Build a Better Birdhouse From One Fence Board

A good birdhouse is not a tiny dollhouse with a perch. It is a dark, dry, rough-sided cavity with one carefully sized doorway. Build this simple nest box from a single 1-by-6 cedar fence board, and you’ll have a useful weekend project for about $10 to $20.

You’ll need: one 6-foot cedar fence board, a tape measure, pencil, square, handsaw or circular saw, drill, 1 1/8-inch hole saw, 1/4-inch drill bit, exterior screws, and sandpaper. Cedar is naturally weather-resistant, but untreated pine works if you paint only the outside.

Cut these pieces:

Two sides, each 9 inches long; a front, 9 inches; a back, 14 inches; a floor, 4 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches; and two roof pieces, one 8 inches and one 6 inches long. The board is usually 5 1/2 inches wide, which is just right for this box.

Start with the front. Measure 6 inches up from the bottom and mark the center. Drill a 1 1/8-inch entrance hole there. This size suits several small cavity-nesting birds, including wrens and chickadees, while discouraging many larger competitors. If your local birds differ, check a regional birding guide before drilling; the hole size is the house’s most important feature.

Now drill four 1/4-inch drainage holes in the floor and two ventilation holes near the top of each side. Assemble the box with screws, keeping the floor slightly recessed so rain cannot run straight into the joint. Attach the back first, then the sides, front, floor, and roof. Leave one side or the roof removable with a single screw so you can clean out old nesting material after the season.

The beginner mistake: sanding the inside smooth. Birds need rough wood to grip, especially young birds climbing toward the entrance. Leave the interior unfinished. If you already sanded it, make shallow horizontal scratches below the hole with a screwdriver or chisel.

Mount the box securely on a pole or building, roughly 5 to 10 feet high, with the entrance facing away from prevailing rain. Do not add a perch; predators use it as a convenient front porch. Paint or stain only the exterior, and choose a dull natural color. Then step back. The birds, unlike most contractors, will not complain about your screw spacing.