cavity nesting birds will accept almost
any birdhouse you will not hear them
complain but there are some things you
might want to consider when building
one the dimensions of the bird house
will vary depending on the species you
want to attract I'm making this one 30
cm tall and the roof will have a forward
tilt of roughly 10° I prefer to not have
the roof slanted backwards it allows
water to run down the back wall when it
rains after cutting the roof angle on
the first side piece flip that piece
over onto the board from which it came
and mark the same angle
again this will automatically produce
two side pieces that both can have the
hardwood facing
outwards to create a tight joint where
the roof attaches to the walls the front
and back pieces should be cut to the
same angle as the side
pieces now if you completely forgot
about that like I just did you can
always take a sharp hand plane and Cher
the edges to the right
angle remember I said you want to orient
the Heartwood outwards well this is
because of the way the wood tends to cup
as it
dries if the Heartwood is oriented
inward wordss the cupping action can
have a nasty tendency to work Fasteners
out of wood over time this is especially
a problem if you are using Nails you end
up with gaps in the joints and
eventually the entire construction may
fail this is why I like to use screws
and water resistant wood glue but it is
still a good habit to orient the heart
without words in a construction of this
kind The Birdhouse will be battered by
the elements and the changing of the
seasons for many years so you want your
construction to be
solid on a typical birdh House of this
height the center of the entrance should
be approximately 8 cm from the top of
the front
wall if you want to you can drill the
entrance at a slight upward angle this
will minimize the chance of water
getting in this is just another tip for
making the construction a little bit
safer for the inhabitants
cleaning and maintenance of a bird house
is important old nesting material can
hold parasites and moisture making the
bird house undesirable to the birds and
increasing the likelihood of it falling
apart in a matter of
years having the front wall hinged on a
couple of screws is one of the easiest
ways for gaining access to The Birdhouse
when you're high up on a ladder
insetting the bottom between the walls
is possibly one of the most important
aspects of making a safe bird house with
a long service
life simply but joining the bottom to
the underside of The Birdhouse can allow
water to collect on it and soak into the
end grain of the
walls this could kill the chicks in the
nest and shorten the lifespan of the
bird house
dramatically for the bottom regular wood
will do just fine but it often tends to
get quite humid inside so something like
cior grade plywood is also a good
choice however you do want to avoid
anything pressure treated as that could
have toxins leeching into the
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nest because of the way this is
constructed you may find that the front
is binding after screen the bottom in
place simply take a couple of shavings
off the sides of the front and it should
loosen up
to lock in the tilting front wall I
simply drill some holes and put in some
loose fitting
nails if the nails keep falling out bend
them slightly and they should stay in
place drillings and ventilation holes in
the bottom will allow moisture to escape
so the inside can dry
faster a 6 mm drill bit will do just
fine
for the roof I am also using exterior
grade plywood and it's a good idea to
have it overhang the walls on all four
sides the front overhang should be left
even longer to provide protection for
the entrance and to let water drip off
without it running down the front wall
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adding a predator guard is a good idea
it will likely not hold back woodpeckers
as they just seem to work their way
through the walls but for squirrels it
will be a major
obstacle adding a roosting pin below the
entrance hole is a big no no the birds
don't need it and neither do the
predators that are trying to get in
the diameter of the Guard plate should
match that of the entrance precisely in
this case 32
mm after fastening the guard around the
entrance make sure there are no sharp
edges mounting the birdh house to a
frame like I am doing here should be
considered optional but it does allow
for better air circulation between the
tree trunk and the back of the birdhouse
once again the idea is to let the wood
dry faster after a rain and avoid
structures that will hold
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moisture now obviously this is not the
easiest or the fastest way to make a
bird house but if you do care about your
Feathered Friends and about solid long-
lasting construction then I hope this
video has provided you with some
information that is often overlooked
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