Songbird Essentials DIY Build a Birdhouse Bluebird Kit. Made of Cedar Wood. Great Project for Kids

I purchased this kit 3 years ago and no one in my family got around to making it. Went to assemble it today and the front piece has broken in half. In addition, the floor is a 1/2" too narrow if the assembly instructions are followed as given. (The instructions say to attach the side walls flush to the sides of the back wall, but they need to be set in 1/4" on each side to match the width of the floor as given.) Clearly this wasn't a huge need for us, as the kit has sat around unused for 3 years, but it is still disappointing to get my kids excited to work on it with me and then not be able to actually complete the project easily and as described.

PROS: A pair of sparrows moved in within 45 minutes of hanging this thing. So, it works and that is what matters most. Hence, three stars. For those who don't want sparrows moving in, the entry hole in this birdhouse is not small enough to disallow entry.CONS: Nails are TOO BIG!! The first nail in split the wood. I had to use my own nails that were of a smaller size. I also decided to hot glue all the pieces on before I nailed everything together to make it extra secure.This product is also too expensive. I bought an already put together birdhouse of almost identical design for just under ten bucks at my local craft store. Thus, I do not recommend you pay the current (over seventeen dollar) price it's listed at.

I bought this kit as a fun way to teach my kids to swing a hammer. We had a great time putting the birdhouse together over the course of a Sunday morning, then hung it up in our backyard. My only, minor complaint, is that the nails are cast from a soft metal that bends too easily. Even so, I recommend this kit.

I bought 2 of these as a birthday present for my niece and nephew and they were thrilled. They both wanted to build their birdhouses immediately but for a 6 and 8 year old would require help from an adult. Hardware is not included and I recommend pre drilling holes so it doesn't split. All the pieces looked intact, no splits or anything. The cedar looks like 1/2" and isn't rough sawn so it's pretty smooth.

This birdhouse was easy to assemble and the parts were solid wood of good quality, not "wood products," so I expect it will last for a long time. Assembly could have been further simplified by a few markings showing where the parts should line up and, perhaps, some pilot holes or markings for the exact positioning of the nails and screws. The bluebirds apparently were well satisfied since they occupied the house in less than two weeks.

The two side boards were not the same length and we ended up having to cut one down a bit. It was off about half an inch which made the lid sit crooked. Other than that it was fine. Very easy for my grandsons to put together. It smelled great.

You definitely get what you pay for here. The wood splinters, the nails bend, and the pieces are not cleanly cut. But in the end, you can make it work, give a bird a home, and let your kid have some fun building something.I do recommend drilling pilot holes as the nails are straight cheap and bend with slightest mis-hit. Good luck.

This was easy to put together and I put it on a table under the porch part of our barn. I got busy and it was a week before I got back to get them put up. Well, both of the ones I had were already being put to use by some wrens. So I would say that they are certainly liked by the birds.