Recreational project

What keeps raccoons from opening the door?

How high are those usually mounted?

@Dave Bair,

The door will have turn buttons to keep it shut when I get around to it, but the fit is quite snug as is. I'm more worried about squirrels moving in. We'll see. 

Ellis

Added later 02 min 59 s:

@Gary Radice,
They are supposed to be between 10 and 30 feet off the ground. I don't happen to have a 30' ladder, so these will probably be on the lower end of that range.

Ellis

Nice boxes.  

You might be too late for this year.  Screech Owls start laying eggs in early march north of the Mason-Dixon.  Those south of there start nesting in February.

@Lee Schierer,
Right, Lee. Oh well, it'll be ready when they start looking for a home again.

My first attempt at a nest box years ago was for wood ducks at a wildlife pond I dug. Not knowing any better I made it out of plywood. The squirrels chewed it off the tree before any ducks got to use it. They apparently have a taste for the glue.

One of my son's first wood projects with Dad was a bird box. We hung it about 2 feet off the ground so the tikes could watch it. The excitement was seriously dampened when my wife saw a Steller's jay pull out the chicks. No amount of height would save the little birds.

A couple of years ago our local woodworking group partnered with the local community art center on a fund raising project.  Our members built boxes, the local artists painted/decorated some of them, and they all went up for auction with proceeds to the art center. My contribution was a Japanese timber framed house. Port Orford cedar and black locust. A little over the top, but why not?

@Gary Radice,
Outstanding! Over the top? Nah.   Do you recall what the house fetched in the sale? 
I don't think I could bear to nail that birdhouse to a tree. 

Ellis

I wasn't present for the auction but I heard later that most of the boxes went for $50-100. It was a benefit auction so folks were unusually generous.