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Earl's Carved Gothic Bat House
Earl's Carved Gothic Bat House
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Earl's Carved Gothic Bat House
The Carved Bat House People Actually Hang
Earl Pressley, 71 — thirty-one winters counting bats in the gorge caves. He carved a face onto his roosts so people would finally put them up: a spider-web, arched windows, a bat on the ridge. Up for Halloween, tenanted by July. 74 left. When his shoulder ends the work, there is no second batch.
“A bat wants a crack, not a mansion. I just gave the crack a face people would hang.”
— Earl Pressley, Bat Cave, North Carolina
What arrives at your door
Why a real colony moves in — and a plastic decoration never could
A summer roost is a nursery, and a thin box in full sun cooks the pups inside. This one is built solid and vented between the chambers — those arched windows on the front are working vents — so heat moves out instead of stacking up to the range that kills a litter.
That spread-wing shape cut into the bottom is not decoration — it is the door. A bat never enters from the front; it drops in through the open bottom and climbs up, exactly the way the animal is built to move.
Behind the carved front the chambers are narrow on purpose — a crack, not a room — until a bat’s back and belly both touch wood. That pressure is what tells it it is safe.
The front can be finished; the inside never is. Every interior surface is left raw and grooved, from the wing-cut landing all the way up, so bats can grip their way in and the pups do not slide. Smooth wood is a death trap.
Rot-resistant hardwood and a weatherproof outer coat let the house survive years of gorge weather. It is built to outlast the person who hangs it — unlike the plastic bat that goes back in a bin on November first.
The spider-web, the arched windows, the bat on the ridge, the burned-in plaque — each is there for one reason: a bat house that gets displayed is a bat house that works. The plain ones come down. This one goes up front, where a colony can find it.
“Most people picture bats in caves, but in summer the females gather in warm day roosts to raise their pups, and that is exactly the habitat we have stripped out of the landscape — dead trees, loose bark, old barns. A good bat house replaces it, but only if it gets a few things right: wood that will not overheat, ventilation, an open-bottom entry, and a rough, grooved interior the bats can climb. The honest problem is that most correct boxes are too plain to ever get hung. If a decorative one gets a homeowner to actually mount it on a warm, sheltered wall, that is a real conservation win — after white-nose syndrome, recovery happens one colony at a time.”
Dr. Marian Holt, Wildlife Biologist — Bat Conservation
Southern Appalachian Bat Working Group
Perfect for
Quality you can check yourself
- Vented, solid wood — the arched front windows are working vents, so it holds a safe temperature through summer instead of cooking the colony.
- Wing-cut bottom entry — the safe, predator-resistant way bats actually use a roost, cut into the shape of a bat’s wings.
- Raw, grooved interior — hand-cut grooves give bats something to climb and grip from the landing all the way up.
- Weatherproof, carved by hand — a real wood house with a protective coat that stays up and looks right all year, not just in October.
- Final batch — each one is carved by Earl himself. Once the barn is empty, there is no restock.
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Hang it on a sunny wall or post and live with it for a few weeks. If it arrives not as described, or it simply isn’t right for your spot, send it back within 30 days for a full refund. A simple email is all it takes — and shipping across the US is free.
A note on handmade variance & wild tenants: Every house is carved and finished by hand, so grain, color, and small marks vary from one to the next — that is the sign of real handwork, not a defect. And bats are wild: hung correctly (a sunny wall or post, 12–15 ft up, sheltered, near water if you can), a roost is often found within a season or two, but the timing is the colony’s, not ours. Put it up in fall as decoration and it will be weathered and waiting before the maternity season.
Product details
| Material | Solid pine with rot-resistant hardwood detailing, forged spider-web accent |
| Finish | Warm natural wood tone with a weatherproof protective coat — interior left raw and grooved |
| Design | Castle / curtain-wall style — arched window vents, carved ridge bat, wing-cut bottom, “Bat House” plaque |
| Chambers | 2 ventilated roosting chambers, each approx. 1.2 in / 3 cm wide |
| Board thickness | Approx. 0.4 in / 1 cm solid wood |
| Entry | Wing-cut open bottom — the only way in; bats climb up into the interior |
| Color | Natural wood |
| Mounting | Hangs on a sunny wall, barn, or post — 12–15 ft up, sheltered, near water if possible |
| Care | Almost none — a quick check from below once a year in late fall |
| Made | Hand-carved by Earl Pressley near Bat Cave, North Carolina — ships from the US |
| Availability | Final batch — 74 only, no restock · 4.9 ★ (Top Rated) |
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The Last Batch
The Last Batch
Message from the barn:
For years Earl Pressley built plain pine boxes and watched them sit unhung — nobody wants an ugly crate on the house. So he started carving a face onto them: an arched gatehouse, a curtain wall, a bat over the ridge. People hang it for Halloween, and by July real bats have moved in through the wing-shaped cut at the bottom. After thirty-one winters counting bats in the Hickory Nut Gorge, his shoulder and eyes can no longer carve the fine work true. He finished 74 this last winter — and no more after that. When they are gone, there will be no next batch.
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Free US Shipping
Free US Shipping
Free shipping across the United States
- Delivery time: 3–5 business days
- Each house is hand-packed and ships from the US
- Solid natural wood — carefully boxed to arrive safe
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@marlowmarketco.com

180+ Verified Buyers
Excellent 4.8
What people are saying about Earl’s bat houses
Hung it on the south wall of the barn in April — my wife only let me because the carving actually looks good. By late June there were droppings under it like little chocolate sprinkles — that’s how you know they’re home. I sit out just to watch them leave at dusk now.
Verified
Dale Rourke, Asheville, NC
We couldn’t sit on our own patio in July without getting eaten alive. One season after putting up Earl’s house, the difference is night and day — I haven’t bought a can of spray all summer.
Verified
Karen Maddox, Round Rock, TX
You feel the weight the second you pick it up: solid wood, real carving, nothing like the flimsy thing that warped on us in one winter. It came with a handwritten note from Earl. We hung it the same afternoon.
Verified
Tom & Linda Schaefer, Roanoke, VA
I gave one to my dad, who’d spent years trying to get bats into a store-bought box with no luck. This one had tenants by midsummer. He calls me every time he sees them fly out.
Verified
Megan Tolliver, Knoxville, TN
I oiled mine with a little sunflower oil before I hung it, the way Earl’s note suggested, and mounted it on the south wall of the garage. Bats found it within the first month. Built like it’ll outlast me.
Verified
Robert Pruitt, Lancaster, PA
We put it up as Halloween decor and never took it down — then a colony moved in over the summer. Knowing a retired ranger carves each one, after watching these animals nearly vanish, made it more than a purchase. It’s the nicest thing on our place, and it actually does something.
Verified
Susan & Frank Hale, Boone, NC
The first evening I caught the whole colony streaming out from the bottom at dusk, I called my family out on the porch to watch. You do not get tired of that.
Verified
Marcus Webb, Athens, GA
Hung it on the south wall of the barn in April — my wife only let me because the carving actually looks good. By late June there were droppings under it like little chocolate sprinkles — that’s how you know they’re home. I sit out just to watch them leave at dusk now.
Verified
Dale Rourke, Asheville, NC
We couldn’t sit on our own patio in July without getting eaten alive. One season after putting up Earl’s house, the difference is night and day — I haven’t bought a can of spray all summer.
Verified
Karen Maddox, Round Rock, TX
You feel the weight the second you pick it up: solid wood, real carving, nothing like the flimsy thing that warped on us in one winter. It came with a handwritten note from Earl. We hung it the same afternoon.
Verified
Tom & Linda Schaefer, Roanoke, VA
I gave one to my dad, who’d spent years trying to get bats into a store-bought box with no luck. This one had tenants by midsummer. He calls me every time he sees them fly out.
Verified
Megan Tolliver, Knoxville, TN
I oiled mine with a little sunflower oil before I hung it, the way Earl’s note suggested, and mounted it on the south wall of the garage. Bats found it within the first month. Built like it’ll outlast me.
Verified
Robert Pruitt, Lancaster, PA
We put it up as Halloween decor and never took it down — then a colony moved in over the summer. Knowing a retired ranger carves each one, after watching these animals nearly vanish, made it more than a purchase. It’s the nicest thing on our place, and it actually does something.
Verified
Susan & Frank Hale, Boone, NC
The first evening I caught the whole colony streaming out from the bottom at dusk, I called my family out on the porch to watch. You do not get tired of that.
Verified
Marcus Webb, Athens, GA
Hung it on the south wall of the barn in April — my wife only let me because the carving actually looks good. By late June there were droppings under it like little chocolate sprinkles — that’s how you know they’re home. I sit out just to watch them leave at dusk now.
Verified
Dale Rourke, Asheville, NC
We couldn’t sit on our own patio in July without getting eaten alive. One season after putting up Earl’s house, the difference is night and day — I haven’t bought a can of spray all summer.
Verified
Karen Maddox, Round Rock, TX
You feel the weight the second you pick it up: solid wood, real carving, nothing like the flimsy thing that warped on us in one winter. It came with a handwritten note from Earl. We hung it the same afternoon.
Verified
Tom & Linda Schaefer, Roanoke, VA
I gave one to my dad, who’d spent years trying to get bats into a store-bought box with no luck. This one had tenants by midsummer. He calls me every time he sees them fly out.
Verified
Megan Tolliver, Knoxville, TN
I oiled mine with a little sunflower oil before I hung it, the way Earl’s note suggested, and mounted it on the south wall of the garage. Bats found it within the first month. Built like it’ll outlast me.
Verified
Robert Pruitt, Lancaster, PA
We put it up as Halloween decor and never took it down — then a colony moved in over the summer. Knowing a retired ranger carves each one, after watching these animals nearly vanish, made it more than a purchase. It’s the nicest thing on our place, and it actually does something.
Verified
Susan & Frank Hale, Boone, NC
The first evening I caught the whole colony streaming out from the bottom at dusk, I called my family out on the porch to watch. You do not get tired of that.
Verified
Marcus Webb, Athens, GA
Hung it on the south wall of the barn in April — my wife only let me because the carving actually looks good. By late June there were droppings under it like little chocolate sprinkles — that’s how you know they’re home. I sit out just to watch them leave at dusk now.
Verified
Dale Rourke, Asheville, NC
We couldn’t sit on our own patio in July without getting eaten alive. One season after putting up Earl’s house, the difference is night and day — I haven’t bought a can of spray all summer.
Verified
Karen Maddox, Round Rock, TX
You feel the weight the second you pick it up: solid wood, real carving, nothing like the flimsy thing that warped on us in one winter. It came with a handwritten note from Earl. We hung it the same afternoon.
Verified
Tom & Linda Schaefer, Roanoke, VA
I gave one to my dad, who’d spent years trying to get bats into a store-bought box with no luck. This one had tenants by midsummer. He calls me every time he sees them fly out.
Verified
Megan Tolliver, Knoxville, TN
I oiled mine with a little sunflower oil before I hung it, the way Earl’s note suggested, and mounted it on the south wall of the garage. Bats found it within the first month. Built like it’ll outlast me.
Verified
Robert Pruitt, Lancaster, PA
We put it up as Halloween decor and never took it down — then a colony moved in over the summer. Knowing a retired ranger carves each one, after watching these animals nearly vanish, made it more than a purchase. It’s the nicest thing on our place, and it actually does something.
Verified
Susan & Frank Hale, Boone, NC
The first evening I caught the whole colony streaming out from the bottom at dusk, I called my family out on the porch to watch. You do not get tired of that.
Verified
Marcus Webb, Athens, GA
See Earl’s Last Bat Houses
Frequently Asked Questions
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Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@marlowmarketco.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (ET). Whether it’s about your order, hanging tips, or just to say hello — a real person writes back.
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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 sunny wall or post, and if it simply isn’t right for your spot, email info@marlowmarketco.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, and US shipping is free.
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How is it made?
How is it made?
Each house is carved by hand by Earl Pressley near Bat Cave, North Carolina: solid pine with a weather-sealed outer face, ventilation built into the arched windows, a wing-shaped cut at the open bottom the bats enter through, and a rough grooved interior they can climb. No two carvings are identical.
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