Deciding to build birdhouses for those little nesting birds could be your best way of saying “thank you” to Mother Earth for providing you with an excellent place to live. Thus, you’re doing the right thing if you can spare time and energy for such a project. Nevertheless, it will be best to start with a good birdhouse design to be guided correctly in the building process.
Birds would rarely inhabit a birdhouse that is not constructed well or inconvenient to live in. Besides, ill-designed birdhouses might be risky for birds to settle in. So, to help those little guys out there, you should construct with care their birdhouses according to a good design, using good wood.
Most RecommendedWood Types Best for Building Birdhouse
Not all wood types are suitable for building birdhouses. For example, some wood would deteriorate when wet or exposed to inclement weather. So, it will help to choose the wood that could withstand exposure to the harsh elements of nature. Below is a rundown of the wood types you can use for building birdhouses:
Cedar
A popular wood choice for birdhouse builders is cedar. It has the right ingredients to be the best wood type for birdhouses. First, it features excellent insulation properties, which means it can provide a pleasant and warm environment for birds. Such properties are necessary, especially during winter.
Cedar is also not expensive, so you don’t need to spend much to build those birdhouses using cedar. Besides, its being lightweight is perfect for hanging anywhere. Remember that gravity is unforgiving for anything kept hanging for a long time. Likewise, cedar is softwood, so you can fashion cedar with ease into a comfy birdhouse.
Another thing that makes cedar ideal for birdhouses is its remarkable dimensional stability. It doesn’t manifest size changes despite the vicissitudes of the weather.
Pine
Another excellent wood choice for birdhouses would be pine, especially if you’re on a budget. It is not expensive, so you don’t need to spend much on this wood. Besides, its dimensional stability is remarkable, and can handle extreme temperatures with ease.
Pine is also a strong wood, despite being softwood. It exhibits high compressive strength and density. Besides, it has remarkable tensile strength. Thus, it is perfect for making birdhouses, furniture, window frames, paneling, and roofing.
Pine is also an excellent choice if you want to paint the birdhouse afterward. It absorbs paint pretty well than other wood types. Moreover, if you live in the U.S., you can get access to pine with ease. In fact, you can find some pine wood planks just lying around. The good thing about pine is it is easy to cut and work with.
Oak
Oak is popular for being hard, heavy, strong, and dense. It also features excellent properties like durability, workability, and resistance to decay. So if you’re looking for a wood type that could resist weathering and moisture, you should consider oak. Its dimensional stability is perfect for making birdhouses.
Oak stands out well. If you use it for birdhouses, you don’t need to paint or varnish it. It exhibits remarkable strength that could withstand the changes in the weather. Besides, it has an attractive look ranging from light red to yellow-like patterns. Such natural characteristics make it attractive for birds to settle in.
Water-resistance is another property of oak wood that makes it ideal for building birdhouses. White oak, for example, can resist water and damage from moisture because it has closed pores as well as a higher Janka rating. Besides, it is quite resistant to fungal infestations, insect attacks, and other damaging elements. It is also easy to work with.
Teak
Teak is a highly-priced wood for its excellent durability and quality. Besides, it is a tropical hardwood with medium brown to golden heartwood with red or slight grey hues. Its sapwood, however, is a somewhat pale yellow to almost white.
Teak features a firm structure that provides it with above-average durability. Hence, it can top 40 years of existence or more with ease. Besides, it is quite resistant to decay, termites, and rot.
Teak is hardwood, but it is pretty easy to work with, though its high silica content can blunt the cutting edge of your saw. Screwing and nailing teak, however, is easy. It also absorbs paint, stain, and wax quite well. If you don’t want the birdhouse to rot soon, you should use teak wood.
Redwood
Another wood known for its durability is redwood. It is highly resistant to decay and is moderately resistant to moisture. So, it is perfect for exterior applications like building birdhouses. It is a softwood. As such, you can efficiently work with this wood.
Redwood, of course, came from a very tall tree. In fact, the tallest tree in the world is the Hyperion, which is a Redwood found in coastal California.
Redwood features unique textures and colors. But it tends to get dented and scratched with ease. Hence, it requires maintenance. Thus, if you would only put a birdhouse for a short-term purpose, you can use redwood.
Beech
Another excellent option when building birdhouses is beechwood. It has light yellow sapwood and red-white heartwood, which turns red-brown after treatment.
Beech gets generally utilized for furniture, plywood, and model buildings. Moreover, it has straight grains and a medium-level hardness, making it perfect for your birdhouse project. It is hard and doesn’t easily scar or scratch. Besides, it is dimensionally stable when completely dry, but it may cause trouble when exposed to moisture.
Although it may not be recommended for exterior uses, you can still use it for birdhouses, especially if you don’t view this project as a long-term project.
Beech will start to crack and warp if you don’t paint it. Besides, it absorbs water quickly. Thus, it will help if you treat it. It is also more expensive than other wood. Similarly, it requires regular maintenance.
Cypress
If you live in a tropical climate, it will be best to choose cypress wood. The reason is that cypress exhibits natural resistance to water, which means it can withstand water exposure and has natural protection against moisture. However, one downside of using cypress is its sour odor while working with it.
Cypress features a straight grain with a somewhat uniform texture. Besides, it comes with a slight natural luster and an oily feel. You can work with this wood with ease. Moreover, cypress is primarily used for flooring, but you can also use it for birdhouse projects. It is also moderately priced.
Douglas Fir
Douglas Fir is somewhat similar to redwood and is quite common. It exhibits a durable and robust property and is perfect for building a birdhouse. It also shows excellent resistance to weather changes. Because of these properties, it is an excellent choice for outdoor woodworking projects. Douglas Fir, like cedar, is not expensive. So, you will not spend much to get your fir wood.
Douglas Fir is a softwood also known as Colombian Pine or Oregon Pine. It is famous for its excellent strength-to-weight ratio. Besides, it is easy to work using your machine. Its decay-resistant property makes it an ideal option for birdhouses. You can apply paint or polish on its surface to increase its durability further.
Douglas Fir also exhibits natural resistance to fungus and insects. So, if you will not apply a coating to this wood for your birdhouse, you can still expect it to be impervious to insect and fungal attacks. It is also lightweight and allows for high workability.
Factors to Consider When Building a Birdhouse
Once you know the best wood types for birdhouses, you can quickly narrow down your options to these best options. However, it will also help if you know the crucial factors to consider when choosing wood for birdhouses to zero in on the best wood option:
- Provide your birdhouse with an excellent roof to protect the birds and the house from rain.
- Choose the suitable materials and techniques when making nesting boxes to ensure that nesting birds stay dry and warm throughout the year. This means, you should provide enough drain holes on the flooring of the birdhouse to drain the house of water.
- Ensure that the house has enough ventilation to allow air to circulate around the house. You can drill small holes on every side of the house. But make sure that the roof covers these tiny holes.
- Don’t let predators perch easily on the house. Thus, you need to avoid perches in your design.
- Build the right house size for the specific birds you would like to settle inside your birdhouse.
- The birdhouse’s design should allow for ease of cleaning. So, ensure that you can detach the roof of one wall for easy cleaning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once you’ve known the best wood options and the critical factors to consider when building a birdhouse, it will be best to know the following FAQs about birdhouses, for they may also be the questions you have in mind:
Which Wood is Best for Bluebird Houses?
Bluebirds tend to be territorial and want the open grassland with a few scattered trees. If you plan to build a bluebird’s nest, you can use any wood type as long as the wood is 3/4″ thick. You should not paint the wood likewise. Besides, you should avoid the use of plywood or particle boards. However, if you specifically target the eastern bluebirds, you can use white pine, which is perfect for eastern bluebirds.
Is It Good to Use Plywood for Birdhouses?
Plywood can reflect heat and can be very attractive to birds. Hence, you can also use plywood for birdhouses. Besides, plywood can be very durable and can resist damping.
Nevertheless, not all plywood are excellent for birdhouses. It will be best to select marine plywood or exterior-grade plywood because they are moisture-resistant. Exterior plywood, however, is less expensive than marine plywood.
Would It Be Good to Use Pressure-treated Wood for Building Birdhouses?
Sadly, it is not advisable to use pressure-treated wood because they carry the compound chromate copper arsenate (CCA). CCA can make wood resistant to decay, but it can be unsafe for animals. It can also cause itching, rashes, and even neurological issues. So, it will be best not to use any chemically treated wood. Besides, it will be best if you refrain from painting wood using lead-based paints.
Conclusion
You might have been feeding garden birds for many years, but haven’t tried making birdhouses for them. So, if it is your first time building a house for birds, it will be best to take note of the abovementioned most recommended wood for birdhouses.
Besides, it will help to be mindful of the simple tips and factors to consider when building birdhouses to ensure that birds will get attracted to the birdhouses you’ve made. This way, your effort to build them houses will not go to naught, and you’ll get amply rewarded once you see those little guys settling inside your birdhouses.