How to Build

A
Barred Owl House

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Publishing History:
March 2008 - First Edition

Legal Disclaimer:
Building an owl house with these instructions requires the use of tools that are capable of injuring or even causing death. By viture of
using these instructions, you agree to hold the author(s), contributor(s), distributor(s), and any other party involved in the creation and
publishing of this book, harmless in all cases. You also agree to use this book at your own risk, and agree that you will not hold author(s),
contributor(s), distributor(s), and any other party involved in the creation and publishing of this book, liable for any damages, or injuries.

Searching for owls appears to be a safe and simple hobby. But, with the fate of life, injury or death can occur while owling. Methods sug-
gested in this book can lead to injury or death. People have been blinded while owling. People have fallen off cliffs. And, numerous peo-
ple have received injuries while owling. By viture of using these instructions, you agree to hold the author(s), contributor(s), distributor(s),
and any other party involved in the creation and publishing of this book, harmless in all cases. You also agree to use this book at your
own risk, and agree that you will not hold author(s), contributor(s), distributor(s), and any other party involved in the creation and publish-
ing of this book, liable for any damages, or injuries.

How to Build A Barred Owl House - www.owlpages.com

 Items Needed to make your Barred Owl House:
Tools you will need:
• Hand Saw, or Circular Saw, or Jig Saw, or Table Saw, or Radial Arm Saw
• Jig saw or coping saw
• Drill
• Hammer
• Screw Driver
• Tape measure or ruler
• Straight edge
• Stapler or staple gun (for optional siding)

Materials you will need:

• (1) 4’ x 4’ x 3/4” plywood (1/2 sheet of plywood)
• (2) Metal Tee (Simpson’s Tie or other mfg - look in the wood section of Home Depot or Lowe’s)
• (2) metal hanger bolts (3/8” by 6” long or longer) & (4 washers) & (4) 3/8” nuts (or wing nuts)
• (2) Compression Springs (from a door retainer kit)
• (4) 1/2” x 1-1/2” bolts, nuts, and washers
• Glue (Elmers glue, wood glue, or other waterproof glue)
• (20) 1-5/8” Stainless screws or 1-5/8” galvanized screws or 2” ring shanked stainless nails
• (1) hinge & (6) #12 3/4” screws for hinge
• Aluminum or copper or vinyl flashing (optional)
• (50) 3/4” roofing nails for optional flashing or use a stapler
• Pulley and 50’ of rope
• Wood chips - mini nuggets
The 4’x’4’x3/4” plywood will probably be the hardered item to get home. I prefer to use birch plywood over standard plywood. Birch ply-
wood tends to be flatter, and not warped. Home Depot, Lowes, and many lumber yards will cut the plywood in half for you. This makes it
much easier to handle. Make sure it will fit into your car before purchasing it.

The Metal Tee can be hard to find. You can find it in the lumber section of Home Depot or Lowes. If you can’t find it ask where the Simp-
son Strong Ties are. Most workers know the name well. The Metal Ties come in two sizes, and either size will work.

The steel hanger bolts are a specialty bolt. But, they can be found at Lowes, Home Depot, or your local hardware store. One one side it
has wood threads that look like a lag bolt thread and on the other end it has machine bolt threads. 8 inch hanger bolts work the best, but
are hard to find. If you can get a local hardware store to order them for you, this will make it much easier to hang the owl house.

The best place to get the compression springs is from a screen door (or storm door) retainer kit. The kit has a small chain and a compres-
sion spring. There is a picture of the kit on page 21.

If you have questions or comments, please refer to the Owlers Forum on www.owlpages.com.

How to Build A Barred Owl House - www.owlpages.com

The drawing above will work for any 4’x’4’x3/4” sheet of exterior plywood.

How to Build A Barred Owl House - www.owlpages.com

 STEP #1: Mark out the draw-
ing onto the plywood, and cut
the pieces.

Tip: Make sure that you make

the line the same thickness as
the saw blade you will be
using. If you are not sure, then
hold the blade up to the line
and mark the line slightly
larger then the blade width
(kerf). If this is too difficult, you
can cut the side walls first,
and THEN mark the front and
Make sure line thickness back walls for cutting.
is the same as the blade
width. Remember: Measure TWICE
- Cut ONCE!

Safety Tip: When you cut

the wood, make SURE that
there is nothing under the
plywood line where you are
going to cut. If you are using
a circular saw, NEVER stand
in back of the saw while cut-
The distance should be EXACTLY 1’-2” from the
EDGE of the drawn line to the edge of the wood. ting. If you can get a helper
to hold the piece of plywood
that is being cut off, this will
make it safer and easier.

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 STEP #2: Cut water drain
holes in the bottom.

Mark some places for some holes

Placement does not have to be
exact.

If you have not already done so, please

notch all four corners of the base. You
can cut 1/2 inch off the ends

You can use any type of drill

bit to drill the holes. The drill
bits should be 3/8” to 5/8”
wide. If the drill bit is too
small, it will clog up and not
drain water. If the drill bit is
too large it will allow snakes
to enter from the bottom.

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 This is how your bottom
should look after you have
finished drilling the holes.

STEP #3: Cut the entry hole

on the front wall.

You will need a 1’ ruler or

straight edge and a protrac-
tor. If you don’t have a pro-
tractor, you can use a string
tied to a pencil.

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 Draw an X from all corners.
This will provide you with the
center of the hole. You can
then use a protractor or a
string to draw the top oval.
Now you are ready to cut the
hole.

There are basically four

ways to cut the entry hole.

(1) you can use a bench jig

saw like the one in the pic-
ture.

(2) You can use a electric

saber saw.

(3) You can use a hand cop-

ing saw. Can be purchased
for a couple of dollars. (see
picture).

(4) You can use a circular

saw and use plunge cuts to
cut a rectangle box opening.
Then use a hand saw to cut
the corners.

The picture on the left is a hand coping saw.

It will take 15 minutes to cut the hole, but it
will do the job.

Note: Save the cut out piece. You will need

it for the next step.

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 STEP #4: Create a climbing
ladder for the owlets. We use
the scrap cutout piece from
the previous step.

Here are a couple of ways to

cut the notches:

(1) use a Radial Arm Saw,

Table Saw, or router. If you
use this method cut the
notches BEFORE you attach
it to the face wall.

(2) Use a circular saw or

hand saw. If you use this
method attach the piece
BEFORE you cut the
notches.

Apply glue to the BOTTOM

of the ladder, and attach the
piece below the opening.

If you are going to cut the

notches with a circular saw
or hand saw then clamp the
piece onto the face wall and
let the glue cure overnight
BEFORE cutting the
notches. If you don’t have a
clamp, then use something
heavy to hold the piece
down. Make sure the pieces
does not move after setting
something heavy on top. The
next day you can then cut
the notches. If you are using
a circular saw, make sure
that you lower the base plate
so that it cuts about 1/8” into
the wood. Otherwise, you will end up cutting the latter in half. If you use screws to attach the ladder,
make sure that you remove the screws before using a circular saw.

How to Build A Barred Owl House - www.owlpages.com

 If you made the notches with
a radial arm saw, table saw,
or router, then screw the lat-
ter into place with 3 screws
(1-1/4 to 1-1/2” long).

Safety: Absolutely do NOT

install the screws if you are
going to cut the notches with
a circular saw. OR, remove
the screws before cutting the
notches with a circular saw.

STEP #5: Assemble the Owl

house.

TIP: It helps to have a sec-

ond person to help you with
this step.
Set a nail prior to
setting up sides. Setup with side walls with
floor in place.

Common Mistake: Make

sure that the floor fits well. If
the floor is too big, you will
not be able to get the sides
to fit flush. If the floor is too
big, cut one or more of the
floor sides until it fits snug,
but not too small.

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 Add glue to the side, and
spread it out before adding
the front wall.

The preferred glue would be

waterproof woodworkers
glue. You can also use Elm-
ers white glue.

You can spread out the glue

with your finger or a paper
towel.

Nail the sides together. The

best nails to use are stain-
less steel ring shanked nails.
You can also use galvanized
or stainless steel screws.

Make sure that the sides are

flush and aligned from top to
bottom of each side.

Repeat for all sides.

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 Check the alignment on the
sides and the top and bot-
tom. If it is not right pull the
sides apart and redo the
step. Otherwise you will have
problems later.

Turn the box 180 degrees

and attach the back side the
same way you attached the
front side.

Have someone help you

push the sides together so
that you get a flush fit. Again,
make sure the top and bot-
tom are aligned correctly.

Add glue to both sides Don’t forget to add glue to

before placing the back both edges.
side on.

How to Build A Barred Owl House - www.owlpages.com

 Here I am adding some
stainless steel screws to
make sure that the box will
last as long as possible.

I generally use 5 screws

Screws &nails per edge (20 screws &
nails for all sides).

Nails

STEP #6: Add hanging

brackets to the back of the
owl house.

The brackets shown in the

picture are Simpson Strong-
Ties. You can find these in
Home Depot or Lowes. They
do come in two sizes, and
Drill 1/2” holes with a you can use either size. On
Spade Bit this owl house I used the
smaller brackets.

Important Note: Alignment

of the brackets is very impor-
Spacing is tant.
Important
Make sure the brackets are
aligned in the center of back
Align in Center board.

I generally use 1 inch of spacing for the edge of the bracket to the edge of the board for the TOP
bracket. I generally use 2 inch of spacing for the edge of the bracket to the edge of the board for the
BOTTOM bracket. Remember that the roof must clear the top bracket hole. Otherwise, you will not be
able to hang the owl house.

Drill 1/2 Inch holes with a spade bit with a drill. I use 1/2 x 1-1/2 inch machine bolts. I use 1/2 inch
washers .

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 Optional Step: If you plan
on adding some type of sid-
ing (Aluminum, copper, or
vinyl) now is the time to add
it to the back side.

This owl house is getting

vinyl siding. I add the vinyl.
siding AFTER I have drilled
the holes. I tack the vinyl sid-
ing onto the back with short
nails (3/4” long) or staples. I
then drill the vinyl siding from
the back side of the back
wall.

You can do this step before

you assemble the house, or
after you assemle it. Most
people find it easier to do it
after assembling the box.

I then insert the bolts and

add a washer and nut to the
other side. I then tighten the
nuts and bolts.

We use the siding for three

purposes. FIRST, it provides
weather protection. Barred
Owls will use the house for
many generations. SEC-
OND, the smooth siding pre-
vents raccoons, snakes, and
other preditors from preying
on the eggs and owlets.
THIRD, the shiny surface
attracts owls.

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 Inspect the interior of the owl
house to see if any nails are
screws are sticking out.

If you find them sticking out

on the interiror, remove them
with a screw driver or ham-
mer. The little owlets lives
will depend on well you do
this.

Nail Sticking Out!

Here is the finished product

of this step.

Notice: The bottom is not

permanently attached at this
point.

How to Build A Barred Owl House - www.owlpages.com

 STEP #7: Attach the roof.

You can use any hinge. The

hinge we used to build this
owl house was used.

Important Note: Make sure

you use 3/4 inch long
screws. If the screws are too
long, they will stick into owl
house. If they are too short,
the hinge will be too weak.

The easiest way to attach the

hinge is to turn the owl house
upside down. Place the
hinge in the middle.

Important Note: Before you

add the screws to the hinge,
make sure that the sides are
equal and the back of the
roof is up against the metal T
Bracket.
Check both sides for equal spacing

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 Before you put the screws
into the hinge, make sure
that the back of the roof is
right up against the metal T
bracket.

Insert the #12 3/4” screws

into the hinge.

This is the finished product of

this step that shows the roof
opened up.

How to Build A Barred Owl House - www.owlpages.com

 This is the final step with the
roof closed.

Step #8: Secure the bottom.

With some of the scrape

pieces, cut them and attach
them like pictured. This will
keep the bottom from falling
out when the house starts to
rot.

How to Build A Barred Owl House - www.owlpages.com

 Step #9: Optional step - Add
weather protection.

In this case, we are using

vinyl. We add it to the top,
sides, and back. But, we do
not add it to the front (We do
not want the owlet’s talons to
get caught between the vinyl
and wood).

Here we are adding the vinyl

to the sides.

How to Build A Barred Owl House - www.owlpages.com

 Step #10: Optional Step -
Add a perch bar.

In this case, we used a dead

branch to create a perch bar.

Step #11: Attach a locking

latch.

The locking latch keeps

predators from opening the
lid and snatching the eggs or
owlets. Raccoons can be
quite crafty, and are quite
capable of opening the roof if
the locking latch is not
installed.

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 Step #12: Attachment bolts
for attaching the owl house
to the tree.

Pictured are 2 hanger bolts.

The best hanger bolts are 8
inch hanger bolts. 8 inch
hanger bolts are hard to find.
6 inch hanger bolts will work,
and easier to find.

Compression springs are

hard to find, so the best ones
can be obtained from (2)
door retainer kits. Door
retainer kits can be pur-
chased from any hardware
store.

Remove the metal rods from

the springs and dispose of
the rods. Keep the rest of the
hardware for the next step.

The end result is pictured on

the right.

The compression springs will

allow the tree to grow and
expand without destroying
the owl house.

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 Step 13: Attach a chain
(from door retainer kit) that
can be used to lift the owl
house up the tree.

We use the left over hard-

ware from the door retainer
to make the chain lifter.

Attach the metal brackets

into the side walls.

Step #14: - Protect the side walls with parafin was to prevent bees from building nest inside the box.

Wasp and Hornets are the two most common bees to build nest in the owl box. Bees can sting and kill
the owlets.

Now we are ready to hang the owl box.

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 Step #15: Selection a loca-
tion for your Owl House.

Try to selection a location

that is 30-200 feet from a
water source. A water source
can be a lake, pond, river,
stream, swamp, or water
hole. Even a dribbling stream
will work.

You do NOT want to place it

so close to a water source
that the owlets drop out of
Water Source the box and fall directly into
the water. They will drown if
you do this.

Try to keep the owl house 100+ feet away from a house or building.

Try to keep the owl house away from roads. Barred Owls fair very poorly with cars. They tend to fly
very low and have a high incidence of car impacts.

Try to place the owl house facing north, or in a location that is protected from the sun. This is more
important in the southern part of the United States.

Don’t worry about squirrels taking over the owl house. If a Barred Owl decides it wants the owl house,
when squirrels are using the house, the owls will either evict or eat the squirrels.

Male Barred Owls are the ones who pick the nesting location. Males like to roost in a nearby tree. If
you have a conifer tree nearby, this will help attract them to using the owl house.

The best time to hang a Barred Owl house is November. In November the bees are hibernating, and
Barred Owls will have 3 months to find the house.

Try to pick a tree that is 1 foot or larger in diameter.

The Barred Owl House should be in dense woods, but the entry hole should be fairly open for easy fly-
ing to entry hole by the male barred owl. Remember, the woods may not seem very dense in the Fall.

Barred Owls will rarely nest on mountain tops. But, you can find them in the foot hills near mountains.

How to Build A Barred Owl House - www.owlpages.com

 Step #16: Create rigging to
lift and hang the owl house.

We usually pick something

strong that we can put
around the tree and hang
from a branch to lift the owl
house. We use a rope and
pulley to easily lift it.

It doesn’t have to be a chain,

but must be strong enough to
support the heavy owl house
(30-40 pounds). If you use a
rope, make sure that the
knots are good enough. You
would not want the knots to
untie while you are hanging
the owl house. Safety first!

Chain wrapped around

the tree.

Make sure the chain

goes around the TOP of
a branch. This will keep
it from falling down to
the ground.

We then hook up the pulley

and rope.

We then install the top hanger bolt into the tree. (Attach about 1-1/2 feet below the pulley)
We drill a hole in the tree for the top hanger bolt. For a 3/8” hanger bolt, we use a 5/16” drill bit to
drill the hole. When drilling the hole in the tree, remove the drill bit after drilling 3/4” into the tree and
remove any saw dust. This will make it easier to drill. To install the hanger bolt, screw two 3/8” bolts
onto the hanger bolt, and tighten them against each other. Then use a wrench to screw the hanger
bolt into the tree. Do NOT install the bottom hanger bolt at this time. We will do this AFTER we have
hung the owl house.

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 Before we lift the owl house
we want to attach the owl
house stablizers. This will
help keep the house from
swaying on the tree.

You also need to add tree

bark chips to the bottom of
the owl house. It should be
about 5-6 inches deep. Do
NOT use sawdust. You can
get the bark chips from a
nursery or Home Depot.

Attach the rope to the chain

on the back of the owl house.

Safety Tip: Never EVER

stand under the owl house
while rising or attaching
the owl house. If some-
thing should break, you
don’t want to be injuried or
killed by the owl house fall-
ing on you.

This is at least a 2 person

job. So get someone capable
of helping you.

If you do not feel confident

doing this, hire a tree firm to
hang the house for you. Fall-
ing off the ladder is very
easy.

Also do not hang the owl house on a windy day. The wind will move the tree, and could cause you to
fall from the ladder.

Always double check everything before lifting the house. Safety always comes first!

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 Your ladder needs to be on the left or right side
of where you are going to lift the owl house.

Once you have lifted the owl house, climb the

ladder and lift the owl house onto the top
hanger bolt. Grabbing the opening of the owl
house seems to be the easist way to handle
the owl house while trying to slip the metal
bracket onto the hanger bolt. Once you have
slipped the owl house onto the hanger bolt,
attach the compression spring, and screw on
the washer/bolt.

Now you can drill the bottom hole and attach

the bottom hanger bolt. Attach the compres-
sion spring and bolt.

You do not want to tighten the bolts all the way

down. The owl house will NOT be rigid on the
tree.

I like to use wing nuts instead of standard hex

huts. Both have their pros and cons.

How to Build A Barred Owl House - www.owlpages.com

 Here is a picture of the bot-
tom hanger bolt installed.

Here is the finish project!

You don’t want to visit the

owl house every day. This
can scare them away.

Male Barred Owls will some-

times drap dead squirrels
over branches near a suit-
able nest, so if you do see
this, it is a sign that a Male
Barred Owl is interested in
your house.

Once they start to use the

house, they will return to
your house for the rest of
their lives. Even their off-
spring will use it if their par-
ents are killed. If you have to
replace the owl house or tree years from now, they will take to the new owl house or location if it is
located near the first house.

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