Budget Breakdown: This Woman’s $85K Tiny Home in Portugal Started With a Surf Trip

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.

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."