Project book · an afternoon

Build a birdhouse

One cedar board, one afternoon, and a good first build to do with a kid.

How many birdhouses?

birdhouses

This fits in a car

About 7 lb of materials. Comfortably inside what a car carries (200 lb), so any shopper can take it. ⚠️ 2 items on the list have no weight on file, so the real load is a little heavier than this.

Before you start

Sand every edge and corner before small hands handle it. Use cedar or plain pine, not pressure-treated wood, for anything kids touch or put in their mouths. A grown-up runs the saw and drill, and anything mounted up high is screwed down firmly so it cannot fall.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Lumber

Hardware

Supplies

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about an afternoon · beginner

  1. Mark the pieces on the board with the square: floor, front, back, two sides and a roof. Let the kid do the marking.
  2. Cut the pieces, with the grown-up on the saw, and sand every edge smooth.
  3. Drill the 1-1/2 in entrance hole in the front about 6 in above the floor, and a few small holes in the floor for drainage.
  4. Glue and screw the box together, fixing one side with only two screws at the top so it swings open for cleaning.
  5. Leave off the perch, which only helps predators, and mount it on a post or fence about 5 ft up facing open ground.

Something else

Build a raised garden bedMulch a flower bedPaint a roomPut up garage shelvingFix a patchy lawnBuild a fire pitMount a TV on the wallCookout for a crowd

Feeding people instead? The recipe book works the same way — pick a meal, say how many, every ingredient lands on the list.

Build a birdhouse — everything for it, in one tap · DriverRuns