They're 31. They're working. They still can't move out.
You did everything right. So did they. And still the maths won't close: the rent eats the deposit, the deposit never grows, and another year goes by with a grown adult back in the box room.
You're not unusual, and neither are they. In Census 2022, 41% of Irish adults aged 18 to 34 were living with their parents, over 440,000 grown adults, up from 32% in 2011. That isn't a failure of effort. It's a country tens of thousands of homes a year short, with rent past €2,000 a month and a deposit that runs faster than anyone can save.
Source: CSO, Census 2022, Adults Living with Their Parents.
For most parents there are only two options, and both hurt. Hand over a deposit you can't really spare, or watch them stay stuck. There is now a third.
A home of their own. Twenty steps from your back door.
In April 2026 the Government brought draft planning regulations to Cabinet that, if enacted as drafted, create a new category of home, a detached self-contained dwelling of 32 to 45 m² in the rear garden of a principal house, that would need no full planning permission where the conditions are met.
That's not a glorified shed. That's a real one-bedroom home: their own front door, their own kitchen, their own bathroom, their own life. Close enough that family stays family. Independent enough that they're finally living, not waiting.
The Ériu 20ft Expandable was built for exactly this. It arrives folded on one lorry, expands to a full ~34 m² in a single working day, and is specified to meet Irish Building Regulations with an A2 BER on completion. Bedroom, bathroom, kitchen-living, finished and warm.
The exemption is set out in the draft Exempted Development Regulations of 21 April 2026, which are subject to environmental assessment and not yet enacted. We start every project with a site eligibility review against the current draft conditions, see the full legal detail here.
For the price of a small car, not a deposit you'll never see again.
Here's what makes this finally realistic: it doesn't cost what a home costs. The 20ft Expandable starts at €25,000 delivered, small-car money, for a basic but livable unit, including sea freight and simple furniture, with finish upgradeable from there.
Specified up to a fully-fitted, compliant, BER-A2 home ready for them to move into, the all-in installed cost is project-specific to your site, but lands at a fraction of the €110,000–€180,000 an Irish-built equivalent runs to. Tell us your site and we'll give you the exact figure, with the unit, delivery and every Irish-side cost itemised. See the full cost breakdown →
Put it side by side with the alternative. A deposit handed over is gone. You'll likely never see it again. A home built on your own ground is an asset that stays in the family, adds usable space to your property, and keeps working long after they've found their feet.
Most parents tell us the same thing: it was never really about whether they could afford to do it. It was whether they could afford to keep watching them wait.
"But is it actually any good?"
It's a fair question, and the honest answer is the reason people choose us. Yes, it costs a fraction of the Irish-built price, and no, we did not cut the things that matter.
Every unit is specified to the Irish Building Regulations (TGD Parts A–M), carries an A2 BER on a correctly installed unit, and is weatherproofed for the Irish climate before it's built, wet, windy, frost and all. It ships with a written compliance pack, is photographed at the factory, again at Dublin Port, and again on site before craning, and is backed by a 30-year anti-corrosion warranty, given by the factory and carried by Ériu, so your point of contact stays in Ireland.
The saving comes from one place only: our founder, Noel, has been an Irish sourcing agent based in Henan since 2008. We buy direct from the factories that build these units, inspect every one in person, and remove the European middleman markup. We didn't make it cheaper. We made it direct.
What it takes, so there are no surprises
We'd rather you knew this now than after you'd signed. A back-garden home would be exempt from planning under the draft rules, but never from building regulations. That means a Commencement Notice, services connected from your house, a foundation, and a BER on completion. Our vetted Irish installer network handles the site phase and we co-ordinate the paperwork across both phases, so you end up with a complete, lawful, occupiable home, not a box and a problem.
One thing to factor in early if your child might one day buy their own place: most Irish lenders won't currently mortgage a property that has a second self-contained dwelling on the same title, so many families fund the unit through savings, a credit union loan or a personal loan rather than the house mortgage. We provide a written briefing on this with every quote, and we'd always say confirm it with your solicitor.
One home, three ways
A ~34 m² unit comes three ways: an open-plan studio, a one-bedroom (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen-living), or a two-bedroom. Custom partitioning is available. Most families housing one adult child choose the one-bed; couples and young families lean to the two-bed.
Get a site review for your family's home.
Tell us your site, your county, and which of your family it's for. We'll review your garden against the current draft conditions, and come back with a factory-direct quote, the compliance pack, and a plain-English briefing on the things that matter. Direct reply from Noel within 24 hours.
Request a site review →