Bat House Construction
Building a Bat House (Real Media)
Building a Small Bat House
This bat house is adapted from the recommendations of Bat Conservation International. For more information, see http://www.batcon.org.
Materials needed:
- ¼ sheet ½” cdx plywood
- (2’x 4’, outdoor grade – you can ask lumberyard to cut into 3 pieces: 26 ½”x 24”, 16 ½”x 24”, and 5”x 24” or ask another adult to help you saw)
- 1 piece 1”x 2”x 8’ pine strip (¾” x 1 ¾” finished size. Again, you can ask the lumberyard to one 24” piece and two 20 ¼” pieces or ask another adult to help you saw it)
- 1/8” HDPE netting, (HDPE is a type of plastic. Cut the netting to 20”x 22 ½”)
- 20-30 1 5/8” multipurpose screws (ask for drywall screws)
- 1 pint latex acrylic paint (a medium shade of gray or brown)
- 1 tube paintable acrylic caulk
- 5/16” staples
Recommended tools:
- Table or hand-saw (optional, see the materials list for tips)
- Variable speed reversing drill
- Phillips bit for drill
- Tape measure or yardstick
- Caulking gun
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Paintbrush
For more plans and information on building bat houses, see The Bat House Builder’s Handbook, by Merlin D. Tuttle and Donna L. Hensley, 1997. Order by calling 1-800-538-2287
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