Man turns £3,400 horse box into one-bed home and rents it out for £170 a night

13 February 2024 , 11:00

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The tiny home, located just 30 minutes from Dublin, boasts an outdoor jacuzzi (Image: Jamie Duff / SWNS)

A man has transformed a £3,400 horse box into a cosy one-bed home and now rents it out for up to £170 per night.

Jamie Duff, 24, bought the second-hand horse trailer and revamped it into a stylish living space complete with its own bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and lounge. After ten months and £18,000 worth of renovations, the tiny home, located just 30 minutes from Dublin, boasts an outdoor jacuzzi, bar, full kitchen, fire pit and barbecue. And despite its small size, Jamie rents it out on Airbnb for between 140 and 200 euros a night - up to £170.

Jamie, a self-employed graphic designer from Meath, Ireland, said: "When we first got it, it was a useable horse truck - it had the horse partitions and could transport four horses." He added: "It had a tiny living area but it was very dated. I just had to rip everything out and start from scratch."

Jamie says he is surprised at the popularity of his unique rental (Jamie Duff / SWNS)

Guests have access to a stylish kitchen (No credit)

He continued: "I put the bathroom in the middle of the truck and that acts as a separator - I wanted an open plan living space. Everything in total cost me 25,000 (euros) and I am super proud of the result."

Jamie said he was surprised at the popularity of the unique rental, saying: "I have been blown away with the amount of people who are staying in it, to be honest. It has been super super busy. It can hold up to four people and costs anywhere between 140-200 euros depending on how many people are there."

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The horse box even comes with its own fire pit (Jamie Duff / SWNS)

Jamie and his girlfriend Martha Constantine, 24, a digital marketer, embraced 'van life' during the lockdown in 2020. After finishing their university studies, the pair wanted a break and decided to go travelling, so they bought a Renault Master for 7,000. They spent another 7,000 renovating it before travelling around Europe for a year - visiting France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Croatia.

This sparked a passion for Jamie who loved building the van from scratch. While on their travels, he started looking at horse boxes, and bought one in October 2022 for 4,000. By August 2023 it was complete and Jamie listed the horse box on Airbnb. He bought another in November 2023 for 4,000 euros and is currently renovating it.

At night the outdoor area is lit by fairy lights (Jamie Duff / SWNS)

"I have a similar plan to the first one but I want to challenge myself more," he said. "I want to make it a different style so when people come onto Airbnb they have two different styles to choose from. Renovations are going well. I only started renovations in January so we still have a way to go. I hope hoping to get it finished by July 2024."

Zahra Khaliq