DIY Upcycled Toad House

Last summer, a toad resided in our pool area and it was a complete highlight for Luke. He would look for that toad every day and he loved to show the toad off to his friends.  We decided to make a DIY upcycled toad house out of a clay pot with the hope that a few toads might come to live in the back garden again this summer.

This fun idea came from a garden catalog that I was reading recently.  The ready made toad house in the catalog was adorable but not very affordable.  I knew we could make our own with items we already had around the house. 

Natural Pest Control

Toads are really beneficial for the garden, eating insects, slugs, and snails {they say they can eat up to 10,000 in a summer!} so providing a habitat is a win-win.  I get natural pest control and Luke gets entertainment.

How to Make a Toad House

To make a simple upcycled toad house, you’ll need a 6-10 inch clay or terracotta pot, glue like E6000, a piece of wood to label the toad house, and small rocks to embellish the house.

Use an awl to score a doorway along the top edge of the pot and continue to scrape over the original score lines until you can break away a piece of the pot.  This is the trickiest part of this craft.

Don’t worry if the edges are a bit rough.  Sand or scrape away any super rough or jagged edges, then glue pebbles around the edge, overlapping and covering any rough areas.

Glue another larger rock over the hole in the bottom of the pot.  This will keep the space inside dark, making it a sweet habitat for a toad.

If desired, make the toad house even cuter by adding a little sign.  You can simply use a sharpie to write on a small piece of wood, then glue it onto the front of the pot, above the doorway.

We placed Luke’s little toad abode back in the pool area where the old toad lived.  In a month or so, canna lilies will grow tall all around the little house, attracting bugs, and creating the perfect residence, with food and protection, for a toad.