S&K Purple Martin House, 16-Room Birdhouse for Backyard Birding

Very nice house. Easy to assemble. Birds seem t9 like it.

My wife and I have been constructing and monitoring nest boxes for bluebirds and purple martins since 2003. I build my own out of pvc, wood, and various other materials and have always relied on specifications outlined by NABS (North American Bluebird Society), Audobon, and others. After last year's severe winds and hurricanes, my wooden martin boxes had suffered significant damage aside from the normal warping, weathering, and wasp infestations. Turning to the pre-fab houses as a possible solution, I purchased this box and was absolutely thrilled that it is very spacious, very lightweight, very easy to assemble, and very reasonably priced. It took me roughly 15 minutes to assemble using the very clear instructions and simple slot and tab construction. This would be a fantastic project to have your children help out with. No sharp edges, tools, or hardware needed. The corrugated plastic interior and ample ventilation throughout means the birds will stay cool in the heat of spring and early summer. And the easy to flip up panels mean that clearing out old nests, sparrows, wasps, etc., will be very easy. The holes can be left as is to reduce starling occupation or opened fully as in the photos to allow for greater access for the martins. Also the interior deviders can be customized to make larger compartments if so desired. Flexibility is the key with this box. The martins are already nesting in this part of the country, and a few have already started scoping out this new piece of real estate. It shouldn't be long before we see them constructing nests and feeding their young. I highly recomend this box.

Hmmm… first off assembly was not that big of a deal but it was a bit tricky I would say it’s helpful to have some sort of an exacto knife on hand as the polycarbonate interior panels arrive in sheet form and the panels must be separated much like removing the pieces from a model airplane kit and so almost all of the perforations separate easily and the panels pop free but occasionally they won’t separate and this is where the exacto knife comes I handy since the plastic the panels are made of stretches when you try to pull the panel free it doesn’t snap it stretches so a knife solves this issue. Secondly the instructions are not the best and I’m pretty good at assembling most Things and I wound up figuring most of the assembly intuitively it was kind of obvious how a lot of the assembly was going to progress. I’m finding this instruction list problem is prevalent in many items that require assembly and thankfully there’s generally a utube video to clarify the issues at being experienced whilest assembling said item. Sadly this is not my last negative outlook on this item since the mounting receiver at the base of the birdhouse is a dedicated socket that requires the use of the manufacturer’s proprietary pole and adapter which this birdhouse did not come supplied with. I don’t have a problem with purchasing a properly mated accessory from the manufacturer so long as it it meets my current needs which this pole does not it’s not tall enough . The manufacturer lists a fifteen foot pole for sale however they don’t mention that almost three feet of that pole needs to be anchored down in concrete so you effectively now have maybe twelve feet of pole for the birdhouse to sit on and that’s not enough because purple martins don’t like to feel threatened by any type of potential predators like raccoons and the like so the birdhouse is best suited upwards of twenty feet with no close proximity trees around the birdhouse and the addition of some sort of collar around the pole about head high is also a smart add on for the birds peace of mind and yours also . On a brighter note the entire birdhouse is amazingly light yet appears to be well constructed and really does just snap together it’s pretty straightforward don’t be overwhelmed when you unbox it it doesn’t look like much but in the end it is quite impressive to look at an amazing replication of what I would picture in front of some craftsman Amish farmers house his pride and joy for everyone to see and all the little martins and barn swallows all so happy to live in their perfect home safeNsound up in the clouds on his little homestead! ☯️👍

I bought this Martin house as a replacement for one that was already on the property when I bought it. The only reason I replaced it is it was the plastic was so old the rails and pins holding it together were cracking and falling apart. This house went through many very windy storms and I didn’t have any issues with it until the plastic rotted away. I would bet the one I took down was close to 10yrs old judging by the look of the plastic. The assembly of the new one was very easy. The instructions were easy to read but the photos were not very clear due to the black and white newspaper used in printing it. Read the instructions first and Most people would still be able to look at the parts, and maybe even use the box as a visual to put it together. It is very easy. It is made of corrugated plastic for the floors and flexible plastic for the sides and roof. The perches are made of flexible plastic and are tapered to fit into holes for a tight fit. It starts out a little flimsy but Once everything is together it is very solid and will not come apart if done correctly. The most important part of assembly is making sure the fasteners are lined up with the holes. The holes for the sides and roof may need adjustment until they line up. The house once together has the ability to be cleaned out by opening the panel with the entry holes. Press two tabs then pull open. There are 4 separate panels to open. They do sell accessories for this martin house you can get directly from S&K You will need to buy a pole separately. It uses a triangular shaped telescopic pole but they have adapters for a round pole if needed. I have the triangular pole and it works great.

Horrible. Cheap. And no way this will stand the test of time outside in the elements. Do not buy. Putting it together wasn't fun because the instructions were not the best and weren't clear at all. Mostly though the 1 star I am giving is for the quality.

My third one. Holds up through windy, stormy weather. Not difficult to assemble but read directions and be a little patient and remind yourself how great it will look when you are done. The corrugated plastic does hold up well. Should last many years (I’m guessing 7 to 10 years or even more here in Ohio). Little perches may not last for ever but birds don’t seem to mind. One year “grackles” tried to take over and pecked the openings damaging some of them. But that did not last. These are really fun cool looking and functional bird houses. All apartments are full every year!

Nice

Hopefully I'll get Martins next year. Easy to assemble. Seems sturdy

Good Product

Problem was addressed & happy with the result.

I loved , easy to assemble but the base is not very strong. I decided to add some wood to connect the pole. I would buy again

no birds yet but love it

The house is lovely but, contrary to the ad, it does NOT come with a pole. I had been fairly certain that it came with a pole and I have re-read the ad and it DOES say that. We tried to get one subsequently and it was going to cost a fortune to ship it to Canada. So the house is sitting on the floor in our bedroom. We have missed the window of opportunity for the Purple Martins as they are by now established elsewhere. It is a triangular base for the pole so you cannot use just anything. Very frustrating!!