31 pieces · built by hand
Handmade wooden birdhouses, built from reclaimed barn and fence wood
Thirty-one birdhouses, from a $24.99 wren house up to a $169.00 six-hole martin mansion. Every one is cut and assembled by hand in a small family-owned shop in or near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and ships from that shop rather than a warehouse.
34 customer reviews
Clean-out access on select models
Custom sizes on request
31Birdhouse designs
$24.99+Starting price
9Species catered for
Most are built from wood that was headed for a dumpster — old barn siding, fence boards, decking, rustic tin roofing, dropped off by the companies tearing it out. Sixty-four of the 146 pieces in the catalog describe reclaimed wood; 59 mention tin.
What is in the collection
Wren and small-cavity houses, $24.99 to $46.71. The Wren House at $24.99 is the least expensive piece Plowcraft sells. Alongside it: the Bark Birdhouse, the Two Hole Birdhouse, the A-Frame, the Flower Chalet, the Mailbox Birdhouse and the Birdie Inn.
Bluebird and general nesting boxes, $39.99 to $69.45. The Bluebird House, the Rustic Wren House, the Two-Story Birdhouse, the A-Frame Shanty, the Outhouse Birdhouse.
Animal-form houses, $99.75. Dog, wizard, raccoon, owl, moose, frog and bear — the pieces people buy as much for the porch as for the birds.
Purple martin housing, $134.00 to $169.00. The Elegant Martin Bird House at $134.00, the Martin Mansion Birdhouse at $159.00, and the 6-Hole Birdhouse at $169.00. The six-room Martin Mansion is built with 2-inch holes, designed for a 4×4 post, and made from pine lumber.
Statement pieces, $138.00 to $169.00. The 3-Hole Birdhouse at $138.00, the Log Cabin Birdhouse at $149.57, the Cottage Birdhouse at $169.00.
Choosing a house for the birds you actually have
The most useful thing to know before you buy: a birdhouse is a nesting cavity, and cavity-nesting birds are picky about the size of the hole. A hole large enough for a bigger bird will let that bigger bird in — which is usually not what you want.
Plowcraft’s listings name the species each house is built for. Across the collection those are Bewick’s wren, Carolina wren, house wren, chickadee, titmouse, nuthatch, downy woodpecker, bluebird and purple martin. The martin housing is a different animal entirely — colonial, multi-room, post-mounted, with the 2-inch holes martins need.
| Species | Where it appears in the range |
|---|---|
| House & Carolina wren | Wren houses, bark and A-frame builds |
| Bewick’s wren | Bark and small-cavity builds |
| Chickadee & titmouse | Small-cavity houses |
| Nuthatch | Bark and chalet builds |
| Downy woodpecker | Bark and chalet builds |
| Bluebird | Bluebird house, outhouse birdhouse |
| Purple martin | Martin Mansion, Elegant Martin, 6-Hole |
A few of the wren houses are built with a clean-out hole so you can open them at the end of the season. We are publishing a full entrance-hole-diameter and mounting-height guide as a separate page. Until then: read the individual listing, and if it does not say what you need to know, ask — questions about the construction of any piece get answered directly by the shop that built it.
A note on fit
Two buyers have told us a piece did not match what they expected — one found a house sold as a wren house too large to work as one, another found a three-hole house had a single interior space rather than three separate rooms. We would rather tell you that than have you find out. If interior layout or hole size matters for your situation, ask before ordering.
How these are built
Reclaimed material is the starting point for most of the collection, which is exactly why no two are identical. The site says it plainly: “Since these items are made with reclaimed materials, each piece is unique. Expect slight variations!” Nail holes, weathering, mismatched grain and old paint are the point, not a defect.
The martin houses and several of the larger pieces are built from pine — 24 listings in the catalog use it, six of those specifying rougher head pine. Twenty-five listings across the catalog describe their maker as Amish. The shops behind the birdhouse collection are the same family-owned operations behind everything else Plowcraft sells: Beaver Dam Woodworks, Brookside Woodworks, Summitville, and others.
Small woodworking shops like these are the backbone of the craft economy in this part of Pennsylvania. The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College describes hundreds of Amish-owned shops, most with fewer than ten employees, where the bulk produce wood products — outdoor furniture, gazebos, small barns and lawn ornaments.
What buyers say
Birdhouses draw more customer reviews than any other Plowcraft category — 34 of the 70 most recent reviews, out of 458 reviews and a 4.8 rating overall.
“This is the best birdhouse I have ever bought. It looks better than the picture. This seller does fantastic work and it was sent out right away. I’m very pleased with my purchase. 5 star seller, 5 star birdhouse”
CcarolFebruary 2026 · Purple Martin Birdhouse
“This birdhouse exceeded my expectations. The quality & craftsmanship are top tier.”
JJulieMay 2026 · 9 Unit Purple Martin Mansion
“I’ve been waiting to afford this for a yr. It came and I love it! 1st it was so well packed! 2nd the craftsmanship is great like a builder made it.”
SSherryJuly 2025 · Birdie Inn Birdhouse
Careful packaging comes up repeatedly — seven separate reviewers have mentioned it.
Ordering
Flat-rate shipping. Each listing shows either Quick Ship (2–3 business days) or Ships in 15 (within 15 business days, generally built to order at the shop). Tracking follows as soon as it exists. A handful of buyers have reported orders running past the stated window — if you need a house in hand by a particular date, call first.
Custom work is routine. Buyers have had pieces built to non-standard sizes and modified on request for a small additional charge. Returns: contact within 14 days of receipt for any reason and you get a free return label and your purchase price back; a 10% restocking fee applies to most returns and is waived if the item was defective or if Plowcraft got the size or color wrong.
Questions
It varies by model, and the individual listing is the place to check. Some wren houses are specified with a clean-out hole. If a listing does not say, the builder will tell you directly.
That depends on the bird. Plowcraft’s houses are built and labelled for Bewick’s wren, Carolina wren, house wren, chickadee, titmouse, nuthatch, downy woodpecker, bluebird and purple martin; the martin houses use 2-inch holes. A full species-by-diameter guide is coming as a separate page.
Durability depends on the species of wood, not just its age. Cedar heartwood, for example, is listed in the USDA Forest Service Wood Handbook as resistant or very resistant to decay — though resistance varies by species and by position within the tree, and resistance to one organism does not predict resistance to another. Ask the builder about a specific piece.
Often. Ask before you order.
Thirty-one birdhouses in the current catalog, out of 146 pieces overall.
Turn your yard into the busiest branch on the street
Thirty-one houses, from $24.99. All of them built by hand, none of them built on a line.
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