This is not my first STEM purchase and definitely won't be my last. The quality here is top notch. All the edges are clean cut ans well sanded, and all holes are nicely predrilled for super easy assembly for children.We tried a birdhouse from a big box store last year and the foor was thin and cheap and it required nails. A hammer was a bit to difficult for younger kids to master, but thesethicker pieces of food with large predrill holes go together super easy, as long as they have the manual dexterity to handle a screwdriver.This was genuinely a really fun project to work on with my 5 and 7yo and it really didn't take too long. You can do it all at once, or assemble it one day, and then paint it a different day. This is a fantastic deal for the price. I will absolutely continue to be a return customer and recommend SainSmart kits to all of my friends.

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This was a great lesson in trusting the process, but the instructions failed to make it clear that the orientation of the roof and rear wall pieces matters! I needed a “point at the holes that are slightly different” type of instruction. I redid steps 3-5 several times trying to understand what I was doing wrong, which was made worse by the fact that many of the screw holes won’t align unless you start screwing them in at crazy angles and crank the pieces together. The orientation of the lower roof pieces matters, the triangle series of holes at either gable end does differ slightly, so pay attention to that! Also, the gables on mine don’t sit flush front to back, so it wasn’t obvious that one way was wrong until I had to undo it.I am glad I painted first before assembly, even though I ended up giving the birds two nice murals for their homes and had to repaint the back 🤦 the roof holes on the back pieces also need to align specifically so, do what I didn’t do, which is dry-assemble and mark which side is interior or exterior for painting. The upper walls do not matter, and everything else has countersunk holes that indicate they are the exterior surface.Painting wise - the instructions do not mention that you will need to clear coat this if it’s going outside!! I used Rustoleum’s 2x Clear Coat. The paints this comes with are decent, should be plenty to complete the birdhouse even with painting interior walls (which I didn’t deliberately do). They blend really nicely and dry down fairly well within a minute, so layering is easy. I did several layers of thinned-with-water washes of white, yellow, and black, as well as some drybrushing to mute the colors. My toddler picked the color choices and after the fact, I figured I ought to look up what birds prefer. Turns out they might not like all the bright colors, but some bird species do - I’ll absolutely update my review if the local hummingbirds start their next generation here in the spring. I am putting this in a shaded location but if it were someplace sunnier, I would go much lighter on the colors to avoid making birdy toaster ovens.I’m no birdhouse expert, but, the holes do seem to be an appropriate size, and there is good gappiness in the construction for ventilation. I am a little concerned about the potential for water to collect in the front “porch” so I will be drilling drainage holes there or removing the front bar, as there is a screw hole for the front bar that might help instead.Painting and assembly took me about 4-5 hours, and that’s with repeat painting and repeat assembly, and a toddler assistant at several stages. The included screwdriver and screws are sufficient, though I got a blister by the end, but really I’m grateful that they weren’t cheapy cheap. Not a single screw stripped on me. This does not come with any sort of mounting hardware so depending on your intended location or recipient, you may need to plan ahead.Overall - good kit, does assemble, but a little frustrating to assemble and has at least one design flaw, and you will need to purchase clear coat and mounting hardware separately.

In the end, this kit was adorable and my son is very excited to hang it outside. But the directions were hard to follow and it took a lot of trial and error to get it together. It took us about 25 minutes to screw up together.The kit is almost all inclusive , it’s just missing something to hang it outside with. The paint is very opaque and the brushes are simple, but work well. My kid had a lot of fun putting it together with me, which to me made it worth the time it took to put it together. The birdhouse itself is nice and large too and the materials are all good quality. Overall it’s good value for money and would make a great gift!

This wooden birdhouse kit is great building project for children ages 8-12. These would be good for ecology/conservation projects or for other build projects for groups for learning about woodworking. This is a fairly sturdy and comprehensive kit with good instructions. We used this kit for our Build It Webelos Scout Pin Activities. This was an easy build for our group of boys to build with some parental/leader help. This kit comes with all of the parts you need to build, and are pre-cut with pre-drilled pilot holes for the nail for easier building.

I tried out this birdhouse kit to see how simple it would be to assemble, and it ended up being a pretty straightforward project. All the instructions are picture-based, and the steps are laid out in a way that makes sense from start to finish. The wooden pieces are a decent thickness for a craft kit — not heavy, but not flimsy either — and I didn’t run into any splintering or rough edges. The parts slot together cleanly, and once everything is pressed into place, the structure feels surprisingly stable.The kit includes a small set of paints and a basic brush. The colors are the standard primary shades, and the paint has a thinner consistency, so a second coat helps if you want brighter coverage. It dries fairly quickly, which is nice if you want to add details or layer colors without waiting too long. The brush works fine for broad strokes, though it’s not precise enough for tiny designs.Assembly time is pretty quick, and the whole project works well as a hands-on activity for younger builders or anyone who likes simple DIY crafts. It has enough steps to feel engaging without being frustrating. The finished birdhouse has a cute look and makes a fun little decorative piece once painted.Overall, it’s a charming and easy kit that’s good for craft sessions, classrooms, or rainy-day projects. It’s simple, approachable, and satisfying to put together.