We picked it up but I soon realized it was not a standard bat house (and had a stupid "bat" design on it), so I had to make some modifications. There are some pretty good instructions and plans on the internet for constructing bat houses but the construction seems to be in more of an art than science (such as, do all bats like the same standard design?). So here are photos showing the work I did to the bat house. First, a slot is typically put in the front of the house for ventilation (the bats enter the house through the open bottom).
Second, a thin piece of wood was inserted in the box to divide the space up. I guess the smaller spaces make it easier to climb in and heat. Third, roofing material was added to help waterproof the top of the house. The builder had used two pieces of lumber and the crack would have leaked water. That just wouldn't do.
So now that it had a solid roof, I thought, why not make it a GREEN roof? So using material around the yard, an old plant tray, a light soil mix (spent coal "clinkers"), and Sedum (Sedum kamchaticum). But the real change was adding a better bat image on the outside. My wife says that's so the bats know it is for them... Let's hope.
