Building the $2 Birdhouse

I have built many of these $2 birdhouses as gifts. The basis of the $2 birdhouse is a 6" wide Dog Eared Cedar Picket, which comes in 5 and 6 foot lengths. The cheaper 5 foot picket will be enough to build one birdhouse and typically sells for less than $2. Please make sure your picket has not been stained or treated, just the natural Cedar. Also, keep in mind that any 1"x6" stock will work; I have transformed quite a bit of scrap wood into birdhouses. I have been told to avoid pallet wood as some has been treated with arsenic, but do not know this to be a fact in all cases, just be aware of the possibility.

Step 1 Materials Needed... Tools Needed...

Materials
Some good 1x6 stock, at least 5 feet per house. If using Cedar Pickets, try to find some that are not badly warped and have a uniform thickness. Remember to look for wood that you can recycle!

Indoor/Outdoor wood glue, such as Elmers, nothing fancy is needed.

1&1/4 inch brads, if you plan to use a nail gun, similar sized 16-18 gauge will work very nicely.

Perch is a 1/4 inch twig or other interesting device, such as a Golf Tee, rusty screw, basically anything a small bird would be comfortable perching on.

Tools
As basic as a miter box and saw, all the way to a chop saw and table saw if you have them.

Hammer and drill for pre-drilling holes or an air powered nailer (16-18 gauge is all you need).

Eventually, you will need a hole saw, probably 1&1/4 inch, but go to 1&3/8 inch if you have Bluebirds.

Comments

[wd4.0]

This sounds like a great project, in fact I plan on constructing one myself this week sometime, however you made mention of a tool box that can be made from remaining material from the picket. Do you plan on posting this instructable any time soon I'm very interested in this idea.

[cheapchuck]

I'll work on that, also, I can take a picture of one tomorrow, so I'll try and post it in this thread.

[wd4.0]

sounds great!!! thanks

[cheapchuck]

multitool: I PM'd you with more info.

[rendermatt]

Great instructable. The only pickets I found were treated with "micronized copper azole" so I just got a 1x6x8' cedar board for 9$. Do you think its a good idea to mount to a tree, and put an extra layer of wood around the hole to keep predators out?

[cheapchuck]

Mounting to the tree works great. You can always add the predator guard later if you have a problem. Also consider a metal predator guard such as half of a small juice can. Thanks, cheapchuck

[THYMETOCHAT]

Nice birdhouse!  My homeschooled grandkids are doing a unit on birds and this will be an easy and inexpensive project that each of them...even the 10 year old...can make.  (I'll handle the saw, however!)

[cheapchuck]

Thanks.  I frequently stack 5 pickets on my chop saw and cut parts for 5 birdhouses at a time.  This reduces time and the cuts are more uniform too.  Good Luck.

[RaynoGernsback]

If, like me, you have problems with squirrels clawing and gnawing their way through the entrance, try reenforing it with a metal plate. My grandfather showed me with a piece of roofing lead with a hole in the middle, which is great if you have some spare. I used a bit of scrap metal from an old hard-drive case, which seemed alright. I'd like to see the crafty buggers get through that!

[jdbirch]

I hate to be picky, but the Eastern Bluebird should have a 1 1/2 inch hole, our fatter mountain / Western guys go for a 1 9/16. The bird box should also NOT have a perch - that helps predators! When I get around to it, I'll put my instructable on here. (currently working on bluebird box #53 for this year) Check out the 'nabs' site (North American Bluebird Society) for verification of these directions. All the rest of these directions for this nesting box will work fine - my design uses only straight cuts for speed, has a mesh for swallows, a hole guard for protection, and a double floor to help the cleanout. Stay tuned....

[cheapchuck]

I made that change for the Bluebird hole size. I do recommend removing the perch if there is a problem with predators. Otherwise, a perch is a nice thing to have for the birds and the folks who watch them. I know a man who attaches a small branch to the base of his birdhouses. This becomes a gathering place for the inhabitants.

[hoihoi151]

 i used to live in north QLD australia. we would get snakes getting into the bird boxes and eating the birds. so we added another hole to the back of the box. one in front one in back. we had a perch at both holes. after we did that snakes would still get into the box but they couldnt eat the birds because the birds would fly out the other hole.
just a suggestion

[mikex]

The pictorial diagram has 6" as the measurement for those two pieces, but the descriptive text says to cut 6 & 1/2 " pieces. Which do you mean, 6" or 6 & 1/2"?

[cheapchuck]

Either is fine. It is difficult to predict exactly how long the side walls need to be prior to cutting the gable ends. Varying widths of pickets, and accuracy of making the 45 degree cut will tend to vary the side wall length. A 6 inch side wall will always fit, but may leave a gap at the top, which will help with ventilation. A 6.5 inch side wall will need to be trimmed to fit and might be better if a tighter bird house is desired. Either way, there is plenty of length on a 5 foot picket. After building many of these birdhouses, I tend to use the gable ends to determine the actual length of the sidewall cuts. Hope this helps.

[mikex]

Thanks. I'm an anal-retentive engineer, so I wasn't sure if you made a mistake or what. I realize it's a just a backyard project, so things don't have to be perfect. I drew it out on paper and it looks like the 6" dimension is the one I'll use. I'll probably use your idea for a few variations of the birdhouse too. Good project!

[msw100]

Nice job I will be making one for my daughter as she wanted a bird house but will adjust the hole for Northern Ireland birds how about inserting a plastic tuperware type container in the bottom to aid cleaning something of a similar size, just a thought ? Great job

[gdelisle]

Just make sure that the box is really watertight, otherwise your plastic container will collect rainwater. Either that, or make water drainage holes in the bottom of the container that will let water out.

[cheapchuck]

Interesting idea. Maybe even the bottom of an empty plastic milk jug? I don't think the birds mind, afterall, they'll nest in lights and other plastic hardware.

[arirang777]

What about using OSB board instead of Cedar? What could be your considerations?

[cheapchuck]

I have used manufactured wood siding and OSB without any problems. The OSB requires pre-drilling for hand nailed nails, but nails fine with an air gun.

[AndyGadget]

Two made and another couple to come. The hinged drop-out bottom is a great idea, but I found I had to chamfer the back a bit to allow it to swing. I also added a small screw so I can get a grip if the wood swells. I'll probably use a couple of bands of bike inner-tube to attach to the trees.

[cheapchuck]

Great Job Andy! Yeah, that trap door takes a little pratice. If you want to surface mount any in the future, just move the roof forward until it is flush in back, or you could trim the rear overhang off on a table saw. Birds on the way...

[Culturedropout]

Great Instructable! Really good pictures and clear instructions. We'll probably be building some of these. I hope people will consider building these with their kids and putting them up where they can watch the birds come and go.

[AndyGadget]

Brilliant Instructable. I'll be making a few of these this spring. You've mentioned it in passing, but the size of the hole will determine what type of bird the box attracts (and woodpeckers will tailor it to their specifications ;¬)
Smaller birds need small holes as they like the security of knowing they're not going to be invaded by larger birds. An alternative is the open fronted birdbox which attracts other types of birds.

[cheapchuck]

Thank you Andy!