Tape measure or ruler and pencil 2. Panel saw 3. 40mm long galvanised nails for constructing box 5. 15cm length x 5cm wide piece of car inner tube or Butyl rubber for roof hinge 7. The fact that much of the front of the box is open means that these boxes are more vulnerable to predators than hole nest boxes.
Adults are at just as much risk to predators as the eggs or young.
It is for this reason that more thought must be given to proper and safe siting. Apart from safe siting the species that use open-fronted boxes do not fly straight into the box as do those using nest holes. Rather, they walk or hop into the box from surrounding vegetation. Therefore, your choice of siting must include somewhere that offers fairly dense and preferably prickly cover. Open-fronted boxes are generally used less frequently than tit boxes.