Complexity

Beginner

Cost

$10 - $40

Introduction

Invite beautiful butterflies to your backyard with this very simple butterfly house project.

Make Your Own DIY Butterfly House

Butterflies like the protection of dark, sheltered areas—whether it’s for months at a time (during long, cold winters), or for just a few moments (when dodging hungry predators). Here’s a simple refuge you can build for them in your garden. This butterfly house will serve as a charming centerpiece for your favorite flowers.

Use smooth or rough-sawn cedar; it’s rot-resistant and weathers to a mellow gray. For durability, assemble the house using moisture-proof glue and galvanized nails. Make sure to hinge and latch one side so you can insert and maintain the long twigs and tree bark the butterflies roost on (Figure A butterfly house plans, in project information below).

To attract butterflies, locate the house in an area with lots of flowering plants, and mount it 2 to 3-ft. off the ground.

Project Information

Figure A: DIY Butterfly House Plans

DIY Butterfly house figure a

DIY Butterfly houseFamily Handyman

Cutting List:

Key | Pcs. |  Size & description

A     |   2    |    3/4’’ x 5’’ x 24’’ cedar (front and back)

B     |   2    |    3/4’’ x 5’’ x 6-1/4’’ cedar (roof boards)

C     |   2    |    3/4’’ x 3-3/4’’ x 22-1/4’’ cedar (side and door)

D     |   1    |    3/4’’ x 3-3/4’’ x 3-1/2’’ cedar (bottom)

E     |   2    |    3/4’’ x 1-1/4’’ x 3-1/2’’ cedar (support pipe stop)

F     |   2    |    1/2’’ x 3/4’’ x 3-1/2’’ cedar (false front roof)

Tools Required

  • Drill
  • Handsaw
  • Jigsaw

Materials Required

  • 1 1x6 x 10’ cedar
  • 1 3/4’’ copper pipe strap
  • 1 3/4’’ dia. type L copper pipe
  • 2 No. 8 x 1/2’’ pan head screws
  • 25 4d galvanized casing nails
  • small bottle of Titebond II moisture-proof glue

Project step-by-step (3)

Step 1

Lay out and cut the entry slots

  • Cut the butterfly house parts to the sizes and angles listed in the Cutting List above, and shown in the photos.
  • Lay out the entry slots on the front (Figure A), drill the ends with a 3/8-in.-dia. bit, then cut the slots the rest of the way with a jigsaw. Smooth the sides of the slots with sandpaper.
  • Use a 7/8-in. spade bit to drill the holes for the support pipe in the bottom, and one of the  pipe stops.

butterfly house step one

Step 2

Assemble the house

Glue and nail the back to the side. Next, glue and clamp the two support pipe stops together, then glue and clamp them to the back. Glue and nail the bottom to the assembled back and side.

Glue and nail the false front roof pieces to the front, then glue and nail the front in place and attach the roof boards. Use the door as a spacer between the front and back when you attach the roof.

If necessary, trim the door so it fits loosely between the front and back. Align the door and hammer in the two hinge pivot nails. Next, use two pliers to bend a nail in half. Drill a pilot hole, then tap in this latch.

Note: Here, the door is open so you can see the inside, but it’s easier to align everything with the door closed.

Butterfly house step 2

Step 3

Attach the support pipe

Insert the support pipe through the bottom and into the pipe stop. Drill pilot holes for the pipe strap screws, attach the strap, then loosen it and remove the support pipe.

Determine the best location and height for the house, being sure to keep it low. Hammer the pipe into the ground; protect the end of the pipe with a scrap piece of wood. Then slide the house on the pipe, tighten the pipe strap to prevent the house from spinning and watch for your first fluttering house guests.

DIY Butterfly house copper pipe