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How to create a sustainable garden house

Sustainable garden shed - 10 tips for the ecological garden shed.

Do you want to build a sustainable garden shed or design it as ecologically as possible? Then you've come to the right place! I used to think of garden sheds as a kind of storage area for lawnmowers and the like. But now that I have my own plot and am building a house, I realize how versatile and spacious modern garden sheds are. The aspect of sustainability is particularly important to me - and you as a reader of this blog will probably see it in a similar way.

Here you can find out how to implement your garden shed project in the most environmentally friendly way possible. By the way, it doesn't matter whether you want to build your garden shed yourself or buy and design it prefabricated according to your ideas!

In advance you will find here a short Overview about the tips in this article:

  1. Set on the building material wood
  2. Build your garden shed with a roof overhang
  3. Use water-based impregnations and varnishes
  4. Ensure energy-efficient insulation
  5. Turn the roof into a green biotope
  6. Install a small solar panel
  7. Extend the life of your garden shed
  8. Go for Upcycling & Do It Yourself with the furnishings
  9. Let your garden house from climbing plants
  10. Catch the rainwater in a barrel

10 tips for building a sustainable garden shed

Durable, energy-saving, animal-friendly and resource-saving should be the garden shed - we agree on that, don't we? There are dozens of other environmental aspects - but these should be the focus. Here are the promised 10 tips that you should consider when building your sustainable garden shed. Let's go!

1. bet on the building material wood

Wooden garden house

Let's start with the most obvious: the building material! Even if for him Forests cut down If a garden shed has to be built from wood, the renewable raw material wood offers an ideal basis for a garden shed that is as ecological as possible. It binds CO2, can basically be processed without the use of harmful substances - and disposal is also straightforward. Ideally, you can even reuse the wood for DIY projects if the hut needs to be demolished at some point. Of course, you should avoid using tropical woods. The FSC seal for wood from sustainable forestry is a valuable guide to finding the most ecologically produced wood possible. Based on these criteria, I ultimately opted for a sustainable garden house from Gartenhausfabrik.de decided.

2. build your garden shed with a roof overhang

If your painstakingly planned and built garden shed becomes damp and rotten within a few years and you have to replace the building material, this is not very environmentally friendly. Building a sustainable garden shed also means making sure that it exists for as long as possible without constantly Natural resources to consume. The roof overhang is therefore a valuable measure to protect the outer façade and other components! You should definitely plan for this to protect your garden shed. long-term protection from the weather.

3. use water-based impregnations and varnishes

What use is wood from the most ecological forestry if it is coated with chemical wood preservatives and varnishes? Whether fresh from the DIY store, from online retailers or as a DIY upcycling project: as a rule, wood natural are available. So it's up to you to give your garden shed an environmentally friendly coat of paint.

Therefore it is best to use a Water-based impregnation. It protects the wood from mold growth and rotting - making it as durable as possible. Brushes and rollers can also be cleaned easily and without the use of chemicals.

The painting of your garden house will become even more sustainable if you now also Water-based glazes and varnishes or those made from natural resins and oils sets. These also protect the wood and ultimately give your garden shed exactly the color you want.

4. ensure energy-efficient insulation

Modern garden sheds are more than just storage rooms for shovels, lawn mowers and garden rakes! For many, they are a kind of second living space outside the house, which is heated in winter. It therefore makes sense, both ecologically and financially, to insulate the green garden shed as effectively as possible.

The Wall thickness be at least 70 millimeters. Insulating glazing and Rubber seals also ensure that as little heat as possible escapes. If you use your garden shed really often, an extended Extra insulation for roof, walls and floor is recommended. Hemp fiber and wood wool, for example, are suitable sustainable insulation materials.

In winter, your optimized insulation will then let little heat out and in summer little heat in. So you always have pleasant temperatures in your garden shed and you can be sure that your heating and energy costs won't explode. In the end, this is another way of save money through sustainability.

5. turn the roof into a green biotope

Garden house with green roof

Green roofs are simply great! Even though they may be a little more complex to set up, they are CO2 storage, air conditioning, living space, rain storage, weather protection and insulation in one! They are also possible on slightly pitched roofs, are extremely low-maintenance and help to protect the global species extinction to counteract this. A green roof can become home to countless insect species and bring a lot of life and ultimately even more birdsong to your garden. sustainable garden that you can enjoy from the hammock!

6. install a small solar or photovoltaic panel

As a rule, a garden shed has a relatively low energy consumption, as most of the technical appliances are in the house. However Light, refrigerator, television and radio are often found in garden sheds. Even with a small photovoltaic system, the electricity for these devices can be generated from the power of the sun. But it is always weigh up what is more ecologicalThe additional installation of a panel on the roof of the garden shed - or a power line from the house (whose electricity is also generated by solar power) to the garden shed.

Tip: Do you already know the Solar preserving jars from Sonnenglas? This means that the lounge area or the path to the garden shed, for example, can also be illuminated using solar energy. If you like, you get it here*.

7. extend the life of your garden shed

The more often you have to replace certain materials in your garden shed, the more the sustainability of the entire project suffers. Therefore, make sure that you use materials that are as durable as possible. You have already created a good basis for longevity with the roof (a few tips above). But even simple Aluminum water leg and rubber seals on the doors and windows, you can protect your garden shed from water running in. Appropriate repairs will also improve energy efficiency during use!

8. set the furnishings on upcycling & DO It Yourself

I live minimalist and am also an advocate of the Zero Waste Lifestyle. That means: I would like to Do not buy superfluous things - and what I own, I want Use for as long as possible and reuse them to avoid waste. Because this way I can conserve natural resources.

With regard to the garden shed, this starts with the use of natural materials. The Furniture can be found very well used at eBay classifieds or at the local flea market - or from discarded euro pallets or wooden planks build yourself.

Just let your creativity run wild! You think you're not that creative? I thought that of myself too! Then I started Build furniture yourself - and automatically became more and more creative! You just have to start.

Tip: For example, look at the homemade dining table from old oak planks on!

9. let your garden house from climbing plants take

Climbing plants on the garden shed

If you want more want to do something against the extinction of speciesthen give birds, insects and other animals both food and a habitat in the narrow branches of the climbing plants on your garden house. How about, for example, if Vines, raspberries or ivy shimmy along the climbing aids? Let your imagination run wild! In any case make the climbing plants the facade of your garden house even more exciting. And if fruit grows there, you can even add more food to your "self-sufficient garden"! 🙂

10. catch the rainwater in a barrel

A modern, sustainable garden shed always has a rain gutter. This allows the inexpensive and natural rainwater to be collected in a rain barrel. The barrel, which is always well filled, is then used for Irrigation, for cleaning the outdoor facilities and of course as a water source for birds and other animals in your garden.

Tip: How to make a create a bird friendly gardenyou can find out in the linked article!

Building a sustainable garden house is not difficult!

An ecological garden shed also belongs in a natural garden! And as you can see, this project is absolutely straightforward. With the tips in this article, you should have the right advice at hand to make it as easy as possible. durable, energy-saving, animal-friendly and resource-saving to build.

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Or can you think of other tips for making a garden house environmentally friendly? Then, as always, feel free to write me a comment!

Stay sustainable,

Christoph from CareElite - Plastic-free living

PS.: Your Garden can also become a real bee pasture and make a valuable contribution to protecting wild bees! You can find out how this works in the linked article. Have fun!

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* Links with asterisks are so-called Affiliate linksIf you click on it and buy something, you automatically and actively support my work with CareElite.de, as I receive a small share of the proceeds - and of course nothing changes in the product price. Many thanks for your support and best regards, Christoph!

Christoph Schulz

Christoph Schulz

I'm Christoph, an environmental scientist and author - and here at CareElite I'm campaigning against plastic waste in the environment, climate change and all the other major environmental problems of our time. Together with other environmentally conscious bloggers, I want to give you tips & tricks for a naturally healthy, sustainable life as well as your personal development.

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