There are many reasons that homeowners suddenly decide to build another structure in their garden or backyard. Sometimes you just need more space or a quiet space away from the busyness at home. Increasingly people are looking at building eco-friendly buildings on their property as a small bolt hole, or quiet working space. Here are some top tips to consider before you get started.

Eco-friendly Backyard Buildings You Need to Know About

If you dream of your own little personal space, but your home doesn’t allow it – there are solutions for this problem! Living in a full house can be hectic and cramped, especially if you have young kids. Chances are you won’t have any peace and quiet, let alone your space to call your own. So if you can’t have it build it yourself! Depending on the location and the size of your property, you can actually get away with building a backyard building all for yourself. This can be an extremely complex and expensive project, but it can also be budget-friendly and, above all else, eco-friendly. This is great, as you can build your own little space and do it however you like. 

Buying just a regular plastic or vinyl shed and placing it in your backyard is the easiest option, but there are other factors you need to consider. Being eco-friendly, for instance, should be everyone’s top priority when it comes to working, traveling, shopping, and even building. The resources we are using at the moment aren’t the best, and they are only furthering the pollution of the world – instead, we should opt for more conscious and environmentally friendly choices. This way, we’ll lessen enormous amounts of waste and cut pollution by a lot – so think eco! 

Shipping Container

You’d be surprised to know how popular it is to own a shipping container – and to live in it! This can be a great idea if you want to have an eco-friendly building in your backyard, but don’t want to do any real ‘’building’’. Just get yourself a shipping container and there you have the basic structure. That is only one of the many benefits of choosing this type of method. It is also cheap, quick, and environment-friendly. The materials are good as you won’t have to worry about the water leaking.

With a shipping container you already have a roof made from steel. And if you furnish and decorate it from the inside, you won’t feel like you are in a cargo container. Another good thing about these containers is that they are all usually the same standard size. This means you can get more than one and stack them however you’d like. You could even make a two-story mini house if you want. This is probably the most time and money efficient one out of the bunch, and not to mention the easiest to set up!

Tiny House or Eco-friendly Building

Sheds have been around for such a long time, but nowadays people are taking it to another level! These so-called small houses are literally as the name states – tiny houses. They can be used for anything and everything, not just for storage – you can also create a space for yourself. Also, these kinds of liveable sheds are pretty eco-friendly, as they take up little energy, especially if you use solar panels to help out with electricity. Also, depending on the model, they can be movable, so you can attach them to a truck and move them around!

These tiny of houses are increasingly popular all over the world, regardless if they are used for storage, DIY projects, your own little space, or even as space you can rent out to other people. If you opt for building a Swedish styled Miljöhus – a versatile tiny home, you won’t go wrong! At the end of the day, you can always use it as an additional garage, laundry room, or just an empty space you occasionally spend time in.

Earthships

Now, this is an  eco-friendly building that will get the neighbors talking – and for the best possible reason! Having an Earthship type building in your backyard is like having a liveable art piece. Moreover, it’ll be an environmentally friendly one at that. These types of houses are self-sustaining, made from eco-friendly materials and reusable items such as glass bottles, tires, or any uncycled item you find. Basically, it’s a mix of nature and whatever you can use to complement it without making waste. This is crucial when making these types of houses, no matter how big or small.

These Earthship structures need to be as efficient as possible, as they do have a simple energy source – nature and everything around them. They use the current weather as cooling or heating and also gather all the water from the rainfall. So it’s safe to say that you won’t be needing superficial energy. Also, the great thing about these houses is the fact that people use random items and reusable things as materials and mix them with nature. So they don’t get thrown away. And that’s just one of the many charms of the Earthships!

Zero Carbon Houses

Want to have a little corner just to yourself and still not contribute to pollution and climate change? Building a carbon-free house is a perfect way to go. This kind of eco-friendly building or home is becoming more and more popular, and for a very good reason. It is extremely energy efficient and being environmentally friendly. Using the newest technology for renewable energy is the new way to go. And with that, you’ll save money over time as the energy will be created by itself. Sure, you’ll have to invest a little bit when it comes to building the small house yourself and adding the required technology. But it sure will be worth it. If you are sick and tired of living in your usual space, just add a tiny one in the backyard and spend your free time there. Here you can chill and enjoy your eco-friendly, resourceful shed!

This can be such a fun project to tackle. It just takes time and energy to get it all together. Make sure you consider all the ups and downs of building something in your backyard. See if you want to dive into creating something imaginative like that. At the end of the day, you can always build it and wreck it when you don’t want it anymore. That’s the magic of small buildings, you can build and bulldoze it in a short period of time!