Crafts
Fact-checked

At WiseGEEK, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.

Learn more...

How do I Choose the Best Bird House Kit?

Sheri Cyprus
Sheri Cyprus

Choosing the best bird house kit can be a fun experience once you've decided on the features you want. Whether you hope to make a highly detailed Victorian birdhouse complete with a front porch or a simple, peaked roof model, look at different kits before making your choice. If you've never made a bird house or will be making the project with a child, be sure to choose a very simple design with minimum finishing details.

A great way to make a simple wood bird house kit more attractive while letting children express their creativity is to purchase some wooden cutout shapes. The children can then paint them on one side, with newspaper placed underneath, in the colors of their choice. Once the shapes dry, the adult can then glue these onto the sides, front and/or back of the bird house. Using this method, the adult doesn't have to stop the child from decorating the bird house for fear of having it all messed with paint. Rather, the adult can paint any details required onto the bird house itself while the child paints the cutouts separately.

Two birds in a backyard.
Two birds in a backyard.

If you're going to assemble a bird house kit yourself and are a beginner at the craft, you still may prefer using the method of adding separate cutouts. Choosing a small, easy-to-make bird house kit for a first project to place in one area of your yard, before starting a more complex one for a different location, is a possibility that may be suitable. Once you've created a birdhouse or two, you may want to make more detailed ones for gifts.

When choosing a bird house kit for a gift, consider the recipient's style of home as well as its exterior color. Choosing a complementary color scheme for the birdhouse along with a coordinating style can make it a welcome gift for the front or backyard. Since many areas don't permit ground or fence level bird houses, as these tend to attract rats or other rodents, be sure to choose a bird house kit with a hanger.

Many bird house kits come with a metal hanger such as a nail-like piece of metal that has an eyelet hole. If there is no hanging chain included in the kit, you'll have to purchase this item separately. As an alternative to hanging a bird house, you could attach it to a very tall, wooden post.

Discussion Comments

tigers88

Most birdhouses are the same as far as quality of materials and ease of setting up. When you are picking out a decorative bird house kit you should just look for one that catches your eye. A birdhouse is as much about sprucing up your yard as it is for providing birds a home.

ZsaZsa56

Make sure that you take account of how many pieces your new bird house has and how much construction goes into setting it up. Most birdhouse kits are pretty simple but there are some that would require a master carpenter to put together.

You should be able to get a good idea from the outside of the box how complicated it is to set up. But if you are still not sure it is probably best to error on the side of caution and skip that bird house.

Post your comments
Login:
Forgot password?
Register:
    • Two birds in a backyard.
      Two birds in a backyard.