21 DIY Bat Box Plans To House Bats In Your Yard

If you’re looking for a way to protect the bats that often fly around your property, consider looking into these handy bat house plans that we have collected from the internet. You can find a range of bat box plans that keep them safe from the weather and predators, and you don’t have to worry about them destroying your garden or landscape.

In fact, bats are very convenient to have around your garden. You see, bats are more interested in eating the insects and pests that fly around your property. Building a bat house is a great way to protect your garden without turning to pesticides.

There’s a wide range of bat house plans to browse through, and you can find most of the materials in home improvement stores. You may even find some materials around the house. Building a bat box is also a great way to teach your children how to protect smaller animals.

If you want to learn how to build a bat house, check out our guide the for the following bat house plans.

1. Bat Box Plan On Shed

Whether you have a store-bought or DIY bat house like this one by instructables, you’re going to learn how to hang it on your shed. To build this bat box all you need to do is, get some treated boards to safely mount the bat house.

The supplies also include lag bolts, U-bolts, metal and wood screws, pipe-strap and a 10-foot fence pole. Attach the bat house to the pole using the pipe-straps, and then attach the boards and mounting. The pole is going to be attached to the shed, and it’ll be high enough to keep the bats safe.

2. Wooden Bat Box

When it comes to building a bat house, it’s not uncommon to use wood as your material. You’re going to build this diy bat box By gardenersworld with planed timber plank softwood. The project also requires supplies such as a fine toothed saw, cross head wood screws, screwdriver and electric drill.

When it’s time to assemble your bat house, you’re going to place the front on last to ensure it’s a perfect fit. Your bat box should include narrow slits, so the bat can easily slide into their house. As for location, you can attach the bat box to your house or shed.

3. DIY Bat Nest

With these bat box plans by instructables, you’re going to build a DIY bat nest. It’s simple enough to build, but it provides a dark, protective spot for bats. Scrap OSB wood and wire mesh are enough for your bat nest. You can also use a drill, nail gun, miter saw and band saw, but a handsaw with a screwdriver or hammer also does the trick. You’re building the house out of the wood pieces, and the wire mesh gives the bat something to climb on and cling to inside the nest. You may also like to see my other similar article bird feeder plans.

4. Single-Chamber Bat Box

You can build a single-chamber diy bat box like this one by modernbuilds with cedar, plywood, cedar fence panels and plastic wire mesh. You also need tools such as a staple gun, exterior-grade screws and silicone caulk. The cedar is used for the front and sides, the cedar fence panels are used for the slats and the plywood is used for the back.

The wire mesh goes inside the chamber so the bat has something to cling to. Use the silicone caulk to keep their box warm and dry. There should be a gap between the bottom slat for air circulation. Finally, you want to ensure the entrance is big enough for the bat, but not its predators.

5. Painted Bat Box

If you’re looking for something that allows you to be more creative I would suggest you considering a painted bat box like this one by thisoldhousec. This is a fun project that you can use to teach your children how to make a bat house. The materials include plywood, deer netting, screws, caulk and paint.

The house itself should include a bat-sized entrance, air vents and netting for clinging. If your children want to do the painting, the exterior should be camouflaged from predators, and the interior should be black to keep it dark. You can even decorate it with a silhouette of a bat that matches the exterior.

6. Board Bat Box

A board bat box plan by by gardenerspath   is built using, you guessed it, wooden boards. Your list of materials include non-toxic plywood or outdoor-grade solid board, cedar and pine board. The supplies include, but are not limited to, a drill and bit, coated deck screws, table or handsaw, sandpaper and exterior latex caulk.

You want to use a sharp blade to cut grooves into the back plate for clinging. One idea is to make the entire back plate their landing area. If you’re painting the exterior, make sure it blends in with the surroundings to protect the bats from predators.

7. DIY Bat Box

With these bat box plans by DIY.Dunnlumber, you’re going to use plywood, white wood, scraps of lumber, exterior screws and construction adhesive. The other materials include caulk, a caulk gun, felt paper and an electric drill. Their house should feature a landing area, grooves for clinging and air vents, but it should also be weather-proof to keep them dry and warm.

The most important thing is to keep them safe from predators, so the entrance should only be big enough for them. Like my other plans i suggested to you, in this plan you can also mount your DIY bat house to your house or shed. This one of our most favorite diy bat box plans. You may also like to see my other similar article diy squirrel feeders.

8. Cedar Bat Box

A cedar bat box by hgtv is durable enough to protect bats from predators and the weather. The materials include cedar fence boards, deck screws and wood joinery biscuits, and the tools include a drill, circular saw and miter saw.

There’s enough space for a bat to stay inside during the day, but there isn’t enough space for a predator to get inside the box. Attaching the box to a tree gives them easy access to bugs, but it may be safer to attach it to a pole or your home.

9. Silhouette Bat Box

When learning how to build a bat house like this one by by usfwsnortheast, it’s always fun to find plans that allow you to be more creative. One idea is a silhouette bat box, which you can build with wooden boards and drywall screws. The box is bent at a 10-degree angle to keep the bat comfortable, and caulking is used to attach the roof and seal any drafts.

When you’re ready to create your silhouette, use craft foam as your stencil and Krylon spray paint for the design. Once you’re finished assembling and painting your box, you can use a mini French cleat, L-brackets and screws to mount it to the wall.

10. Bat Box Condo

If you’re looking to build a DIY bat house like this one by Wiatri that stands out from the crowd, you’re sure to enjoy these bat house plans we are sharing with you. You’re going to use wood such as soffit plywood, treated posts, baffle plywood, cedar and boards for different elements of the box. It’s important to avoid green treated lumber because of the scent and toxic materials.

The entire structure should be about 8 feet off the ground to give the bats plenty of sun and distance from human interaction. Inside this bat box condo is a dark interior with rough edges for the bats to cling to.

11. Garden Bat Box

There are plenty of bat box plans like this one by instructables that encourage bats to eat the insects that attack your garden. You can build this garden bat box using materials such as untreated wood, nails and odorless glue, as well as tools such as a crosscut saw, drill press, hammer and nail punch. The door and roof are placed at an angle so the bat can nest and rest comfortably. You want to place the bat box on your home, shed or a tree near your garden, so they have easy access to bugs.

12. Upper Bat Box

These plans teach you how to build a bat house by wiatri that is higher off the ground. You’re going to build this upper bat box out of naturally weather-resistant wood, such as cedar or white oak. The tools include a table saw, drill, utility knife and screws. Use the utility knife to cut grooves so the bats can cling to the interior. You can place the bat box on a tall pole or your home.

13. Simple Bat House

If you’re looking for bat house plans like this one by instructables that are easy to follow, you can’t go wrong with this simple bat house. This bat house is designed for a single bat to dwell in as they eat insects. You want to use a scaffolding plank for this project because it’s wide, rough and untreated. It doesn’t feature a bottom plank, as the house is not intended for nesting. The tools also include a fretsaw, screws and woodworkers’ glue. You can decorate the house with a bat graphic. You may also like to see my other similar article bird house plans.

14. Plywood Bat House

Use these bat house plans by Scoutlife to build a plywood bat house. In addition to the exterior plywood, you’re also going to use boards for the interior and wood spacer blocks.

The supplies and tools include a crosscut saw, pocket knife, exterior wood screws, drill with bits and paint-able caulking. Your bat house should feature a landing area, air vents and dark interior. Paint the bat house in a darker shade, and hang it high enough to keep the bats comfortable. You may also like to see my other similar article homemade hummingbird feeders.

15. Four-Chamber Bat House

A four-chamber bat house by edis.ifas.ufl.edu can be built with a combination of cedar and exterior-grade plywood. You should also use exterior-grade screws and staples, as they last longer than nails. Remember to caulk the house, re-caulking every three to five years, to prevent leaks.

Use an overhanging roof made of shingles or sheet metal to provide a shaded area and durable construction. If you’re looking to house multiple bats, consider mounting two four-chamber bat boxes back-to-back on a pole.

16. Batman Logo Bat Box

If you’re a fan of Batman, you’re sure to love these bat box plans by instructables. This bat box is made of pine or cedar, different sized boards and a nylon mesh screen. You also need materials such as a table saw, drill and bits, deck screws, dark paint or wood stain and exterior caulk.

The Batman logo is made of pine or cedar boards, which you can color with the dark paint or stain. You can mount the box in a high spot on a tree or your home.

17. Suburban Bat House

If you live in a suburban area, you can protect bats with the suburban bat house. The materials for these bat house plans by batguys include your gable vent, pine wood, galvanized screening and wood screws or galvanized drywall screws.

You’re also going to need tools such as a cordless drill and bit, table saw and hand shears. The bat box is going to be mounted to the gable vent on your house, keeping it attached to your home.

18. DIY Garden Bat House

There are many plans that teach you how to build a bat house, and this includes the DIY garden bat house by nwf.org. You can build the house using outdoor-grade plywood, pine wood, board for the roof and black asphalt shingles or galvanized metal.

The project also requires materials such as a table saw, roofing nails, caulking gun and paintable latex caulk. Mount the bat house to a pole, tree or your home near your garden, so they can eat the bugs.

19. DIY Bat House

The plans for this DIY bat house by thriftdiving include cedar fencing, cedar boards, red oak plywood and plastic mesh. You’re also going to use supplies such as a jigsaw, power drill, exterior screws, caulk and bat stencil. This is going to be a single-chamber bat house, so there’s only going to be enough room for one bat. Use the bat stencil and craft paint to add a silhouette, which is a great task for children if this is a family project.

20. Cedar Bat Box

A cedar bat box like this one by iliketomakestuff is a great choice because cedar is untreated and weather-resistant. The roof and sides are angled to create a tight but comfortable space for the bat.

Remember to include a landing area at the bottom of the bat box, where you’re going to cut grooves or rungs for clinging. You can decorate the box with a small bat symbol before mounting it to your house.

21. Board Bat House

When learning how to make a bat house like this one by sweetteajunkie, you’re going to find that most are made of boards. For this project, the pieces come in a variety of sizes to be used as different parts of a board bat house.

You’re also going to use rough sided plywood or exterior siding, galvanized or exterior wood screws and exterior-grade silicone. The tools include a table saw, wood screws and drill. Once you build the bat house, you should mount it at least 10 feet off the ground.

Final Thoughts!

Remember, every bat house should be tight and dark, and it should feature rough-textured pieces and air vents. It’s also important to avoid recycled, treated wood, as well as scented glue and paint, as they can be toxic to bats.

When you take the time to learn about the different types of bats and bat boxes, you’re sure to find the right bat box plans for your property.