For less than $5, you can build this easy-to-make birdhouse that will last a lifetime.
NOT FOR EATING
For simplicity and durability, few birdhouses can outdo or outlast this one made by Herbert Evans of Springfield, Missouri. This birdhouse is so simple to make that, with a little assistance, even a child can assemble it in minutes. This makes it perfect for classrooms, 4-H clubs, or scouting projects.
Supplies needed:
9 inches of 4-inch diameter PVC pipe
1 round wooden drawer pull, approximately 1 3/4 inches in diameter
2 (4-inch) PVC caps
1 (1/4 x 6-inch) eyebolt and nut
2 sheet-metal screws
1 (1/8 x 1 1/2-inch) hexagon-head bolt and nut (optional, for the perch)
1 plastic funnel, at least 6 inches in diameter
- Use a saw to cut the 9-inch-long body of the birdhouse from a 4-inch-diameter PVC pipe. A hacksaw (used for cutting metal) works best because of its fine-toothed blade.
- Drill an entrance hole, locating the center about 6 inches from one end of the wrens, 1 1/8 inches for chickadees, and 1 1/4 inches for nuthatches, tufted tit mice, and downy woodpeckers.
- An optional perch (see photo) can be added about 1 inch below the entrance hole (4 1/2 inches from the bottom of the house), but it’s not necessary for the birds’ sake. Herbert used a 1/8-inch machined bolt for a perch. Drill a hole for the bolt and insert it from the inside of the pipe. Hold the head with a wrench or pliers and secure it by tightening a nut on it from the outside of the house.
- Saw off the tip of the funnel.
- Drill a 1/4-inch hole through the center of both PVC caps and the wooden drawer pull (use a vice grip, water pump, pliers, or vice to hold this as you are drilling).
- Place a 4-inch PVC cap at the top of the pipe. Drill a small pilot hole for a sheet-metal screw into the side of the cap and through the pipe. The screw will hold the cap in place.
- Drill three 1/4-inch holes for ventilation below the PVC cap as shown in the diagram.
- Thread the eyebolt through the wooden drawer pull, the top of the funnel, and the PVC cap. From the inside of the house, tighten a nut on the end of the eyebolt ot hold all the pieces together.
- Now that all the parts are assembled, close the bottom of the pipe with the remaining PVC cap. Again, drill a pilot hole and secure the cap with a sheet-metal screw.
- Go ahead and hang your PVC birdhouse – you’re set to welcome generations of birds to this durable abode.
- At the end of the nesting season, remove the sheer metal screw in the bottom cap to clean out the house.
- Use a saw to cut the 9-inch-long body of the birdhouse from a 4-inch-diameter PVC pipe. A hacksaw (used for cutting metal) works best because of its fine-toothed blade.
- Drill an entrance hole, locating the center about 6 inches from one end of the wrens, 1 1/8 inches for chickadees, and 1 1/4 inches for nuthatches, tufted tit mice, and downy woodpeckers.
- An optional perch (see photo) can be added about 1 inch below the entrance hole (4 1/2 inches from the bottom of the house), but it’s not necessary for the birds’ sake. Herbert used a 1/8-inch machined bolt for a perch. Drill a hole for the bolt and insert it from the inside of the pipe. Hold the head with a wrench or pliers and secure it by tightening a nut on it from the outside of the house.
- Saw off the tip of the funnel.
- Drill a 1/4-inch hole through the center of both PVC caps and the wooden drawer pull (use a vice grip, water pump, pliers, or vice to hold this as you are drilling).
- Place a 4-inch PVC cap at the top of the pipe. Drill a small pilot hole for a sheet-metal screw into the side of the cap and through the pipe. The screw will hold the cap in place.
- Drill three 1/4-inch holes for ventilation below the PVC cap as shown in the diagram.
- Thread the eyebolt through the wooden drawer pull, the top of the funnel, and the PVC cap. From the inside of the house, tighten a nut on the end of the eyebolt ot hold all the pieces together.
- Now that all the parts are assembled, close the bottom of the pipe with the remaining PVC cap. Again, drill a pilot hole and secure the cap with a sheet-metal screw.
- Go ahead and hang your PVC birdhouse – you’re set to welcome generations of birds to this durable abode.
- At the end of the nesting season, remove the sheer metal screw in the bottom cap to clean out the house.
*Note: Mr. Evans is 86 years old. He said to buy supplies from a plumbing company.
Printed from Birds & Blooms with Mr. Herbert Evans’ permission.
