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DIY birdhouse drawings. DIY birdhouse: how to make a reliable and comfortable house for birds (61 photos)

What role do birds play in our lives?

Many people believe that birds only bring harm, destroying the harvest of berries in the garden, while forgetting that birds feed on insects, slugs and worms, which harm the garden much more.

According to some reports, one starling eats about three hundred different insects a day. Imagine how many pests a family of starlings eats!

It is not without reason that since ancient times people have attracted birds to their garden by building birdhouses and birds for them.

In spring, starlings will come to the rescue, and in winter, tits. Tits destroy wintering caterpillars, and in the spring they eat eggs of insects, butterflies, aphids, bedbugs, and beetles.

Do you still doubt the benefits of birds? If not, then we suggest you make a birdhouse for birds with your own hands and prepare for the spring meeting of our little brothers.

Traditional bird house

A traditional birdhouse is considered to be a house made of boards, familiar to all of us from childhood. The older generation made such birdhouses in schools during labor lessons, and perhaps today’s schoolchildren are doing the same thing, taking care of birds and school plantings.

And so, in order to build a birdhouse with your own hands we will need unplaned boards 2 cm thick and 100-200 mm wide, nails or screws, a hacksaw, a hammer or screwdriver, a drill with a feather drill, a pencil and a ruler for marking. The material for construction should under no circumstances be toxic, otherwise birds simply will not settle in it.

Before starting work, make a drawing of the future birdhouse, based on available materials.

The size of the natural hollow in which birds usually settle is approximately 12x12 cm. Based on these parameters, we determine the size of the birdhouse. We make the bottom 100x100 or 120x120 mm. The height of the house is 250-350 mm. A house that is too large can accommodate more than 4-5 chicks; it will be difficult for parents to feed large offspring; the chicks will be weak and sickly.

We make the entrance hole (entrance hole) with a diameter of 40-50 mm for the starling, 30 mm for the tit.. The small hole is suitable for small birds. A hole that is too large could allow large or predatory birds to “invade” it, and we don’t want that. In addition, a bird of prey will be able to destroy the offspring of starlings or tits that have chosen your birdhouse.

The entrance hole must be made at a height of 180-210 mm from the floor level. Outside, under the entrance, it is necessary to secure a perch (cylindrical stick) or make a platform. If you use a planed board (you have one available) to build a birdhouse, then you need to make notches on the inside of the wall with the entrance. The roof of the house can be made single-pitch or gable, at your discretion and taste, but it must overhang the “facade” by at least 50 mm.

To give a more attractive appearance, you can paint the birdhouse with water-based (non-toxic) red or gray paint; for some reason, these are the colors that attract birds the most.

Making a birdhouse can be a fun family activity where all members can take part in the process: the men and boys saw and work with a hammer and nails, and the women can paint the birdhouse with the precision inherent in women. Girls will really enjoy decorating a birdhouse.

You can decorate a bird house in various ways. It is unlikely that birds need this, but for your own satisfaction and for creating a beautiful thing that will be placed in your garden, the activity is quite suitable.

Bird house made from scrap materials

Of course, the best home for birds would be a wooden birdhouse; it is warmer and resembles a hollow in a tree for birds. But not everyone has the opportunity to make such a birdhouse; available materials will come to the rescue.

For example, you can make a birdhouse from a pumpkin. Surely this beauty is growing on your site. Free the pumpkin from the pulp, dry it, make an entrance hole using the same drill, build a roof, and the house is ready.

A beautiful birdhouse for birds can be made from branches with a diameter of 8-12 mm, cut 12-15 cm long. Connect the branches together with self-tapping screws or rope, make a notch, build a roof, and you will have a cozy house for birds.

And this is an option made from ordinary logs. How to make such a birdhouse? The core is selected using a chainsaw or chisel. The inlet hole is drilled. You build the roof at your own discretion.

It can be in the form of a sawn ring, all from the same log, or made of boards.

You can use the knots that are present on the log as poles. This is perhaps the most “natural” house for birds. Such a birdhouse will be the most durable.

If you are proficient in wicker weaving techniques, then use your skills in making a bird house. An old wicker basket will also work for this purpose. Such beauty can be purchased in stores selling souvenirs and interior items.

Such a birdhouse will decorate a stylish exterior and will go well with wicker furniture.

You can make a house from an ordinary one and a half liter plastic bottle. But the birdhouse needs to be insulated using thick hemp or sisal rope, wrapping or tying it around the bottle. It is better to cover sharp sections of the entrance hole with tape or adhesive tape, which is sold in a roll.

By the way, a birdhouse can simply be woven from thick rope, for example, using the macrame technique, or crocheted or knitted. The product will keep its shape, but for greater rigidity and durability of the structure it can be painted with acrylic paint.

Various small plastic containers, as well as cardboard milk or juice boxes, are also suitable for making a house. But still remember that a more comfortable bird house will be one made from natural materials.

Here's a birdhouse you can build from ordinary wine corks: creative, and the birds feel warm and cozy.

You can also make a birdhouse from a small wooden barrel.

Or use a flower pot, where saucers securely attached to the pot will serve as the bottom and roof.

And this is what a very unusual multi-storey and “apartment” bird house looks like.

If you still don’t have the necessary material, or simply don’t have enough time to make a birdhouse yourself, then you can purchase a kit for making a birdhouse, which are sold in DIY departments or at a garden supply store. The cost of such sets varies from 550 to 800 rubles. This set can be a gift for a child who can build a birdhouse without any problems (or with your help). All that remains is to secure it in the garden.

You can also find ready-made birdhouses on sale; more often they are not only a home for birds, but also a decoration for the garden plot. The price of such products varies, depending on the materials, complexity of production and the individuality of the model. Designer birdhouses can cost several thousand rubles.

How to properly install a birdhouse in the garden?

A very important point in creating housing for birds is the correct installation of the birdhouse. Usually it is nailed to a pole, which is subsequently screwed with wire to a tree at a height of 4-7 meters from ground level.

If cats live on your property, they will be a danger to starlings and other birds. To protect the chicks from “predators,” nail a rail under the entrance that will prevent the cat’s paw from entering the house and prevent him from reaching the babies. The body of the birdhouse attached to the tree should deviate slightly forward from the vertical.

Perhaps your version of a birdhouse will differ from those proposed by us, and you will be able to add to your collection of unusual houses for birds.

Useful video

Attracting birds to your local area is a pleasant and useful activity. After all, birds not only delight our ears with their trills, but also eat harmful insects.

How to make a birdhouse with your own hands - this is what our article is about.

Source materials

The starting material is exclusively wood. It is recommended to use only wood from deciduous trees, since coniferous trees emit resin, which can lead to the premature death of the feathered resident.

You cannot make birdhouses from plywood sheets, chipboard and OSB. The glue and special impregnation contained in such materials repel feathered guests.

As a result, assembly and fastening of workpieces should be carried out only with nails and self-tapping screws, without the use of adhesive.

Usually, to make a birdhouse from wood, unplaned boards with a thickness of at least 2 cm are used. This thickness allows you to maintain a constant temperature regime inside the bird house.

To prevent cracks from appearing on the boards when fastening, it is necessary to pre-drill holes for the screws.

How to choose the size of a birdhouse

The size of the birdhouse depends on what birds it is intended for. Different types of birdhouses differ in their proportions and the length of the entrance.

For example, for starlings the required dimensions are: 10 × 10 × 40 cm, the entrance hole is 5 cm. For tits and flycatchers, sparrows - 10 × 12 × 30 cm, the entrance hole is 3-3.5 cm. And the semi-dutch should be 10 × 8 × 20 cm with a taphole 3.3-5 cm high across the entire width of the wall.

Usually only the height of the birdhouse changes.

Half-loops can also attract squirrels.

Some birds prefer to live in nesting boxes made from part of a log using the hollowing method. The bottom and roof of such structures are made of boards.

To make the birdhouse habitable again, you need to remove the old nesting box from it and scald it with boiling water. An additional measure could be treatment with potassium permanganate.

How to make a birdhouse a safe place to live

To avoid the destruction of a birdhouse by cats and woodpeckers, you can take the following measures:

  • Increase the roof overhang;
  • Stick the roof with nails;
  • Finish the taphole with a tin sheet;
  • Drive nails around the tap hole;
  • Attach a wooden overlay with horizontal fibers near the taphole;
  • Make special protective belts from strips of tin or from “brooms”, and you must strictly adhere to the required distances between them.

Important: there should be no twigs, feeders or other possible supports between the protective belts and the birdhouse.

How to choose the right place for a birdhouse

Birdhouses should be hung on trees at a height of at least 3 m. It is not advisable for busy paths or benches to be located near these places.

Note!

When choosing a place on a tree, you need to take into account that there are no large branches near the entrance. The birdhouse should be installed facing south so that there is a slight tilt forward.

Making a birdhouse

It is necessary to take untreated hardwood boards with a thickness of at least 2 cm. You will also need gloves. Next, we take the birdhouse drawings and cut out the component parts. It is necessary to cut carefully and evenly, at an angle of 90°, so that there are no gaps in the future.

It is better to choose nails with a diameter of 1.5-2 mm and a length of no more than 40-50 mm. Let's start assembly. We apply the side parts to the facade at an angle of 90° and nail them. It is recommended to use 3-4 nails per each.

We turn it over, install the bottom, and nail it to the sides. Next, we insert the back wall and also secure it with nails with the bottom and sides.

Let's turn it over again. We fasten the bottom on the other side as well. We install the roof so that the overhang is at least 5 cm. Preferably 10 cm. We nail it down.

Note!

We inspect the resulting birdhouse and bend all the protruding nails.

Whether to install a perch is up to you.

Nowadays, on the Internet you can easily find a variety of ideas on how to make a birdhouse in the country or near your home.

Some of them are quite unusual. Therefore, feel free to make houses for birds.

After all, an original birdhouse can become a real decoration of your garden.

Note!

Photo of a birdhouse with your own hands

Building birdhouses for birds on your own the first time is not an easy task. However, it is completely solvable. This text will describe in detail how to make a birdhouse. By following the following instructions, you will easily understand the features of the process.

You will also be able to select a tool and material and move on to the active phase.

With the right approach, you can build a birdhouse in a few hours. However, for this it is necessary to understand the material that will be used to make the birdhouse.

You can use wood, plastic, plywood, even paper. However, any material requires pre-processing. And for this you need certain devices.

Required Tools

In this regard, everything is quite simple. Before making a birdhouse, you should make sure that you have the various necessary tools. Let's list the main ones. In this case you will have to use:

  1. Carpenter's hammer.
  2. Chisels of different widths.
  3. A hacksaw for wood.
  4. Wooden hammer.
  5. Ruler, pencil.
  6. Drill, drill.

Types of birdhouses

First you need to decide on the size of this structure. The type of birdhouse will depend on this. There are several types of such houses. Namely:

1. Standard birdhouse.

In this case, its dimensions will be as follows:

  • length – 16 cm;
  • width – 15 cm;
  • height – 40 cm;
  • taphole diameter – 5 cm.

2. Titmouse. This is a small birdhouse. It will become a wonderful home for birds that are no larger than a tit. This structure is suitable for different types of birds. Perhaps these will be sparrows, redstarts, and pieds. Or the titmice themselves.

In this case, the dimensions will be as follows:

  • width – 12 cm;
  • length – 10 cm;
  • height – 30 cm;
  • entrance – 3.5 cm.

3. Wagtail. This type has a protrusion in front of the entrance. Here will be the following sizes:

  • height, width – 15 cm;
  • length – 30 cm.

4. Triangular birdhouse. This is a house for common pikas. Its hole is through. It has the following dimensions:

  • width – 15 cm;
  • height – 25 cm;
  • entrance – 3x6 cm.

If you just want to make a birdhouse for the forest or have no idea what kind of birds you have in your garden, then make a standard type. You just need to remember that, for example, tits prefer small, comfortable houses. They feel uncomfortable in large ones. But the starlings will not fit in the titmouse. This is important to consider.

This construction is very simple, it can easily be done in a couple of hours. Its disadvantage is that it, of course, is not particularly reliable and will only last for one year.

This house can be made from any small box. To do this, you need to do the following:

  1. Glue the lid to the box itself. It must be securely attached.
  2. Cut a tap hole in the lid with a diameter of about five centimeters. The hole should be located no higher than 20 cm from the bottom. For complete convenience, the taphole should be round. To do this, you can glue the edges of the hole several times with wide tape. And it will serve longer.
  3. The back wall of the box must be very strong. After all, it is the basis. It would be nice to glue plywood onto it. Wooden planks are also suitable in this case. Instead of glue, it is generally better to use small screws or brackets for fastening.
  4. To protect the birdhouse from moisture, you need to paint it. It is desirable that it be odorless.
  5. And the very last thing. Wait until everything dries. Then the product should be secured to the base.

You can make a cardboard house in the same way. Only with him there will be more hassle. You'll have to work hard to connect all the parts and give rigidity to the cardboard itself. You can try to make a birdhouse out of paper. However, it is unlikely to be reliable.

Birdhouse from a bottle

Making such a product will not take much time. An hour maximum, maybe even less. To do this, you will need a five or three liter plastic bottle. It all depends on the size of the birdhouse you need. This house is very similar to a feeding trough. Everyone did them in childhood. But there are still small differences.

In such a birdhouse you will have to make a standard entrance. And everything else needs to be done as described above. The only, but significant, disadvantage is that the bottles are often transparent. But birds need comfort and privacy. So in this case, the birdhouse will have to be either painted or covered with paper. You can simply attach this product to a tree by the bottle handle. The care of these structures will definitely be discussed below.

Such a design will take much more time, knowledge and effort. But the result of your work will be a durable and durable birdhouse that will serve the birds for many years. The main thing in this matter is desire. Although it is much more difficult to make a wooden birdhouse, the efforts made will not be in vain. In addition to the set of tools listed above, in this case you will need certain materials:

  1. Aspen or birch rough-hewn dry boards.
  2. Odorless paint.
  3. Wooden planks for reinforcement.
  4. All kinds of consumables.

When everything is already assembled, you can begin to construct the house. To do this you need the following:

1. Create a birdhouse design on paper. This is quite significant. You need to measure the birdhouse correctly. In this case, a drawing of the designed product is required. You should also calculate the amount of materials.

2. Then all dimensions should be transferred from paper to material. Using a tool, cut out the necessary parts. Referring to the drawing, we connect all the parts using nails or self-tapping screws. We will get a durable and cozy box. For this house to be very reliable, after connection, not a single part should wobble.

3. Then we make a ledge for the birds in front of the “entrance” to the birdhouse. This device serves for the convenience of birds who want to get into their shelter. And it usually consists of a small plank. Birds love to rest on such a ledge. It also needs to be secured with nails.

4. Next stage. It consists of making a mount for installing or hanging a birdhouse. Most often it consists of special holes on the back wall of the house. It can also be other fastenings - a clamp or a clamp.

Making a birdhouse with your own hands is not a particularly difficult task. You just need to follow certain rules and listen to the advice of experts:

  1. The ideal material would be wood, as it is quite durable.
  2. You need to use special wood. Birch, aspen, alder, and other deciduous trees.
  3. Fibreboard, chipboard and OSB are not recommended for use. Firstly, they are toxic, and secondly, they are not durable.
  4. The smell of paint does not attract birds. So its use is not mandatory. If you still decide to take this step, then use odorless paint.
  5. You don’t have to make a perch inside. But it’s better to attach the ledge from the outside.
  6. The inside of the birdhouse should be rough so that the birds can move comfortably. If the board is smooth, you will have to put notches on it. This can be done with a chisel.
  7. It is better to make the entrance round so that the birds do not get injured.
  8. The roof of this product can be made removable to make it easier to care for the birdhouse.
  9. It is also advisable to make the roof sloping so that moisture does not accumulate. It won't last long if it's even.

Birdhouse installation

This is an important process. Making a birdhouse, the photo of which is provided in this text, is half the battle. You don't need any special experience for this. But then it needs to be placed correctly. After all, if you attach this house poorly, and even in the wrong place, then it can turn over or, even worse, fall.

There are a few tips to follow in this regard:

  1. It is necessary to take the choice of location seriously. For example, it could be the end of a house, a strong pole, a tree, a pillar and much more.
  2. It is better to install the birdhouse no lower than three meters from the ground. And always in a place where a small predator like a cat, marten or weasel cannot reach.
  3. The birdhouse should be strengthened at a slight slope. That is, it must be placed so that raindrops do not fall into the entrance.
  4. You can fasten the birdhouse with the same nails and screws. But if you decide to hang the house on a tree, then it is better to use clamps, do not injure the tree itself.

In principle, it is possible to install bird houses during the entire warm season. The birds will settle there in any case. However, the ideal time is early spring. After all, the bird family needs time to settle down and have offspring.

There is nothing complicated in this regard. After you have made and installed the birdhouse yourself, you, of course, want it to serve the birds for as long as possible. And for this you need to constantly look after the house.

How to do this? The answer to this question is quite simple. This does not require any extra costs or additional time. Everything is done simply and quickly. You just need to clean the bird house of dirt and feathers at the end of the season.

Making something with your own hands (a feeder, a birdhouse, various garden structures and much more) is a very exciting activity.

It is not a pity to allocate several hours a week, or even a month, for this work. After all, you are going to do very useful things.

After you make a beautiful decorative birdhouse yourself, the desire to create further will certainly awaken in you. Such crafts will not only create comfort for your garden animals, but will also significantly decorate the interior of your summer cottage.

Having read the above, everyone will be able to figure out how to make a birdhouse. But exactly how it will look depends on individual desire. The main thing in this case is hard work, scrupulousness and patience. All in your hands!

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Feeders and birdhouses are successfully used to attract birds to the site; with their help, you don’t have to worry about the safety of the future harvest. Almost all types of birds live in such houses. In cold weather they eat wintering caterpillars, and in summer they eat pest larvae.

You can make a birdhouse with your own hands without spending any money out of your pocket. After all, it is not necessary to buy new building materials; it is enough to use your imagination using improvised means.

Household materials

One of the simplest options is a birdhouse out of a box. To make it, a juice box is used, it is thoroughly washed and dried. The advantages of this solution are considered to be: cost-effectiveness, original appearance and ease of execution. Materials you will need:

  • clean box;
  • thin wooden planks;
  • acrylic paint;
  • rope;
  • glue.

It is worth preparing the following tools:

  • scissors;
  • brush.

Work begins with making a tap hole; it should have a diameter of 5-6 cm, and be located at an average height from the bottom of the box. A regular or stationery knife will help you cut the hole. Next, the birdhouse is coated with paint and left to dry.

You can use a popsicle stick to make a perch for the birds to sit on. It is glued to the base under the taphole.

The interior space in the birdhouse should also be comfortable for birds, so the front wall on the inside should be made rough. Therefore, a board made of untreated wood is fixed there; a piece of tree bark is also suitable. The outer walls are also covered with ice cream sticks - this will add aesthetics and allow the birds to cling to them with their paws.

To hang a birdhouse on a tree, make a hole at the top and pass a rope through it. To attract birds, just sprinkle a little food, then a family of birds will definitely settle in the house.

You can use a large plastic container as the base of the birdhouse. When making a birdhouse from a bottle, the process will remain virtually unchanged, you just have to make drainage holes at the bottom.

Cardboard is a practical option

To accommodate the largest number of birds, it is worth making a birdhouse from cardboard - this is the most affordable material. The resulting house can serve as a decorative element of the garden or be used for its intended purpose. The execution process is very simple and does not take much time. During the work you will need:

  • two A4 cardboard sheets;
  • colored paper or paints;
  • compass;
  • scissors;
  • rope;
  • small stick.

As a blank, look at the drawing or make it according to simple recommendations.

The basis of the future design is a sheet glued into a roll; you can take the remainder of paper towels. Using a compass, draw a circle with a diameter of 4-5 cm on it and cut out a hole. Next, the bottom is covered with a circle of the appropriate size - the base of the birdhouse is ready. To attract attention, it can be decorated, covered with colored paper or painted.

Making the roof begins by cutting out a semicircle, then gluing the straight edge. A thin rope is glued to the top of the dome and connected to the base. All that remains is to glue the stick near the entrance and pour in the food. Such a feeder can receive guests for a long time or simply decorate the garden.


Wood - standard production

There is a traditional option for making a birdhouse from wood. In the process they use:

  • boards (20 mm thick);
  • nails;
  • hacksaw;
  • hammer;
  • drill;
  • pencil and ruler.

The wood materials chosen are unplaned boards with a thickness of at least 20 mm. This ensures heat retention inside the house. As for the species, birch or oak would be better; the smell of pine needles greatly repels birds. The use of pressed or laminated wood is undesirable - it is not a practical option and has a toxic odor.

After choosing the material, the dimensions of the structure are determined. Based on the parameters of the natural hollow (120x120 mm), it is worth making the bottom of the birdhouse 120x120 mm, the height should be 250-350 mm. These sizes allow you to accommodate a family with 5 chicks. With a larger number of offspring, adults cannot provide them with proper care. The size of the entrance is also taken into account; a hole of 40-50 mm is made for the starling, and 30 mm for the tit. The tap hole is placed at a height of 200 mm from the bottom level.

A perch is fixed in front of the entrance to the house, sometimes a small platform made of boards is installed instead. The roof can be gable or single-pitch, but it is worth considering one point - the board must protrude beyond the level of the facade by at least 50 mm. For the convenience of annual cleaning, the roof is made removable, then it is fixed with screws or wire. All dimensions of the elements can be seen in the drawings.

Before you make a birdhouse with your own hands, you should carefully consider the diagram, then cut the boards according to the parameters in the image. Process progress:

To make a good birdhouse from wood, you should follow the recommendations:

  • To seal and retain heat inside the structure, all cracks should be coated with clay or sealed with tow;
  • the surface of the wood should not have large burrs that could injure birds;
  • you need to use short nails or screws so that they do not stick out;
  • It is better to treat it with drying oil as a protective coating. But for decoration you can use oil paints in gray or red.

Making your own bird house is not at all difficult; if you use your imagination, the result will become a real decoration of the garden. In the process of making a birdhouse from scrap materials, the most unpredictable base options can be used: pumpkin, stone, coffee pot, shoe.

House installation

In addition to manufacturing, the installation process of the birdhouse is important, so it is worth knowing the recommendations for its placement:

You can make a birdhouse at any time of the year, but it should hang on a tree in late March - early April. Then a family of birds will definitely settle in it.