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. What many would, no doubt, be surprised by is that many of their bird houses end up in the living rooms of the people who buy them instead of being placed outside where the birds can enjoy them.

The reason for this is because, for a lot of people, bird houses are more than living places. They are art. And even when they place the birdhouse in their garden, it is more likely to be looked at as a garden accessory rather than a place to attract birds to.

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.

The most important thing is that the birdhouse be structurally sound. If the structure falls apart easily, it is of no use to birds or collectors. So, 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.

Durability is important as well. The structure should be build so that it has protection from the weather. If constructed with 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 bird will be attracted to a particular bird house. If you are building a structure with intent of housing a bluebird, the hole has to be much smaller than one that is meant to house a Red-Headed Woodpecker. The bluebird would never move into a home with a hole that is too large because it would allow too easy of an access for predators.

This highlights the fact that when the craftsman is working apace 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.