How to make a birdhouse with your own hands from wood and scrap materials: drawings and dimensions in the photo. How to make the right birdhouse with your own hands

Site development 31.10.2023
Site development

Most people have a hidden liking for their feathered neighbors, no matter whether it is a sparrow, a tit or a starling. Otherwise, the tradition of hanging hand-assembled wooden box houses or nesting boxes on trees in the first ten days of March would not have been preserved. It used to be that a well-lived birdhouse was a sign of good luck and a good harvest.

The science of how to make birdhouses with your own hands and lure a starling to the garden bed was passed on along with the secrets of caring for the garden and crops. Today, making a birdhouse is more about helping birds raise and protecting their offspring than actually counting on the complete destruction of garden pests.

What you need to know before you try to build a birdhouse

Even if you make several birdhouses for the garden, this cannot replace seasonal treatment and special pest control products. An adult pair of starlings can increase the effectiveness of combating aphids and caterpillars by 20-30%, especially if the fruit trees have grown to their maximum size, and you know exactly how to make a birdhouse with your own hands.

Luring and “registering” starlings in the garden is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. It will take several years of observing the bird kingdom before it becomes clear where to properly make and install a nesting site. Video tips on how to make a birdhouse with your own hands will be useful

There are few requirements for building a bird house, but they are all extremely important and should not be ignored:

  • Each bird has its own optimal birdhouse size; for tits they are smaller, for starlings they are slightly larger. In any case, it is necessary to find the exact design of the birdhouse specifically for the starling, and try to do everything correctly and according to the recommendations;
  • The design of the birdhouse must provide protection from predators that destroy nests. If starlings lose offspring due to weak protection, the birdhouse will remain unclaimed for another five years.
  • It is important to choose and use the right material for making the nesting box. The walls and roof should not only be safe, durable and resistant to moisture, but first of all, the birdhouse should not scare away birds.

Important! If you want to make a truly cozy birdhouse, when making it, avoid using any synthetic resins, glues, paints, or primers.

Birds, including starlings, have an exceptionally acute sense of smell, so even traces of tobacco, cream or technical liquids must be excluded. Before making a birdhouse, the materials must be thoroughly washed, and individual parts of the structure must be dried in the sun to remove residual irritants and odors.

What to make the body and roof of the birdhouse from

Construction begins with the selection of material; it would be correct to choose several old dry boards, not painted with enamels or varnishes. If the board has been in the sun for a couple of years, then you can use spruce lumber; it would be correct to use maple, linden or fruit wood. An attempt to make a structure from painted material, freshly planed softwood, poplar, or boards stained with an antiseptic will result in birds rejecting the nesting site.

Experts do not recommend trying to make a birdhouse from pressed fiberboards with a polymer binder. OSB or plywood, especially chipboard, is not suitable for such purposes. Even if the material is properly de-resined, the smell will still remain and the birds will ignore the home.

It would be correct to make the body of the birdhouse from a waterproof OSB board, but make the interior decoration from a thick cardboard box. In addition to blocking the smell, such a birdhouse will be much warmer, without harmful drafts.

Advice! In the spring or after the end of the season, you will need to remove the contaminated cardboard liner along with droppings, garbage and burn the contents, and put a new paper casing inside.

If desired, you can make a disposable birdhouse for one season from cardboard or multi-layer paper packaging. The idea of ​​cardboard feeders, birdhouses, and nests is very popular in Western countries, where there is a whole industry producing disposable items and extremely expensive hand-made items.

In order to make a disposable birdhouse, you need to do the following:

  • Choose the right working material, preferably packaging from a cardboard grocery box;
  • Transfer and cut the pattern correctly;
  • Glue the seams with water-soluble PVA glue or connect the parts with tape;
  • The outer surface of the birdhouse will need to be treated with an acrylic waterproof primer.

Advice! Before making a birdhouse from cardboard, you will need to make a canopy or find a suitable shelter from the rain, since even with the use of protective coatings, cardboard does not tolerate dampness very well.

If the treatment is done correctly, a cardboard birdhouse will last three to four months. After the chicks fly out of a cardboard box, you can make a trap for pests or flying insects.

How to build a birdhouse according to science

If you have the material, carpentry tools and a certain skill in working with wood, you can make a birdhouse correctly in a few hours of leisurely work. Most often, nesting boxes for birds are made in several versions:

  • The classic birdhouse, as we remember it from school;
  • The nest is a nest box or a structure made of logs;
  • Box nesting boxes for songbirds;
  • Small-sized titmice designed for the smallest birds.

To make a birdhouse you will need a jigsaw, a plane, a screwdriver, a brush attachment with stiff bronze bristles, self-tapping screws, PVA glue and a marking tool. To make the body correctly and as accurately as possible, it is advisable to have carpentry clamps on hand or, at worst, several meters of nylon cord.

Classic version of the birdhouse

A drawing of the simplest housing for a starling is presented below. To make the front and back walls, you will need to cut a board 190 mm wide + double the tolerance for the thickness of the material. A board 20 mm thick is best suited. Then the required width of the board will be 190+2∙20=230 mm. Initially, you will need to cut out the front and back walls according to the markings shown in the drawing.

In a similar way, we mark and cut out the side walls, bottom and roof, only the base width will be 150 mm, without allowance for the thickness of the board. For the cover, you will need to additionally make and attach an internal trim so that the roof can be installed without cracks or gaps.

You need to make a window in the front wall with a ring drill, and hammer in a wooden perch below.

A properly made birdhouse should not have even the smallest cracks, otherwise the chicks risk dying due to dampness of the internal parts and hypothermia. At the next stage, it will be necessary to apply artificial roughness to the inner surface of the walls so that chicks and adult birds can freely cling to the walls with their claws. The easiest way to make scratches is with a bronze screwdriver attachment.

At the last stage, we once again check how correctly the workpieces are cut, glue and tighten them with a clamp or cord, after which the adhesive connection can be duplicated with self-tapping screws. We screw the cover onto the roof with four self-tapping screws, cut the ends obliquely so that the cover fits onto the body like a cork, with a little effort.

Birdhouse safety

Even if you correctly install a birdhouse on a tree, the risk of attack from predators or woodpeckers still remains quite high. Therefore, it would be correct to make some protective additions, as in the diagram:

  • First of all, the entrance needs to be covered with tin, or a plate made of thick sheet aluminum will be made, which will protect the tree from pecking by woodpeckers;
  • Installing chicken wire will protect the birdhouse from rats and cats. The mesh is made from steel wire - wire rod or a piece of braided wire - chain-link;
  • In order to properly protect the birdhouse from rodents and any crawling reptiles, you will need to make a safety belt. This is a strip of tin, 40-60 cm high, which is wrapped around a tree trunk below the point where the birdhouse is installed;
  • As an extra measure, you can create a cat paw shelf. Correctly made protection is installed on the inside of the front wall, under the inlet. Such a boost will not stop a squirrel, but it works flawlessly against a cat.

It is necessary to secure the birdhouse with your own hands, photo, on a wire suspension, at a height of at least three meters above ground level. Houses for tits should be properly made and hung in the garden in the fall; for a starling, the “house” should be installed among the trees in early March.

Birdhouses made of logs

A home for starlings can be made from a log, dry deciduous wood, preferably maple. The main thing is that there are no knots or fiber defects. A correctly cut piece with a diameter of 20 cm and a length of 40 cm is cut lengthwise with a saw into four logs.

The inner pulp of the wood is trimmed off by 5-7 cm, after which the quarters are glued and tied together with soft aluminum or steel wire. The roof and bottom should be properly made from a log or a piece of board of a suitable size and attached to the body with nails. The cracks and gaps between the parts of the birdhouse should be properly coated with an adhesive mixture of sawdust and PVA glue.

Making titmouses with your own hands

Nests for tits are built according to a slightly modified scheme. Examples of the most correctly designed designs are shown in the diagram below.

The dimensions of the box must be selected correctly based on the specific breed. For a great tit, the hole diameter needs to be 35-40 mm, the height of the back wall is 30 cm, the front wall is 25 cm, the bottom is 12x12 cm. For other tits, the dimensions need to be made 10% smaller. Make the overhang and overhangs of the roof at least 5 cm, while the perch can be omitted; the tit can easily be controlled without it.

For nesting of songbirds, for example, in a private house, in a garden, in a country house, you can make a birdhouse according to an original design in the form of a hut. The side walls of the building simultaneously serve as roof slopes. To protect against moisture and predators, the roof is covered with galvanized metal or tin. After assembly, the outer surface should be properly coated with waterproof acrylic varnish in 2-3 layers, this allows you to strengthen the structure, make it waterproof and resistant to cat claws.

Conclusion

The presence of starlings in the countryside inexplicably affects the functioning and health of trees, shrubs and even beds. In addition to destroying pests, insects and aphids, birds have a positive effect on growth and fruiting. For a garden of six acres, three or four birdhouses are enough, no more. But if starlings have settled in the garden plot, the use of chemicals should be seriously limited.

The long-awaited spring has arrived. There are only a few days left before the arrival of our feathered friends. But birds in the yard of a house or on a plot of land are always a joy. But are we ready to meet them? Are you sure that the birds will want to settle near our house? If not, then get to work immediately!

Today we will look at how to make a birdhouse correctly, what materials are best to use for its manufacture, and also provide some diagrams and drawings.

First of all, you need to decide on the material of the birdhouse. It is desirable that the birdhouse be made entirely of natural materials. Some even make birdhouses out of stone; they look very beautiful and very unusual. It all depends on imagination and possibilities! But most often, ordinary dry boards are used for these purposes (with the exception of coniferous wood).

What types of wood are preferable for making a birdhouse? Take birch or oak. The recommended thickness of the board should be at least 20mm so that the birdhouse retains heat well. There is no need to sand the boards; they must have a rough surface, at least on the inside. If the board is smooth, you can scratch it thoroughly with a knife - this will make it easier for birds, especially chicks, to get out of the birdhouse. It is highly undesirable to use compressed or laminated wood (fibreboard, chipboard, plywood, etc.) for construction - it is very short-lived, not to mention toxic.

You should not decorate the birdhouse with any rustling objects or sparkles, otherwise instead of a cozy birdhouse you will end up with a very natural scarecrow.

Keep in mind that you do not need to make the birdhouse very spacious. If you nevertheless make it larger than in the drawings below, then as many as 4-5 chicks will survive in such apartments, as a result, their parents will not be able to feed them properly. Accordingly, frail offspring will grow up that will not withstand the difficult flight to warmer climes. In a cramped house, only 2-3 chicks will grow up, but they will be healthy and strong.

To make a birdhouse we will need the following tools:

  • ruler with pencil;
  • nails or screws;
  • hammer (screwdriver);
  • wood hacksaw,
  • drill.

Below is a drawing of a birdhouse of a classic design (Figure 1).

Figure 1 — Classic birdhouse

It is clear that this is the simplest, but far from the only type of birdhouse.

Here is another drawing of the “House” birdhouse, which has a slightly different design (Figure 2).

Figure 2 — Birdhouse “House”

This model has a non-removable roof. Naturally, this design is inconvenient if you plan to inspect and clean the birdhouse every year before the birds arrive. To make the lid removable, a sleeve is nailed to its lower part, having the same dimensions as the bottom (Figure 1), due to which the lid will hold well. Care must be taken that it cannot be blown away by the wind or knocked down by some crow. The easiest way is to screw the lid to the house with wire. It is most rational to make a flat roof with a slight slope back, and not a gable roof, as in the drawing above - it will begin to leak faster than usual.

Fastening the bottom and walls is best done with screws, but it is also possible to use nails. A strip is placed on the back wall and attached to a pole or tree.

As you can see, the design of birdhouses is extremely simple. The drawings show birdhouses made from 20mm thick boards. You can use others, but only then will you have to adjust the dimensions of the roof and bottom of the birdhouse. You can deviate from the drawings and show your own initiative, you just need to take into account some important notes:

  • the total height should be 30–35 cm;
  • The size of the bottom of the birdhouse is usually made about 15x15cm;
  • the distance from the tap hole to the bottom should be at least 15–20 cm;
  • the inlet hole (tap) should have a diameter of about 50mm.

The birdhouse sizes listed above are ideal for starlings and sparrows. The optimal diameter of the entrance varies for different birds. So, for great tits, redstarts, nuthatches and whirligigs, the dimensions of the bottom of the birdhouse should be made smaller - 100x100 mm, the height - up to 280 mm, and the diameter of the entrance about 30 - 45 mm; for small tits and pied flycatchers, the bottom should be about 80x80 mm, the height should be about 250 mm, and the diameter of the entrance should be 30 mm.

Using the example of a classic birdhouse (Figure 1), we will clearly consider the process of its assembly. We cut the boards in accordance with the drawing and get to work.

We fasten the front wall of the birdhouse to the side ones using nails or screws We attach the back wall and bottom All that remains is to make a removable lid... We install any perch in front of the entrance to your taste Nail the sleeve to the lid of the birdhouse. In this case, the roof of the birdhouse is made removable so that it can be cleaned. However, it needs to be wrapped with wire or screwed in for reliability. Birdhouse assembly

You should try to knock down the bird house as tightly as possible. It is advisable to coat all cracks with clay or caulk with tow. Nails and sharp, split edges should not protrude inside the birdhouse to prevent injury to birds. It is not advisable to paint the birdhouse; it is enough to treat it with drying oil. If you still decide to paint it, it is better to use oil paints in translucent tones.

As you can see, making a birdhouse with your own hands is not at all difficult. In addition, the activity is quite exciting and very useful.

And finally, I suggest watching a video lesson in English (unfortunately, it was not found in Russian, but in principle everything is clear here), clearly showing one of the methods for making a birdhouse with an unusual - gable - roof. It looks quite original.

Difficult? Here is one of the simplest ways.

When preparing firewood, choose the log that is most suitable in size and shape and make an original birdhouse out of it!

Perhaps anyone can make such a house for birds. Cheap and cheerful, as they say.

We will be happy to look at photos of your homemade products, post them in the comments - we will evaluate, discuss, and advise!

Building birdhouses is a long-standing and very useful tradition. Step-by-step instructions on how to make a birdhouse with your own hands will help you make it quickly and easily. You can also start building houses with children; this is a great way to keep your child busy and teach him to do manual labor.

How to make a birdhouse with your own hands from wood

This is what classic wooden birdhouses look like

A wooden birdhouse is the most durable and reliable house, but the work to create it is also the most labor-intensive. But the result can exceed your wildest expectations.

To build a wooden birdhouse, you will need:

  • pine planks 1.5–2 cm thick and 12, 16 and 20 cm wide;
  • round rail for the perch;
  • electric jigsaw or hacksaw;
  • drill;
  • Phillips screwdriver or screwdriver;
  • sandpaper or sanding machine;
  • ruler;
  • marker;
  • self-tapping screws;
  • carnations;
  • hammer;
  • paints, varnish and brushes (for decoration).

It is better to take hardwood boards

Manufacturing instructions

How to do:

  1. Create a drawing of the future house and mark the wood according to it. First make markings for the front and back walls.

    If you decide to trim a tree before marking, do it with glasses so that sawdust does not get into your eyes, and with gloves so that you do not have to remove splinters

  2. Then - the side walls.

    These are the optimal birdhouse sizes

  3. Mark the roof. This birdhouse has a gable roof; you need to make two parts. All parts are cut out using a jigsaw or hacksaw.

    The future roof of the birdhouse can be gable or single-pitch

  4. Mark the mounting holes. The boards are quite thick; the center of the holes should be 7–10 mm from the edge. In this case, the screws will accurately hit the middle of the end of the adjacent part.

    Sawing and marking of parts should be done sequentially

  5. On the front wall, mark a place for the entrance (entrance to the birdhouse).

    The diameter of the taphole should not be less than 4.5 cm, and the height from the bottom edge should not be less than 20 cm

  6. A little lower, mark a hole for the pole-perch on which the bird sits before entering the house. Using a drill with a drill bit of the same diameter as the self-tapping screws, drill the intended holes.
  7. You can start assembling. First, the pole is attached using a thin self-tapping screw.

    Instead of a perch, you can make a shelf

  8. Assemble the walls of the birdhouse, fastening them in any order with self-tapping screws.

    The boards must fit tightly together

  9. Install the bottom.

    The assembled structure must be checked for strength

  10. Assemble the roof and attach the pipe using a self-tapping screw screwed in from the inside.

    Screws or self-tapping screws are used

  11. Reinstall the roof.

    A pipe on the roof of the house will look elegant

  12. To attach the birdhouse to the tree, attach two loops to the back wall. Decorative details are attached using nails and narrow slats. For reliability, you can glue them with moisture-resistant glue.

    It is best to attach a birdhouse to a tree with wire

  13. Paint the product as your imagination dictates.

    It is best to use odorless paints

By the way, bird houses first appeared in Russia during the time of Peter the Great, and the idea of ​​artificial nests was discovered in Western Europe.

Making a birdhouse out of a box

A cardboard box may become wet when exposed to rain, so you will have to additionally cover the surface with laminated paper or varnish.

Such houses are easier to make than wooden ones

Required tools and materials

It is better to take very thick corrugated cardboard

To create a birdhouse from a cardboard box you will need:

  • corrugated cardboard;
  • glue;
  • carpenter's tape;
  • self-adhesive laminated paper;
  • stationery knife;
  • scissors;
  • ruler;
  • marker;
  • compass or circle with a diameter of 4.5–5 cm.

Manufacturing instructions

It is easier to make a birdhouse out of cardboard than a wooden one, but the cardboard house will also serve less.

How to do:

  1. In accordance with the selected dimensions, all parts are cut out of corrugated cardboard in duplicate.

    Such blanks are made faster than wooden ones, but require no less attention

  2. Using glue, identical parts are connected. This is done to increase the strength of the structure. An entrance is cut out in the front wall with a utility knife, and holes are made in the back wall for string, with which the birdhouse will be hung from a tree.

    Finished parts are glued together in pairs

  3. The body parts are glued together. To increase strength from the inside, the joints can be glued with carpentry tape.

    The walls are glued together end-to-end

  4. The roof is assembled from two parts. The smaller one is located inside the case. It should protrude 1.5–2 cm beyond the body. For strength, cover the edges of the roof with colored plastic tape.

    Be sure to cover the roof; in this case, the birdhouse will honestly serve until the end of the season

  5. To make the house last longer, it needs to be covered with self-adhesive paper or varnished.

    You can entrust the finishing to your child

You can also make a bird feeder at the same time. The photo below shows an example of the simplest feeder. While you will make a birdhouse from more complex materials, a child can make such a feeder.

Tell your child what feeders are for and how important they are for birds in winter.

The entrance to the birdhouse should be directed to the south, east or southeast so that the wind does not blow into the house.

This option is the easiest and most affordable

If you don’t want to tinker with wood or cardboard, then in a few minutes you can build a bird house from a plastic bottle. Of course, it will not be as cozy as the options described above, but the birds will be quite comfortable in it. Three- or five-liter containers are best suited for making a birdhouse. But if there are none, then you can get by with a standard one and a half liter bottle.

Required tools and materials

A plastic bottle is one of the lightest and most affordable materials.

It's better to remove the label

You will need:

  • two one and a half liter and one liter bottles;
  • about two meters of wire with a diameter of 2 mm;
  • scissors or stationery knife;
  • dye.

Manufacturing instructions

How to do:

Make sure that the top does not block the entrance

  • Make holes in the lid. Pull the wire through them and secure them carefully. But it is much safer to hang the structure by the body. To do this, make two holes in the roof on the sides of the future entrance, stretch a wire through them and attach the body.

    Don't forget to use odorless paints

  • If you use artistic paints, then you need to coat the structure with varnish on top so that the paints do not wash off due to moisture. After the paints have dried, all that remains is to place the tree house and wait for residents.

    This birdhouse is a great idea for a craft for kindergarten or school.

  • The total height of the birdhouse should be from 30 to 35 cm. The size of the bottom should be made from 10*10 to 15*15 cm. The distance from the bottom to the tap hole should be 15–20 cm. The diameter of the entrance hole (taphole) is 30–40 mm. It is worth noting that different sizes of the entrance will be optimal for different birds, so for a starling it is 32–35 mm, for a nuthatch it is 28–30 mm, for a tit or sparrow it is 25–29 mm.

    Despite the general opinion that wild birds can eat anything, birds should be fed with caution, since they absolutely cannot eat some foods.

    Ideal for feeding birds:

    • sunflower seeds;
    • millet, millet, oats and wheat;
    • unsalted lard and meat;
    • dried rowan and hawthorn;
    • maple or ash seeds;
    • nuts, cones and acorns;
    • pumpkin and watermelon seeds.

    You can give calcium supplements, for example, crushed egg shells.

    It is strictly forbidden to feed birds rye and wheat bread, as the yeast in them can ferment. Birds should not eat seeds or skins of citrus fruits. And also you should not feed the feathered inhabitants with salty, fried, spicy and sour foods.

    Making a bird house is not difficult, especially since modern industry provides a wide selection of materials. Making a birdhouse with your own hands is a fun activity. If you and your children liked to do construction, then you can provide housing for many inhabitants of the park or forest.

    We will send the material to you by e-mail

    There are indispensable attributes of a good garden: well-groomed fruit trees, trimmed shrubs, luxurious flower beds. And if you have all this, but still have the feeling that something is missing, listen. Does the singing of birds please your ears? No? What would it be like without them! How to attract the flood singers to the site, and at the same time protect it from insects that are dangerous for planting? Today we will discuss how to make a birdhouse with your own hands from wood. Drawings, materials, decor and installation, as well as many creative ideas on this topic are in our material.

    The little singer is also a diligent helper in the garden

    First of all, let’s understand the concept of “birdhouse”. This is housing for small birds, made of wood or from improvised materials, with an entrance, a perch, a roof from the sun and rain, and, most importantly, a place for a cozy nest. Tits, fussy sparrows, flycatchers, wagtails and, of course, starlings can live in such an apartment.

    What can you make a birdhouse from with your own hands? Moreover, build it in such a way that this house not only attracts birds, but also becomes a landmark and decoration of the garden? What are the dimensions of the birdhouse, drawing and design ideas?

    The best materials for making a bird house

    Basket

    You can weave a birdhouse from jute rope or use a ready-made small basket. You need to attach a roof to it to protect the nest from the sun and rain and carefully cut the entrance so as not to damage the load-bearing axes of the weaving.

    To give the product strength and shape, treat it with acrylic varnish and leave to dry, stuffed with polyethylene. The polyethylene film will easily separate from the walls after the product has dried. Acrylic water-based varnish is safe for birds.


    Branches

    After autumn pruning of trees and grapes, leave thin branches. You will have something to do in winter - this material can be used to make apartments for tits and sparrows.

    Important! Using self-tapping screws, make sure that their sharp tips do not protrude into the socket. Otherwise, they will injure the birds.

    Tree

    Wood is an ideal material for making a birdhouse. It is closest to the natural living conditions of birds. You can make a house from boards or logs. An old stump, thick bark, and scraps of industrial wood are suitable for a birdhouse.


    Dried pumpkin

    Place large bottle gourds in a dry, dark place for the winter. In the spring you will receive a dry vessel in which the seeds will rattle. A hole is cut into the pumpkin and the dry insides are scooped out with a spoon.

    Advice! Dry pumpkin is a rather fragile material; to cut out the tap hole, it is better to use not a drill, but a Dremel with a small drill. You can use dental drills for this purpose; they will carefully cut out a taphole of any shape and size. If you cover the surface of a dried pumpkin with stain, and then use the same tool to make shallow patterns on the surface, you will get not just a birdhouse, but a real work of art.

    Birds will really like this housing. They will enthusiastically clean it of any remaining dry pulp and hatch chicks for your joy. The photo shows examples of such bird houses:





    What materials should you avoid?

    First of all, let's look at materials that are not very suitable for this purpose:

    MaterialImageDescription
    PlasticTransparent plastic will not allow birds to feel private and safe. The sun's rays will penetrate into the nest, and the chicks will be in full view of possible predators. In addition, plastic does not allow air to pass through well and, when heated in the sun, can release toxic substances. This material is more suitable for making a feeder.
    Juice and milk packagingSparrows and titmice, although small birds, will not be able to build a nest in a liter juice container, there is too little space. They will fit in a two-liter box, but will not hatch chicks. The masonry will die because there is foil inside the package. It will retain the sun's heat, and the eggs will overheat, and the birds may die along with them. So, although it is tempting to use these improvised materials, it is better to abandon this idea.
    Chipboard, plywood and fiberboardThis may seem strange, but these materials are also not the best choice. The fact is that formaldehyde resins are used in the manufacture of sheets. These are toxic compounds that can have a detrimental effect on the health of the bird family. Plywood and fiberboard do not hold heat well, and chipboard is too heavy and rough material for a small house.

    Features of manufacturing from different materials

    Birdhouse made of wood

    What should you know to make your own wooden bird house? Even if you have no experience in carpentry, it doesn’t matter. Even a schoolchild can cope with such a simple design.

    The following tools will be useful for the job:

    • ruler and pencil for marking;
    • saw, plane, hammer or screwdriver;
    • fasteners: self-tapping screws or small regular nails;
    • drill and drill for making holes (taphole);
    • sandpaper, tow, wood glue.
    Important! It is not advisable to use resinous coniferous wood to make a bird's nest. The resin will make the inside walls of the birdhouse sticky. The resin will stain the feathers and down of the chicks, which can seriously harm the inhabitants of the house.

    The best material for work is oak, birch, linden or aspen wood.

    For your information! The interior walls of the house do not need to be sanded smooth. Small roughness will help the birds get out of the nest.

    To make a birdhouse you will need drawings with dimensions. Typically, an apartment for small birds has standard dimensions in centimeters: 30 (height) x 15 (width). The diameter of the hole for the tap hole is five to six centimeters.

    Birdhouse, drawing and dimensions

    For your information! For each type of bird there are separate requirements for the size and design of the house. If you want titmice or wagtails to live in your garden, find the corresponding drawings.

    Some tips for working with wood:

    • Wear gloves; they will protect your hands from accidental splinters and soften the blow of a hammer if your hand shakes.

    • Before work, sharpen your plane and hacksaw. Dull tools will not only make the job harder, but will also prevent you from carefully fitting the parts.
    • Never saw or drill anything on your knees. Firstly, it is inconvenient, and secondly, it is fraught with serious injuries.
    • If you don’t know how to make a birdhouse from boards, choose a simple option - a nest box. For this purpose, you will need a simple log of the required diameter and height.

    A drill with a pen attachment will help make the work easier. For the bottom, use a cut from the same log. The entrance can also be made with a drill. The photo shows examples of such work:

    Birdhouse made of cardboard

    Cardboard bird houses are a product for one season, no more, and they serve more of a decorative function. For this purpose, it is better to use thick corrugated cardboard, such as on postal parcels.

    The whole job will take a maximum of half an hour, and this process will be a fun and useful activity for children with their parents.

    Advice! To seal the walls of the house, they should be made double or even triple. To do this, the blanks are glued together with wallpaper paste or PVA.

    The entrance to a cardboard house can be made square, which makes it easier to cut out the cardboard. The side of the square is six centimeters. Holes are made on the back wall for the rope on which the house will be suspended. The outside of the house can be wrapped with jute rope and coated with acrylic varnish. This technique will allow the structure to last the season, despite atmospheric humidity.

    The film can also be used to cover walls. The film should be positioned so that there is a centimeter overlap. This way, water will not get into the joints.

    Below is a template with dimensions for a cardboard birdhouse:

    Learn more about how to make a cardboard nest with your own hands in the video:

    Birdhouse made of paper

    Paper bird houses are purely decorative products. They can be used for Easter decorations at home or as gift wrapping. The material you can use is scrap paper, stationery cardboard and colored sheets.

    Master class on how to make paper birdhouses with your own hands:

    Birdhouse from a bottle

    Plastic is not the best material for making bird housing, but if there are no other options, take a five-liter bottle of drinking water to work with.

    A round hole should be cut in a plastic bottle. It is better to burn sharp edges carefully. They will melt a little, and it will be easier for the bird to hold on to the edge of the entrance. A long bolt is suitable for making a perch. It is secured with a screw and washer. The metal should not heat up in the sun; it should be carefully wrapped with harsh thread or rope.

    To make the inhabitants of the house feel comfortable, the outside should be painted with water-based paint. In two or even three layers so that light does not penetrate inside.

    Advice! Use light paint for this purpose, so the bottle will heat up less on hot days.

    Make two holes in the bottle cap and thread a rope through them for fastening.

    Another mounting option is through the holes on the side of the bottle opposite the tap hole. If you make four holes and thread two ropes, you can firmly tie the house to a tree trunk. It will not be swayed by the wind, as in the first method of fastening.

    Advice! For good ventilation in the plastic bird housing that you make yourself, you will need to perforate the walls. Small holes are made on the side walls with a hot knitting needle. You shouldn’t make too many holes, ten on each side is enough.

    If the starlings like your design, they themselves will bring material for the nest. You can make their task easier by placing dry grass, pieces of fabric or small twigs inside.

    Ideas on how to make birdhouses from plastic bottles, photo:

    Birdhouse made of plywood

    Bird houses made of plywood are very often found in garden plots. The multilayer structure of plywood makes bird housing reliable and durable.

    Advice! For work it is better to use moisture-resistant plywood. This design will safely survive more than one season.

    To build a nest with your own hands, you will need wood glue, self-tapping screws and a jigsaw. How to make wall fastenings? For this purpose, a frame is first made from small bars.

    To manufacture structures of complex shapes, you can draw up your own drawings. The main thing is to maintain the minimum dimensions required for a bird’s home.

    To attach the house to the tree, you need to screw a strip to the back wall. It is better to do this in advance, before the parts are finally assembled.

    Advice! If you value your garden trees, do not nail the birdhouse. It is better to fasten it with a thick wire, placing rubber or other dense material under it. This will prevent you from cutting the bark and will help maintain healthy plant growth.

    Birdhouse out of the box

    A simple and easy to implement idea - a bird house out of a box.

    There are many master classes online on how to make a nest out of a box with your own hands.The algorithm for constructing a birdhouse out of a box is simple. A taphole is cut out of the lid, and a perch is made from a long bolt. The installation site of the perch needs to be strengthened. This can be done using two pieces of durable plastic. They should be secured on the outside and inside. To prevent the birds from tearing off the edges of the cardboard entrance ahead of time, they need to be secured with tape or a frame made of a plastic cover. After all these manipulations, the front part of the house is firmly glued to the box. To strengthen the back wall, use a suitable piece of plywood: it can be glued with PVA glue.

    Options for birdhouses out of the box in the photo:

    Related article:

    You, probably, like many site owners, want to know what you can do with your own hands for garden decoration, because decorative decorations in the store are so expensive. In this review we will tell and show what can be created from scrap materials.

    Birdhouse dimensions

    A lot has been said about materials for birdhouses. It's time to talk about drawings and dimensions. How to make a drawing correctly?

    We make the bottom of the nest with a side of fifteen centimeters. Such an area will appeal to starlings. In a small cozy house for birds, the height of the walls is from thirty to forty centimeters. The standard diameter of the hole in a birdhouse for a tap hole according to GOST is six centimeters. In front of the entrance, you need to provide a perch at least five centimeters long.

    The house needs to be built with a roof, it will protect the bird family from the rain. The roof can have any type, but its edges must extend beyond the level of the walls by at least five centimeters. Moreover, the roof should also protrude over the entrance to protect it from slanting rain.

    The photo shows examples of what the drawings of houses built with your own hands should look like:

    Now about how to build a home for different types of birds.

    Dimensions of a birdhouse for starlings

    Starlings are not capricious birds. They willingly settle in small hollows, in cracks under the roof and even in burrows. So a home-made house for starlings is luxury housing. In gratitude for such an apartment, the little singer will diligently delight your ears with his booming singing and watch over your garden trees, saving them from leaf-eating insects. In a week, he is able to detect and eat about one and a half thousand beetle larvae, as well as caterpillars and other insects.

    Drawing of a house for starlings:

    Important! Particular attention should be paid to the size of the hole in the birdhouse and its location relative to the bottom. A hole that is too large is undesirable, as the bird will not feel comfortable. The optimal diameter of the hole in a birdhouse for a starling is five centimeters, the height relative to the bottom is fifteen centimeters.

    To prevent the chicks from freezing on cool days, there should be no cracks or drafts in the house. The inside of the nesting box should not be slippery; birds cling to rough surfaces with their paws.A perch for starlings is not a required attribute. They will get along just fine without it.

    Advice! It is better to make the roof of the house removable. This way, at the end of the season, you can clean the birdhouse and prepare it for the arrival of new residents.

    A birdhouse made of wood can last a decade and a half, and with proper care and periodic repairs, even longer. Birds' homes must be periodically painted for preservation, in natural tones, avoiding bright colors.

    Advice! In early spring, to attract the attention of birds to your area, hang a feeder. Birds will happily settle next to the free canteen.

    Titmouse: drawing and dimensions of the correct structures

    How to make a house for yellow-breasted tits? The shape of the house is the same as that of the birdhouse. The only difference is in size. The dimensions of the birdhouse for tits are slightly smaller, about a couple of centimeters in all respects.

    Drawings of options for a small titmouse:

    For your information! Sparrows, flycatchers and tiny redstarts can nest in a small titmouse. The size of the house will not attract larger birds.

    Apartments for birds should be located at a distance of at least fifteen meters from each other. If it is reduced, the birds will prefer other places to settle.

    Important! The house is secured in such a way that it has a light pendant towards the entrance. The slanting rain will not fall into the nest, and it will be easier for the chicks to make their first flight.

    House for a wagtail: drawing and dimensions, manufacturing features

    The wagtail is an invaluable assistant in the garden. She runs around the plantings and collects cockchafers, caterpillars and other pests. With such a garden nursery, the harvest will at least double.

    Let's look at how to make a bird house with your own hands. The waggon differs from the usual birdhouse in shape and size. Instead of a perch, it has a balcony, and the house itself is stretched in length and less in height.

    Wagtail drawing:

    Previously, children made such houses during labor lessons. It's not difficult at all. For the floor you need to prepare a board 12 by 40 centimeters, for the walls - two pieces 14 by 30, one 12 by 140 and another 8x12. The roof should be wider than the bottom, 50 by 22 centimeters. All that remains is to fasten the wooden parts with self-tapping screws, and the wagtail is ready.

    For your information! Wagtails arrive in early spring, when ice drift begins. By this time, you need to place the house on outbuildings at a height of three meters.

    How to make a birdhouse

    Anyone can make a bird apartment. This task can be completed with children. The production of a birdhouse is carried out according to different schemes and using almost any materials that can be found at home.

    The simplest drawing of a birdhouse with dimensions is with a sloping roof. We make such a bird house from scraps of industrial wood. The photo shows examples of such beautiful houses:

    Work algorithm:

    • it is necessary to mark all the details of the future construction on the board;
    • cut all the parts and process the outer walls of the house with a plane;
    • In the front part of the birdhouse, a round or square entrance is cut out no lower than five centimeters from the roof level. Such a gap will be sufficient for the bird, but will prevent the cat from easily destroying the nest;
    • To assemble the parts of the house, carpentry PVA or small self-tapping screws are used. The back wall is secured last. All connections must be free of gaps;
    • It is better to make the roof openable, so that you can clean the house in the off-season. One part of the roof is secured with a rubber band, and on the second part a simple lock is installed so that cats or a gust of strong wind does not overturn the small roof.

    How to build a birdhouse with your own hands: step-by-step instructions

    The video described in detail how to properly make a birdhouse with your own hands. This simple design will brighten up any area. You can give such a house to friends and neighbors, or give it to a kindergarten. It is possible to buy sets of birdhouses with your own hands; such sets are sold in gardening supply stores. Each kit comes with detailed drawings and assembly diagrams that describe in detail how to make a birdhouse.

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