With my expansive gardens, birds love to nest in my window boxes, trees, shrubs and other other decor items.

I even have a few decorative birdhouses that they nest in yearly. It's so fun to watch them move in and grow their families.

And it's just the sweetest thing when you hear the little babies tweet as the mom flies in and out to feed them.

Because we enjoy watching the birds, we want to add more opportunities for them to nest in the gardens.

So we started making birdhouses this year.

Building a Birdhouse with the Worx Maker X

We finally got it down to a science with the help of the Worx Maker X. What I love most about this tool is the versatility and how light it is! It is a great finishing tool that is so easy to use.

The Worx Maker X offers lots of cool accessories like a rotary tool, angle grinder, woodburning/soldering accessory and an airbrush tool. 

How cool is that? And it even accepts accessories from other major brands.

What makes it so easy to work with is how lightweight it feels. The Worx Maker X is a battery-operated tool where the battery is remote. And because it doesn't weigh down your hand while working, you can create wood and craft projects with more precision and accuracy.

We loved working with it on the birdhouse because we were able to quickly sand all the rough edges, as well as smooth out the entry hole with more precision and accuracy.

Because we don't want the birds to get hurt on rough wood right?

Guidelines to Build a Birdhouse

Before making a birdhouse, I suggest you research how to design it.

Because how you design a house, is based on the type of bird you want to attract.

Supplies Needed to Build a Birdhouse

• 1x6 Poplar Wood
• 1 1/4" Stainless Steel Wire Nails (for the house and roof)
• Copper Flashing
• Worx Maker X with Accessories
• Compound Miter Saw
• Dowel
• 1" wood spade bit
• Hammer
• Measuring Tape
• Framing Square
• Paint
• 3/4" Stainless Steel Wire Nails (for the copper roof )

How to Build a Birdhouse

• Pick what size bird you want to attract for nesting. Research and determine the right size entry opening and interior dimensions.

Step 1 - Measure and Cut the Wood

• Measure the wood for the sides, roof and bottom. (These dimensions are nominal). For this birdhouse, we wanted an interior size of 6"x 6"x 6" with a roof.
• Cut wood according to size with compound miter saw. We cut the side walls 6"x 6", the front and back walls were cut 8"w x 12"h with a 45 degree angle 6" up the sides. The roof pieces were cut 11"x 6" and 11" x 7". One side needs to be slightly larger than the other so they can be nailed together. And keep in mind that the the roof needs to overhang the front by 2". The floor was cut 6"x 6". We then drilled a 1" hole about 6" from the bottom using a 1" wood spade bit.

Step 2 - Assemble the Birdhouse

• Nail the walls with 1 1/4" nails to the floor. Attach the walls on the outside of the floor so when water drips down the side of the roof, it doesn't get into the seam of the birdhouse flooring. This will help keep moisture from rotting out the birdhouse.
• On one of the side walls , only use two nails at the top. This will be the hinge to open the house to clean it out in the future.
• Build the roof by attaching the pieces together with the 1 1/4" nails.

Step 3 - Add Drainage Holes

• We drilled small drainage holes with the Worx Maker X so moisture does not accumulate in the bottom of the birdhouse. With the Worx drill bit.

Step 4 - Smooth Out Rough Edges

• Clean up birdhouse with Worx Maker X Cordless Angle Grinder Tool so there's no sharp edges and sand the edges as needed. The Worx Maker X was great for this part of the project because we were able to sand down all the rough edges of the birdhouse making a beveled edge. And it was SO much easier sanding down the entry hole with the Worx Maker X Rotary Tool. Because it was smaller and lighter, we were able to finish it with more accuracy and precision.

Step 5 - Paint, Seal and Protect the Wood

• Paint and then seal the piece with clear a clear exterior top coat. Because we wanted to try out the Worx Maker X Air Brushing tool, we airbrushed the sides with white air brush paint. It was really easy to use and clean. While we wanted to keep this birdhouse pretty basic in appearance, the next one is totally getting tricked out with a fun ombre finish.

Step 6 - Add the Perch

• Cut a small dowel using compound miter saw down to size for the perch.
• Drill a hole to fit the dowel then attach.

Tips for Adding to a Post

• If you are adding birdhouse to a post, pre-drill and screw the birdhouse base onto the post after painting. We had a post from an old birdhouse laying around so we attached the new birdhouse to that old post.
• Attach the roof with 1 1/4" nails after attaching to a post.
• If the birdhouse is for decoration only, just attach the roof.

Optional Step: Add Copper Flashing Roof

• Cut and fold copper flashing according to roof size, but a little bigger. Then fold onto shape of the roof. Bent it to shape then used the 3/4 wire in nails to fasten. Made cuts with a utility knife.
• Use 3/4" nails to tack copper in place.

I'm really glad we added that copper roof. I love how it looks with my limelight hydrangea blooms!