Handmade by Earl Whitaker · Hocking Hills, Ohio
Harold's Handbuilt Cedar Bluebird House
Harold's Handbuilt Cedar Bluebird House
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Harold's Handbuilt Cedar Bluebird House
Built by hand in an old tobacco barn in the Blue Ridge
Harold Pruitt, 73, has built bluebird houses in Floyd, Virginia since 1981. Arthritis now makes his hands shake at the drill press — this is his final batch.
“In 1981 my wife bought a $4.99 birdhouse at the hardware store. Nine days after the bluebirds moved in, a sparrow used the perch to get inside. It wasn’t the bird’s fault. It was the box. I spent the next twelve years building one that wouldn’t let them down.”
Harold Pruitt · Floyd, Virginia
What comes in the box
Fully assembled and ready to hang
Already fitted around the 1½-inch hole
Already fitted — keeps the nest dry
Put it up the same day
Six lessons Harold built into every box
The hole is exactly 1½ inches. Bluebirds fit through. Starlings don’t. Harold lost nine boxes to starlings in one spring before he found that number.
The eggs sit about six inches below the hole in a tall, deep box. A raccoon reaching in finds nothing but air.
A steel plate around the hole. Squirrels and woodpeckers can’t chew it bigger — so it stays bluebird-sized for years.
A wire grid lifts the nest off the floor. Rain drains away and parasites fall through. The nest stays dry after a wet spring.
Little grooves inside the front give the young birds a foothold. When they are ready, they climb up to the hole and fly.
Air vents under the roof let summer heat out. Thick cedar walls stay cool on hot days and hold warmth on cold spring nights.
And one thing it doesn’t have: a perch. Bluebirds don’t need one — only sparrows do.
“Every spring I see how many bluebird nests are lost to sparrows, heat and raccoons. Most people have no idea the box itself is the problem. Harold’s box gets every important detail right — the hole size, the depth, no perch, and a front you can open for weekly checks. It isn’t decoration. It’s real help for bluebird families.”
Ron Whitaker · Retired wildlife biologist · Bluebird trail monitor in Virginia for 20+ years
Perfect for
Why Harold’s boxes last
- Solid cedar. Naturally weather-tough wood — no chemical treatment inside where the birds live.
- Real hardware. A steel collar screwed around the entrance and a metal hinge pin on the front — parts that last as long as the wood.
- Opens in seconds. The front swings open on a pin and closes with a latch. Checking and cleaning take less than a minute.
- Built to one design since 1993. 31 tries, twelve springs of testing — then never changed again.
- Proven on Harold’s own trail. 3,811 young bluebirds have left his boxes. Each one is a pencil mark on his shop door.
If it isn’t right for your yard, one email to info@backroadgoods.com is enough. No forms, no questions — Harold would rather have it back than have it sit in a garage.
Harold’s one request. Bluebirds like open ground. Hang the box on a pole or post about five feet high, facing a field or lawn — not on a tree and not close to the house. If you have raccoons or snakes, add a baffle to the pole. Then open it once a week and take a look. That’s all it takes.
Product details
| Contents | 1 assembled cedar bluebird house + mounting screws |
| Material | Cedar, natural finish walls, painted roof cap |
| Entrance hole | 1½ in / 38 mm, with steel collar |
| Dimensions | Approx. 16 in tall incl. back board × 6 in wide × 8 in deep (40 × 15 × 20 cm) |
| Nest depth | Approx. 6 in / 15 cm below the hole |
| Inside | Wire nest grid, climbing grooves, air vents under the roof line |
| Access | Front swings open on a pin, closes with a latch |
| Perch | None — on purpose |
| Mounting | Back board with 2 holes, screws included; best on a pole about 5 ft high |
| Best for | Eastern bluebirds; also used by tree swallows and chickadees |
| Care | Remove the old nest once a year, before spring. No paint or treatment inside. |
| Made by | Harold Pruitt, Floyd, Virginia — final batch, 263 remaining |
Meet your maker: Earl Whitaker
34 years a shop teacher. Now he builds birdhouses the slow way — one at a time, signed by hand.
Read Earl's story →
The Back Road Guarantee
If anything ever fails on this birdhouse — a joint, a hinge, the roof — Earl repairs or replaces it for free. For life. No receipts, no forms, no fine print. That's the deal he made us, and it's the deal we make you.
Before You Order
When will my order ship?
The maker keeps a small number finished and ready. Orders ship straight from the workshop within 3 business days, and you'll get a tracking number the moment it's on its way. If a batch sells out, the page will say so honestly — and you can join the waitlist for the next one.
What if it arrives damaged or I don't love it?
You have 60 days to change your mind — send it back for a full refund, no questions asked. And if anything ever fails on it, the Back Road Guarantee covers repairs or replacement for life, handled directly with the maker.
Is every piece really made by one person?
Yes. Every piece is made start to finish by one maker — cut, finished, signed, and wrapped by hand. That's why batches are small and why yours will carry a hand-written number.
Will mine look exactly like the photos?
Almost — but not perfectly, and that's the point. Natural materials vary in grain and tone, so every piece is one of a kind. What never varies is the craftsmanship behind it.
Is it a good gift?
It's our most-gifted item. Every order arrives hand-wrapped in kraft paper with twine and a signed note from the maker — no receipt in the box, so it ships straight to the lucky person.