4 DIY Birdhouse Ideas for Your Roof Tips, Home Birds Advice, Property Wildlife Help

4 DIY Birdhouse Ideas for Your Roof

17 Dec 2020

Whether you’re into birdwatching or want to teach your children how to make something useful out of waste materials, making birdhouses is always an excellent idea. You will have fun, birds will have shelter, and the morning will always start happily with cheerful chirping.

4 DIY Birdhouse Ideas for Roof

After making a birdhouse, you can mount it in any place you want. However, for the birds to be safe and comfortable, you need to find the right spot, like under your roof. This way, the birdhouse will be protected from various weather conditions, as well as many predators – but make sure to hang it a good distance away from a bird feeder.

However, it can be different with every roof, as some may not be 100% water-resistant or be more prone to retaining heat. The best option here would be finding the necessary information about roof maintenance. You can look for it online or talk to an expert, such as those from Rubber Roofing Direct – you and your house will also benefit from keeping your roof well-maintained.

Once you’re sure you have a suitable roof, all you need to do is make a birdhouse. And how? Keep on reading to learn the essentials for making DIY birdhouses.

Ground Rules for an Under-Roof Birdhouse

First of all, decide on the birdhouse material. You can find all the information about it here, with the pros and cons for each one explained. Then, check how you’re going to mount the birdhouse. Here, you need to avoid hanging – birds don’t like it as such a birdhouse can be easily moved by the wind. With under-roof birdhouses, it’s best to mount them on the slippery building facade, a brick wall, or wood siding, as it will make it harder for predators to climb.

Depending on the birds in your area, you’ll need to mount a birdhouse on a suitable height – if you’re not a pro, do some research and find out which birds nest in your location and what is the recommended height for them. Also, always try to face the birdhouse east and never place several birdhouses less than 5 meters apart. Moreover, you need to remember about cleaning it from time to time, ideally after the mating season is over – usually mid-August.

With all that in mind, take a look at those under-roof birdhouse ideas.

1. Basic Wooden Birdhouse

If you’re a beginner woodworker or want to teach children how to make a birdhouse, a simple wooden birdhouse would be great to start with. It’s easy, fast to make and won’t need more than some wood and several nails. It’s also the best option when it comes to fitting it under your roof – you just need to take measurements and make the birdhouse according to them.

Additionally, wood provides shelter from both extreme cold and warm weather, so birds will be in comfortable conditions all the time; you can also change the entrance hole if necessary. However, remember that if you’re painting it, make sure the paint is not toxic.

2. Bamboo Birdhouse

The single unit bamboo birdhouse is extremely easy to make and maintain. All you need to do is make an entrance hole in a piece of bamboo, attach a roof, and mount the birdhouse to the wall – and voila, it’s ready!

3. Terracotta Pot Birdhouse

This stylish birdhouse is also pretty simple to make and mount – but not that easy to maintain. However, it’s pretty durable, and it looks good (of course, you can paint the pot with non-toxic paint). To make this birdhouse, fit some wood over the pot’s head, and make the entrance hole at the top of the wood. Then, mount the pot horizontally to the wall – just be careful not to break it.

4. Gourd Birdhouse

If you don’t want to mess around with wood, there’s a simple yet more original solution. Dry out the gourd by leaving it outside for a couple of months, and clean and empty it when spring comes. Then, make an entrance hole near the bottom of the gourd. Of course, it may be hard to mount such a birdhouse, and it probably won’t endure the extreme weather, so it’s not the best idea for the birdwatchers. However, if you simply want to have fun with your kids – with this idea, you will!

A Fun Way to Spend Time

If you want to get creative with the waste materials and have nothing against birds chirping next to your window, making a birdhouse can be a great way to have some fun and help out our Mother Nature. If you have children, ask them to help – we promise that they will be amazed by the process and birdwatching later.

Of course, there are some things to remember, e.g.:

• Make the birdhouse inaccessible for predators.
• Do the research to make it the most comfortable for the birds in your area.
• Make sure to mount it in such a way that it won’t sway in the wind.

If you’re putting a birdhouse under your roof, make sure it fits and won’t get too hot or too cold, depending on the roof material. And in the end, we promise you won’t be disappointed listening to the birds and looking at them flying by your house.

(Beata Hardzei)

Comments on this 4 DIY Birdhouse Ideas for Your Roof guide article are welcome.

Edinburgh Architecture

Liberton Brae Townhouses
Design: LBA Architects

image courtesy of architects
Liberton Brae Townhouses

St James Quarter Edinburgh

image of the development
St James Quarter

Comments / photos for the 4 DIY Birdhouse Ideas for Your Roof help page welcome