Free Blue Bird House Plans!

DIFFICULTY RATING:  BEGINNER

These blue bird house plans went through several variations until they met the specs needed for blue birds, but still easy for the beginner woodworker to build!

The design considerations are numerous for such a small project!  These included:  the right size of several pieces; keeping out the rain; providing for ventilation and shade; allowing for maintenance; and much more!

For a more thorough discussion of the design factors, visit page "Design Blue Bird House Plans".

Woodworking Tools Needed to Build Blue Bird House.

Because these free blue bird house plans were designed for the woodworking beginner, there are only a minimal amount of tools needed.

The woodworking hand tools used are:

• woodworking clamps;
• pencil;
• tape measure;
• square; and
• Kreg Jig (Affiliate Link).

Power Tools Needed

The woodworking power tools used to make these bird house plans are: 

• jig saw, circular saw (any saw that can cut straight);
• and a drill. 
  

A power sander would be helpful, but not essential.

Materials Needed.

This bird house could be made from pine or cedar.

You will need the following wood:

• (1) 1x10 by 2'; and
  
• (1) 1x6 by 4'.
  

The Only Type of Pocket Hole Joinery is Right Angle.

The only pocket hole joinery used for these blue bird house plans is right angle joinery.

The photo shows the use of the Kreg right angle clamp. (Affiliate Link.)  In the photos you can see that I used this clamp throughout the assembly.

The Estimated Cost to Build This Bird House.

Cut The Seven Pieces
for These Blue Bird House Plans.

The PDF, available at a link below, has the cut diagrams for both the 1x10 and the 1x6 boards.  The above photo shows the 1x10.

The Roof Has "Kerf" Cuts Around Front and Sides.

This is one of the steps in these blue bird house plans to protect the nest from rain.  The kerfs cut around the underside of the roof are to encourage drips to fall on the outside, rather than the inside, of the nesting box.  They are about 1/8" deep.

I made these with a miter saw, but they can be made with a handsaw, or a chisel, or a knife.  They don't have to be perfect!

I did the roof preparation first because I wanted to get started painting it.

I Painted The Roof Green.

Why?  Because that is the paint I had.  The rest of the blue bird house will be a natural color.

My research has indicated that the blue bird house should be dull in color, and, definitely, not white.

People like the brightly colored bird houses - the bluebirds do not.

Cut the Corners in the Bottom Piece.

The bottom piece needs to allow for water drainage.

These blue bird house plans show a little bit of each corner cut off for that purpose.

You could also just drill a hole near each corner to allow for floor drainage.

With the Pieces Cut,
You Can Set Up Your Kreg Jig.

All of the wood used in these blue bird house plans is 3/4" thick.  You set up your Kreg Jig to match that thickness of wood.

If you need a refresher on how to do that (it is easy), click on these instructions:

• Kreg K4 Set-up; and
• Kreg K5 Set-up.
  

4 of the 7 Pieces Have Pocket Holes.

The PDF also shows where the pocket holes are to be drilled.

The most important aspect here is to make sure that you are making the two sides mirror images!

Also, mark where the BOTTOM of the floor will be on each side.  This makes it much easier when you are ready to attach the floor.

The floor piece will not have pocket holes on the front as the front door of the bird house will open, and needs to be attached with pivot screws.

Next Drill Your Ventilation Holes.

You want to drill the pocket holes before the ventilation holes to be sure there is no overlap.

I drilled the ventilation holes with a 5/8" spade bit, and put two of them between the pocket holes on each side.

If you don't have a spade bit, just use the largest regular drill bit in your set, and drill 3 or 4 of them.  The goal here is to allow heat to escape near the top of the nesting box.

Use Your 1 1/2" Hole Bit to Drill the Entrance Holes.

I marked the location for this hole on the "Predator Guard" piece, and drilled through the predator guard into the blue bird box front piece.

Then I used the mark created from that circle to drill the front piece.

The Next Step Is To Create a "Fledgling Ladder".

The baby bluebirds need a way to get out of the nest, so a fledgling ladder was included in these blue bird house plans.

I cut mine with a miter saw, but you can glue on popsicle sticks, make thick scratch lines with a chisel, or attach a length of metal mesh to the inside of the front piece.

Ready for Assembly!

The paint on the roof is still drying, but the other six pieces are ready for assembly.

Attach One Side to the Back.

You can attach one side to the back.

Again, the Kreg right angle clamp is very handy.  It made alignment of the 2 pieces much easier.

Next You Can Attach the 2nd Side.

It doesn't matter which side you start with! 

Next Step is to Attach Roof.

I marked the location of where the box would sit on the underside of the roof, lined it up, and drove the pocket hole screws.

The right angle clamp didn't work here because of the width of the roof, but it was possible to hold the box in place by hand.

Next Step is to Attach Floor.

I had marked the bottom line for the shelf on both sides earlier.  Again, the right angle clamp came in very handy for attaching the floor.

I was able to line it up, clamp and drive the pocket hole screws.  It stayed aligned throughout the process.

Attach the Predator Guard to Front.

Before I glued the predator guard to the front, just for the fun of it, I sanded the edges.  Totally optional!

Once the glue dried, I used two 1 1/4" wood screws to secure those two pieces together.

Drill the Pivot Holes.

The pivot holes on each side are 5/8" from bottom, and 3/8" from front of side piece.

I clamped the front door in place, and drilled from side into front.  The pivot screws lined up well.

Drill Hole for Closure of Front Door.

I drilled a slightly angled downward hole from the side into the front door to hold a pin to keep the bird house closed.

The Blue Bird House is Complete!

The bird house is complete, and ready to finish.

All the advice I received was to keep it natural looking or to use a dull colored paint.  The strongest advice was not to paint it white!

The bluebirds are not attracted to a brightly colored home!

Download The Free PDF for These Blue Bird House Plans.

Click on this link, or on the drawing to the right to download your free copy of this woodworking plans PDF.

Need a Free Bird Feeder Plan?

This free bird feeder plan was developed by the Kreg Tool Company.

To learn more about it, and to get the link to download it, click here.

You may also click on the photo.