Don’t Just Think Of Your House And Garden As Static – Get Eco Creative!
Why Not Make Even More Out Of Your Eco Friendly House And Garden This Year?
Rather than just living in your house as normal – why not consider a few of these ways to no only improve the eco friendly qualities of your home – but to make it work for you too.
I mean, why should a house just sit there doing nothing? Make it more useful than it already is by making some small changes or concessions….
Here are a few ideas for you to consider with regards to ‘sharing’ your home with others for the benefit of others – as well as your bank balance in some cases!
Empty Rooms Are A Waste:
Even if you turn of all heating and seal up all windows – an empty room is a waste of resources!
It’s already in a home filled with energy and bodies – so why leave rooms empty when you could make them work for a living and keep the worlds ‘footprints’ smaller – after all, the more people living in the same house can save on so many levels!
If you aren’t into a full time tenant and live in a busy town or city, why not consider a Monday-to-Friday tenant instead. No huge commitment, less belongings and they are usually a reliable adult too!
Or the other end of the extreme – if your house is too big for you but you don’t want to downsize for whatever reason, then why not eco renovate and create a self contained unit in the basement or whatever and rent this out as as a permanent let or holiday home depending on your location.
Hotel Rooms Even More So:
Why not treat your home as a swap for a hotel room – either as a holiday for yourself or while you are away.
Firstly, you could take a holiday swap this year instead of booking a hotel. let a family move into your home while you go live in theirs! Not everyone is looking for an equal swap either – you might get a cute cottage for your family home, or a spacious farmhouse for your city flat!
Secondly, if you live near a local attraction or event (like Wimbledon or a show ground) then why not time your holidays to coincide with a huge demand for lettings! Signing up with an agency could bring you up to £2000 a week depending on your home and the event you are close to!
Parking Spot Or Tennis Court?
Same goes for the outside of your home – why not rent out unused space to others at virtually no cost to you or really any effort either!
If you have land that people could park on and you live in a busy location – why not let someone park there? You aren’t using it – and they probably waste time and petrol every morning looking for a spot!
And the same goes for your tennis court, trampoline, pool, piano, climbing frame or anything else you have sitting around that you aren’t using 24 hours a day. You might not want to charge your closest friends – but a few quid for a game of tennis for some young kids or keep-fit oldies won’t go amiss - basically paying for it’s own maintenance.
Your Skills Too:
It’s not just physical things that can help out others and bring in a few extra pounds – what about your own skills?
Music lessons, language lessons, discussion groups, Body Shop parties and product research groups. All could use your skills and your lounge, conservatory or kitchen – and of course – you!
Or if you are on a country walk or in a cute village, why not sell cakes and tea or garden veg and flowers in your front garden for passers-by!
House In The Country
Get Your Home On TV!
If you live in a city, your home has a great garden, great views or great architecture, or you have some great internal features – you could ‘model’ your home!
Let a photo or TV agency know about it and you could rent your house and garden out for magazines, TV or even movies!
You don’t even have to do anything, they set it all up and then take it all away again – pain free and you won’t be in any of the shots – unless you want to be!
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Tags: eco friendly, eco friendly attitude, eco friendly garden, Eco Friendly House, eco friendly quality, eco renovation, help local, home share, home swap, hotel room, how can i, how can i be eco friendly, how can i be more, local scheme, non selfish, parking space, Reduce, reducing, sharing, what can i do to be, your footprint, your garden, your home
August 27th, 2010 at 11:19 am
I think all of those ideas are great, and now is the right time to think about saving some money and making some good decisions around the home before it gets cold for winter. We are always looking at ways to be more economical and environmentally friendly at home and even at work – which means I have lots of time to think of news ideas for home and then see if there is anyway to extend the idea on a bigger scale. I like the idea of renting something out like a car park space etc