I've got 3 problems that I need to solve.
1. Now that the house is finished, I've got about a dozen 5 gallon buckets from paint and drywall mud.

2. Now that the house is finished, the barn swallows can no longer nest in the eaves (sealed up).

3. I really like having the swallows around (just not in the eaves), since they do a great job of keeping down insects.

So, the solution to these three problems is to recycle the buckets into bird houses. Something along the lines of a Martin house. Problem is, I'm short of time (birds are already circling, looking for a place to nest), and I'm not quite sure how to go about it.

I figured I could get at least 2 floors in each bucket. Small bolts could be run through the bucket from the inside to make landing perches. 1/4 luan plywood dividers inside. 3/4 inch plywood on the bottom to screw through to hold the bucket to a post.

Any other suggestions? Do you think it's better to set the bucket top up or top down? Anybody tried this before?

Steve