simply buy a birdhouse, or to build a birdhouse yourself.

Whatever you decide, you should know that more and more homeowners are adding them to their backyard habitats because they are both functional and they love the way they look. However, you may also need some help deciding what kind of birdhouse you want, and which species of birds you would like to attract with one. That`s where we can help!

Birdhouses can add a very nice touch to a patio or the front porch area. In addition to being decorative, birdhouses also offer a place for birds to rest. This is important when they are migrating for the winter. The shelter that you offer them will ensure they have all the strength they need to endure such a long and difficult journey. As you can see, in addition to feeders and bird baths, birdhouses can be important additions to your backyard birding habitat.

The Best Easy Birdhouse Plan – Free!

People call this a shed-roof birdhouse, and it is the perfect size for birds like wrens, chickadees, and bluebirds. We like this bird house, because of its bird-friendly features, like the deep overhang to keep birds safe and dry and perch-free entry. In addition this house has lots of openings for good air circulation, and it has easy access, making it a breeze to clean. You can build it from rough-sawed redwood, or you can substitute other kinds of wood.

TIME TO BUILD: About an hour

COST: About $5

MATERIALS: 4′ of 1×6 redwood fencing, 25″ of 1×8 fencing, 1 1/2-inch wood screws, two 8-penny nails

You don’t have to be a pro to build this birdhouse: you only have to make straight cuts with a handsaw, saber saw, circular saw, or table saw. You’ll need an electric drill, drill bits, a 11/4-inch paddle bit, a tape measure, a straight-edged ruler and a pencil.

The finished product will look something like this:

Cut the boards down to the sizes shown in plan below. To add ventilation, trim the corners off.
Stand down the side pieces along the 12-inch-long edges.
Overlay the back flush to the outside and bottom edges of the sides, and secure it into place with three wood screws on each of the sides. Note: The tips of the angled sides should extend 1/4 inch above the back of the birdhouse. This will create room for the air to circulate once you have added the roof to the birdhouse.
Put the floor between the sides 2 inches from the bottom
Using one screw for each board, secure to the sides and back of the house.
With a pencil, mark a point that is 1 inch up from the bottom and 3/8 inch in from the front edge on each of the side pieces.
Drill a 1/8-inch hole through each side where you made your marks.
Insert the front piece between the holes, and put a screw through each until it goes through one edge of the front.
Verify that the front swings freely on the screws. The front will be the door of the birdhouse.
Position the top so it hangs over the back by about 1/2 inch and so that the sides are even.
Make sure the door clears the roof, then remove the door and roof.
Drill a hole of 1 1/4-inch-diameter in the door such that the center of the hole is 2″ from the top of the door.
On the inside of the door, cut 1/8-inch-deep horizontal grooves at 1/2-inch intervals between the hole and the floor piece. This will be a ladder for young birds to climb.
Make a shallow groove at 1/4 inch from the front on the underside of the roof. This will be a drip edge to ensure the birds stay dry inside the house.
Replace the door
Screw the roof into place with four screws.
Drill a hole for an eight penny nail at a downward angle through each side and into the edge of the door. Make sure the holes are a bit wider wider than the nails, so that you can remove the nails when you need to open the door to clean the nest.
Decorate the birdhouse if you would like and fasten the house to the trunk of a tree or a post. You can also add eye screws to the roof and hang it from tree branches.

Other Sources Of Easy Birdhouse Plans

You can check out the many home improvement stores offer books with birdhouse plans in them. These books are often affordable and they have plenty of plans to choose from. If you will be making lots of birdhouses for your own use or to sell this could be the best route to take. This will keep the cost of the plans low and give you a wide variety of plans to choose from.

Building birdhouses may be a hobby you enjoy or a way for you to make money. You can easily sell them online or at craft shows. Having excellent plans to work from will ensure you have great looking birdhouses to sell.

If you plan to make bird houses for you own use, you will find that it is less expensive to make a birdhouse on your own than to buy one. You can also be very proud of your work and display it in your yard.

Also check out our article on building your own bird aviary. Also find out everything you need to know about keeping backyard chickens and building chicken coops.