Final run from Walt’s barn • In 14 active carts • 212 left
Walt's Winter-Safe Two-Story Squirrel House
Walt's Winter-Safe Two-Story Squirrel House
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Walt's Winter-Safe Two-Story Squirrel House
Built by hand in a red barn in Barnet, Vermont
Walt Ketchum, 76, was a carpenter for 41 years and has built squirrel houses since 1994. Arthritis in his fingers has ended the fine work — this is his final batch.
“In March 1994 I watched a young squirrel slide down my old maple four times. The bark was wet and it couldn’t get back to its nest. That night I went out to the barn and cut the first rungs. That first house still hangs on the maple. Thirty-one winters, never empty.”
Walt Ketchum · Barnet, Vermont
What comes in the box
Fully assembled, two stories
Already fitted on the side
Already fitted in the lower room
Built in between the two floors
Six things 31 years taught Walt
Wooden rungs on the side and front. Young squirrels and wet paws get a grip and climb straight up, even on smooth bark.
A dry bedroom upstairs and a second room below for food or babies. “They like a spare room. Same as us.”
A wide platform between the two floors. Put out peanuts, and the squirrels eat right on their doorstep, where you can see them.
A round clear window in the lower room. Look inside without opening the house or bothering anyone.
The whole front opens. Once a year, pull out the old bedding. It takes two minutes.
A sloped roof that sticks out past the front. Rain and snow run off the back, and the doorway stays dry.
“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 safe way to climb in. That is exactly what they need to get through a Vermont winter.”
Linda Marsh · Wildlife rehabilitator · Central Vermont, 20+ years
Perfect for
Why Walt’s houses last
- Solid pine. Real wood that breathes, stays dry inside and weathers to a soft silver over the years.
- A real roof. The sloped roof overhangs the front, so the doorway stays dry in rain and snow.
- Opens in seconds. The front swings open for cleaning. No tools, no taking it off the tree.
- One design since 1994. The same house that has hung on Walt’s maple for 31 winters.
- Checked by hand. Walt looked over every house in his barn before it went into the box.
If it isn’t right for your yard, one email to info@cedarandtinco.com is enough. No forms, no questions — Walt would rather have it back than have it sit in a garage.
Walt’s one tip. Hang the house on a tree trunk about 8 to 12 feet high, with the doorway away from the wind. Put a handful of peanuts on the porch for the first few days. Squirrels move in during fall and winter, and the first babies come around February.
Product details
| Contents | 1 assembled two-story squirrel house |
| Material | Solid pine, natural finish; black wooden rungs; clear acrylic window |
| Dimensions | Approx. 11.4 in wide × 7.5 in deep × 15.9 in tall (29 × 19 × 40 cm) |
| Rooms | 2 — upper den with round doorway, lower room with peek window |
| Feeding porch | Wide platform between the two floors |
| Climbing | Wooden rungs on the side and front |
| Access | Front swings fully open for cleaning |
| Mounting | On a tree trunk, about 8–12 ft high |
| Best for | Gray squirrels, fox squirrels and red squirrels |
| Care | Remove old bedding once a year, in late summer |
| Made by | Walt Ketchum, Barnet, Vermont — final batch, 212 remaining |
The Last Winter
The Last Winter
A note from the barn:
Walt Ketchum has built squirrel houses in the red barn behind his house in Barnet, Vermont since 1994 — 1,140 of them, most of them given away to neighbors and the church. It started one March morning, when he watched a young gray squirrel slide down the wet bark of his sugar maple four times. That night he cut the first rungs. House No. 1 still hangs on that maple, 31 winters later. Arthritis in his fingers means there will be no further run — the last batch was built last winter, and when those 212 houses are gone there are no more.
Free US Shipping
Free US Shipping
Free shipping across the United States
- Delivery time: 3–5 business days
- Every house is hand-packed and ships from the US
- Fully assembled, two stories: approx. 11.4 in wide × 7.5 in deep × 15.9 in tall (29 × 19 × 40 cm)
- Solid pine, black wooden climbing rungs, clear acrylic peek window
- Hang it on a tree trunk about 8–12 ft high
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@cedarandtinco.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@cedarandtinco.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (ET). Whether it’s about your order, which tree it should hang on, or just to say hello — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Hang it on a tree, give it a week, and if it isn’t right for your yard, email info@cedarandtinco.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, and US shipping is free.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Walt builds every house the way he has since 1994. The pine is cut and fitted in his barn workshop, the black rungs are fitted one by one on the side and front, and the clear peek window goes into the lower room. The front is made to swing fully open so the house can be cleaned once a year. Before a house goes into the box, Walt checks every joint and every rung by hand.