Customer Reviews

S & K BN-16 16-Family Martin Barn

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This house is easy to assemble, held together with plastic push pins that are very similar to the ones that hold parts of your car together. The house "sturdies up" by the time you get the roof on. The sides with the entrances hinge open for easy cleaning. Being made of heavy plastic, you can blast it out with a garden hose and let the wind dry it. You must use the special pole to mount it (sold separately).

If you are looking for an easy maintainance house to attract bug eating Martins to your yard, this one will do.

First, the product. This was no cakewalk to assemble. I will have to glue some of the perches in place to keep them from wobbling or falling out.

Second, Amazon. One might be led to believe (from Frequently Bought Together) that the Heath MP-15 Telescoping Pole and Heath BP-15 Mounting Bracket would be just the thing. NOT! The S&K Barn has a proprietary base. The Heath pole and mounting bracket (although of seemingly adequate quality) will not work with the S&K Barn without extensive modification of either the base of the S&K Barn or the Heath Mounting Bracket.

I bought this house about a week ago and within one hour of erecting it on the 15' telescopic pole I had martins looking at my house and today there are 4-5 on it all day long. I did see several martins in the area prior to getting the house, but I didn't realize it would attract this much attention so soon.

I debated forking out the $125+ for a good aluminum house, but I felt that this house (at 1/3 that expense) would do for now. As I was putting it together it did feel very flimsy but once you get all the push pins secured it really does firm up! The inside partitions are made of what I call "plastic cardboard" You'll see it used in many factories in place of standard cardboard so that it will last longer. I've used this material for several home made applications and it is much tougher than you'd think!

My only real minor complaint is it's looks. It just doesn't have that "old school" martin house look. You know, the white aluminum with green roof... You can definately look at it and tell that it is made from a plastic material. You might be thinking "its a barn, what could look older than a barn..." Well it is a plastic barn!

I am very happy with this house... For the $44 that it cost I would buy it again in a heartbeat. Some day I may buy or build a different more traditional looking house, but this house should stay in the air for a long time!

It was a little complicated to assemble but once we got it together it is beautiful.

After building one martin birdhouse from scratch I decided it would be easier to buy a kit. I am sorry I did, after getting the kit assembled three quarters of the way I find that I need to buy a round pole and a adapter to top off (plug the large square hole in the roof) or modify it myself to patch the hole an adapt it to the triangular pole I already have. I refuse to reward companies that sell incomplete products in order that they might sell you additional Items. The instructions are barely adequate and I question durability of the Item on a long term basis.

The 16 family martin barn is simple and easy to assemble. Looks just like the pictures when fully assembled. Although the pole mount on the barn will not withstand the winds. I had to lower mine after a couple of weeks to support the barn. I found that the barn had wobbled on the pole until the base of the barn was cracked and about to fall. I used zip ties to support the barn to the pole and stop the wobble. The base of the barn needs to be stronger to support the weight and the winds.

The barn bird house is attractive and the birds are filling it up. The interior is inferior, however. The painted cardboard partitions don't hold up to bird pecks. It is the same problem I had with my old S&K birdhouse. Why not use some kind of hard plastic for these partitions?

My wife and I have been constructing and monitoring nest boxes for bluebirds and purple martins since 2003. I build my own out of pvc, wood, and various other materials and have always relied on specifications outlined by NABS (North American Bluebird Society), Audobon, and others. After last year's severe winds and hurricanes, my wooden martin boxes had suffered significant damage aside from the normal warping, weathering, and wasp infestations. Turning to the pre-fab houses as a possible solution, I purchased this box and was absolutely thrilled that it is very spacious, very lightweight, very easy to assemble, and very reasonably priced. It took me roughly 15 minutes to assemble using the very clear instructions and simple slot and tab construction. This would be a fantastic project to have your children help out with. No sharp edges, tools, or hardware needed. The corrugated plastic interior and ample ventilation throughout means the birds will stay cool in the heat of spring and early summer. And the easy to flip up panels mean that clearing out old nests, sparrows, wasps, etc., will be very easy. The holes can be left as is to reduce starling occupation or opened fully as in the photos to allow for greater access for the martins. Also the interior deviders can be customized to make larger compartments if so desired. Flexibility is the key with this box. The martins are already nesting in this part of the country, and a few have already started scoping out this new piece of real estate. It shouldn't be long before we see them constructing nests and feeding their young. I highly recomend this box.

We have owned our for over two years. The martins love it and stay all summer. We like it so much, we gave one to my mother-in-law this past Christmas, and she already has it occupied. Will probably order more in the future.

This product met all expectations. Easy to assemble and has become the talk of the neighborhood. Best price associate with products in this category. Would make a great gift for a dad, mom, birdlover, or anyone that loves the outdoors.