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Wren Birdhouse[4/4 · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 2 birdhouses
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak (QS)
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A classic house-wren birdhouse with a gable roof, a 1⅛" entry hole and a side that swings open for cleaning. The inside is about 4" square, the size wrens like, and the roof hangs well over the front to keep the rain out. One 2ft pack builds two — hang one in your yard and give the other away.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front and back (gable top) | 4 | Board 3 (3), board 4 (1) | 7" × 4" × ¾" | 6⅜" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Sides (one per house is the door) | 4 | Boards 4–5 | 5½" × 4" × ¾" | 5¾" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Floors | 2 | Boards 4–5 | 4" × 4" × ¾" | 4" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Roof blanks (glued in pairs) | 4 | Boards 1–2, two each | 10¼" × 4" × ¾" | 10¼" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Roof panels, from the glued blanks | 4 | 2 long + 2 short | 5⅜" and 4½" × 7" × ¾" | 5⅜" and 4½" × 7" × ⅞" |
| Mounting strips | 2 | Board 5, ripped | 7" × 1 15/16" × ¾" | 7" × 1 11/16" × ⅞" |
Walls: the sides lap over the edges of the front and back, screwed only (the grain crosses).
Door: one side pivots on 2 galvanized nails near its top and locks with one screw near the bottom.
Floor: set ¼" up between the walls, corners clipped for drainage, screwed through the front, back and fixed side.
Roof: two-board glue-up per house, cut into a long and a short panel at 45°; screwed to the gables and to each other at the ridge.
Mounting: a strip glued and screwed up the back, 3" below the house, screwed to a post or tree.
Finished size: Each house, S4S: about 7½" W × 7" D × 8" H, inside 4" × 4", hole 4" above the floor · S2S: about 7½" × 7" × 7½", inside 3½" × 4".
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 2ft (S4S or S2S)
- Exterior wood glue (Titebond III) — roof and mounting strip only
- About 40 × #8 exterior screws (stainless or coated): 1¼" (S4S) or 1½" (S2S)
- 4 × 1½" galvanized or stainless nails for the door pivots
- 4 × #10 × 2½" exterior screws to mount
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Exterior oil for the outside (optional)
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with 45° bevel or mitre
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide) — for the mounting strips
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- 1⅛" Forstner or spade bit
- 2–4 bar clamps, 12" or longer
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Crosscut the parts. Boards 1–2: two roof blanks each at 10¼". Board 3: three pieces at 7" (fronts and backs). Board 4: one more back at 7", two sides at 5½" and a floor at 4". Board 5: two sides, the second floor and a 7" mounting blank.
- 2 Glue the roof blanks. Pair the four blanks and edge-glue each pair into a panel 10¼" × 8". Use exterior glue (Titebond III). When dry, rip each panel to 7" wide, then crosscut it into a 5⅜" piece and a 4½" piece. The grain runs down the slope, so rain runs off along it.
- 3 Cut the gables. On each front and back, mark the centre of the top end. Set the saw to 45° and cut from each top corner up to that centre mark. The peak is 2" above the corners.
- 4 Drill the entry hole. On the two fronts only, mark the centre 5" up from the bottom edge — that puts it 4" above the floor. Clamp a scrap behind and drill a 1⅛" hole with a Forstner or spade bit. No perch: wrens don't need one, and a perch only helps sparrows and predators.
- 5 Prep the floors and strips. Clip ⅜" off each corner of the floors so water can drain. Rip the mounting blank into two strips about 1 15/16" wide.
- 6 Fixed side and floor. Stand a front and a back on the bench, gables up. Screw one side across their edges, flush at the bottom, with 2 pre-drilled #8 × 1¼" exterior screws into each. Slide the floor in ¼" up from the bottom and screw it through the front, back and fixed side.
- 7 Door side. Hold the second side in place, flush at the bottom. Drive one galvanized nail through it into the front edge and one into the back edge, ½" below its top and directly opposite each other. It swings on those two nails. Add one screw near the bottom into the front edge to lock it. Never screw the door to the floor.
- 8 Roof. Lay the short panel on one slope, its top edge on the peak. Lay the long panel on the other slope so it covers that edge. Let it hang ¾" past the front and ¾" past the back. Pre-drill and screw both into the gable edges, then 2 screws through the long panel into the short one. The tops of the sides stay ¼" under the roof — that gap is the ventilation.
- 9 Mount and finish. Glue and screw a mounting strip up the back, centred, hanging 3" below the house. Oil the outside only, or leave it bare. Hang it 5–10 ft up on a post or tree with 2 screws through the strip, hole facing away from the prevailing wind.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Crosscut the parts. Boards 1–2: two roof blanks each at 10¼". Board 3: three pieces at 6⅜" (fronts and backs). Board 4: one more back at 6⅜", two sides at 5¾" and a floor at 4". Board 5: two sides, the second floor and a 7" mounting blank.
- 3 Glue the roof blanks. Pair the four blanks and edge-glue each pair into a panel 10¼" × 7". Use exterior glue (Titebond III). When dry, crosscut it into a 5⅜" piece and a 4½" piece. The grain runs down the slope, so rain runs off along it.
- 4 Cut the gables. On each front and back, mark the centre of the top end. Set the saw to 45° and cut from each top corner up to that centre mark. The peak is 1¾" above the corners.
- 5 Drill the entry hole. On the two fronts only, mark the centre 5⅛" up from the bottom edge — that puts it 4" above the floor. Clamp a scrap behind and drill a 1⅛" hole with a Forstner or spade bit. No perch: wrens don't need one, and a perch only helps sparrows and predators.
- 6 Prep the floors and strips. Clip ⅜" off each corner of the floors so water can drain. Rip the mounting blank into two strips about 1 11/16" wide.
- 7 Fixed side and floor. Stand a front and a back on the bench, gables up. Screw one side across their edges, flush at the bottom, with 2 pre-drilled #8 × 1½" exterior screws into each. Slide the floor in ¼" up from the bottom and screw it through the front, back and fixed side.
- 8 Door side. Hold the second side in place, flush at the bottom. Drive one galvanized nail through it into the front edge and one into the back edge, ½" below its top and directly opposite each other. It swings on those two nails. Add one screw near the bottom into the front edge to lock it. Never screw the door to the floor.
- 9 Roof. Lay the short panel on one slope, its top edge on the peak. Lay the long panel on the other slope so it covers that edge. Let it hang ¾" past the front and ½" past the back. Pre-drill and screw both into the gable edges, then 2 screws through the long panel into the short one. The tops of the sides stay ¼" under the roof — that gap is the ventilation.
- 10 Mount and finish. Glue and screw a mounting strip up the back, centred, hanging 3" below the house. Oil the outside only, or leave it bare. Hang it 5–10 ft up on a post or tree with 2 screws through the strip, hole facing away from the prevailing wind.
Why a swinging side? Wrens raise a fresh nest each season. Empty the old one in late fall so mites and wasps don't move in. Pull the lock screw, swing the side out at the bottom, scoop and close.
Why the gaps under the roof and the clipped floor? A small box in the sun gets hot. The gap at the top of each side lets hot air out, and the clipped corners let rain drain. Never seal them up.
Why screws and not glue on the walls? The sides run their grain sideways and the front and back run theirs up and down. Glue across the grain cracks outdoors. Screws hold it and let the wood move.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Bigger hole, other birds: a 1½" hole suits chickadees and nuthatches. Keep the rest of the plan the same.
- Two-tone: walnut roof on a white oak or cherry house.
- Name it: burn a house number or a name into the front below the hole.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Clamp the front to the bench when drilling the entry hole. A 1⅛" bit grabs hard.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- Use a sturdy ladder when hanging it, and keep it off any tree you plan to prune.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
White oak, walnut and cherry hold up best. Maple and ash weather faster if you leave them bare — oil the outside every year or two. Never paint or oil the inside.
5–10 ft up on a post, fence or tree, in part shade, with the hole facing away from the prevailing wind. Wrens like some cover nearby. Put it up by early spring.
Wrens don't use one. A perch only helps house sparrows and predators reach in.
Planned offcuts only: about 2½" at the end of boards 1–3, about 1" on boards 4–5, and the triangles from the gables. All 5 boards go into the houses.
Yes. A 4ft pack makes four houses: crosscut every board in half first, then follow this plan twice.
