The garden home
Ireland's rules were rewritten for.

Under Class 3A of S.I. No. 340 of 2026, in force since 27 July 2026, a detached home of 32–45 square metres can be built in the rear garden of the house you live in without a planning application, provided it is connected to the principal house's services, meets the height and occupancy conditions, and the planning authority is notified at least 14 days before work starts. Planning exemption is not the same as building regulations exemption, every structure must still meet the Irish Building Regulations (TGD Parts A to M), and a BER assessment is required. Ériu Modular Homes supplies units fully specified for Irish Building Regulations compliance.

Yes, on a long-term basis. The RTB has stated that renting a qualifying Class 3A unit does not come under its remit and does not need RTB registration. Short-term letting is not permitted, and the unit must be occupied with the main house. Plan on the rent being taxable: Revenue's Rent-a-Room guidance states that a self-contained unit not attached to the property cannot qualify for the relief. The return depends on your all-in installed cost, so we don't publish a single headline yield; we model it against your quote. Confirm the tax treatment with your accountant.

An auxiliary habitable dwelling is a 32–45 square metre detached self-contained home in the rear garden of a principal house, linked to its services, that is exempt from planning under Class 3A (S.I. No. 340 of 2026) when every condition is met. A granny flat is the colloquial name for the same thing, typically intended for a relative. A garden room or garden office is a non-habitable structure (no kitchen or bathroom plumbing for residential use) and falls under the separate 30 square metre garden structure exemption. The legal classification matters for planning, building regs, LPT and insurance, Ériu Modular Homes supplies all three categories with the correct compliance pack for each.

Irish-built modular homes from competitors such as Rayco, The Pod Factory and Modular Home Ireland typically range from €110,000 to €180,000 for a finished 2-bed 32–45 square metre unit. Ériu Modular Homes sources direct from Henan Province factories, the same steel-frame and expandable container home manufacturers supplying European projects, and delivers a comparably specified, CE-compliant unit to your Irish address typically 25–45% below Irish-built pricing. Final pricing is project-specific based on size, finish tier, site access and installation requirements. Request a quote for your specific brief.

Compliance and quality are the difference between a credible imported modular home and an Alibaba container that fails Irish standards. Every unit supplied by Ériu Modular Homes is CE-marked under the Construction Products Regulation, supplied with a Declaration of Performance (DoP) referencing EN harmonised standards, and built to specifications matching Irish Building Regulations (TGD Parts A to M). Pre-shipment QC is conducted in person by Noel Murphy at the Henan factory before the container is sealed. Ériu supplies and ships the unit; foundations, craning, services connection and BER certification are arranged by you with your own Irish contractor and assessor, using the compliance pack we supply.

Yes, and we encourage it. Ériu Modular Homes offers a 3-day China factory visit from approximately €1,800 per person (credited in full against a confirmed order). You travel to Zhengzhou, tour two or three shortlisted Henan factories with Noel Murphy on the ground, sign off on your build specification at the factory floor, then visit Shenzhen for finishing materials selection. No other Ireland-facing modular home supplier offers in-person factory verification.

Typical end-to-end timeline is 14–18 weeks from order confirmation to a habitable structure on your foundation: factory production runs 4–6 weeks, pre-shipment QC and sea freight from China to Dublin Port takes 5–6 weeks, customs clearance and inland transport by your freight forwarder adds 1 week, foundation works (organised by you with your own contractor, in parallel) and craning take 1–2 weeks, and your contractor's services connection and any remaining fit-out finish within a further 2–3 weeks depending on tier. Compared to a 9–12 month conventional back-garden build, modular is a different timeline category.

Revenue has confirmed that a permanent garden home suitable for use as a separate dwelling attracts its own LPT charge and property ID, separate from the principal house and payable even when empty. Home insurance must be updated to declare the new structure or cover on the principal house can be invalidated; most insurers will quote an uplift rather than require a separate policy. Most Irish mortgage lenders will not currently mortgage a property with a second self-contained dwelling on the same title, so resale value and mortgage portability should be considered. Ériu Modular Homes provides a written LPT, insurance and mortgage briefing pack with every quote so the full ownership picture is clear before you commit.