How to Monetize Your Backyard

Necessity is the mother of invention and so it is not surprising that when the economy turns the screws on people, They tend to be creative with their sources of income. If you’re having trouble paying your bills, It all starts to look like an opportunity: you start selling all the stuff in your garage that you lie up at night and come up with brilliant ideas for new products or servicesand you’re looking for ways to monetize the things you already have own, like your car or your house.

When trying to make money from your home, the obvious first thought is a platform like Airbnb. But that has many downsides, especially if you don’t have a defined apartment or a separate living space and actually have strangers in your house. However, if your home has a backyard of sorts, you have more options than you might think when it comes to creating new revenue streams. Here’s how to monetize your backyard so you can use your property without dealing with strangers in the house.

Build an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)

If you have a large enough yard and local laws permit, you may consider building an additional residential unit (ADU) or converting an existing structure such as a detached garage or shed into a living space. Tiny homes or RVs don’t need foundations or plumbing connections, and you can buy a prebuilt one and just have it shipped to your backyard so you can start collecting that sweet rental money. However, you must inform yourself on site zoning regulations in your area quite carefully. While some communities have made it easier to have ADUs, or small houses in backyards To alleviate the housing shortage, not every site is a fan. Even if it’s legal, you need to make sure you meet the minimum square footage and septic tank requirements—sometimes it’s a lot easier to convert an existing structure. But if you can pull it off, it can be a steady, reliable source of income – and there are even companies that do Rent the backyardit actually will to build the rental home in your backyard and manage every aspect of it by simply paying you a portion of the rent.

Make a campsite out of it

If your yard is big enough (and a little picturesque), you may be able to rent it out as a campsite. hip camp and tentrr are something like AirBnB for your garden and offer different programs to transform your outdoor space in a campsite. Services range from delivering a complete campsite to your home and setting it up, to simply listing your property as available for DIY campers. Depending on size, location and other factors, your property may not be accepted for listing. However, if this is the case This can be a great way to make some extra money just by letting people sleep in your yard.

Start a farming business

Farms don’t have to be big to be profitable. If you only have a few acres of garden (an acre is about 43,500 square feet), you can still set up a garden small agricultural or horticultural business that can bring profit. The key is choosing plants to sell, which requires some research into your climate and what grows well in it, as well as the needs of your local community. If you’re considering growing things for profit, it’s a good idea to talk to local restaurants about the fresh, local ingredients they need for their menu items — the farm-to-table movement could be a gold mine for you.

If you have a brown thumb or the idea of ​​spending your time working hard on a tiny farm doesn’t appeal, another option is to rent out your garden to gardeners. pages like YardYum Make it fairly easy to list your property, and people who can’t find a community garden will pay you rent to grow their wares on your property.

bees

Keeping bees in your garden can generate income in many ways – from producing your own raw honey to sell, or renting your bees to local farms for pollination purposes. You can rent beehives from local businesses, often with all the supporting services included, allowing you to harvest honey for your own use. If you’re not in the mood to learn the intricacies of beekeeping, you can make yourself comfortable and simply rent out your backyard to beekeepers who are always looking for spaces to house their hives. platforms like LeasingHoney Make it relatively easy for yourself – just fill out a form with the specifics of your garden and interested beekeepers will get in touch with you.

raise chickens

Chickens do very well in backyard scenarios, and chickens can be profitable in many ways, especially selling the eggs they lay. Chickens lay about four or five eggs each week. Depending on how many chickens you raise, you might be swimming in more eggs than you could eat in a short amount of time. There is a a lot of work involvedfrom the initial research on the type of chickens you want to raise to building shelters and acquiring the right feed, but chickens are relative easy and make awesome pets for the kids. You could also aim to create a “rent a chicken” Business, which is a real thing that’s gaining traction across the country.

organize events

If you have a pretty backyard with separate street access, consider this rents it for weddings, events or for photographers looking for a picturesque backdrop. The great thing about this option is that you’re not actually doing the work, you’re just renting the space, and if you’re renting it out for less than 15 days at a time, it’s often tax-free income (but double-check it with a tax before you assume this is the case in your situation). This requires some local connections to do business with, but once you’ve teamed up with some event planners and photographers, it can turn into serious, steady income.

sell compost

Not only is composting environmentally friendly, it can also be quite profitable. While many people use their compost for their own gardening, you can Sell ​​the compost They produce for other gardeners and local farms (and if you Add worms to your composting, you can get even more money for the compost because it is super enriched). Remember that each state has its own laws and regulations all about composting, including how it can be sold and transported, so make sure you familiarize yourself with your local regulations before diving in.

Turn it into a parking lot

This one is a bit permanent, so think long and hard before committing. If you have a garden that you don’t use much, you might be able to convert it into a parking lot to rent out the pitches. Parking is always in high demand, and people are often happy to pay a reasonable rent to park their cars in a relatively safe place. However, in most areas you can’t just park cars in a yard – apart from HOA rules, there are usually local laws against it, also. To get this income stream going, You will need to contact your local building department, obtain a permit (if possible), and convert at least part of the backyard into a legal, permitted parking space. However, once that investment is complete, you can look forward to years of passive income.

Be a dog playground

Have you ever considered combining the income potential of your garden with the sheer joy of dogs? Now you can, through Rent your garden as a private dog park. platforms like snoop allow you to rent out your yard by the hour to local dog owners who want to give their pups space to run around and play in a safe environment. You may need to invest in some quick upgrades like fences or water sources for the doggos, but once you’ve passed the muster, You can have a steady stream of extremely excited dogs running through your yard, and the number is increasing cash to boot.