Hobbyists build bird houses for many reasons. One reason is that they love birds. But another, equally compelling, reason is that it gives them an outlet to release some of the creativity within themselves. And, although they create these structures for the birds, many would, no doubt, be surprised by the fact that many of their bird houses end up in the living rooms of the people who purchase them instead of being placed outside where the birds can use them as homes.
The reason for this is because, for a lot of people, bird houses are more than living places. They are art. And many people, even as they find places for their birdhouses in their gardens, continue to look at them as a garden accessory or work of art than a place to which to attract birds.
As it turns out, the vast majority of of these crafts people will carry on designing and building houses for birds even though a number of them will never actually house a bird family. Even so, when constructing these homes, the builder must ensure that the structure is functional. To this end, there are certain characteristics that each home must have.
It goes without saying that the house should be well constructed so that it doesn't fall apart easily. But, assuming a well constructed home, at the top of the list of required features is that the home have a removable panel to make it easy to clean. Because, if it doesn't, history shows that many homeowners will not be bothered with to clean it. So, for most bird houses, this means that they be built with either a removable bottom, top, or back.
It is also important that the structure be protected from the elements. When using wood, this usually means covering the outside of it with a minimum of two coats of polyurethane which, depending on the harshness of the weather, should protect it for at least a couple of years.
But, probably the most significant thing to keep in mind is that you make an effort to see that the bird house actually fulfills the needs of the bird for which it is built. As an example, the size of the entry hole is key. In fact, it is critical in determining whether or not a particular bird species will be drawn to the bird house. More specifically, if you are constructing a home with the intent of housing a bluebird, you had better make the entry hole a lot smaller than if you were making a hole for a Red-Headed Woodpecker. And that is because the bluebird would never move into a home with a hole that is too large. Such a home would allow too easy of an access for predators and put its life in danger.
So, for the craftsman toiling away in his wood shop, making bird houses to sell to the public, it's worth keeping in mind that he is really targeting two audiences. The birds and bird house collectors.
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