I Turned My Backyard Into an Extra $20K This Summer With This Easy Side Hustle
Written by
Gabrielle Olya
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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When Michael Kukuk purchased a home with a sprawling backyard and pool in Houston, he assumed he would be spending a lot of time out there. But he wasn’t using his pool nearly as much as he anticipated, so he found a way to turn it into extra cash. Kukuk started renting his pool out on Swimply, a platform that allows people to rent out their pool by the hour.
“I think that’s true for any pool owner — they think they’re going to use it more,” he said. “And I don’t remember how I heard about Swimply … but I was like, ‘Oh, that sounds like a nice way to make some extra money just using an asset that I already had.'”
Since joining the Swimply platform in 2021, Kukuk has averaged about $20,000 per summer via his pool rental. Here’s how Kukuk has maximized his earnings utilizing his own backyard.
Also here are a few other things you may own that you can rent out to make money.
Providing a High-Quality Experience
Kukuk’s pool stands out from the available rentals on the Swimply platform thanks to his over 150 five-star reviews. While this means he might put in more time prepping his space to ensure renters are satisfied, the extra effort seems to be paying off.
“I try to customize it for the guest so I spend at least an hour [prepping] for each booking and then probably an hour after cleaning up and getting everything ready for the next guest,” he said. “I keep all the cushions in storage, I make a custom sign for people, I clean the pool. If they have special requests, I try to make sure to accommodate them.”
Kukuk believes the effort he puts into each booking is “absolutely” worth it financially.
“I’m booked every weekend,” he said.
And there’s a silver lining to having to keep his backyard in pristine condition.
“I don’t mind doing it and it helps motivate me to keep the yard in good shape,” Kukuk said. “It’s always resort-ready, so if I have friends over or if I want to enjoy it, it’s there and it’s ready.”
Being Strategic About Pricing
Hosts on Swimply charge an hourly rate and they can also charge additional fees for extras like towel and float rentals. Kukuk believes you need to be strategic when deciding how much to charge and what extras you charge for.
“I do charge an additional fee per person per hour for groups larger than 10, but I don’t want to nickel and dime guests so I don’t charge for towels and I don’t charge for floats,” he said.
While Kukuk doesn’t charge extra for these items, he does have a higher hourly rate than many hosts — but he tries to give his guests an experience that warrants that higher cost.
“There are hosts that charge $5 if you want to use a towel, but their hourly rate is a lot lower, so you may only have to pay $20 an hour to use their pool, whereas for mine, I charge $67 an hour,” he said. “But I try to make it special for the person.
“You know, there’s the Spirit Airlines of Swimply and then there’s Qatar Airways,” Kukuk explained. “I think that’s helped me. It’s like I found my niche — trying to be like a high-end pool for people to use.”
Getting the Word Out
Kukuk doesn’t just rely on his reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations to maximize his earnings — he also self-promotes his rental.
“I made business cards with a QR code on it that links directly to my pool,” he said. “If I’m at a coffee shop and I have some on me, I just pass a few out or I leave them. I’ve left them at the University of Houston at the rec center. I’ve given them out to friends. I even have them at work.”
And his simple marketing tactic has been successful. “I was at a bar the other day,” Kukuk said, “and [someone was] like, ‘Hey, you’re the guy with the pool.'”
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