A story about upcycling pallets

Alongside the dumpsters in industrial parks are a stack of wood pallets. And every day, the stack gets bigger. But it’s a waste of trees, so I make pallets into birdhouses.

After sharing the creations with members of my local community, requests to purchase a birdhouse started arriving.

It wasn’t my intention to sell, but more birdhouses means more pallets will get repurposed.

Trashed wood pallets made functionally beautiful

I’m part environmental hippy, part creative, and part craftsman. Mashing those together led to turning pallets into stylish and fun birdhouses.

Heat treated and kiln dried pallets are typically made for one-time use. But I think that’s a waste of wood and instead of doing nothing, I thought it was better do repurpose pallet wood by returning it to nature.

  • Natural wood is an ideal material for birdhouses. The pallets used are heat treated or kiln dried, no chemically treated pallets are used.

  • To reduce pallet waste, a hanging cleat system is included that’s made from the 2×4 studs. Simply nail the cleat to a tree or post, and your birdhouse is ready to hang securely.

  • For Eastern Bluebirds, the house should be hung 5-6’ about the ground.

  • South is the ideal direction for the birdhouse to face as it provides the best protection against prevailing winds. East or Southeast are adequate as well.

  • Pallet wood happens to create ideal dimensions for Eastern Bluebirds. However, other birdhouses can be made by request, a hole size may be the only difference in some cases.

  • No, your property itself is the biggest determining factor whether a birdhouse gets occupied. A nearby tree line or fence line tend to be desirable.

  • It can take as little as one day or as long as one year.