Bat House Construction

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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