Schoolhouse Birdhouse

These schoolhouse birdhouse plans were inspired by the old-time small single-room country schools of the past. If you are home-schooling students interested in learning more about birds and their habitats, this easy craft project is a good way to get them started. A birdhouse is also a perfect homemade gift idea. Be sure to check out the other birdhouse plans available on myCarpentry.com.


Building the Schoolhouse Birdhouse

This birdhouse can be built from one or two 1x6 fence boards (depending on how you choose to cut the various pieces). All of the birdhouses on myCarpentry.com are made from western red cedar, but other species can be used.

This schoolhouse birdhouse features a cupola on top. I put a small bell (purchased from a craft store) in the cupola of the birdhouse I built, but it isn't required. It also has a clean-out door that hinges on two screws at the top-right of the front and back panels (see diagrams). There's a facade attached to the front panel, with a 1 1/4" entry hole.

Note: I used a combination of 16 gauge x 2" and 1" air nails to build my birdhouses, which requires a compressor and nail gun, but if you don't have that equipment, you can use small galvanized screws or nails to attach the pieces of your birdhouse.

Note: The dimensions in these plans assume all of the wood is 3/4" thick. If the thickness of your wood is less or more, you might need to make some adjustments here and there.


Material List


Description Size Quantity
Front and Back Walls 3/4" x 5 1/2" x 8" 2
Left Side and Rt. Door 3/4" x 5 1/2" x 6" 2
Base (not shown) 3/4" x 5 1/2" x 4" 1
Main Roof 3/4" x 5" x 9" 2
Facade 3/4" x 3" x 5" 1
Porch 3/4" x 5 1/2" x 2" 1
Facade Roof 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 2 3/4" 2
Cupola Walls 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" 2
Cupola Roof 3/4" x 2 1/4" x 2 3/4" 2





Schoolhouse Birdhouse - Assembly





Schoolhouse Birdhouse - Painting

If you chose western red cedar or redwood or some other wood that is naturally resistant to decay, you can leave the birdhouse unfinished. However, if you choose to paint your birdhouse, don't paint any of the interior surfaces, or the inside of the entrance hole, where the bird would be nesting.

The birdhouse shown at the top of this page was painted with a water-based antique red paint. For the roof pieces, I used a water-based charcoal color. If you are planning to paint your birdhouse more than one color, as shown in the images, I suggest painting the roof sections before attaching them to the birdhouse.


Success!






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