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8 DIY Birdhouse Plans You Can Make Today (With Pictures)

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wren birdhouse

Birds are important members of our ecosystem. Their beautifully patterned bodies and sweet melodious singing make them pleasing to our eyes and ears.

If you’re a birdwatcher, you probably want to attract several bird species to your yard. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it sounds. That’s when DIY birdhouse plans may help you out.

Building a birdhouse is a fun and timeless activity. The best part is that they are pretty easy to assemble. These houses provide a safe space for your feathery friends and serve as an open invitation to your home.

To make the most of your efforts, you must choose a birdhouse plan that offers enough room for birds to nest. So, let’s explore some easy birdhouse plans to turn your backyard into a new home for birds.

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Top 8 DIY Birdhouses:

1. Simple Wooden Birdhouse

 

Materials: Wood, galvanized screws, hinges, wood glue, clamps
Tools: Electric drill and table saw
Difficulty Level: Beginner

For beginner DIYers and birdwatchers, the wooden birdhouse is a great choice. You can easily build a simple wooden birdhouse once you have the necessary tools and materials. These include a power drill, hand saw, drill bit, wooden board, and screws.

A wooden birdhouse can be a sturdy nest house for bluebirds, wrens, tree swallows, chickadees, and purple martins.


2. One-board DIY Birdhouse

 

Materials: Pine wooden board, work gloves, dust mask, clamps
Tools: Miter saw, drill with bits, and power sander
Difficulty Level: Intermediate

The one-board DIY birdhouse is ideal for attracting nuthatches, wrens, bluebirds, and other birds to your yard. Due to its eccentric design, this birdhouse makes a natural decoration piece for your space.

The best part is that you only need fewer materials and tools to build this birdhouse, including screwdrivers, a wooden or pine board, hinges, and a hand saw.


3. Log Cabin Birdhouse

 

Materials: Pallet wood, polythene, grass sod, chicken wire, and wood glue
Tools: Hammer, saw (table saw or tenon saw), drill bit, hatchet, and sharp blade
Difficulty Level: Intermediate

The log cabin birdhouse can add a unique and aesthetic touch to any open space due to its rustic charm. If you’re short on time, you can easily opt for a log cabin birdhouse because it’s easy to build and doesn’t require much labor work.

This birdhouse provides ideal airflow and ventilation to birds. Moreover, it keeps strong winds and rainstorms away from these feathery creatures.


4. Modern Cedar Birdhouse

 

Materials: 1×6 cedar, 1×4 hardwood dowel, 1×2 plywood, cutting pliers, wood glue, and sandpaper
Tools: Electric and cordless drill, deck screws, and drill bit
Difficulty Level: Advanced

The modern cedar birdhouse is the perfect choice to make your yard, terrace, or garden welcoming to birds. Purple martin, woodpeckers, bluebirds, and tree swallows can make an ideal home in the modern cedar birdhouse.

With this birdhouse, you can give any outdoor space a stylish and contemporary makeover.


5. Gourd Birdhouse

 

Materials: Gourds, cardboard, plastic crate, power washer, pencil, sandpaper, and galvanized wire
Tools: Electric drill, Dremel, and drill bit
Difficulty Level: Intermediate

Gourd birdhouses strongly attract birds because of their size and shape. Unlike wood, gourds make long-lasting birdhouses.

If you’ve got a chain and some decorations, you can easily build a gourd birdhouse. The good thing is that these birdhouses are quite easy to assemble. So, you can encourage your kids to create this birdhouse as a summertime activity.


6. License-Plate Birdhouse

 

Materials: 2×4 plywood, 1/4-inches brad nails, pan-head screws, primer license plate, and wood glue
Tools: Hole saw, hammer, drill, and table saw
Difficulty Level: Beginner

Another great DIY technique to build a birdhouse is using any old license plate. You can use the wood pieces for the sides and the metal license plate for the roof of the birdhouse to assemble this beautiful birdhouse.

The license plate birdhouse plan protects birds against predators and harsh weather.


7. Stone Birdhouse

 

Materials: Stones or pebbles, wood adhesive, silicone sealant outdoor, exterior polyethylene, and sandpaper
Tools: Cordless drill and drill bit
Difficulty Level: Intermediate

A stone birdhouse can bring a unique charm to your yard as they are beautiful and easy to make. You can build them just like a simple birdhouse, except you must glue stones on the wood surface with a strong adhesive. That’s the fun part.

So, gather some pebbles and rocks, and you’re on your way to building a beautiful birdhouse. The stones on this birdhouse are not just for decoration purposes. Instead, they prevent the birdhouse from getting damaged by predators or other weather conditions.


8. Old Clock Birdhouse

 

Materials: Old clock, silicone sealant, glue, screws, hinges, and metal brackets
Tools: Hand saw, drill, hole saw drill, and paintbrush
Difficulty Level: Advanced

Recycling is never out of fashion; you can build a unique birdhouse from a boring old clock. Yes, an old clock birdhouse! These birdhouses add a vintage touch to your outdoor space.

Old clock birdhouses offer plenty of space and solid walls, so a flock of birds can easily nest in them. If you’re tight on budget, this DIY birdhouse plan is the best choice for you as it’s affordable and requires a few tools.

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Conclusion

Building a birdhouse is a great way to provide birds with a reliable nest shelter. Not only that, but these houses also add decorative features and attractions to your backyard. If you’re looking for some excellent DIY birdhouse plans, go for gourd, old clock, license plate, or log cabin ideas to build an easy and creative home for birds.


Featured Image Credit: Danny Korves, Shutterstock

About the Author Jeff Weishaupt

Jeff is a tech professional by day, writer, and amateur photographer by night. He's had the privilege of leading software teams for startups to the Fortune 100 over the past two decades. He currently works in the data privacy space. Jeff's amateur photography interests started in 2008 when he got his first DSLR camera, the Canon Rebel. Since then, he's taken tens of thousands of photos. His favorite handheld camera these days is his Google Pixel 6 XL. He loves taking photos of nature and his kids. In 2016, he bought his first drone, the Mavic Pro. Taking photos from the air is an amazing perspective, and he loves to take his drone while traveling.

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