Cedar Two Chamber Bat House - How To Build

Today in the shop, I show you how I built my cedar two chamber bat house. 🦇 🏠
Material used:
▶️ 6” wide cedar fence pickets
▶️1x4 cedar board (sides / roof)
▶️1x2 cedar board (rail supports)
▶️Titebond III Glue
▶️1/4” Plywood
▶️Flood CWF clear waterproofing sealant
To learn more about bat house siting, placement and maintenance, visit:
🔔 batmanagement....
For mounting to the side of a house / barn, i found these French cleat hangers work great!
🔨 a.co/d/4QbAB55
📣 Note - Geographical location / climate of where the bat house will be located will dictate the color the house should be painted / stained. Here is a link to a chart that should help.
austinbatworks...
🎶 Music by Bensound.com
#woodworking #woodshop #woodworker #diy #bathouse #bats

[@alanesterline2310]

Not sure if I'm more impressed by your work or the fact that you seem to respond to almost every comment. I like how simple this build is as well. THANK YOU!

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Thank you for your kind words! In our family landscaping business we return every phone call we get which has gotten us a lot of work because so many people say “your the only one who returned my call out of all the contractors we contacted”. I try to follow suit here as well with answering as many comments as I can.

[@JaimeLynn-pm2iu]

Out of all the Bat House videos I've watched, I like yours the best. Really nice design sir!!!

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed the video and the design of the bat house!

[@merlinthecat2000]

Thanks for this video! I'm going to build one and hang it on my barn to try to attract some inhabitants. :)

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Your welcome! Hope it helped you out and best of luck on your build. 🦇 🏠

[@user-mo3mq6yq3y]

Your bat house is the best I've seen!

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Thank you very much for that compliment!!

[@Outta_Towna82]

Brilliant design & build 👏🏼

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Thank you very much!

[@floridabeardedwoodworker]

Great video keep up the great work

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@javigutierrez4318]

Great Job!!!!

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Thank you!

[@alexreid4131]

Great build. Any plans to offer…well…plans? 👍

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Thank you! I have some internal notes written out on a paper for the build but I don't have step by step instructions.

[@dfishman76]

Good design

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Thank you!

[@jmarcant616]

Looks good. Do you have plans that you can share?

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Thank you! I don't currently have plans but I am certainly planning on putting them together since I get asked a lot about that.

[@jmarcant616]

@@sawdustgaragestudios thank you let me know when they are available

[@jond1965]

Solid video. Ive been reading its best to stain the bat house dark here in the northeast. Is that true?

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Thanks for checking out the video. You are correct. Depending on your region, your box should be stained a particular color to help maintain a particular interior temperature. There js a helpful graphic in a link at the bottom of my video description but I’ll share it here too. Hope this helps you out! austinbatworks.com/pages/selecting-a-color#:~:text=To%20determine%20your%20region%20color,or%20light%20shade%20of%20paint

[@stephenschildbach940]

Thank you for this clear tutorial and easy to make build. I could build this even without all the nice tools you have. I just used a circular saw, a puddy knife for scoring, finishing nails, and left out the bat shape. I'm wondering, do you think the drill bit holes would let in too much light and not be ideal for the bats? I know, we can't ask the bats.

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Your welcome. Glad this could help you out and that you could utilize the tools that you have accessible to complete your own project. Its generally good practice to install ventilation holes in the house to allow the bats to regulate the ideal temperature that they prefer. Even on the bat management website, their bathhouses shown have frontward facing openings on the house.

[@stephenschildbach940]

@@sawdustgaragestudios Thanks, good to know.

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Your welcome! Thanks again for checking out my video.

[@DisneyUpBoilerUp]

Is there a list with materials and directions?

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

In the description i mention the materials used in the construction but I unfortunately don’t have written directions outside of the video.

[@DisneyUpBoilerUp]

@@sawdustgaragestudios ohhhh, I see it now, lol sorry about that. thanks.

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

@@DisneyUpBoilerUp Not a problem. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

[@alansmith3121]

Is it necessary to score inside of front panel and both sides of middle panel?

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Yes it is necessary. The idea is that the bats can pass through the center panel to access the front panel and need the scored grooves to grip on the all panels that they would be climbing on.

[@lloydbannister8062]

Your bat box’s are cool do you have the plans for them

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Thank you! Outside of the video, I unfortunately don’t have any formal plans for them.

[@lloydbannister8062]

Ok no problem thanks

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

@@lloydbannister8062 If you have any specific questions on the build (outside of the video content) I can try to help you out.

[@carolpowley4339]

How many pickets did the build use overall? Love this, btw!

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

@@carolpowley4339 ​​⁠ Thanks for the comment. It works out that you can get the materialscc for one bathouse out of 2 - 6ft long 6 inch wide fence pickets.

[@bernieluciow8085]

What is the purpose of the larger holes on the inside panel?

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

It allows the bats to pass through to the second chamber. It’s the only way to access that one since they land on the landing pad on the back chamber and climb up.

[@duanemarshall812]

Great build. Is roof flat or slopped? Also you mentioned no access for second chamber. But it looks like there is a 1x2 opening at the bottom like the front chamber. What did I miss? Loved the calmness and music.

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

@@duanemarshall812 The roof is sloped. I didn't have a clip from my cutting the 10 degree miter on my table saw but the slope can be seen at 5:30 in the video. There is access to the second chamber via the larger holes drilled in the middle board. The idea being the bats land on the landing pad, craw up through the first chamber and then pass through the middle board holes to the second. That's why its important to score both sides of the middle board for them to grip. Let me know if you have any additional questions.

[@MyFloridaWildlifeJournal]

What is the name of the tool you used to cut out the bat?

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

I used a scroll saw to cut that out. It’s great for making precision cuts on small pieces like that.

[@MyFloridaWildlifeJournal]

@@sawdustgaragestudios Thanks for replying!

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

@@MyFloridaWildlifeJournal Your welcome! If you have any other questions, please let me know. Also, this is the model scroll saw I have if your interested: www.toolup.com/DeWalt-DW788-20-Heavy-Duty-Variable-Speed-Scroll-Saw-Bundle-with-DW7880-Scroll-Saw-Stand

[@tlnelson7598]

how do mount the bat house?

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

I use these French cleat style mounts which make it very easy to hang. Amazon link below… a.co/d/1IRCQcw

[@erikhaugland8744]

What kind of wood did you use and how would you hang it?

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

I used 6” cedar fence pickets and cedar 1x4 lumber (sides and roof). For hanging, I found these metal French cleat hangers screwed into the back work nice. I’ll add the link to the video description.

[@Adam.Rushing]

@@sawdustgaragestudios Thanks for that! BTW, your description also calls it a "bathhouse" :)

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

@@Adam.Rushing Your welcome. Thanks for catching that and I made the edit. Maybe I should look into building a “bath house” for bats now too 😆!

[@Adam.Rushing]

@@sawdustgaragestudios 🤣

[@nickpowell5142]

Nice job. I was going to ask how you hang the box but saw your reply about the French cleats. I was thinking that if you extended the upper back board by a few inches above the box then you’d have room for a couple mounting screws at the top as well as below through the lower boards. Thanks - great instructional video.

[@jeffharris9981]

Do you sell bat houses? Please advise.

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

Hi Jeff. Yes, I sell the style bat house shown in the video. I typically sell locally at craft shows due to the size and weight making shipping a bit expensive.

[@doncrist2012]

What price can be asked to sell these?

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

@@doncrist2012 I sell them for $100

[@MarkSmith-cs6gl]

What was the name of the saw you used to cut the bat out please and thank you for your time in this matter

[@sawdustgaragestudios]

For that cutout, I used my Dewalt DW788 scroll saw. I’ve had it for two years now and have really enjoyed using it. Let me know if you have any other questions.