by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: July 18, 2009

Having built many kinds of birdhouse during the course of a lifetime, this article is written for those doing so for the first time. Birdhouses are a great addition to the garden and encourage wildlife to stop and feed, bringing you up close and personal with the wonders of nature. There are many materials which can be used to build a birdhouse, and items as simple as a coconut shell can be shaped to house birds, though the all time favorite is the wooden birdhouse, and this is the basis of this article.

To make a wooden birdhouse, you will need the following materials and tools.

*Timber stock (detailed below)

*An old black plastic container.

*Screwdriver.

*Stapler.

*Saw.

*String.

*Paints (preferably oils).

*Exterior quality wood glue.

*Scissors.

The timber used can be your choice. Of course hardwoods are the best for outdoors, but may not be available. You can buy stock timber from the DIY store, but ensure that you do a plan and take measurements so that the wood is adequately wide for sides, roof, and for the base of the bird house.

Cutting out.

The front and back of the birdhouse will be identical measurements. Cut these pieces to the required size. The two sides of the house will need to go up to an apex, so measure your width, and then use drawing tools to create a point on each, which is also identical. Cut out a doorway for the birds in the front of the house. This should be a small round hole, but can be incorporated into your finishing of the project. Cut out two pieces to form the roof of the birdhouse. Cut the base wide enough so that the birds have a base upon which to sit and eat.

Putting the birdhouse together.

The simple way to put the birdhouse together is to use screws which are sufficiently long to take account of the thickness of wood used. You can pre-drill the holes for the screws if using a hardwood, but do ensure that the predrilled hole is smaller than the diameter of the screws to be used so as to avoid them losing strength.

Put the two sides onto the back and front of the house. Before screwing in place, use an exterior quality glue which will reinforce the butt joints. Then add the roof timber in a similar manner. The next stage is to turn the whole thing upside down and hold in place while fixing the base to the house.

Making roof tiles.

Roof tiles can look very effective if cut out from your black plastic contained. Cut these into rectangular shapes. You will need rather a lot

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