Welcome nesting birds to your garden with this traditional, straightforward nest box.

The front back and sides are all made from a 6 x 1 inch piece of fencing board. We have used a cedar board. The roof is 8 x 7.5 inches in size.

Cut the two sides out of the board, making the back height 9 inches and the front 8 inches. Put one piece of top of the other and drill a 1/8 inch hole in the centre of the bottom about 3/8 inch from the base. Drill another hole on the short side, 1 inch down and 3/8 inch from the edge.

Cut the front piece (right) making it 8 inches long. In the centre, drill a 1.25 hole 2.5 inches from the top. Cut the back piece (left) to 8.5 inches long. The base (centre) is 4.25 inches long. Trim a little piece off each corner to allow for some ventilation.

Nail the two sides on to the back using 2 inch nails.

Screw the bottom in place through the sides and back.

So far, the nesting box should look like this.

In the two pre-drilled holes in the front of the side sections, drive in a 1/5 inch round headed nail. This will act as a pivoting point to lift up the front for cleaning.

In the pre-drilled hole in the bottom of the front section, screw it into the bottom with a 1/5 inch screw. It doesn't have to go all the way in. You can unscrew it to lift up the front section which is now a sort of door. You can lift up the door to you can secure the box to a fence or tree by screws through the back panel.