Hacks to improve your home and outdoor living spaces

Published 18 August 2022

Naturehoods Guide

Make the most of your outdoor living spaces and the beautiful Moreton Bay climate with Council’s free new Naturehoods: Your Backyard and Outdoor Spaces Guideline, featuring simple cost-saving tips for building, renovating or buying a home.

Mayor Peter Flannery said this was the fourth Home and Living Guideline to help locals maximise their smaller blocks and utilise the great natural qualities of living in Moreton Bay.

“As the population continues to grow and inflation continues to rise, it’s never been more important to build a home that is affordable to live in long-term,” he said.

“We’ve seen the rise of online social media pages like ‘Kmart Hacks’ dedicated to helping people improve their everyday life, well these are hacks for your Moreton Bay home.

“With a new season of The Block starting this week, it’s as good a time as ever to make some adjustments to your existing home or make design changes to your upcoming build.

“The Naturehoods guide specifically targets your backyard and outdoor living space to make the most of the beautiful and not so beautiful Moreton Bay weather.

“It includes tips to maximise the afternoon sun while avoiding the harsh midday sun, choosing plants that will protect and cool your living space, tips on how to create naturally cooling breezeways and simply creating great spaces for you to relax or socialise.

“These guidelines were created in direct response to feedback residents provided Council asking for advice on how to better utilise blocks that are 600 sqm in size or smaller.

“The title ‘Naturehoods’ was created by Caboolture State School Children when designing their dream neighbourhood with trees being large focus, so we adopted it as an affectionate term.

“These free online resources will help steer you in the right direction and implement design elements that suit you and your home, so I encourage you jump online and take advantage of the information when buying, renovating or building your home.”

To view the Naturehoods guide and the other three Home Living Guidelines pamphlets, please visit: https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Services/Building-Development/Planning-Schemes/Your-Home-And-Living