In winter, our feathered friends do not have an easy time in the garden because the food supply for hibernating birds is sparse in snow and cold. So time to set up the birdhouse! But wait! This time it’s not supposed to be anything. We want a birdhouse with style. And that’s why we prefer to build it ourselves. Come with us! In these instructions, we demonstrate how you can build a creative birdhouse yourself!
According to plan
In winter, birdhouses are good form in almost every garden. But shapes and colors are repeated quickly because most feed aids are readily available in stores. Those who, on the other hand, value a special kind of birdhouse, have to grab a hammer and nail themselves.
There are no limits to individuality. But if you don’t have the time or the imagination to think about your construction, you can confidently fall back on our templates for the birdhouse. There you will find templates for all the parts you need for the self-made birdhouse.
Material and tools
The material requirements for our small project are manageable—an approx. One m² wooden panel is needed from which the individual components are cut. We also need suitable stainless screws, some wooden dowels, wood glue, and some sandpaper.
The range of tools, on the other hand, is surprisingly diverse. So, of course, we need the cordless screwdriver and two drills, one of which fits the diameter of the screw, and one is a little smaller. Hole saw, and countersink should not be missing as additional attachments. There is also a jigsaw, a circular saw (in our case for the miters), a sanding roller, and one or two screw clamps. Tape measure, ruler and pen should not be missing either.
Cut components
To be able to build the birdhouse, we must first cut out the individual parts. This is, of course, a case for the jigsaw! With the parts for the inner body, we make sure that these correspond exactly in size. Otherwise, the house will not fit together later! If necessary, the sides will be sharpened a little.
We cut out the side parts of the inner body at the upper edge with a little overhang. Because we still have to miter these edges with the circular saw so that the roof can rest here later. It doesn’t have to be so precise on the two fronts. However, they should finish evenly at the bottom.
Now the interior sections are still missing. However, we do not need a plunge-cut saw blade for this. Instead, we drive a hole in the wood with the drill. Here we can then start with the jigsaw and make the cutouts along the drawn contours.
We use the hole saw for the circular loopholes below the roof. It’s the fastest! Then all the outer edges and the edges of the cutouts are processed with the sanding roller. After all, edges have been rounded off, and there is a final pass with sandpaper.
Assemble the birdhouse
All individual parts are prepared so that we can now build our birdhouse. The way it works is always the same: starting with the inner body, two components that are to be screwed together are fixed to one another using the screw clamp.
In this position, the drill holes can now be marked and pre-drilled. The outer panel is always pre-drilled with the larger wood, the inner wood with the smaller drill. Then finally, the screws follow. If the screws are to be countersunk, the countersink is used beforehand.
When attaching the front and the back wall, care should be taken to ensure that the birdhouse is straight at the end. Besides, particular care must be taken to hit the adjacent wooden parts when pre-drilling. Once that’s done, all that’s left to do is put on the roof.
The roof itself no longer poses any particular challenges to the skilled craftsman. Before fixing, however, it must be taken into account that the edge distances are the same on both sides. The roof panels are fixed in place in the same way as with the other parts.
Attach extras
Two elements are still missing to complete the construction of the birdhouse: the canopy and the door sill. However, these are mounted on a slightly different side. The two parts of the canopy are first screwed onto the edge. Then two holes for wooden dowels are drilled on one of the gable ends.
The dowels are inserted, and the canopy as a whole is held against the front panel to transfer the exact position of the dowels to it. Then two holes are also drilled in the front. The joint side of the canopy is glued; the component is attached and pressed into place. The threshold is attached in the same way.
House ready to move into
And the new birdhouse is ready! Two elements made the building much faster: the prefabrication of the individual parts; and the fact that the assembly is always done using the same method. We are very proud of the result!
How easy it is to build a very individual birdhouse yourself. If you want even more exclusivity, you can now paint the wooden structure with an unusual coat of paint. Either way, the birds in the garden will be grateful for this luxurious source of food!
