Three-Level Garage Makeover

A Wellington architect has turned a 22-square-meter garage footprint into a three-level home that stacks living, work, and hobby space vertically. (nevertoosmall.com) The project, called Walker Box, sits on a ridgeline in Wellington, New Zealand, and was designed by architect Micah Rickards for himself and his partner Ivan. Rickards said he found the unused garage in 2017 after friends moved into the bungalow behind it. (nevertoosmall.com) The original structure measured 22 square meters, or 237 square feet, and was described as too small for a modern car. The finished building rises about 8 meters on a 6-by-4-meter footprint and totals 63 square meters across three stories. (nevertoosmall.com) (micah.co.nz) (distinctivedesigns.co.nz) The layout treats height as the main resource. The lower floor works as an entrance, salon, guest area, gym, and music space; the middle floor holds a bedroom and compact bathroom; the top floor is the main living area positioned for sun and views. (nevertoosmall.com) (distinctivedesigns.co.nz) That approach tracks with a wider push to squeeze more use from small urban lots without expanding a home’s footprint. Rickards’ own practice says it specializes in “small-space architecture,” and the New Zealand Institute of Architects cited Walker Box’s “compact footprint” and “adaptability” when it gave the project a 2025 Wellington Architecture Award in the small-project category. (micah.co.nz) (nzia.co.nz) The garage shell still had to satisfy a parking rule. Never Too Small reported that council required the home to provide two car parks, so Rickards designed the ground floor to physically fit a car even though the space is now used for other functions. (nevertoosmall.com) Inside, the flexible details do most of the work. A removable floating cork floor adds insulation and shoe storage, curtains split off Ivan’s hair salon and the laundry, and salon equipment can be rolled away so guests can sleep on an inflatable mattress. (nevertoosmall.com) The material choices were shaped by cost and site conditions as much as style. Rickards said he used blockwork because it was modular, quick to build, and relatively cheap, while his studio says the concrete-block tower was also a practical response to the retaining work required on the steep site. (nevertoosmall.com) (micah.co.nz) The project has also drawn attention as a self-build exercise rather than a developer template. Distinctive Designs reported that Rickards spent years designing it and completed much of the work over weekends, with help from his father on the build. (distinctivedesigns.co.nz) (thisishere.nz) Walker Box opens with garage doors but functions as a compact tower, not a car shed. The result is a house that keeps the garage footprint and repurposes nearly every square meter above it. (nevertoosmall.com) (micah.co.nz)