15 Ways To Make A Charming Birdhouse
Birdhouses attract beautiful birds into the space around your home, but even homeowners who don't enjoy birdwatching may want to consider adding a birdhouse to their landscape. This is because birds can benefit your yard in a number of ways. Per The Gardening Cook, birds help control pests because they eat many of the insects we would rather not have swarming our lawns. Birds cut down on weeds by eating their seeds. Less weed seeds means less time spent weeding your garden. Birds also help pollinate flowers. If you love having beautiful flowers growing in your yard, a birdhouse may be a great addition.
Birdhouses are easy DIY projects that are super fun and allow for lots of creativity. They don't take long to build and only require a few materials. Also, while most birdhouses are made of wood, they can actually be made out of just about anything. As long as you create an opening for the birds to enter and exit through, a house can attract birds to your yard. Here are 15 ways to make unique birdhouses.
1. Wooden flat roof birdhouse
One of the most common birdhouse designs, a flat roofed birdhouse requires wood, wood glue, a clamp, a saw, and a drill. If desired, you could substitute the wood glue and clamp for nails, but either will work fine. Rick's Hobby Garage offers a step-by-step guide to build a version of this type of birdhouse, including cutting the pieces, drilling the hole, and securing the wood together.
2. Gable roof birdhouse
Another common type is the gable roof design, which requires the same materials as a flat roofed birdhouse, with just one extra panel for the roof. It's constructed in a very similar way as well. As pictured, you could also add a perch to the front of your birdhouse for birds to sit on. Lowes describes in detail how to construct this house.
3. Log birdhouse
Building a birdhouse from a log is simple. First, you'll need to hollow out your log. My Backyard Life illustrates one method of doing this. You'll cut the board in half longways, chisel it out, and then reattach the pieces with wood glue. Once this is completed, you can drill a hole into the front. Lastly, you can attach wood to the top for a roof and to the bottom for a floor.
4. Plastic bottle birdhouse
Creating a birdhouse out of a plastic bottle is pretty simple — all you need to do is cut out a hole or some larger openings with a utility knife. You can also paint the bottle or add other fun design elements. Any size bottle can be turned into a birdhouse. DIY Everywhere explains how to make one out of a 20-ounce bottle and yarn.
5. Hotel birdhouse
If you want to include many entryways, you'll want to make a larger birdhouse. These birdhouses can be built the same way as a regular wooden birdhouse, just with larger boards, multiple levels, and more openings. It's a great addition to any garden or yard space, and the larger the house the more birds it will attract.
6. Stick birdhouse
Twigs and sticks can be used to create a quirky looking birdhouse. Cut them to size and attach them to each other with nails. You could also adhere sticks to the outside of an already constructed wooden birdhouse, if you just like the way this design looks. To make it even easier, hot glue twigs to the outside of a milk carton, per Surviving A Teacher's Salary.
7. Twine birdhouse
Creating a birdhouse out of twine is a super unique idea that looks great. This could be woven completely out of twine and mounted to a piece of wood, as pictured. Or, simply wrap twine around the outside of a milk carton and cut a door hole. To complete this easier method, Pet DIYs recommends occasionally gluing the twine as you go. You can also use a popsicle stick to add a perch.
8. Wine cork birdhouse
A birdhouse can also be made out of wine corks. The birdhouse pictured above has a metal structure, but it isn't necessary. You can build the entire thing by using wine corks alone. Felt Magnet demonstrates how to use a hot glue gun to glue the corks together to make walls, a base, and a roof. If you want to complete this project, prepare to collect a lot of wine corks — this project requires up to 200 of them.
9. Milk carton birdhouse
Though it won't last in harsh weather, a milk carton birdhouse is an easy DIY project. So easy, it's a great project for young kids. The Home Depot describes the best way to create one. The only vital step is to cut an opening into the front. From there, it's mostly about decorating and hanging. You will, however, want to anchor the finished house with pebbles so it doesn't blow in the wind.
10. Teapot birdhouse
A teapot birdhouse is a great way to upcycle an old teapot. (That's if you haven't already made yours into a planter). To make a teapot into a birdhouse, simply take off the top and hang the pot in your backyard — it's as simple as that! Since this birdhouse has no roof, hang it under something like an eave or large tree branch in order to keep its inhabitants safe from the elements.
11. Gourd birdhouse
Dried gourds make perfect DIY birdhouses. To make one, you'll want to cut a hole in the front, then hollow it out. Gourds For Birds says that hollowing a dried gourd should be easy, as the insides are usually loose. Just tilt the gourd to allow everything to fall out. If some of the seeds or flesh won't budge, use a spoon to scoop them out. Clean the interior well and it will be ready to hang.
12. Cowboy boot birdhouse
This is another super easy DIY birdhouse. Just take an old boot, create a hole, and you're done! Birds and Blooms outlines how to create one of these along with a simple frame, which will protect the birds from harsh weather and give them another place to sit. One of their tips is to trace a quarter to size the hole. This may seem tiny but it will be just right for small birds like wrens.
13. Mailbox birdhouse
A new birdhouse is the perfect use for an old mailbox. This one has been made to look like an actual house with a door, a window, and a roof. Just remember to drill a hole into the front or keep the front mail flap open. If you'd like to make something similar for yourself, you can follow the detailed steps at Our Fairfield Home & Garden.
14. License plate birdhouse
If you have old license plates with sentimental value, you could repurpose them by bending or cutting them into the shape of a birdhouse. Don't forget to drill that door hole when you're done. Cutting a license plate can be difficult. Another option is to use Sun Catcher Studio's tutorial to build a wooden birdhouse with a bent license plate roof.
15. Clay pot birdhouse
Finally, to make a birdhouse out of a clay pot, just drill a hole, flip it upside down, and attach a floor. Drilling a hole in a clay pot involves soaking it in water overnight, taping the area, and drilling into the pot, per Sublime Succulents. This house is a great option for those who want to paint the outside of their birdhouse.