Here's How: Make Your Own Birdhouse

James Dulley on Aug 7, 2025

Dear James: I am fairly handy with woodworking tools, so I would like to build a unique birdhouse. What are some design tips? -- Adam K.

Dear Adam: There are several things you must provide in addition to the birdhouse to attract birds to your yard. Birds need some trees and shrubs to hide from predators, food to eat and water to drink, as well as a cute house. But who doesn't want a unique house?

You will need 1/2-inch exterior grade plywood for the front, back and floor of the birdhouse. Plan the front and back with matching pitched rooflines first before laying out the sides to line them up. Galvanized nails are adequate to attach the sides, front, back and base together. However, more expensive stainless steel nails will hold up longer than galvanized and look better.

A very important design feature of the birdhouse is the entrance hole, and to a lesser extent, the overall size of the birdhouse. The size of the hole determines what types of birds flock to your yard.

For example, for bluebirds, saw a 1 1/2-inch hole; for wrens, saw a 7/8-inch hole; for chickadees, saw a 1 1/4-inch hole; and for sparrows, saw a 1-inch hole. A 5-by-5-inch floor area is adequate for a single nest.

Locate the entrance hole high enough to place a 1/4-inch dowel perch below it. To jazz it up, you may want to paint a bright sun on the front with the hole in the center of it. Another suggestion is to form small shapes from sheet tin to fit around the birdhouse entrance. Be sure to bend over and smooth out any rough edges.

Cut a piece of sheet tin for the roof of the birdhouse, allowing for extra overhang for rain protection. Make sure to round the corners of the tin and crimp the sharp edges over. Birdhouses look best if old tin is used for the roof, but new tin will weather quickly.

The right mix of garden plants and seeds always brings a plethora of birds. The type you plant will determine the kinds of birds you attract. Sunflower seeds are good for attracting chickadees, cardinals, finches and grosbeaks. Make sure you buy the smaller, black sunflower seeds.

Doves, sparrows and other ground feeders enjoy millet. Suet is also a great feed for birds during the winter. Place it in a basket of vinyl-covered wire and hang that from a feeder or tree. Attach the basket firmly so raccoons don't get the suet.

A platform-style feeder (a small platform raised above the ground on a pole) attracts all types of birds, but also squirrels and other animals. Placing a bowl just beneath the feeder on the pole can help deter animals from the food.

A hopper feeder is less messy in the rain than a platform feeder, although squirrels can still get to the food. The hopper holds a very large amount of seed in a clear plastic-sided unit, and the seeds filter onto a platform through a slot. If you build the feeder yourself, the slot should be no more than a 1/2-inch wide to keep birds from getting stuck in it.

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Send your questions to Here's How, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45244 or visit www.dulley.com. To find out more about James Dulley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.