Bird Bungalow

My daughter's stepson came to visit from Germany; eight years old and no more fluent in English than I am in German. I wanted something we could do together without needing many words; this was perfect. There are some simple directions that have pictures of the assembly, and we had fun together as I taught him how to use the tools and glue and assemble and paint the project in my work shop. When the building was finished, he had time to get creative with the included paints. I had to resort to Google Translate a couple of times to find a word or two, but otherwise we had no problems, and he was very happy to have something he made to take home with him, to put up in a tree for the birds.

Bought these as Easter gifts for our granddaughters. They love them! Super cute that they could decorate them in their own unique ways. Good quality and size.

Well… I just am not good at building. The main part I had difficulty with was lining up the holes to hammer the nails in. I was a little different in my design technique .. I did some mosaic and some modge podge. It was overall fun and I know the birds will enjoy it!

Overall very satisfied with the quality and experience making this with my 4.5 year old who is currently interested in animals and animal habitats. The directions leave something to be desired but it’s still easy to figure out and it’s good for kids to see how an adult they trust handles a little ambiguity and uncertainty. It helps get them involved in thinking things through too. And the directions aren’t lacking THAT much… it says things like “Tip, don’t hammer the nails in fully at first so you have wiggle room to slide in the walls.” And that provided a learning opportunity for my kid… he understood well enough when I explained why. A few bits of information and suggestions that may help others: I bought a separate assortment of outdoor paints and already have nice (ish) brushes and glad I did because this comes with one of those rinky dinky four-color selection with very tiny paint brush. Also, at end, the directions name three bird species that are likely to enjoy the (small) house: chickadees, nuthatches, and finches. And I think I saw another reviewer same some wrens live in theirs. So yeah, it’s small and may just end up being a wasp nest house 🙄 but the size was perfect for assembling and painting without spending a lot of time or money, especially for kid hands/attention.

I'll preface this review by stating I'm a childless adult and amateur woodworker who bought this item as a fun, quick project to decorate my garden. The pieces were in fine condition and well-sanded. I started by painting the pieces and gave a quick coat of water-based sealer then started assembling. I ignored the included glue and used wood glue (I have tons) and starting assembling based on instructions. The real pain began when I tried using the included nails. It was a pain to get the holes lined up and I just stopped trying; I figured the nails would hold fine enough even if the holes weren't perfect aligned. The nails went fine through the pilot holes but started bending like crazy when not lined up with the holes. I ended up having to pull up the glued down pieces and starting nailing each together one by one, then (after throwing away a couple bent nails) started pounding nails into a single piece until the end poked out and trying to line up with the holes on the next piece. I'm honestly surprised this is meant for kids (even if a parent is supposed to help with the nailing) because it's incredibly frustrating to put together. If you want to build a birdhouse kit a child can put together, you'd be better off creating the pieces like the parts of Ikea furniture, with lots of dowels and cam bolts, or even tabs and holes in the wood for a perfect fit, that could be glued and perhaps reinforced with nails. I'm planning on finishing the kit and hanging it up, but I think within the next year, I'm just going to build a birdhouse from scratch using better hardware.

Very cute, great for children to build. It is really small though.

I don't understand what people are so up in arms about. This is a cute little bird house that my husband built with our kids (2 and 5) for Father's Day. Its nice and sturdy. My kids were less than gentle with it while painting and it has escaped unfazed. It specifies the size in the listing multiple times. Atleast four if you read the entire thing. I also see a lot about the pieces not matching up. I have a theory that may be the spaces between the wall and base on either side. These are meant to be there for drainage and air flow. The paints are also the same quality you get in any kids set. I dont think they've changed at all since I was a kid. Just splurge and buy some Apple Barrel brand. You'll get more colors too.

Bought this for 12-year-old grandson to put together and paint while visiting me. He had fun! Everything required was present. Easy to assemble, nice wood and sturdy. Paints and brushes in good condition. I do recommend it for a fun afternoon.