Building Diy Birdhouses is a fun activity for you and your kids, which keeps everyone engaged. At first, it might look like something overly complicated. However, if you are creative enough, you can improvise and build nice bird homes without much effort. Here’s a small list of ideas for cute DIY birdhouses you can start building right now.

Why Welcome the Birds in Your Garden

Many people might think of birds as a pest on the garden. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Some species are the perfect natural solution to get rid of parasites like caterpillars, moths, or any insects that eat your plants. Therefore, you must make your garden appealing for birds, and building a birdhouse is one easy solution.

Choosing the Perfect Birdhouse Model

Birdhouse building is a nice DIY project you can start with your kids. Depending on the type of birdhouse you want, you have different difficulty levels. You can either stat with something basic that doesn’t require many skills. This will allow your kids to participate without much trouble. If you want something more elaborate, you will need some experience in carpentry. Even so, with the right plans, you should be able to manage it.

Choosing the model is also dependent on the place where you want to hang the birdhouse. The most common location is up in a tree, but you can improvise. You can attach the birdhouse to a fence, on the wall of your house, or maybe even use a rope to hang it down from a branch or from a pillar. Whatever you choose, make sure the birdhouse is fixed and won’t collapse.

The Most Creative DIY Birdhouses

Here are a few ideas where you can choose from when building DIY birdhouses. Most of them do not require a lot of work, so you can ask your kids for a helping hand. Encourage them to participate in the process, and have a nice DIY activity together.

1.      Basic Wooden Birdhouse

This is probably the easiest idea you can apply when building a birdhouse. All you need are some wooden planks, nails, and a saw. First, choose the design for the house. If you want to keep things easy, you can try a flat roof. To make it look more like a house, you can adopt the classical roof design, where you will need two wooden planks.

Do not forget to cut a hole in one of the walls to allow the birds to enter the house and build their nest. It doesn’t have to be too big, but also make sure it’s not too small and any birds can fit in there. Then, you can get creative.

Let your children paint the wooden planks, glue colorful materials to them, or decorate them with whatever they like. This won’t prevent the birds from using the birdhouses. In fact, this might even attract them.

2.      License Plate Birdhouse

This idea is a truly creative one, and it’s not only about the aspect. It involves using an old license plate as a roof and requires a lot less wood than a regular birdhouse. After you build the walls and shape them for the roof you need, you place this license plate above. Bending them to fit the shape of the walls might be a little difficult, but it’s definitely worth the effort.

3.      Log Cabin Birdhouse

This design is a little more complex, but it’s one of the prettiest décor ideas for your garden. If you want to give the birds a more rustic refuge, you can try turning the birdhouse into a log cabin. First, you will need the frame where you should attach the mini logs.

To complete the aesthetic effect, you can fit the birdhouse with a nice little terrace. Then, it’s time to start the log cabin design. Take small pieces of wood in a circular shape. Cut them in half, and glue them to the birdhouse frame. Make sure you don’t forget about the bird opening. Then, attach the roof made from regular wooden planks. If you like, you can ask your kids to paint it in a nice color.

If you don’t find the suitable pieces of wood, twigs will offer the same aesthetic effect.

4.      Eco Birdhouse

A birdhouse is still an artificial construction, and some might not make the birds feel at home. This is why you can make the entire setting more natural by attaching some nice materials to it. Let your imagination flow, and ask your kids for suggestions.

After you have built the birdhouse, you can glue some moss, grass, or any other organic material to it. Some pieces of bark might make it look more natural, while some pine cones and tiny stones will offer it a chic appearance.

5.      Steampunk Birdhouse

If you want a sophisticated decoration, you will only need a little junk and a lot of imagination. Turn the birdhouse into a steampunk refuge with the help of some brown paint and some tiny gears. You can also use old tools and bicycle pieces, or even buttons and bottle caps. Offer the birds a small porch made from a liner you no longer need, and obtain a truly industrial look.

6.      Old Book Birdhouse

For some people, making such DIY birdhouses might sound impossible. However, if there are some books you no longer want to keep, you can find a great way to recycle them. For the trick to work, you’ll need some hardcovers that won’t be destroyed at the first rain.

Build the floor and the walls of the birdhouse from old books. Make sure the front one is a book you don’t hold dear, as you’ll have to carve the entrance in it. Then, for the roof, you can use an open book. This birdhouse will look vintage and pretty, but make sure you choose it only if you have some old books to spare.

7.      Teapot Birdhouse

This idea is a cute one that your kids will definitely enjoy. Choose some old teapots you no longer use and attach them to a tree, fence, or even your house. The hole in the teapot will be the entrance to the birdhouse, while its handle will allow you to fix it to a frame. If you want a nicer design, you can match the color of the teapot with its surroundings.

If you attach it to a fence or to a tree, you might want to choose something neutral, and match it with the bark. Also, you can pick up something green, and blend it in with the foliage. In case the teapot will stand near your home, you can pick a color that resembles one of the flowers nearby or the other decorative elements.

8.      Tin Can Birdhouse

This idea is incredibly versatile and offers you a chance of a unique item of decoration in your garden. Take some tin cans and paint them with your kids in all kinds of colors. If you like, you can make creative designs, like a traffic light birdhouse, or separate cans hung at different heights.

Then, cut the top of the cans and create the opening for the birds to enter. If you like, you can cut the bottom as well, and allow more birds to enter them. Once you’re done, hang them off a tree branch, or nail them to a wall and a pillar.

9.      Old Lamp Birdhouse

Such DIY birdhouses might be a little difficult to make, as you might not find the necessary material for it. Look through the old objects in your barn and take out that old gas lamp. Remove the glass support and turn it into a nesting place.

Then, hang it near the corner of your house or in those places that you know birds like to build nests in. Such a birdhouse might be a little too sensitive, so make sure the birds and their babies are safe in that place. Teach your children to take care of them, and protect them from possible predators.

10.  Bowl and Plate Birdhouse

This idea also requires you to go searching through your kitchen and find pottery you no longer need. Pick up a bowl you don’t want to use anymore and complete it with a matching plate. Then, you will need a tool to drill some holes through the bowl and the saucer.

Put an iron bar through these holes, and make sure the place is facing the bowl. Then, fix this bar in place, and attach it to a wire or a thick rope. This rope will help you hang the birdhouse in a tree or on a pillar.

Summing Up

Building DIY birdhouses will allow you to spend some valuable time with your kids and have a fun activity together. It will help them develop their creativity, as well as their crafting skills. If they come up with ideas of their own, feel free to use them. Also, this will make great shelters for those birds that keep your garden pest-free and pretty.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

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