“They’re cutting down every hollow tree in Vermont. Where is a mother squirrel supposed to raise her babies?” — Why a 76-year-old Vermont carpenter is selling his last squirrel houses at a special price before his workshop closes for good.

The Tree Came Down in One Afternoon. Four Squirrel Families Lost Their Home.

Last October a tree crew took down the old oak at the end of Walt Ketchum’s road in Barnet, Vermont. It was hollow, so the town called it a hazard. It took them one afternoon.

Inside the trunk were four squirrel dens. By evening the squirrels were running up and down the neighbors’ trees, looking for a way in.

“Where is a mother squirrel supposed to raise her babies now?” Walt asks. “Nobody thinks about that when the saw starts.”

Why a Squirrel Without a Hollow Tree Is in Trouble

Most people think squirrels live in those big balls of leaves up in the branches. In summer, they do. But a leaf nest is not a winter home. Rain gets in. Wind tears it apart.

For the cold months, and for raising their young, squirrels need a real den: a dry, hollow space inside a tree. And those hollow trees are the first ones to go.

When there is no den, squirrels look for the next dry spot. Often that is an attic, a shed or a garage. Nobody is happy with that, the squirrels included.

One Man in Vermont Saw It Coming 31 Years Ago

Walt Ketchum was a carpenter for 41 years. He built houses, porches and kitchen cabinets all over the Northeast Kingdom. But the work he is proudest of is much smaller.

In March 1994, he was drinking his coffee at the kitchen window. Outside, a young gray squirrel was trying to climb the old sugar maple to get back to its nest. The bark was wet and smooth. It slid down. It tried again.

“I watched that little one slide down that maple four times. Four times. That night I went out to the barn and cut the first rungs.”— Walt Ketchum

The first house he built that winter still hangs on that maple. For 31 winters, squirrels have lived in it. Walt still watches it every morning with his coffee.

House No. 1 Is Still Full Every Winter

Since then Walt has built 1,140 squirrel houses in his barn. Half the trees on his road have one. He never sold a single one. He gave them to neighbors, to the church, to anyone who asked.

What 31 Years Taught Him About Building a Squirrel House

“A squirrel doesn’t care what it looks like,” Walt says. “It cares if it’s dry in February.”

“My Fingers Just Won’t Hold Them Anymore”

For more than 30 years, Walt’s mornings started the same way. Woodstove on. Coffee on the bench. The smell of fresh pine. That quiet hour in the barn is what he will miss most.

But Walt has arthritis in his fingers. The big cuts are still fine. The small work is not.

“The saw I can still do,” he says. “It’s the little pieces. My fingers just won’t hold them anymore.”

He has no son in the trade and no apprentice. So last winter, while his hands still allowed it, he built one final batch.

“I’d Rather They Go Up on 212 Trees Than Sit in My Barn”

Walt could ask a lot more for his work. Everyone told him to. He did the opposite.

“I don’t need the money,” he says. “I need these houses up on trees before the first snow.”

That’s the reason for his low farewell price. He wants every one of them hanging by winter, so that when the babies come in February, 212 more mothers have a dry place to raise them.

Walt doesn’t own a computer. Hannah, the neighbors’ daughter, used to count squirrels from his porch when she was little. When she heard he was stopping, she set up a small online shop for him on a Sunday afternoon. “She said people in Ohio want these too,” Walt says. “I didn’t believe her.”

What Readers Say About Walt’s Squirrel House

• ★★★★★

  “Two days after I hung it, a squirrel was sitting on the porch eating peanuts. Now I have my coffee at the window every morning, just like Walt.”

  – Joan M., Dayton, OH
• ★★★★★

  “We lost our big oak in a storm last year. The squirrels had nowhere to go and kept trying to get into our attic. Since the house went up, they leave the attic alone.”

  – Dennis P., Lancaster, PA
• ★★★★★

  “I bought one for my father. He calls me every week to tell me what the squirrels are doing. The little window is his favorite part.”

  – Karen D., Green Bay, WI

“One Good Den Box Can Carry a Family Through the Winter”

Linda Marsh has cared for injured and orphaned squirrels in central Vermont for more than 20 years. She took a close look at Walt’s house.

“Every spring we get baby squirrels whose tree came down. A dry den is the one thing a mother can’t make for herself. Walt’s house has two rooms, a real roof and a way to climb in safely. That’s what they need.”— Linda Marsh, wildlife rehabilitator

Questions About Walt’s Squirrel House

Where can I buy Walt’s squirrel house?

Only on this page. Walt’s houses are not sold on Amazon or in any store. Hannah ships every order from Walt’s barn.

How long will they be available?

Only while the last batch lasts. Right now there are 212 houses left. When they are gone, Walt will not build any more.

What if the squirrels don’t like it?

You have 30 days to try it. If you are not happy, send a short email and you get your money back. No risk, no hassle.

• ★★★★★

  “Hung it on our maple in October. By Christmas a squirrel had moved in upstairs. Through the little window I could see the nest downstairs in March.”

  – Tom H., Burlington, VT
• ★★★★★

  “Solid wood and a real roof. We had three big storms this fall and it’s bone dry inside.”

  – Sharon K., Rochester, NY
• ★★★★★

  “My grandkids race to the kitchen window every morning to see who is on the porch. Best thing I’ve bought in years.”

  – Barbara L., Chattanooga, TN