This Off-Grid Tiny Home Is One Retiree Couple’s Permanent Vacation

For some, retirement means getting away from it all. For others, it’s all about simplifying. For yet another set, it’s both. One retired couple hired Gonçalo Marrote and João Filipe of Portuguese architecture and woodworking studio Madeiguincho to build them an off-grid tiny home that gets by on its own.

"We wanted to create a self-sustaining dwelling with solar power, rainwater collection for showering and kitchen reuse, a dry toilet, and outdoor garden beds, all to close the waste loop," says Marrote.

Although the garden beds are a separate accessory to the tiny home known as Adraga, Marrote and Filipe consider them an important part of its ecosystem. Says Marrote, "We wanted to include them because they facilitate food cultivation and composting."

The tiny home’s 182-square-foot design is built primarily of wood, and includes built-in furniture and storage to maximize the compact space. A double-height ceiling and open-plan interior manage to create a spacious, open feel.

A staircase across from the kitchen includes built-in cabinets and drawers, and leads to a lofted sleeping area that accommodates a king-size bed. Downstairs, the living area’s sofa bed sleeps two, allowing room enough for four people to stay in the tiny home.

Marrote and Filipe outfitted the kitchen with a refrigerator, a stove, and a handmade Portuguese-stone sink. "There’s also an option to add a wood-fired stove," Marrote says, hinting at plans to create more iterations of the compact design.

An expansive window and clerestory on the rear wall create a connection to the landscape while harnessing natural light; vertical wood boards over the clerestory mitigate the sun’s rays. These elements, along with an open-plan and self-sustaining systems, make for a retreat that’s just right.

More from Madeiguincho:

The Ursa Off-Grid Tiny Cabin Is as Sustainable as It Is Stylish

Perched on a Portuguese Hilltop, an Inspiring Studio Lets Creativity Take Flight

Project Credits:

Architecture & Construction: Madeiguincho / @madeiguinco_atelier