A couple who spent €26,000 on their tiny home have predicted they’ll make their money back in the next three years. 

Emma O’Hagan and her partner Kevin O’Reilly have previously lived together in a studio apartment in Austria and a caravan around Europe. 

Now, the couple have “up-sized” to a 25 square-metre ‘tiny home’ in Leitrim. 

Ms O’Hagan told The Home Show the house consists of a “little living room, small kitchen, small toilet and a loft bed”. 

“You could consider it a really standard-sized apartment if you took out the bedroom space,” she said. 

She said her time in an Austrian studio apartment and a caravan has prepared her and Mr O’Reilly for their tiny home. 

“It was small, but we managed without any struggles,” she said. 

“That’s why we said 25 square metres – which is small by all accounts – we felt like it was going to be enough space for us,” he said. 

“We had it trialled and tested... this was definitely a step up in terms of size for us.” 

The couple had initially considered a shipping container for a home, but decided they wanted something that was already somewhat liveable. 

From there, they stumbled upon a tiny home on Facebook Marketplace for €15,000. 

Making a tiny house a home

Ms O’Hagan said the couple set themselves a budget of €30,000 to create their home with all the necessary amenities. 

She noted they already had a plot of land to put the house on from her father. 

“My dad had a little plot of land near where my home house is and that’s a really helpful side to the story,” she said. 

One of the most challenging parts of setting up their tiny home was sourcing electricity as the couple hoped to go ‘off-grid’. 

“Very few were willing to support us,” Ms O’Hagan said. 

Eventually, a company in Leitrim provided their off-grid set-up. 

Splitscreen of the interior of Emma O'Hagan's tiny home.

The couple also collect rainwater which is processed through a charcoal system. 

“As long as we’ve got rain, we're fine for water – we're safe in that department,” Ms O’Hagan said. 

The couple also make use of their waste through an ‘eco-drive toilet’ that “separates the number ones and number twos” to create fertiliser for the surrounding woodlands. 

Ms O’Hagan said the full cost of the house was €26,000. 

“After three years, it will have paid itself off, especially if we had to pay rent or have a mortgage,” she said. 

She also pointed out the Leitrim house has the benefit of being moveable - meaning the couple could take their tiny home wherever they want.

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