The off-grid tiny-home-on-wheels that architect Gonçalo Marrote designed for Emily and her rescue dog, Figo, perches on a hilltop in Mafra, Portugal, only 30 minutes from Lisbon, and only five minutes from Ericeira, one of Europe’s top surfing destinations. “It’s close to the ocean and the countryside,” says Marrote, who’s the founder of Cascais-based design studio Madeiguincho.

Architect Gonçalo Marrote recently designed an $85,000 off-grid tiny home for Emily, who moved from London to Portugal five years ago looking for a slower pace of life." layout="" credit="Photo by João Carranca" photoUserId=""/>

Partially shaded by pine, cork, and eucalyptus trees, Emily’s tiny home looks to epic valley views. “I see the sunset over the next hill from my living room window,” she says. “Tonight, I watched the full moon rise on the other side.”

Emily stumbled upon Mafra while on a surf trip with friends. She fell so in love with the area that, after moving to Portugal from London five years ago, she never returned home. “A slow life closer to the land had been a dream for many years,” she says. “I wanted to get out of the system, build a life that worked better for me, eat homegrown veggies, and have a goat—I’m still working on the goat.”

When she first moved to Portugal, Emily lived in flat shares with friends while devising a plan to live on her own, closer to nature. She explored different options before deciding an off-grid tiny home would suit her well. “The beauty of a tiny house is that it can move with you and is adaptable,” she says. So, in January of 2025, Emily researched builders in Portugal and discovered Madeiguincho. She liked the studio’s craftsmanship, and that she could help design her home. “I went for the bespoke carpentry studio with charm and skill over a company with standardized models,” she says. “It meant that I had loads of opportunity to influence the design, which was really important to me.”

Being hands on with Madeiguincho meant she could better control her budget, too. “I had to manage the cost quite tightly throughout as there were lots of extras that would’ve been nice,” she says. For $85,000, Emily’s tiny home might not have many frills, but still has everything she’d dreamed of. “I wanted to live small and simple with clean lines and a lot of windows and light,” she says. She has a large shower, a bedroom that feels spacious, a fireplace, enough room for her many plants, and an indoor/outdoor experience that’s owed to the property she’s parked on, which she rents.

$8,000 Windows & Doors	$7,800 Trailer	$7,000 Solar Off-Grid System
$5,500 Roof	$3,500 Plumbing	$3,000 Electrical
$4,800 Floor	$7,500 Walls	$1,500 Lighting Fixtures
$4,500 Appliances	$19,500 Interior Build	$12,500 Structure
Grand Total: $85,100

Marrote strategically arranged windows and doors, which cost $8,000, to frame the landscape, create cross ventilation, and maximize natural light. A large corner window in the living area “dissolves the boundary between inside and outside, fully opening the view to the horizon while maintaining privacy and shelter,” says Marrote.

At Emily’s request and in a single design move, Marrote devised built-in storage and a feeling of coziness for the tiny house. “We raised the open-plan living area to create a sense of intimacy inspired by Japanese interiors, where sitting closer to the floor encourages calm,” says the architect. “The raised floor also integrates four large storage drawers beneath the platform, as well as a technical storage space for batteries and an inverter for the roof’s solar panels.”

A loft-style bedroom is positioned above the bathroom." layout="" credit="Photo by João Carranca" photoUserId=""/>

The interior walls, which cost $7,500, are crafted from poplar. “The pale tone, warmth, and texture of the poplar brings brightness to the small space,” says Marrote; for the exterior he used Japanese cedar from the Azores. “Both Japanese cedar and poplar are lightweight, making them ideal for a transportable structure.” Marrote used pine for the floors, which cost $4,800, for its durability and natural warmth.

Marrote designed a loft-style bedroom above the bathroom toward the rear of the tiny home, and at the center, he arranged an open kitchen-and-dining area. “The L-shaped kitchen unfolds along two walls, allowing foldable tables to transform the space for different uses such as cooking, dining, working, or gathering,” explains the architect.

In Marrote’s opinion, the tiny home is more open than one might expect. “It feels much larger than its actual footprint,” he says. “The raised living area, foldable elements, and window positioning create a sense of lightness and spatial fluidity.”

Emily couldn’t agree more. “The energy of the space is very peaceful and calming,” she says. “The smell of wood is so gorgeous. The noise from the wind in the trees is also very special. The sun shines through the house and I can see the sun rise and set. I feel grounded here—I’ve not consistently slept this well in a very long time.”

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