Birdhouse Builder turns cheap, knotty cedar pickets into a zero-waste production system for birdhouses built to published nest-box guidelines. Knots can’t be used in structural pieces, and most builders eyeball around them, wasting board feet on every single build. This app replaces that guesswork with a three-step shop workflow: map your boards, let the optimizer place every part, and carry leftover scrap into your next build so waste keeps shrinking over time instead of resetting with every project. It runs on any phone or tablet, right at the saw.
100% Free — No Ads
No Credit Card Required
Built for scout troops, families and weekend woodworkers.
Knot Hopper Board Mapping — Scroll a digital plank to match your real board’s tape measure, then tap Start Knot and Stop Knot to log every defect as you go. Each board map saves automatically and feeds straight into the optimizer.
Picket Wizard Cut Optimizer — A Tetris-style placement engine reads your board maps and packs every birdhouse part into usable sections automatically, maximizing yield from every picket you own.
Scrap Carry-Forward Inventory — Leftover cutoffs are logged and pulled first on your next build, so waste keeps dropping build over build instead of resetting with every new project.
Nest-Box Guideline Checks — Automated checks against published nest-box guidelines, including NestWatch and the North American Bluebird Society, with predator guard requirements, across 8 supported bird species, with habitat and placement guidance built in.
Materials, Screws, and Cost Planning — Enter your birdhouse count and get an instant picket count, screw list, and a Kit vs. Finished pricing breakdown before you buy a single board.
Who It’s For: Hobbyist woodworkers, Scout troops, birding clubs, and small-batch builders who want well-built birdhouses without burning through extra lumber on every knot they hit. If you’re cutting cedar pickets by hand at a jobsite or in a home shop and hate watching good wood go to waste around a knot, this app was built for your workbench.
Prefer a kit? Our sister site Wood R Us sells precut cypress birdhouse kits that glue together with no tools, if you would rather skip the saw.