Birds, like humans, go where they feel most welcome. They prefer gardens that offer fresh water, plentiful food, and comfortable shelter. In addition to birdbaths and feeders, birdhouses are an essential part of attracting birds to your garden.

Many cavity-nesting birds are drawn to birdhouses about 4" square and about 8" tall. If you build the house so that one side pivots open, you can clean the house after nesting season or remove nests built by birds you don't want to encourage.

To build comfortable, long-lasting birdhouses, use 1 × 6 cedar or redwood lumber. The thickness of the I umber provides some insulation against both heat and cold, and the cedar or redwood, which is weather resistant, helps the house withstand the elements for several years. You can paint the outside of a birdhouse, but never the interior. Subdued colors such as brown, tan, and gray are good choices because they're pleasing to many types of birds.

Before you start building birdhouses, decide what species of birds you want to invite to your garden. The recommended diameter of the entrance hole and the height for mounting the birdhouse depends on the species you're trying to attract.

Although the birdhouse shown below is designed to be hung, you can easily adapt the plans to build a birdhouse that can be mounted vertically or on a garden post.