At a glance
Finished dimensions
Overall sizes
- Inside
- 5-1/2 × 5-1/2 in, 8 in deep at the front
- Entrance
- 1 in (house wren) or 1-1/8 in (black-capped chickadee), centred 7-1/4 in above the front's bottom edge
- Overall
- 11 in wide at the roof, 15-1/2 in tall at the back
Materials
| Item | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar 1×6 (3/4 × 5-1/2 in) | About 3 ft | Untreated, unpainted |
| Cedar 1×8 (3/4 × 7-1/4 in), ripped to 7 in | About 2 ft | Front and back |
| Cedar 1×12 (3/4 × 11-1/4 in), ripped to 11 in | About 1 ft | Roof |
| Galvanized screws, 1-5/8 in | About 16 | No staples |
Cut list
| Part | Qty | Dimensions | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back | 1 | 3/4 × 7 × 15-1/2 in | Cedar 1×8, ripped |
| Front | 1 | 3/4 × 7 × 8-3/4 in | Cedar 1×8, ripped |
| Fixed side | 1 | 3/4 × 5-1/2 in; 10-1/2 in at the back edge, 9 in at the front | Cedar 1×6 |
| Pivoting side | 1 | 3/4 × 5-1/2 in; 10-3/8 in at the back edge, 8-7/8 in at the front | Cedar 1×6 |
| Floor | 1 | 3/4 × 5-1/2 × 5-1/2 in, corners clipped 1/2 in | Cedar 1×6 |
| Roof | 1 | 3/4 × 11 × 9 in, back edge bevelled about 15° | Cedar 1×12, ripped |
Tools
- Saw
- Drill/driver with 5/8 in and entrance-size bits
- Square, tape and bevel gauge
What NestWatch asks of a nest box
- Untreated, unpainted wood at least 3/4 in thick. Cedar, pine or cypress; boards sold as 1 in are 3/4 in thick.
- A sloped roof that overhangs the front by 2 to 4 in and the sides by 2 in, with 1/4 in deep saw cuts under three edges as gutters.
- A recessed floor that drains: at least 1/4 in up from the bottom, with four 3/8 to 1/2 in holes or the corners clipped off.
- Ventilation: two 5/8 in holes near the top of each side.
- No perch. NestWatch says a perch is unnecessary and helps predators.
- A rough wall below the entrance so nestlings can climb out, and a side that opens for cleaning, held shut with a latch.
- Galvanized screws, not staples or nails, which can loosen and let rain in.
Sized for house wrens and chickadees
| Species | Entrance | Inside depth | Width and length | Height on the pole | Spacing | Facing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House wren | 1 in | 8 in | 5-1/2 × 5-1/2 in | 5–10 ft | 100 ft | Any direction |
| Black-capped chickadee | 1-1/8 in | 8 in | 5-1/2 × 5-1/2 in | 5–15 ft | 650 ft | Away from the prevailing wind |
From NestWatch's species pages. Both entrances are smaller than the 1-1/4 in House Sparrows and the 1-9/16 in European Starlings can use, by NestWatch's figures.
The same box suits both birds; only the entrance differs. Drill 1 in for house wrens or 1-1/8 in for chickadees, and check which birds nest in your region on NestWatch before choosing. This plan is not offered for bluebirds: NestWatch's Eastern Bluebird page gives a 2-1/4 in entrance, which conflicts with its own advice that starlings can enter any hole of 1-9/16 in or more, so BenchRoot does not use that figure.
The design
The sides sit between the front and the back, so the inside is the side boards' 5-1/2 in width front to back and the front's 7 in less two sides, 5-1/2 in, side to side. The sides' tops slope from 10-1/2 in at the back to 9 in at the front, an angle of about 15°, and the roof rests on them. The floor sits 1/4 in up from the bottom, so the inside depth from floor to roof at the front is 8 in. The back is 15-1/2 in long, set 2 in below the box so it reaches about 2 in above the roof, for fixing to a pole. One side pivots on two screws near its top, through the front and back, and a third screw near its bottom keeps it shut; it is cut 1/8 in shorter along its top so it clears the roof as it swings.
Building it
Parts, holes and assembly
Cut the parts
Cut the parts in the cut list. Mark each side's sloped top from 10-1/2 in at the back edge to 9 in at the front, the pivoting side 1/8 in lower along that line, and saw to the lines. Clip 1/2 in off each corner of the floor for drainage.
Drill the holes
Drill the entrance through the front, centred side to side and 7-1/4 in above its bottom edge. Drill two 5/8 in ventilation holes near the top of each side.
Roughen the inside
Below the entrance on the front's inside face, saw a series of shallow horizontal cuts or roughen it with coarse abrasive, so nestlings can climb out.
Prepare the roof
Bevel the roof's back edge at about 15° so it sits flat against the back, and saw 1/4 in deep gutter cuts on the underside near the front and both side edges.
Assemble back, side and front
Screw the fixed side to the back through the back, its bottom 2 in above the back's bottom end. Screw the front to the fixed side, bottoms flush.
Fit the floor
Set the floor between front, back and fixed side, 1/4 in up from the bottom, and screw through those three into it. Do not fix it to the pivoting side.
Hang the pivoting side
Set the pivoting side in its opening and drive one screw through the front and one through the back into it, at the same height about 1 in below its top, as the pivot. Drive a third screw through the front near the bottom as the latch.
Fit the roof
Set the roof on the sides with its bevel against the back and screw down into the fixed side and through the back. Leave the wood unpainted.
Mounting and care
NestWatch recommends mounting a box on a metal pole fitted with a predator baffle rather than on a tree or fence post, away from trees cats can jump from, at the height and spacing in the table. Open the pivoting side to monitor the nest and to clean the box once the young have left. The galvanized screws NestWatch asks for also resist the staining that cedar's extractives cause in plain steel, which the Wood Handbook describes.
Safety— Small parts at the saw
Cut the short parts from longer boards with a stop, clamp them to drill, and follow each tool's manual. See woodworking safety rules.
Before putting the box up
- Entrance sized for the species: 1 in or 1-1/8 in
- No perch, and no paint or treatment
- Floor recessed with clipped corners
- Four ventilation holes
- Inside wall roughened below the entrance
- Pivoting side opens and latches
- A metal pole and baffle ready
Why cedar suits outdoor work is in outdoor woodworking projects; a larger cedar build is the Adirondack chair.
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Sources
Features, entrance sizes, depths and placement are NestWatch's. NestWatch gives the box 'width and length' as 5 1/2 in without saying inside or outside; this design makes the inside 5 1/2 × 5 1/2 in and says so. NestWatch does not give the height of the entrance above the floor; 7-1/4 in from the front's bottom edge is BenchRoot's choice. A BenchRoot design, drawn and checked but not built for this page. Bluebird boxes are not offered: NestWatch's Eastern Bluebird page lists a 2 1/4 in entrance, while its features page says European Starlings can enter any hole of 1 9/16 in or more.
- 1.
Features of a Good Birdhouse. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, NestWatch.
Used for: Untreated, unpainted wood such as cedar, pine or cypress; galvanized screws, not staples; walls at least 3/4 in thick; a sloped roof overhanging the front by 2–4 in and the sides by 2 in, with 1/4 in deep cuts under three edges as gutters; a floor recessed at least 1/4 in with four 3/8–1/2 in drainage holes or clipped corners; two 5/8 in ventilation holes near the top of each side; no perch; a rough interior wall below the entrance; an extended back for pole mounting; a hinged side with a latch; a metal pole with a baffle; European Starlings entering any hole of 1 9/16 in or more and House Sparrows any of 1 1/4 in or more.
- 2.
House Wren: nest box placement and measurements. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, NestWatch.
Used for: House wren: a 1 in entrance, 8 in inside depth, 5 1/2 × 5 1/2 in width and length; mounted 5–10 ft high, boxes 100 ft apart, facing any direction.
- 3.
Black-capped Chickadee: nest box placement and measurements. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, NestWatch.
Used for: Black-capped chickadee: a 1 1/8 in entrance, 8 in inside depth, 5 1/2 × 5 1/2 in width and length; mounted 5–15 ft high, boxes 650 ft apart, facing away from the prevailing wind.
- 4.
Eastern Bluebird: nest box placement and measurements. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, NestWatch.
Used for: The Eastern Bluebird page's entrance figure of 2 1/4 in, reported as conflicting with the features page's starling threshold and not used.
- 5.
Chapter 8: Fastenings. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Galvanized and stainless fasteners resisting corrosion and the staining that some woods' extractives cause in steel.
About this project
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