How to Build a Backyard Birdhouse

With the cold weather coming, there are plenty of things you can do to give your feathered friends a little help. There are plenty of birds that stick around through our Seattle fall season that will appreciate a little house to stay out of the rain. And, it is a bit of a rite of passage for every child to make a birdhouse at least once! It is an excellent way to spend time together with the whole family while doing something good for the animals who call your backyard home. It only takes a few supplies to put together a cute birdhouse. You can find everything you need at Greenwood Hardware, your friendly neighborhood store.

Recycled Birdhouse

You don’t have to go the traditional route when you create a nice nesting spot for your favorite birds. They are not picky! You can use old coffee cans, metal buckets or even large PVC pipe. If you are using the can or bucket, you will need to use a screw to drill the can horizontally to a tree. The open end of the can will act as the doorway. You can throw in a few nesting materials like dried grass and twigs to help get the birds started or let nature take its course. This is an excellent way to repurpose items that would otherwise end up in the landfill.

Traditional Birdhouse

If you are handy with a saw and nails, you can download a template for a birdhouse. There are plenty of free ones available on the internet. If you are making the house with the kids and want to skip the sawing, you can buy a kit that is already to be put together. You will need some wood glue, a hammer and some nails. Feel free to paint the house to add a little pizzazz to your backyard.

Old Clay Pot

Do you have a chipped clay pot that isn’t really suitable for holding your flowers anymore? If so, you can repurpose that old pot and make it into a lovely birdhouse! You will need a few things from your hardware store to complete this birdhouse. Use a drill with a 1/8 drill bit to make a hole in the side of the pot. This will be your entrance way. Slowly widen the hole, being careful not to chip the pot. Use a file to finish making the entrance. Glue a small piece of wood to the open top of the pot. This will be the floor. Place an eyebolt in the bottom of the pot to use for hanging. You can use rope or a chain passed through the eyebolt to hang the pot from a tree.

Making a birdhouse is a fun way to spend a few hours with the family. You can make several birdhouses to suit the different kinds of birds that frequent your backyard. Head on into Greenwood Hardware to pick up all the supplies you need to build your backyard birdhouse! If you have questions, we are here for you. Come on in, or contact us online.