making a bird house

A wooden crate is a low-budget and easy-to-work-with material. It can be used to make a bird house for our winged friends in the country or the city. This little handmade birdhouse will cheer up your balcony, patio or even your living room. To attach the various parts of the bird house together, you use the crate corners; the sides are used for the floor, wall and roof. Another crate corner makes the ridge of the roof.

The next time you go to the market, pick up an empty crate with some fun designs on the sides. Starting with the bottom, cut it apart using sharp pliers. Then warp the crate to a diamond shape; this will make it easier to take apart the sides and corners. Using a utility knife and a small saw (like a backsaw), cut some strips of wood of the right length. Nail these "shingles" to the wooden crate corners. Before you nail down the last roof shingle, screw an eye bolt onto the ridge of the roof, to hang the birdhouse. Last, nail the birdhouse floor to the four wood corners.

birdhouse detail

The size of the opening depends on the type of bird you are building the house for: about 1 inch (2.7 cm) for a blue tit, 1 3/8 inch (3.5 cm) for a sparrow, 1¼ inch (3 cm) for a great tit. The best place to hang the birdhouse is under the eaves, high up where cats cannot reach it. The best time of year: January or February.

Click on the plan to enlarge and print it.
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January 2007 [recycling crafts]
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