Purple Martin new design houses

[Peter Huszcz]

I just erected newly design two PM houses. 48 compartments each with SREH and roomy 12" X 6" X 8" compartments.
Easy access to nests and winching system to lower the houses down for "maintenance"
Last year I banded 243 babies
The condo fee went up but I did not tell the birds yet.
Their arrival is scheduled for April 17 here up north.
Anxious to see them back.

Blessings to all.

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0o5idkMw73cYx

[deancamp]

Wow Peter, that's quite a couple houses, very well done. That would be a sight to see with birds just boiling out of them.

[warbird]

nice

[white-out]

Very nice! Looks like a lot of hard work.

[Unk Bond]

I just erected newly design two PM houses. 48 compartments each with SREH and roomy 12" X 6" X 8" compartments.
Easy access to nests and winching system to lower the houses down for "maintenance"
Last year I banded 243 babies
The condo fee went up but I did not tell the birds yet.
Their arrival is scheduled for April 17 here up north.
Anxious to see them back.

Blessings to all.

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0o5idkMw73cYx

===================
Hello Peter
I am lost for words. All I can say is Outstanding. Job build well done.
Do have a question. Is your pole hinged. [ Later

[flyin-lowe]

Curious about your pole. Must be something beefy to to hold that big boy up. I have 3 1/2 inch galvanized pipe for my T14, it's probably overkill but ive never had to worry about them bending in a storm, I still lower them when I can if bad weather is forcasted.

[Unk Bond]

Hello
I am Curious also if that pole is hinged. Can any one tell [ later

[white-out]

If you look at the first pic, you can see that it's hinged at the bottom with a large bolt or threaded rod.

I would hate to have a cable snap when winching.......you'll see more birds than ever before

[Kegger]

Nice job Peter. A very thought out plan .

[Dave Duit]

Probably the best homemade martin houses I have ever seen.. Excellent work and well thought out.

[Kegger]

Reminds me of the cartoon "The Jetsons"

[avesrun]

Great looking houses Peter. Curious....are you planning to add any porch dividers? Have a great season!
TimG

[Peter Huszcz]

My old houses lasted 20 years and I decided to redesign and build two houses with enough cavities to accommodate my flock. Base of the structure is octagon core which the boxes are attached to.
On average every season I house ~ 80 pairs. 96 apartments that the two houses contain should be enough. I use 1" rough cut white cedar. The compartments are very comfortable with easy access. I installed, very simple but clever, top latching mechanism so the weight of the house is not resting on the cable all the time.The roof is made from commercial grade galvanized sheet metal. The top cone mounted to cover the top pulley. Perching antennas for comfort. The pole is made from 4 X 4 steel and is fasten in between two 4 X 4 pressure treated lumber buried 6' in the ground. The pole is fasten by three bolts that go right thru. By taking the two top bolts out I can pivot the pole down to the ground.The house is pained on the outside with white stain - stain lasts much longer than paint and it does not peel/flake. All entrances are made with SREH which are routed from inside to make the passage through thinner about 1/4" (the lumber as I mentioned is 1").
The bottom opening create air movement (vortex) that rises up, bounces off the inside (attic) of the roof and goes through each compartment providing excellent ventilation badly needed during hot summer.The house weighs about 160 pounds. The winch is rated for 2000 pounds and has build in self braking mechanism - it will not unwind itself without applying force.
I hope I answered all your questions, if not let me know.
Two more weeks and I will find out how my birds are going to react to the new house. BTW I did not tell them yet that the condo fee went up.

Blessings to all,

[Unk Bond]

Hello Peter
Was wodering what size bolts you used [ Later