Barn Birdhouse

Barn Birdhouse Plans

The Barn Birdhouse plan is designed for wrens and titmice, but other small birds might find this particular design suitable for nesting. This barn-style birdhouse is made from all natural western red cedar and a US license plate for the roof.

Red Barn Birdhouse

The only materials you need to build these birdhouse plans is a 6 foot piece of 1x6 cedar fence board and an old license plate (for the roof). If you don't have a license plate, you can use a 6-inch x 12-inch piece of tin.

Barn Birdhouse Plans

Birdhouse Plans

To cut the half-round roof shape, measure up from the bottom of a 10 inch piece of 1x6 cedar, 6 1/4 inches, and make a mark in the center of the board. Assuming the 1x6 cedar is 5 1/2 inches wide, the center should be 2 3/4 inches from each edge of the 1x6. From this center point, use a compass (set to 2 3/4 inches) to mark the semi-circle shape of the roof. Use a jigsaw to cut it. Use the front piece as a template for marking and cutting the back piece.

Use the center point on the front piece as the location of the 1 1/8-inch entry hole. Use a paddle bit to drill the hole.


Cut the sides and base of the barn birdhouse, to the sizes indicated in the birdhouse plans, and assemble them together as shown using 16 gauge galvanized finish nails, except the right side panel - it will be used as a cleanout door. Use 1 1/4-inch wood screws, screwed in from the front and back panels of the birdhouse, as hinges for the right-side cleanout door (location of hinge-screws is shown in the drawing as a dashed line). Secure the bottom of the door to the base using another 1 1/4-inch wood screw (not shown in the drawings). This screw can be removed so that the door can be raised to clean out old nesting material.

How to Build a Birdhouse

Once the wood pieces have been assembled, you can paint the external parts of the birdhouse (optional) using an antique-red water based exterior paint. Paint can be toxic to birds. If you choose to paint the birdhouse, leave the inside of the birdhouse natural wood.

Once the paint has dried, bend the license plate around the half-round roof shape and attach it to the front and back sections using the four holes provided in the license plate.

To hang the birdhouse, you can drill a couple of holes through the top of the license plate and thread a piece of wound wire through them. Of course, there are also other methods. Check out the other free birdhouse plans on mycarpentry.com to see some of the other options.

Free Bird House Plans
Bewick's Wren at the Red Barn Birdhouse

The Bewick's Wren in the photo above showed up in less than two hours after I hung the birdhouse. Shortly afterwards, a Tufted Titmouse showed some interest.

This birdhouse is an easy project to build and will provide many years of habitat for local and migrating birds. This is an excellent small woodworking project and perfect for learning how to build a birdhouse. Enjoy!


More Information About Birds and Bird Houses

Check out the other birdhouse plans available on mycarpentry.com

Visit eBird to learn more about birds and discover the world of birding.

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