Travel Sized

Project ‘Suitcase’ house

Architect David Melling, Melling Architects

Location Lyall Bay, Wellington

Brief Fit a tiny home on a bush-clad site for a single occupant who travels often

- Sarah Catherall

It’s fitting that Graeme Nicholls’ small home is nicknamed ‘Suitcase’ house – the flight manager spends more than 20 nights a month living out of a suitcase in hotel rooms here and across the Tasman.

When Nicholls bought the section on a bush-clad hill above Wellington’s south coast five years ago, he took on a challenge: it was long and steep, with a flat area at the top and a rundown garage near the bottom.