DIY: Adding a Tin Roof to a Birdhouse

Snow will slide off a metal birdhouse roof on a warm winter day.

A birdhouse with a tin roof brings a rustic feel to your yard. On a rainy day, it delivers the whimsical sound of rain drops bouncing off metal. Your birdhouse may benefit from a tin roof if the roof leaks in a heavy rain. Most birds are not bothered by a small leak, but a large leak might cause water to pool in the bottom of the birdhouse. A sheet of tin applied to a wooden roof will seal it against leaks and prevent your birdhouse from becoming a mosquito-breeding pool instead of a home for songbirds. With a few simple tools, you can add a tin roof to almost any wooden birdhouse.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Sheet of tin
• Tin snips
• Drill
• Nails
• Hammer

Instructions

1. Measure the roof of your birdhouse. Use a flexible tape measure over any angles so you know how much tin it will take to cover those angles and the flat surfaces.

2. Cut the sheet of tin to size according to your measurement. Tin can be tricky to cut, so it is helpful to mark the dimensions on the tin and use a straight edge to draw an exact outline of the area to cut out. Use the tin snips to cut all the way across one edge at a time.

3. Mold the tin over the birdhouse roof. Depending on the shape of the roof, you may need to bend the tin to make it fit.

4. Drill holes in the tin along the edges where you plan to drive nails. The holes need to be smaller than the heads of the nails you plan to use.

5. Hold the tin against the roof with one hand, place a nail in the center hole drilled along one edge of the tin and pound the nail in with the hammer.

6. Adjust the tin to make it sit straight on the birdhouse roof and drive a nail into one of the corner holes along the same edge as the first nail.

7. Work your way around the roof edge, holding the tin tightly down on the roof and hammering in the additional nails at each drilled hole.

8. Paint the roof with birdhouse-safe outdoor paint if you do not want a shiny roof.

Tips & Warnings

• A shiny tin roof can draw the attention of other animals, making a birdhouse that is hanging in a tree less safe for small birds.

• The edges of the tin sheet are sharp, so wear gloves to protect your hands from getting cut.

References

• Federal Citizen Information Center, Pueblo, Colorado: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- For the Birds
• The Scoop on Wild Birds and Feeders; Building Bird Houses That Get the Movers Hired; Judy Coates
• All Birds: Bird Houses and Nestboxes