How to Build a Birdhouse for Eastern Mountain Bluebirds

Eastern mountain bluebirds are beloved for their cheerful disposition and colorful plumage. Houses for bluebirds can be expensive to buy in a store. They can be made in your home workshop for a fraction of the price. You may even have some of the materials necessary to build the birdhouse leftover from other projects. Building a house for Eastern mountain bluebirds should help attract them to your yard and provide them with a safe place to nest. This will also help to maintain the population of bluebirds.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 cedar boards, 1 by 5 1/2 by 10 3/4 inches
  • Tape Measure
  • Pencil
  • Miter saw
  • 1 cedar board, 1 by 6 by 13 1/2 inches
  • 1 box of wood screws
  • Screwdriver
  • 1 cedar board, 1 by 5 by 5 inches
  • Drill
  • 1/8-inch drill bit
  • 1 cedar board, 1 by 5 by 9 inches
  • 1 1/2-inch drill bit
  • 1 cedar board, 1 by 6 by 7 1/2 inches
  • 2 hinges with screws
  • Eye hook set
  • 1 post, 4 by 4 by 60 inches
  • Post hole digger
  • Level
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure 9 1/2 inches from the bottom of each of the 1-by-5 1/2-by-10 3/4-inch cedar boards using a tape measure. Mark the measurement with a pencil. Draw a line from the top of one corner down to the pencil mark on the other side---making a dog-ear---for each board. Cut the board at the line using a miter saw. These are the sides. This will create an angle for the roof to rest on.

    • 2

      Place the 1-by-6-by-13 1/2-inch cedar board on a work surface. This is the back of the birdhouse. Place the sides against the back boards, up 1 inch from the bottom. The sides should be flush with the edges of the back. Fasten the back to the sides using wood screws and a screwdriver. Space the screws evenly every 2 inches.

    • 3

      Drill three 1/8-inch holes in the 1-by-5-by-5-inch cedar board. Space the holes approximately 1 inch apart starting in the center of the board. This is the bottom of the birdhouse. The holes will provide drainage for any water that might enter the birdhouse.

    • 4

      Insert the bottom between the sides of the birdhouse so that it rests against the back. The bottom should be flush with the bottom edges of the sides. Fasten the bottom to the back and sides using wood screws and screwdriver. Space the screws evenly every 2 inches.

    • 5

      Drill a 1 1/2-inch hole in the center of the 1-by-5-by-9-inch cedar board down 1 inch from the top edge. This board is the front of the birdhouse. The hole is the opening of the birdhouse for the Eastern mountain bluebirds to enter. Place the front on top of the sides. The bottom of the front should be flush with the bottom of the birdhouse. Fasten the front to the sides and bottom using a screwdriver and wood screws.

    • 6

      Place the 1-by-6-by-7 1/2-inch cedar board on top of the sides and front. This is the roof board. Place the two hinges on the roof board and align them so that they are 1/2 inch in from the edge of the roof. Fasten the hinges to the underside of the roof and back of the birdhouse using the provided screws and a screwdriver. Close the roof down. Screw the eye into the bottom side of the roof. Screw the eye hook into the front side of the birdhouse so that it is aligned with the eye hook. Fasten the eye hook through the eye to secure the roof closed.

    • 7

      Dig a 2-foot deep hole in the location that you would like to mount the birdhouse using a post hole digger. Place the 4-by-4-by-60-inch post into the hole. Hold a level against the post as you fill the hole back in and pack the soil around the post to ensure that it is level.

    • 8

      Mount the birdhouse to the post using a screwdriver and wood screws. One screw at the top and bottom of the birdhouse back will be sufficient to fasten the birdhouse to the post.