Build a Better Birdhouse (Or Feeder): New Designs in Avian Architecture (Paperback)

by Malcolm Wells (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Most birdhouses, according to "underground architect" Malcolm Wells, are "silly-looking boxes embarrassing us out of doors. We owe it to the Creator of the birds, if not the birds themselves, to give it our very best shot; to say, somehow, in human terms, what they say so movingly in grass and twigs and straw." The author has been giving it his best shot for over 40 years, creating little habitats of weathered wood that belong to and blend elegantly with the landscape. The 25 easy-to-follow designs presented here (with the author's humorous and philosophical asides) will make both birds and people happy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Willow Creek Press (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572230495
• ISBN-13: 978-1572230491
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #899,248 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Creative, But Not Technical, June 12, 2000

By	Al the Pal "Al the Pal" (The Fruited Plain, United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Once you plow through the diatribe condemming man for destroying the bird's environment, there are a lot of creative ideas here if you want to build birdhouses and nesting platforms. The book is illustrated with freehand drawings that can be hard to follow, but this is not meant to be a book of plans, more as an inspiration to the creative.

There is a brief chart showing the diameter of entrance hole for a few species, but it is not as complete as other sources. He does not get into any great detail about where to mount houses, proper interior sizes or spacing for the different species.

Most of his designs are for pole mounted houses and he gives some creative ideas for poles. Several ideas are for wall mounted houses. He does have a few designs for hanging houses. One of the more interesting houses is a pole mounted "earth sheltered" nesting platform.

If you want more technical information, I'd suggest Scott D. Campbell's "The Complete Book of Birdhouse Construction for Woodworkers" (available from Amazon.com.) Campbell's book is an excellent companion to Well's book and a basic technical reference for building birdshouses. You can modify the creative designs in Well's book to conform to the researched standards in Cambell's book.

The more information you have before you start, the better your results will be!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for inspiration, but not for beginners' guidance., January 2, 2001

By	George Nolta (Citrus Heights, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book has some novel and interesting ideas for breaking out of the classical design mold which might be boring to some people. However, contrary to the claim on the backcover that it contains "...easy-to-follow construction drawings even the most hesiteant amateur will be moved to build...", the designs really require the skills of a moderately experienced carpenter or cabinetmaker to follow. If you're already experienced in woodworking and reading design plans, then the diagrams may appear to be "elegantly simple". However, to a construction novice like myself, the designs will be daunting. The book is worth the price just to get some nice new design ideas, but don't expect it to be a beginner's guide to construction.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Build a Better Birdhouse, September 28, 2005

By	Barbara E. Walter "Bird House Builder" (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I loved this book. Great designs. However, the following day I received in the mail the same book published with the title "Classic Architectural Birdhouses and Feeders." It's very annoying when authors publish the same material with different titles and cover designs.