Making a Birdhouse

Photo courtesy of Birds and Blooms.

 

The other day, I was visiting my parents when my Dad came in from the garage with a little pile of wood, nails, and a hammer under his arm. He had recently been building a new fence from cedar and had an extra board left over – perfect for making a birdhouse he said! My boys were so excited to help their Grandpa build the birdhouse and get a little taste for woodworking too. And Grandpa was also very impressed with their knowledge and familiarity with tools (I reminded him that their Dad was also an avid woodworker and that they had built me a few birdhouses over the years for Mother’s Day). Well, he said, this should be easy!

My Dad started showing them the pieces and tools. Not every birdhouse is built the same, and all are unique. However, these were the materials he used!

Materials

One 5’ (60”) cedar fence board. Although not necessary, cedar is naturally durable and can outlast the outdoor elements better than most other types of wood, even without protective finishing. It won’t hurt the birds that will hopefully find your project worthy to raise their young and won’t harm your child if he/she decides to take a bite like little Polar Bear!

Hammer

Ruler/measuring tape

1-1/2” Finishing Nails

One heavy picture hanger

Hand Saw. Home centres like Home Depot and Rona will do one cut/piece of wood for free, but if you explain the project, they’ll likely do all of them!

Means of drilling a 1” hole. Again, most home centres will drill a hole for you if you explain the project!

Baby oil for finishing. Baby oil is also another non-toxic finish that makes your project stand out a little, smell pretty, and give your young child a fun, rather non-messy task!

Here are the steps to building a birdhouse with your little one. A little bit of prep is required before inviting your young one to the table though. These first few strides (Steps 1 through 5) are best done on your own, or with a second adult there purely for supervision purposes as you won’t be able to watch both your child and your fingers at the same time! Again, if you don’t have a saw or drill, try taking your project to a home centre for a little bit of free help!

Photo courtesy of Birds and Blooms.

 

Saws and Cuts

Step 1:

If using a saw, cut two 10 inch lengths from your board. These will make up the front and roof of your birdhouse. The remaining length should be 40 inches.

Step 2:

Drill a hole in the centre of the front board. Usually a 1 inch hole works great for black-capped chickadees or birds of similar size. If the hole is too big, you may attract a different kind of bird or even a squirrel!

Step 3:

Cut one 7 ¾ inch length from your board. This piece is the back of the house. The remaining length should be 32 ¼ inches.

Step 4:

Cut one 4 inch length from your board. This will be the floor. The remaining length of board should be 28 ¼ inches.

Step 5:

Finally, cut one 18 inch length. The remaining piece of your board will be scrap – or the start of another project as my husband likes to think of it!

On the 18 inch board, make one mark at 10 inches on the left side. Transfer your measuring tape/ruler to the right side of the board and make a mark at 8 inches. Connect the two marks with a line (which will be a diagonal line). Make your cut on this line. This will make up the walls of the birdhouse.

Photo courtesy of Birds and Blooms.

 

Hammer and Nails

This was the part in which Grandpa invited the boys to help. They all sat on the floor with rapt attention and my Dad let them both have a go with the hammer as he held the nail in place (a very brave man indeed!). He always started and finished the nails off to help the project along and keep the boys from losing focus too. It was a pretty awesome and creative project for the group! Here’s how he did it:

Step 6:

Align one wall with the front of the birdhouse and nail them together with a nail at the top and bottom of each piece. Then everyone gets a turn as you repeat this process until you have all walls together. My older Grizzly Bear became a little bossy as he directed the crew and pieces!

Step 7:

Insert the floor of the birdhouse between the walls, and hammer into place. You can do the same for the roof too!

Step 8:

 

Nail the hanger into the centre of the back wall of your birdhouse.

Step 9:

This step is particularly fun for the littler ones. Use paper towel to dab baby oil over the project to give it a nice finish. It will turn the wood a slightly darker colour, so don’t be shocked if your project suddenly resembles a masterpiece!

Step 10:

Place a nail into your desired fence post and hang the birdhouse. Then spread seed on the ground in front of it. Be careful not to put birdseed directly into the birdhouse. I made this mistake a few years go. It only attracted visitors eager for a feast, not a couple eager to raise a family.

Lastly, keep an eye out for your little visitors! There’s nothing better than doing a little birdwatching with your own little chicks in the early months of spring!