This is Ecocapsule: the 8 m² capsule house that lives off-grid

What is Ecocapsule?

An egg-shaped fibreglass capsule house on a steel chassis, with just what two people need: a fold-down double bed, a work area, a kitchen with an induction hob, sink and fridge, and a bathroom with a shower and a dry toilet.

It was designed by the Bratislava studio Nice Architects and unveiled in 2015. Today it is sold by the Slovak company Ecocapsule (in Spanish) alongside its larger BOX range. It arrives finished, with no building work: it is towed (the trailer is sold separately) or lifted by crane from the hooks on its roof. Its details are on the Ecocapsule listing (in Spanish).

How a capsule house works off-grid

It does not depend on the grid. The solar panels on the roof charge a battery that, according to the brand, gives up to 7 days of use without mains power.

• •Water: a 150-litre tank that can be filled from any source and is filtered with ultraviolet light; drinking water goes in a separate tank.
• •Bathroom: the standard toilet is dry, with no water or sewer connection; a chemical one is optional.
• •Climate: heating, cooling and ventilation from its own low-consumption unit.

If the plot has electricity and water, it connects to both. Ask in writing for the solar output and battery of your unit: its website gives different figures depending on where you look.

How much does an Ecocapsule cost and what is included?

You are not paying for square metres: you are paying for autonomy (its own power, water and climate control) and a shell built to be moved. Its price is the factory price in Slovakia, on pre-order, and it leaves out:

• •Spanish VAT;
• •transport, quoted according to the destination (there are no customs duties from within the European Union);
• •the trailer, sold separately;
• •site preparation.

If what you want is space, the same brand makes the BOX Classic (in Spanish), a rectangular module with a timber façade and a lot more room. Watch its starting price: it comes without a kitchen or beds, and the off-grid water system is in the top level or an extra.

Does it need a permit to be installed in Spain?

Yes, even without foundations or building work. Spain's Land Law (article 11.4.c) requires express authorisation to place “prefabricated houses and similar installations, whether temporary or permanent”, and if the town hall does not reply, the answer is no.

Being movable does not exempt it either. In December 2024, the Supreme Court treated some mobile homes at a campsite as prefabricated houses rather than trailers, because they are made to be lived in, and required them to have a planning permit.

Your town hall decides, depending on the land classification and the use, and on rural land the usual answer is no. More in permits for a prefab house.

Can you live in an Ecocapsule all year round?

Not as a home. It works as a retreat, a studio or a holiday let where your town hall allows it, but it does not meet what Spain requires of a house:

• •Project: a home needs one by a qualified professional, however small (Building Act, article 2), in line with the Technical Building Code. The brand does not state that the capsule complies.
• •Floor area: each region's habitability rules, or your municipal plan, set a minimum. In Catalonia it is 36 m² of usable space.

Not even the brand sells it as a home: it saves “suitable for permanent living” for its BOX, which also states its size measured from the outside, while the rules count usable space.

Who is an Ecocapsule for (and who is it not for)?

It suits you if you want an off-grid retreat on a plot where the town hall allows it, a garden studio or a one-of-a-kind unit for holiday lets, and you value being able to take it somewhere else.

It does not suit you if you are after a cheap house or a place to live. For that, look at small prefab houses or tiny houses in Spain, and factor in the permit from the start. If being able to move it appeals to you, also compare mobile homes: they need the same permit.