Springtime and the birds need a place to nest…
Previously there were three houses on a pressure treated post, that configuration lasted about 9 years before the post rotted through and toppled over destroying the rotted houses.
Those houses were made of scrap pine and painted with oil-based paint. Worked pretty well, but I guess there should not be any paint or stain as it’s not good for the birds. This time around 1″ cedar with some glue will be used. There are not a lot of pics of the assembly, but the process is straightforward enough. No plans needed, just make it up as you go along, the design limited by the dimensions of the wood. In this case, the cedar is 1″ x 6″ x 10′.
I used Gorilla Glue on all the joints with some brads. Great glue, just be sure to wear gloves! Both houses are mounted to a piece of cedar to make it easier to attach to the post.
The post is made from a couple pieces of 8′ pressure treated landscaping timber from Home Depot. The full length is used for the vertical piece, it will go 2′ into the ground leave 6′ above. A 2′ section of the second piece is used for the horizontal support.
Attach the two pieces together using a countersunk 5″ lag screw. Place the bird house assemble on top and fasten in place with some 3″ deck screws.
To install, use a post hole digger and create a 2′ hole. Put a couple inches of gravel in the hole and tamp it down. I used a fifty pound bag of Quickrete All-purpose stone. Next, insert the post (made easier with a helper), ensure that it’s plumb on all sides. Back-fill the hole with remaining stone which will get to about 3/4 full. Tamp down using a board end. The remaining can be filled with dirt, but since I have a bunch of sand left from an abandoned sandbox, I used that. Project complete.
Birds were in the house within 24 hours.
Gallery of images:
