A man has transformed a £3,400 horse box into a cosy one-bed home. Now, he rents it out for as much as £170 per night.
Jamie Duff bought the second-hand horse trailer from a website called DoneDeal. He then gutted the inside to make space for a bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and lounge.
After ten months and £18,000 worth of renovations, the home is now complete with an outdoor jacuzzi, bar, full kitchen, fire pit and barbecue. Despite its small size, the 24-year-old rents it out on Airbnb for between 140 and 200 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.
“It had a tiny living area but it was very dated. I just had to rip everything out and start from scratch.”
He added: “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 and I am super proud of the result.
“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 depending on how many people are there.”
Jamie and his girlfriend Martha Constantine, 24, a digital marketer, decided to live the ‘van life’ during the 2020 lockdown.
After finishing their university work, the pair wanted an adventure, so they bought a Renault Master for 7,000.
They spent another 7,000 fixing it up before taking a year to travel all over Europe – visiting countries like France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Croatia.
Jamie discovered a new hobby in building the van from scratch. When we were travelling, he began looking at horse boxes, buying one in October 2022 for 4,000.
By August 2023, Jamie had completed the horse box and listed it on Airbnb.
He purchased another one in November 2023 for 4,000 and is currently renovating it.
“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.”
