NEIGH BOTHER21
Jamie, 24, converts horse lorry into Airbnb winner
JAMIE DUFF
BY
A CREATIVE young man has turned a €4,000 horse lorry into a one-bed home he rents out for up to €200 per night.
Jamie Duff, 24, bought the secondhand truck from Donedeal and tore out the inside to make room for a bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and lounge.
Ten months later, the
9metres by 2metres home comes complete with an outdoor jacuzzi, bar, full kitchen, fire pit and barbecue.
And despite the tiny dimensions, he’s renting it out on Airbnb for between €140 and €200 a night.
Jamie doesn’t want to reveal exactly how much he’s earned from the tiny pad, but it’s enough that he has bought a second horse lorry which he is also turning into a tiny Airbnb home.
Self-employed graphic designer Jamie, from Ashbourne, Co Meath, 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.
“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 to €200 depending on how many people are there.”
Jamie and his girlfriend Martha Constantine, 24, a digital marketer, embraced “van life” during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020.
After submitting their university theses, the pair wanted a break and decided to go travelling, so bought a Renault Master for €7,000.
They spent a further €7,000 renovating it before travelling around Europe for a year; stopping in France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Croatia.
It sparked a passion for Jamie who loved building the van up from scratch. While on the road, he started looking at horse boxes, and bought one in October 2022 for €4,000.
Last August 2023 it was complete and Jamie put the transformed horse lorry on Airbnb. He bought another in November for €4,000 and is midrenovation.
He said: “I have a similar plan to the first one but I want to challenge myself more. 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 am hoping to get it finished by July
2024.”
I just had to rip everything out and start from scratch