How the Black Pig Lodge came about

When Elspeth and I were going through the lengthy process of buying, selling and moving from Leicestershire in the UK, to Leitrim in the Republic of Ireland, we had in the back of our minds, the notion of installing a shepherd’s hut on our ground, which we could let out to holiday makers. We originally wondered whether it should be a stand-alone structure with composting toilet and a solar panel for electricity. Prior to this, I had even toyed with the idea of building a replica ‘iron-age’ round house for a real ‘back to nature’ experience for guests.

Five years down the line, and taking creature comforts and sustainability fully on board, our holiday let plans have morphed into the self-contained ‘Black Pig Lodge’; a shepherd’s hut (kitchen) attached to the guest bedroom with en-suite; all powered by a bank of solar panels in our back garden.

Once we had finalised our thoughts and drawn up a scale plan, we set about researching shepherd hut parts and suppliers, eventually settling for a flat pack, self-build option, with a corrugated metal outer shell, echoing farm buildings that are dotted throughout the local area.

So, we ordered all the parts and in July 2024 I set about re-routing fencing and preparing the ground for the hut’s arrival in late August.

Early September saw the footings go down and the beginnings of transforming the guest bedroom end window into a new doorway for bedroom/kitchen access.

By the end of September we were ready to lay the hut floor and start constructing the shell of the whole structure. October was busy getting the walls up, ceiling timbers in place and completing the roof to keep the build dry.

By the end of November we had made and fitted the outer door, glazed and fitted the windows and got the kitchen water supply routed. The hut was now weatherproof with winter approaching. I also began insulating the walls.

December saw the start of the inner cladding going up and we thought it was time for a wee break with Christmas coming.

In January 2025, the 1st fix electrics (routing electrical wiring) went in along with the remaining insulation, vapour barrier and the majority of the internal cladding. Then we had Storm Eowyn……

This slowed things down on the hut build for a while but thankfully no damage or movement was incurred.

By the end of March, all the cladding was up and painted, the 2nd fix electrics were in (plug sockets, switches, extractor etc), the bedroom and bathroom were being painted and the dividing door from bedroom to hut was installed.

April was another very busy month with us completely building and fitting out the kitchen and replacing the sink in the bedroom’s en-suite. Also we had a professional electrician connect up the hut electrics to the main fuse board and complete a full safety inspection.

In May I blocked up the old bedroom entrance (to the house) with timber, soundproof insulation and plasterboard which we then got professionally plaster skimmed. That dried, the final build job was to paint it and then it was done.

We could then finish and dress the accommodation with nice personal touches; Elspeth’s handmade cushions and tablecloth, new linen bedding, paintings on the wall, books and games on the shelf, an old map of Ireland on the wall, information booklet for guests etc.

As far as possible, we have borne Black Pig Lodge’s eco credentials in mind; power is from the electricity generated by our bank of solar panels; the step up into the hut is the old concrete window-sill; the kitchen chairs were rescued from a church refurbishment (note the hymn book shelf under the seat); the kitchen table is a throwback to the 1970s and the two bedside table-chairs were rescued from being skipped many moons ago. Then there’s the old chest of drawers; rather ancient but still in use.  

With everything in place, we were then ready to ‘go live’ in June 2025, so you can now book either directly through our website or via Airbnb.