Building a birdhouse is a great project to attempt, especially if you are just getting started with DIY. It can serve as a fantastic introduction to a lot of the skills involved in basic construction and give you a taste of how people benefit from DIY. Today we are looking at the tools you need for a DIY birdhouse project so you will have the most success possible with building your own birdhouse.

Tools You Need for a DIY Birdhouse Project

If you want to get your children into the hobby and use this as bonding time with them, a birdhouse is one of the best places to start. It’s a project that you can get done over the course of a couple of days and it’s not going to be too challenging for them. Plus it’s going to be rewarding too! You will get to see the results of all of your care and effort when you hang the house outside and you see the local birds arriving to check it out. Your kids will be fascinated by that too.

There are numerous different methods through which you can approach this project, and of course, it depends on your personal level of skill and experience with construction, but here’s a good, efficient method that basically anyone can pull off.

As you can see, this one is small, there aren’t very many parts involved, the individual steps are straightforward and the whole project should take you just a couple of hours. You’ll be able to hand this one anywhere in your garden too due to its compact design.

One thing that’s very important when you are doing DIY is the tools that you use. You need to make sure that you have good ones and that you have all of the tools you need before you get started. It would be extremely frustrating to be halfway through the project only to realize that you are missing a tool of vital importance. Plus, gathering good tools beforehand will set you up nicely for future projects too. 

So here’s the tools you’re going to need for this project:

Hammer

We’ll start with arguably the most essential tool for everyone trying DIY and that’s the hammer. There are a few different types obviously, and different sizes from lump hammers to sledgehammers and all the rest, but I would recommend a general-purpose one for this.

When it comes to the right hammer, there are really just a couple of different features which are important. You want to get one with a smooth face and with a straight rip claw with a head weight of about 16-20 oz. I would also suggest making sure that the handle is either made of fiberglass or steel. Wooden hammers get worn down more easily and won’t last as long.

Nails & Screws

While the guide recommends using nails, screws would also be an option and can generally be a bit more sturdy and a bit easier to remove if you end up making a mistake. Either way, having a supply of nails and screws is essential. Buy a variety of different kinds. If you’re going for the screw option, think carefully about the size. You won’t be needing the largest screws for this and that will actually just make the end product quite unsightly.

Circular Saw

The most difficult part of building this birdhouse is going to be cutting all of the different pieces of wood because as you can see from the pictures, there are actually quite a few. It’s a small house but it’s in multiple parts.

You’ll need to cut a board for each of the walls, one for the floor and then a couple for the roof and so you are going to be needing a saw. Like hammers, saws are essential and there are also many different kinds.

A circular saw would be recommended here. They’re compact, they’re quick, they’re super easy to use, provided you are taking the appropriate safety measures and you can get good circular saws for pretty low prices.

Tape Measure

Even if you don’t practice DIY, you might have one of these somewhere around the house. There’s a lot of measuring involved to make sure that all of the individual boards are the right length to fit neatly together. Finding the right tape measure is pretty simple. All you need from it is to make sure that it fits your hand snugly, that the measurements are clearly printed on the tape itself and that there is a locking mechanism to ensure maximum accuracy.

Straight Edge

The term ‘straight edge’ doesn’t necessarily refer to one specific tool, and in fact, anything with a firm edge of a decent length will get the job done, but getting something like a combination square or a steel metric ruler would definitely be beneficial.

Power Drill

A single power drill serves many different purposes because the real function comes from the drill bits as opposed to the actual drill. So when you’re getting the drill, be sure to get a nice big selection of bits to go with it. 

For the birdhouse, your drill will be serving two primary purposes. First of all, you need a hole saw bit, with which you will fit an entrance hole for the birds which you’ll probably want to have at about 1-2 inches. You will also need the more standard twist bit so that you can drill a hole for the wooden perch. 

In addition to all of these items, you also need to get your hands on the actual wood and you will need wood glue and then if you want, you can also get some paint, in a color of your choice. Having all of this stuff will ensure your birdhouse project runs smoothly and you’ll have a headstart on whatever your next project is too.

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