DIY Birdhouse Ideas That Will Blow Your Mind
Looking for diy birdhouse ideas that go beyond ordinary? Me too! I’m someone who really appreciates our avian friends very greatly, but for the obvious reason of having cats I know I could never have a pet bird of my own.
So I really get into making birdhouses and birdfeeders – I’m not too much into the milk carton method; I was aiming for the timeless classic round hole in the middle, out of wood. Sometimes the birdhouses you see just look so…standard.
They do what they were made to do…house our feathered friends, but sometimes we want something a little more outside the (bird) box!
Think a birdhouse has to be boring? Think again! That’s about to change when I show you some of the most unique approaches to birdhouse crafting!
But First: Here’s MY Birdhouse!
I came across what I guessed was an old tissue box with a heart-shaped opening which would be great for the “entrance”
I used the following tools: Empty wooden box of which I didn’t know if it was made for tissues or whatnot, two scraps of wood, acrylic paint, adhesive, popsicle sticks, and one clothespin (I’ll explain why in a moment), small hand saw, sanding paper, spray sealant.
It was tricky determining how short/wide to cut the wood pieces so they would fit on top flush with the box; which meant that I needed to use a measuring tape. You may have an easier time with a flat -style roof rather than the classic apex style.
I glued the sticks in the space; at times I had to cut and piece them together (a few did overlap a little) At some point I may have been a stick short…I have lots of clothespins laying around but sometimes they are cheap and pop a spring, but I realized that without that spring, each half can actually get used, so there you go (it’s at the back)
I ended up using a long length of 12 gauge aluminum craft wire ran through the opening and twisted it enough to be taut before hanging.
Creative Birdhouse Ideas You May Not Have Thought Of!
Need a quick goodie for a roof? Old license plates seem to do the trick – If you save yours, this is the upcycle you’ve been hoping for. Most plates are flexible enough that if you have a workbench handy a few taps of a hammer could bend it into the right shape.
The liscense plate idea seems to be pretty popular! If you’d like to try it yourself, I have found a good tutorial right here for it.
Creative Commons Image Attribution: Image by Dave Dugdale
Upcycle a Teapot or Pitcher Into a Mini Bird Sanctuary!
A teapot turned sideways with the top removed to provide an opening is the perfect upcycle. Look how I did it with this old yellow pitcher…It got a little chipped, but too cute to throw away so I turned it into another birdhouse too!
I used a metal plant hanger dealie to hang mine, but if you have some strong rope you can just wrap it around the handle and secure it from a sturdy tree limb.
Popsicle sticks….If you have plenty of these you may be able to pull off a birdhouse like this one! I like how much it resembles a “people house” yet still has enough room to make a few birds comfy!
I used a few popsicle craft sticks that I used to conceal a little of the open space on my birdhouse. I figured a little open space would be good to be able to loop the cord through all the way around before hanging it up; which seemed a little more secure than a couple of eyehooks.
I like what this guy did with his craft stick arrangement – in this tutorial, he shows you how to arrange the sticks for the roof as well as the bottom and sides; which I understand can be tricky unless you can see how it’s done up close.
You can paint your finished birdhouse (use outdoor-friendly paints) in your desired colors, (or get colored craft sticks
Upcycle a Single Shoe or Boot Into a Killer DIY Birdhouse!
Wow…check out what these people did! A certain bird family is gonna want to move into these for sure! This is a dynamite idea for one of those weird instances in which you only have “one odd” boot for whatever reason. If you look closely, you can see that these boot birdhouses are hanging via simple eyehooks
Wow…This Birdhouse Uses a Roof Made From a BOOK!
Wow…here’s an idea if there ever was one…an old hardcover book used! Used to make the roof….And what do you think of the pipe used as a perch? Genius!
Creative Commons Image Attribution: Image by H. Michael Karshis
Just when you thought there were no more uses for old books. When it comes to birdhouses…dare to be different!
Why is it when people say “that’s for the birds” it is usually something bad or lousy? Birds rule!!
So I hope you enjoyed this collection of great ideas and they help inspire you further. Which of these do YOU like the best?
hi, for your lollipop/popsicle stick birdhouse, have you considered putting blueprints or plans on your site so other people can try to make them?
Be well
That’s a good idea! Sometimes I might link to a relevant article, my stumbling block seems to be finding pictures to supplement the steps involved 🙂 I will check with Instructables dot com as that seems to be one of the better sites I have come across that shows step by step projects (and their respective images) in action.