Bats are essential to the ecosystem, and even besides the fact that they are free of cost and natural pest control providers, one needs to acknowledge that they are dying out, in numbers, directly because of our actions. We are occupying more space and reducing the habitat for all animals that call the lands we now live in their home.
For this reason, providing a safe and warm home to bats is important. Yes, some bats are rabies infested and can be dangerous for you, but as long as they aren’t inside your house, you should have no reason to worry. Moreover, most bats in urban areas, and in countries like the United States, do not feed on fruits, so your garden isn’t threatened by their presence. In fact, it is kept free of pests because they are there.
By providing a safe space for bat mums and bat kids, you are helping these flying mammals propagate because a mother bat cannot reproduce more than once every year and if they are dying rapidly, the population is dwindling far more quickly than we can comprehend.
It won’t cost much to make a bat house, and it isn’t too difficult to make one either. These elaborate plans and ideas will you make an informed decision on what kind of bat house you want for your little bat friends.
If you`ve found the bat house plans below interesting we invite you to check various other free woodworking plans, we have curated lists that will show you how to build a duck coop, deer stand, tiny house, rocket stove, diy tree house, cat tower, garage, fire pit, porch swing, greenhouse, small cabin, farmhouse table, pole barn, rabbit hutch, diy dog bed, a playhouse, a chicken coop, a coffee table or a gazebo.
DIY Bat House Plans
1. Bat Box With Pallets
This bat box can be made using pallets. Pallet wood is great for making a lot of things easily, and is commonly used for swings. But, your bat friends don’t need anything to swing on as they already do that hanging upside down most of the time. Buying pallets is easy. Going to any hardware store, you will find reusable or new set of pallets.
These set of instructions will help you make this pallet bat house from scratch.
More details at instructables.com
2. A Basic Box
This is a very tiny bat house made using cedar fence boards. It is quite simple to make and can house a small bat family in it. This How-To build guide will help you create this bat house in no time.
More details at diynetwork.com
3. A Garden House
This bat house for your garden is large enough to house around four dozen bats at the same time. Gardens are breeding grounds for a number of pests, and the presence of pests makes your garden a feeding ground for the bats. So, when the bats eat the pests, your garden remains neat, and for free.
In spite of its design, it is not difficult to make this one.
More details at instructables.com
4. A Big Bat House
It looks like a big box of wood, and no one would really guess the purpose of this box unless you tell them what it actually is. But, like a bat house, it does its job well and isn’t difficult to make either. Following the images provided in the guide, you can quickly make this to house the bats.
More details at sweetteajunkie.com
5. Netted Bat House
Blending with its environment, this bat house is made out of wood and can be painted according to whatever color it is surrounded by, helping you camouflage it for everyone except the bats. It also has more features than other bat houses, like netting. This guide will show you how to make it step by step.
6. The Batman House
This is extremely simple to make. It requires a few wooden planks and boards, and can be nailed to a tree. Adding a batman symbol to it makes it look a little more special and also informs those who look at it that this is made for a specific purpose and will be helping bats find a safe home to be in. This guide will show you how to make it.
More details at instructables.com
7. The How-To Bat House Manual
This particular bat house is extremely interesting in its design. It is long and compartmentalized and is perched upon a pole. Its height makes it easily accessible for bats, and you can make a house like that following this guide.
More details at bcbats.ca
8. The Dark Knight Box
This bat box looks very neat and has the appearance of a mailbox for flying postmen. A little similar to a birdhouse, it is flatter in design yet perfectly cozy for the bats to find a home. It is very simple to make this bat house, just by following a few easy steps.
More details at iliketomakestuff.com
9. The Adam West Bat Box
This bat box is a little too on the nose but not at all obnoxious. Emulating the classic batman logo here, this bat box is flat in shape at its base but has a batman logo added to the front facing for ornamental purpose. People who are fans of the classic 1960s Adam West Batman will instantly recognize the logo. It adds a quirky and humorous element to your bat box. You can make this batman styled bat box easily following this guide.
More details at instructables.com
10. A Nest For Bats
This is a well thought out bat box. Intricate in its design yet affordable for the pocket, this bat box is netted and looks absolutely fantastic. This box insulates a bat from light as much as it can which is in accordance to what bats like - the dark, and the wire net on the backside helps bats climb up easily and find a cozy spot.
Make one for your friendly neighborhood bat.
More details at instructables.com
11. The Beginner’s Box
This one is simple and neat in design and has come to fruition after the maker of this box had quite a few failed attempts. So, the experience counts here for you. The person who made this box offers several guides for you to make it perfectly in one try that took several before.
12. Mailbox Bat Box
Yes, most bat houses do look like mailboxes. But, this one does uncannily look like one. And even though it is very simple in design and doesn’t appeal to anyone other than bats, the how-to guide for this is layered in its instructions, from tools to videos.
More details at wwgoa.com
13. A Handbook Of Bat Boxes
A book that comes really handy when making a bat house, this handbook for those looking to make bat houses is detailed in its instructions and shows you how and why to make a specific bat house.
More details at cityofirving.org
14. The Exquisite Bat House
Not all houses are modern or postmodern in their design. Some houses like to be old-fashioned and littered with carvings and markings that give them a very aged and ethereal look. Showing seams and skeleton, they have their own magical charm.
This bat house tends to do the same. It has a beautiful carving on its front facing, of a circle of leaves inside a circle. Made out of unpainted woods, it is open to more decoration on your end. Check how to make this one.
More details at canadianhomeworkshop.com
15. A Bird House Bat House
This is a bat house that looks more like a bird house. It is a space saver and very simple to make. This how-to guide is very intricate with its methods in making this bat house and shows all the materials you need for it.
More details at ww2.rspb.org.uk
16. The Striped Bat Box
A rectangular box which has thin strips of wood nailed to its front facing, it is simple yet very chic and isn’t a sore to the surroundings at all. It has an all wooden appeal that is lovely to look at. This blog shows you how to make this bat house easily.
More details at canadianwoodworking.com
17. The Easy To Make Bat Box
Though this bat house is very standard in its design, the upside of learning how to make it is that this blog shows you more than one ways to make it so that you don’t have to stick to just one method.
More details at wikihow.com
18. A Habitat For Bats
You can expand beyond just a bat house in your backyard to building a place where you can provide warmth and comfort to several bats. By building a habitat for them, you are essentially giving them an environment that they should have in the first place and are losing out on due to rapid construction. A habitat helps them nurture and reproduce. This detailed guide shows you how to make a habitat perfectly.
More details at fws.gov
19. An Urban Sanctuary
This one is elaborate yet extremely convenient for bats to call home. This is large in size and works wonders for your winged friends. Thankfully, making this sanctuary is not difficult to make once you go through this elaborately detailed blueprint and instruction guide.
More details at batworld.org
20. Small Bat Box
This is an economical and small bat house for giving sanctuary to a few furry flying friends, but it comes with enough instructions for you to make it right.
More details at ducks.ca
21. The Novice Box
This guide to make bat houses is very efficient, and it lists out all things you will require to make a bat house. You can choose which bat house to make depending on the complexity and on the budget. The guide shows everything, including bat facts and pictures for better understanding.
More details at nwf.org
22. All You Need To Know Manual
Information is key. Knowledge is a resource. And knowing all things about building bat houses is of fundamental importance before you get on with the task. This Information Pack details everything you need to know, and the plans are very elaborate yet simple in understanding.
More details at bats.org.uk
23. Double Chamber Bat House
This bat box has both style and substance. It has two chambers in it and a pyramid-like roof covering with the walls designed in such a unique way that it is bound to stand out to everyone. With its asymmetrical design and loads of layers inside, it is surely not a simple job. But with the help of this tutorial, you can create this unique double chambered rocket bat box.
More details at cwf-fcf.org
24. Four Chamber Bat House
This bat nursery has four chambers for your bat friends to live in, helping expectant and new bat mothers nurture their babies in relative safety. The plans included for this design are very detailed and will show you how to build it step by step in no time.
More details at batcon.org
25. The Yukon
Flat designs are popular with bats. The Yukon Bat House is a flat house that isn’t very conspicuous and hence doesn’t let people who are not keen get a sniff of what you’re upto.
More details at env.gov.yk.ca
26. Bat Box Plans For DIY
Nothing helps you in making an informed decision to try a DIY than to see a detailed plan of how to do it. Once the panic of making something on your own without the foreknowledge subsides, the rest of the process is often quite easy to go with. These plans for DIYing your bat house are striking visually and great on the practicality.
More details at aep.alberta.ca
27. The Go-To Bat Box Guide
Usually for someone who is on the lowest end of the skill set and wants to venture into making stuff by one’s own, this bat house How-To guide is littered with images and instructions to help you gain the required knowledge for the task at hand.
More details at lakesidenaturecenter.org
28. A Mini House For Bats
Bats are not friendly creatures. They are often very highly alert, due to the nature of their senses and are shy on approach. They fly away at the first sound of commotion and look for as secluded an environment as they can get. Hence, small sized bat houses are easy to hide in trees and provide ample coziness and cover for bats to brood in. This instruction manual shows you how to make really small bat houses.
More details at dnr2.maryland.gov
29. The Entry-Level Bat Box Guide
Another guide that helps you make a bat house keeping in mind that you haven’t ventured into such crafts before. For a beginner level bat house construction, this manual is your friend.
More details at batworld.org
30. The Three Chamber Bat Box
This bat house design has neither two chambers nor four. A triple chambered bat house, it helps isolate bat families in spite of being flat in design. Learn how to make this design through this guide.
More details at floridabats.org
31. A Rocket Box
This is another type of rocket box bat house design that is very appealing to look at and adds to the decor of your immediate outdoors. Though there isn’t detailed enough information to go with for making this particular bat house, the picture does offer a very clear view of how the bat house should be and a few necessary tips on how it should be made with the recommended proportions, etc.
More details at batsnorthwest.org
32. Dual Chamber Rocket Box
This Rocket Box Bat Box design has two chambers, so it is narrower than the other rocket box ideas in the list. But, due to its smaller frame, it is easier to fit on a pole, unlike other rocket boxes. This saves you the hassle of mounting it on a tree and if you agree with this plan, you can explore it further here.
More details at digitalcommons.unl.edu
33. A Bat Box From Florida
A pole mounted bat box, this is arguably a popular design choice for those in Florida but is also applicable elsewhere of course. Providing quite extensive instructions with images, this bat house can be made in a short time.
More details at edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw290
34. A Box On The Pole With Holes For Bats
A flat style bat box which is also pole mounted one, this bat box resembles bird houses and thus is a unique addition to this list. This is for people who cannot afford large bat boxes and do not have trees either to install the box on. As for how to make it? This website provides you with the How-To for it.
More details at dnr.wi.gov
35. Essential Bat Box Plans
This detailed resource for bats not only shows beginners how to make bat boxes successfully and how to install them, but it also tells you a great deal about bats themselves and what kind of habits they have and what kind of needs they look to be usually fulfilled.
More details at extension.psu.edu
36. A Flat Box On A Pole
A flat box is sleeker yet at the same time is wider than a rocket box. It does provide extra room for bats though as compared to a rocket box. The more space, the better it is for bats to move around in and for them to increase in number. It isn’t too tough to make this particular box either.
More details at dnr2.maryland.gov
37. Mounted And Single Chamber Bat House
A single chamber mounted bat house means there is no compartmentalization for different bat families to find their own spaces in. But, it can be mounted on a tree, and that makes it easier for them to inhabit it.
More details at batcon.org
38. A Suburban House For Bats
The Suburban Bat House is meant to be airier in nature and is fit for more urban environments. It has a gable-vent which helps ventilate the chamber that the bats are sleeping and resting in.
More details at batguys.com
39. A Condo For Bats
A Bat Condo sounds luxurious and extremely spacious, and that it surely is. This condo for bats can play host to around seven thousand bats, both young ones and parents. Imagine providing a house for so many bats. Feels good.
More details at batmanagement.com
So, which ones did you like the most and are they within your reason to build? Let us know.
Related Articles
30 Portable Chicken Coop Plans You Can Easily Move
Barndominium 101 | Floor Plans, Pricing Guide & Pictures
57 DIY Chicken Coop Plans in Easy to Build Tutorials – 100% FREE
47 Free DIY Swing Set Plans for a Happy Playing Area in Your Backyard
49 FREE DIY Router Table Plans For an Epic Home Workshop
43 DIY Duck Houses Plans and Duck Coop Plans to Build Now
57 DIY Bookshelf Plans and Ideas For Healthy Home Libraries
163 Free DIY Pole Barn Plans and Designs That You Can Build Easily
37 Free DIY Tiny House Plans for a Happy & Peaceful Life In Nature
27 Insanely Cool DIY Rocket Stove Plans for Cooking With Wood
19 Adorable Free Cat Tower Plans For Your Furry Friend
23 Awesome Free Deer Stand Plans You Can Start Right Now
13 Epic Free Rabbit Hutch Plans You Can Download & Build Today
23 FREE Detailed DIY Garage Plans With Instructions To Actually Build