How to Build a Chickadee Birdhouse

Chickadees are small birds that are commonly seen flitting about your backyard. People like attracting chickadees to their homes because in addition to grains and seeds, chickadees enjoy dining on insects. One way to attract chickadees is to build chickadee birdhouses that provide the birds with a safe place they can raise their young. The best thing about birdhouses for Chickadees is that they are an excellent birdhouse for first time birdhouse builder to start on. The design is easy to follow and the construction is basic.

Things You'll Need

  • • hand saw
  • • screwdriver
  • • (1) 2 foot x 4 foot sheet of 1/2 inch exterior grade plywood
  • • brace and bit (or power drill)
  • • coping saw
  • • carpenter's square
  • • hammer
  • • ruler
  • • paintbrush
  • • pencil
  • • safety glasses
  • • exterior latex house paint
  • • polyurethane finish
  • • (1) 6 1/2 inch x 1/4 inch wooden dowel
  • • 1 inch galvanized brads or 3 penny nails
  • • (6) rust-resistant wood screws #6 x 3/4 inches long
  • • waterproof glue
  • • sandpaper
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Instructions

  1. How to Build a Chickadee Birdhouse

    • 1

      Although building a chickadee birdhouse is a relatively simple project, you life will be simpler if you have a birdhouse blueprint you can follow. You can find several free blueprints online. Once you have located a set of blueprints that you like, you will want to print them so that you have a copy with you while you are cutting the pieces of wood for your birdhouse.

    • 2

      The first piece you are going to cut is going to be used for the birdhouse roof. One half of the roof will measure 6 1/2" x 9 1/4" while the other half should measure 6" x 9 1/4".

    • 3

      Cut the two sides. These are cut to measure 5" x 6 1/2". Lay the birdhouse sides to one side of your workbench and proceed to cut the floor which should measure 6 1/2" x 6 1/4" in addition to the floor you will need to cut floor rails that measure 6 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2". Each of these pieces are made out of exterior grade plywood. When you are cutting make sure you use your carpenters square to make sure all of your corners are square. By making sure your corners are perfectly cut, you will guarantee that your birdhouse won’t have any gaps.

    • 4

      Cut the pieces that will make up the front and back of your chickadee birdhouse. Your front should measure 6 ½” x 8 5/8”. Once you have the front and back of the birdhouse cut you will need to use your pencil and mark the middle of the top part of the rectangle, this mark will signify were the peak of your roof will peak.

    • 5

      When you have all of the pieces of your birdhouse measured and cut, you will need to drill a 1½” hole in the piece that you are going to use for the front of your birdhouse. This hole is going to be what the chickadees use to enter the birdhouse. Directly underneath the entrance hole you will need to drill another hole that is ¼” inch hole. This small hole is where you will secure a perch for the chickadees.

    • 6

      Now that the cutting and measuring is done, it is time to assemble your chickadee birdhouse. Attach your floor attachment rails to the front and back of your birdhouse. Once you have made sure that the floor rails are flush to the bottom of the pieces you will use your galvanized nails and the waterproof glue to attach them to the plywood.

    • 7

      Attach the walls of your bird house. After making sure all of the sides are perfectly aligned you will use your waterproof glue to attach the sides to the front and back of the birdhouse.

    • 8

      Attach the roof of your bird house. First you’re going to attach the smaller piece of roof. Use glue to fasten it in place. Next you want to attach the 6 1/2” piece of roofing. This piece will over lap the other half of the roof. The overlap will help prevent rain from getting inside of the birdhouse. Drive a few nails into the roof to help prevent it from blowing off during strong winds.

    • 9

      Attach the floor once the glue has dried comletely. Turn the birdhouse upside down and use the wood screws to attach the floor to the floor attachments. The reason you want to use the wood screws instead of the waterproof glue because after the baby chickadees move out of the birdhouse you will want to remove the floor so that you can clean the bird house.

    • 10

      Make a perch under the entrance hole. This will be a place that the chickadees can sit and watch the world pass by. All you have to do is insert the wooden dowel into the ¼” hole that you drilled under the entrance hole.

    • 11

      Your chickadee birdhouse is now complete and ready to be mounted so that a family of chickadees can make it their home.