The tiny home movement gains serious traction in Ireland. Of course, the cost of living prevents many from being prevented from affording a house that is big enough for their needs, but for others there is an ambition to reduce their environmental impact and to simplify their lifestyle. And with proposed changes to the planning laws, which could soon enable larger, livable cabins in the back gardens without planning permission, the appeal only grows.
Irish homeowners can currently build a hut or a garden room of up to 25 square meters without a building permit – as long as it is not habitable. But that could change soon. The government is currently exploring new planning exceptions with which free -standing modular or cabinatile houses can be confronted for full -time life. If approved, these changes could unlock tens of thousands of potential new apartments in gardens across the country.
Regardless of whether you believe that this plan will be a player for affordable apartments or a stop-gap, which only deteriorates from the bigger problems of the infrastructure and the care, the result is the same-winning houses to a large part of the conversation around living space in Ireland. In this special feature, I explore three different approaches for tiny life in the apartment: life in a prefabricated Scot, the building of itself and look into the latest European design abroad.
When Emma O'Hagan and her partner Kevin O'reilly returned through Europe in a campervan in 2023, they were looking for more than one house. They wanted to continue their minimalist lifestyle and keep their connection to nature.
This trip led her to a field on Emmas Families Land in Co Leitrim, where they are not classified in a specially built 25 square meter house, which they bought online from the Irish company The Mobile Pods (Themobilepods.Iei).
Emma says: “Off-Grid was partially released from the necessity because our website had neither strength nor water. If this power would have been expensive and require power lines that are calculated for a few Grand Pro items.
“We are also quite sustainable – we are very aware of our footprint.” They had in a camper in a campervan under their belts for two years, so that Emma and Kevin had the feeling that they had the understanding and experience so that it works. It was not easy – only one company felt the challenge. Solar modules and batteries installed in Leitrim for your little home. “Solar worked out well for us with the batteries,” says Emma. “We bought diesel heating to carry out the winter.
Having energy and waste is a major advantage of tiny living life. One could say that the disadvantage is a lack of space and storage – but that really depends on your perspective. Emma and Kevin are enthusiastic people outdoors, and with so much beauty that they surround them in Leitrim, they rarely feel the pressure of their tiny home. “We don't really sit in the house too often – it's actually strange when we are!” Emma, who also organizes outdoor adventure groups, ”adds Emma.
In order to keep the costs and the effects low, Emma and Kevin accepted many DIY projects and put together as many used materials as possible. Your flooring, which you installed yourself, came from the Facebook marketplace. They also used clever, space-saving designs, including a foldable staircase and drawers behind their kitchen kickboards. “The key is to multiply as many objects as possible,” says Emma.
Follow more from Emma and Kevins Off-Grid Tiny-Home Living and Adventuring at @EMMAS_Footprints on Instagram
When buying a ready-made pod suits, many people want to roll up their sleeves and build something with their own two hands. That is what general knowledge has in mind when they created the Tigín-a DIY Tiny Home model that enables more people to build their own place of residence.
General knowledge, a non -profit organization based in Ennistymon in Co Clare, runs a five -day construction course in which the students convey the skills they need to build something from a small extension to a two -story house. It also – free of charge – laid out the Tigín toolkit and released, the plans, drawings, instructions, materials, tools and tips that are necessary to create your own sustainable, tiny home.
It's not just a number of plans – it is a full support system, says Cian Corcoran, one of the main designers of the TIGín. Participants who participate in the practical courses of general knowledge learn everything, from wooden frames to insulation, roof, interior and project management. “People who have without knowledge go almost fully into their ability to carry out a build. I think there is an innate ability for most people – they just have to be shown how,” says Cian.
The Tigín was developed for maximum efficiency and uses the best of its 20 square meter carpentry, rich light and a compact but comfortable layout. The high ceilings and large windows create a feeling of space that contradicts the tiny footprint. For Cian, who has lived in tiny houses for many years, the key was to avoid Poky rooms and design a clever modular memory: “It makes no sense to define how someone else keeps their things – it will be different for everyone.”
The Tigín includes a loft sleeping area with a king-size bed, space for a double bed, a kitchen, a living area and a bathroom. While the original version is designed in such a way that it should sit on a trailer for mobility if necessary, it is also possible to install the Tigín on a solid foundation.
Visit ourcommon knowledge.org to learn more about courses and download the Tigín toolkit
For those who are attracted to innovative architecture and sustainable design, the Wikkelhouse offers a convincing alternative to conventional apartments. The Wikkelhouse was designed and installed in the Netherlands and consists of 60% wood and is wrapped in 24 layers of corrugated cardboard, cardboard-sealed, isolated with flax, with a breathable weatherproof foil (similar to gore tex) and completed with a wooden cladding.
The breathable foil packaging and the height of the house on a chassis enable constant air flow and dry, which means that it even survives the wet Irish climate. The first Wikkelhouses were built almost a decade ago and are designed in such a way that they take at least 100 years.
This unusual material selection lasted years of development of the committed Wikkelhouse team. The company's roots go back to 1988 when the founder began building natural materials long before it was Trendy. “We don't green,” says Dorus Stolk from the Wikkelhouse team. “We have to be realistic and balanced in order to survive as a company. This means that our profits may not be as high as other companies, but we can continue – and keep our values intact.”
The genius of the Wikkelhouse design is modularity – the house is produced in segments and you can choose as many as you want. It's like building a Lego house. The houses do not need a basis and are light and sit on an expandable chassis. One of her most popular configurations is the bear, a 25 square meter small house that sleeps up to four. It contains a Murphy bed, a compact kitchen and a “pinball” – a couch that turns into a guest bed if necessary. One end of the Wikkelhouse is to cover a window with a wall that floods the room with natural light.
But can people really live full -time in them? “You do it,” confirms Dorus. “Some local regulations can be difficult if U-values and natural material insulation are requirements for the environment-but there are ways around them.” Dorus describes the first Wikkelhouse customers as pioneers who go forward and urge political changes that would make a more sustainable life possible.
One of Dorus' favorite stories is a 95-year-old Dutch woman in Texel. She had lived independently all her life, but had to reduce it. A local doctor had always loved her home, and so he met an arrangement with her – he bought her house and also bought a Wikkelhaus to put the garden in the garden. The old lady could stay in her house until she died. At that time, the doctor moved from the Wikkelhouse to the main house.
The plans changed when they visited the Wikkelhouse Showroom in Amsterdam – the old lady fell in love with the Wikkelhouse and decided that she wanted it for herself! “She has to design every part of it,” recalls Dorus. “She lived there for almost four years and absolutely loved it.” The Wikkelhouse can be shipped to Ireland. As with all houses that are shipped from abroad, it can be expensive that Dorus can be expensive.
See wikkelhouse.com