Maison garage: old parking as tiny home in Bordeaux, France

Jérémie Buchholtz wanted an affordable apartment in Bordeaux (he's a photographer who splits his time between Paris and Bordeaux so his budget was limited), but he wasn't finding anything he liked. Then he stumbled upon a listing for a garage.
There was no house, it was just an abandoned garage for sale. And it looked like one. It had big metal doors that blocked out any sunlight and inside it was being used more as a junk room. So Buchholtz called his friend and architect Matthieu de Marien who specializes in converting stores, offices and other spaces into homes.
De Marien took one look at the historic street and recognized it as something special. Passage Buhan is a private passageway where the owners each own half of the road so life extends into the street. And the history here is rich: a couple centuries ago, the laneway housed horses and their riders en route to the then city of Bordeaux and the old stable still sits on the street.
Buchholtz bought the property and De Marien quickly cut into the old garage to create more light and ventilation. The roof is historic and couldn't be touched so he carved a 12 square meter (129 square foot) patio out of the small space, leaving only 41 square meters of living space (441 square feet).
In order to make the space feel larger, De Marien created a "house within a house": one large piece of furniture that includes the bathroom, bedroom, office, closet, a sofa bed and all of the home's storage. With everything contained in this large furniture box, the rest of the home was given more breathing room.
Original story here: faircompanies.com/videos/view/...

[@Phantomedic]

9 years later and i still come back to this video to watch again. I love this piece. Really open my mind to think outside the box.

[@kirstendirksen]

@niviob I did ask Jérémie this. He said he bought the garage for 80,000 euros. It cost him for the architect, taxes, notary, furniture, tv and everything else: 170,000 euros. I did a quick calculation using the average price per m2 for Bordeaux homes and for his 60m2 it would have cost 172,000 euros. So obviously by buying a garage he got a better deal, but he did have to put a lot into making it habitable.

[@norbertbajgyik1607]

$200,000 for a whole in the wall ???????

[@mauromantovani5937]

Yeah man, that beautiful multifunctional box is probably a very expensive piece of furniture. I understand that the final price is pretty much aligned with the average small apartment in bordeaux..bit man, i'd much rather live like that than packed in an apartment building. Nice job and thanks kirsten for your inspiring videos

[@norbertbajgyik1607]

@@mauromantovani5937 There is absolutely nothing wrong with the concept, I love it , bu t for 200K it is extremely expensive, the price per sqm it is absurd.

[@mauromantovani5937]

Well, actually if you consider 200.000 for 40 sqm makes 5000€/sqm, yeah...that's pretty freaking absurd, i agree. Problem is, the smaller you get the more the price/sqm you will pay raises. But still, it seems like a lot to me anyway...i don't know, maybe that box is made of solid gold 😁

[@taboobunny9186]

Now this is small space done right. Brilliant!!

[@amu9993]

that's cause it's a French one

[@finzee2]

Thank you Kirsten for making these amazing and inspiring videos. This is my all-time favourite, because the home actually looks like normal, stylish flat with normal sized furnitures and a proper dining table for 4-6 persons (although according to its size, it actually is a typical european flat - even spacious to be french). It's very convertible to different situations from bbq party to private working room. And the style seems to be a mix of scandinavian minimalism added with french touch. I absolutely love this!

[@Swagg3r3d]

I feel like this video and Kirsten kind of helped bring a lot of attention to the tiny house movement. This video made me realize that we could have "a lot" of things in a small space.

[@nubreed13]

One thing I've noticed is the difference between an architect designed house and those that arent. Houses like this one utilize every square inch of space as efficiently as possible. I've seen some DIY built tiny homes that really dont utilize the space as well as they could.

[@KWJackson]

That cube - ingenious. Love it.

[@stevestruthers6180]

This is an absolutely ingenious use of a very small space - it appears to be as livable as a small studio/bachelor apartment would be in any highrise building. I wonder how much the box inside the space cost to make. I doubt it would have been cheap.

[@Spikesfeet]

Love his clear articulation. First french person I can understand without always asking "Comment?"

[@MissJ224]

This is one of my favourite videos of Kirsten's. I love the wooden stable doors, terracotta roof and the lovely outdoor indoor area that is so perfect for smoking but I am not a fan of the cube. Everything looks crammed even though he has minimal belongings and is very organised, but stores his bike in the middle of the room.

[@guapagrande4789]

This is my fav of all tiny houses I've seen thus far. It's a space I can see myself live in happily and, of course, it's in Bourdeaux ;-)

[@dmdavidson11]

I absolutely adore this space. I wouldn't mind living there myself ! It's beautiful and simplistic yet sleek and modern.

[@asoto7122]

Love this space. People are often blinded by the lack of creativity that can be achieved. Very spacious & well organized. lovely.

[@georgerounsaville1809]

For me, this is a perfect home. Perfect.

[@josephhuth3714]

Kirsten, thank you for taking me to Bordeaux and on a visit to this exquisite home. I watch this video over and over and I always feel like I am there. You have the astonishing ability to make me feel this in all your videos. The way you capture the sense of place is brilliant. Thank you.

[@ace51k1]

I must say that this house is one of my favorites that has been viewed on this channel....the use of space and functionality of that single peice of furnuture is simply amazing

[@walwilliams5534]

This is one of the most-memorable "builds" that I've seen. My wife and I viewed it together, a decade-ago, and were mesmerised.

[@SteinErikDahle]

I'd love to live like this!

[@gabespetit1006]

Maybe in another life I'll be able to live in the country of my ancestors and live in a beautiful "garage", in a peaceful area such as this. Magnifique!

[@mysingalongsong]

I have watched this video many times over the years. I have always admired the fantastic use of space and the genius use of something that was not intended for living in to be transformed.

[@trakate]

El mueble de madera multifunción es una genialidad arquitectónica , y muy practico por la funcionalidad el tamaño y la sencillez. Felicitaciones Mr Buchholltz.

[@whatadollslife]

very interesting ..most people would not have thought to build a patio into an already small space ,but it provides so much light and air that it has set the style for the environment .....it looks very easy to secure when he is not home too.....that living cube could be marketed all on its own it has so much value and design .

[@paoching]

I second that. I actually googled it and wasn't able to find anything similar.

[@pitstop_club]

best house I had ever seen so far .

[@PrernaPalekar]

lovely! goes with the general character of Bordeaux which is a beautiful combination of old and new style of construction.

[@faridabdulla2403]

12 years later I still come back to this video .. probably the most influential and important video when training to be an arch and understand what I was all about as a designer. The project and client are amazing , the designer making me want to learn French and the production are beautiful. Thank you for this .. there are echoes of this in all my projects today. (ps first KZbin comment lol... I think)

[@1979Marisol]

C'est Magnifique!! Wow that is beautiful!!

[@summit9681]

C'est absolument super! Il devrait vendre les plans de construction ou de le prefabriquer et le vendre ainsi comme unite. J'en veux un!

[@jdv6059]

The flexibility of the space and the layout are impressive. The simplicity is tasteful and serene. And he does not have to sacrifice luxuries, style, conveniences, storage or comfort. Smart and charming!

[@PeterParker-df6ce]

love the use of voila in this video. The window is like viola. The bathroom voila. You put your clothes in here, voila. c'est magnifique

[@tipsycat27]

The rollers on the doors don't wear out over time either! Watch as we demonstrate.

[@ryuli1]

Absolutely incredible. Brilliant Configuration.

[@natalynunezmedina980]

Thanks for sharing with us. I have enjoy the imagination in these videos. A creative mind never ends.

[@ColtraneAndRain]

I LOVE it!! My search for micro houses brought me here, and this is one of the best I have EVER seen. AND you get to live in a historical structure to boot! Just magnificent!

[@Rimrock300]

The garage apartment is a classic) Need to come back to it now and then. Love the way they have done this

[@looknn]

Kirsten Dirksen I'm a long time subscriber. I try to watch all your videos. This one is my favorite, hands down!

[@kirstendirksen]

Thanks Tyrone. I like this one a lot as well. They really worked with the location they had.

[@grannyali6567]

BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@denisesevera7613]

Voila! Lol I just LOVE it! So practical yet absolutely beautiful!

[@thomasodonnell9221]

Life is in the details and in this case, producing a very livable environment. I could easily adjust to such a, abode. Kudos! Merci!

[@pizdec2]

Très original. Ça me plaît beaucoup!

[@hijinxxxx]

This is the coolest house I've seen yet in a small space. Just so inspiring. Love it.

[@rixanoz]

my favorite video so far, and absolutely brilliant design.

[@AliceswanUs]

Absolutely gorgeous and beautifully designed tiny garage apartment in Bordeaux. I'd live there in a heartbeat.

[@susanhull1098]

Absolutely fabulous! Congratulations on an excellent design.

[@odonata9838]

Wow!!!! I am truly inspired and encouraged by the ingenuity of this project.

[@GarnetLynne]

I grew up in San Fran and I would've loved to have had this much space. most of my apartments were much smaller and mostly I just had a room, he is very lucky.

[@WhyNot-zr5kl]

Absolutely fabulous.

[@mrsluckyladybug]

I want to move to france and get a place like that. That is so cool.

[@RichieRouge206]

This is one of the cleverst homes I’ve ever seen! The furniture box is amazing!!

[@shagdog84]

the door can be open or closed, or open or closed!

[@ImNotaRussianBot]

Dustin Morkwed OR! Closed and opened.

[@Fibrylarna]

😜🤣

[@AngelicDetective86]

Finally a tiny house that doesn't feel claustrophobic. I like this one, very interesting design.

[@Kueytwo]

This is so well done, this is affordable living simply without compromise of comfort or function.

[@annglamgal]

Gorgeous area - beautiful home. Well done!!! Thank you for sharing.

[@evening_kovacs]

Great use of space.I really liked that big furniture-room combo. That was just beautiful.

[@ahikernamedgq]

That's a wonderful space Incredible.

[@juanmanuelrotulo9016]

I woke up listening to Miles Davis's 'Nefertiti' on vinyl and watching this. So far an awesome Saturday. Thanks for sharing!

[@ninjajoe3]

after watching lots of tiny home videos videos this one is in my top 3 if not number 1. the bedding area looks so cozy i could crash there all day.

[@herab9554]

Absolutely brilliant! I see the future of housing, the ways people become creative to beat the increasing housing costs. Thank you for sharing!

[@annyeongdreamz24]

this has to be my fav space designed brilliantly

[@berylparker7306]

Extremely efficient. Wonderful.

[@BananaPistol412]

Amazing job from the architect. This is all what architecture is about I love it. KCCO!

[@jimmypartain4749]

This is the best designed tiny house I have ever seen!

[@JohnnyCashavetes]

This is the first tiny home I've enjoyed. Really amazing work. Really amazing channel.

[@icklemidgie]

C’est le maison dans le maison, J'aime ça! c'est vraiment uniqe et plein de caractère et de ‘bizarrerie’ (dans le bon sens) 😊 brava! Monsieur, Tant mieux pour toi! x

[@oldmanballer5088]

I absolutely love this!

[@kconway93]

My parents have a garage at the back of a house which is only 15-20 mins walk from dublin city centre and was looking up studio apartments to find out how to convert the garage in studio apartment type thing. Its about the same size as this garage and also looks out onto a quiet lane. But this is 10 times better. Thank you so much for uploading this

[@animerox1341]

I love the idea, the bed area looks really fantastic.

[@FrankenKitteh]

How many times can they open and close the door! Watch to find out!

[@Rick_Sanchez_C137_]

Thubten Yeshe DRINKING GAME Every time they open or close anything made of wood (even items with wood veneer) take a shot!!!!

[@miranduri]

My thoughts exactly!

[@OversikerSTUDIO]

Let's find out*

[@ericdew2021]

I really like the wooden window cover. That's really cool, to be able to put out a bar in front of the kitchen sink and have people over for a drink.

[@carolz5090]

I’m about a third of the way through and I’m yelling at the video “ I get it already! I understood the first time you did it! You can open and close the doors to open up different parts of the space. I’m proud of you. Are we ever going to see inside?” Patience is not my strong suit 🙄.

[@joebazooks]

Ah man, this is my favorite mini house yet. The open space, cement floors, the patio, even a skylight, and it's lit by natural light.

[@mintelladarling]

definitely my favorite small home so far! this is amazing and beautiful! :D

[@bagot2ar]

C´ est fantastic! bravo

[@LuddeTheKudde]

Amazing! Only thing really missing to give it warmth and have it feel like a home is a carpet!

[@angieflynn5354]

Unbelievably clever stunning

[@moebiusdune1115]

I LOVE this house.Great design

[@caroleaster5952]

Absolutely beautiful. My dream home.

[@angeflc]

Magnifique!! Bravo, i love it, especially the uint with all the funtions within it, realy clever!!

[@markyballer84]

One of my favourite garage conversion stories! What a transformation!! It's a pity we can't have similar flexibility from the council in UK..

[@fizzedupslade4082]

2nd time watched. Just brilliant. Thanks

[@Veronica1944]

I'll be fantasizing about this beautiful home all day :) It makes me want to read more about Bordeaux too.

[@l-ours]

Jolie reconversion d'un garage en habitation dans la ville de Bordeaux. #architecture #urban #cities #france

[@doc3164]

Incredible use of space. My questions are ... since that all-in-one piece of furniture is what makes this small space work ... there's the "cubitat" and "Living Cube" ... what do you even call it? space saving furniture, transformer/ing furniture ... what ? Then: 1) who made it? 2) cost? 3) are there drawings or plans available? 4)is there a steel structure under the wood? 5)was it built on site or assembled on site? 6) how was it transported and what size pieces did it come in? 7)was it an IKEA style fasten together or as asked earlier, fastened onto a steel base. It didn't seem to sway when he was in the bedroom.Thanks for any and all help. A Big Fan of your work

[@kirstendirksen]

+Doc 31 The furniture was all custom designed by the architect. I believe a carpenter then made it. The remodel cost 140,000 euros, including all the fixtures and furniture (the garage cost 80,000 euros).

[@MelissaWeston]

+Kirsten Dirksen How long did this remodel take in all?

[@micheallewis2568]

Use your IMAGINAAAATION.

[@SerendipityGG]

8:45 I can´t believe it. It´s amazing!!

[@chrisfoucha]

i absolutely love their mail box.

[@earthbowl]

Wonderful- design- beautiful space

[@mandyfreeland2724]

Gorgeous!

[@filipmakedonski8070]

Amazing created space , i love it!

[@kirstendirksen]

@hydrobuu Yes but the average price per square meter in Bordeaux is 2840 € / m² which would mean at market rate it should cost 170K euros. Though he did put quite a bit of money into it so in the end it wasn't necessarily cheaper than the market rate, but he got something that suited him and was quite unique. Plus, every homeowner on that street owns half of the street as well so his property extends out if he wants to put a table and chairs out there and use that as well.

[@MrCrown-wc3ji]

Brilliant. Would love to have a space like this. ♥️

[@1TheNews]

That's an amazing little apartment.

[@kirstendirksen]

@jelledge8 I'm not sure about the height of the ceiling at the peak, but that box with the bed/bathroom/office and all is 3.60m long by 3m wide by 3m high. You can probably see in the video that the ceiling wasn't much taller than the bed, though we could stand on one side and I am about 6 feet so I'd say it's another 2 meters so 5 meters (or 16 1/2 feet) at the highest point. Though these are just my rough estimates.

[@kristaroberts1158]

Fantastic!👏🏼

[@123samanthastar]

so beautiful

[@kirikurookie4509]

Oh! the layout is good one !

[@MsJennyOz]

definitely one of my favorites..

[@SushiLeader]

really awesome space

[@2camjdh]

Superbe reconversion. Je suis impressionné par l'optimisation de l'espace. Bravo.

[@kirstendirksen]

@Malegnius That piece of furniture was all part of the design by the architect (Matthieu who speaks in the piece as well). I believe it was made by a carpenter. I don't know how much it cost on its own since it was tied into the construction- or remodel- of the garage.

[@lwfrt]

This is awesome! I loved it

[@21whichiswhich]

I love this house!

[@Art_Travel_and_Hobbys]

Ingenious... 👍

[@abbeezy]

I wanna live here!

[@doneyhon4227]

+abbeezy Ok, come with me, I'm french! lol

[@abbeezy]

+Doney Hon perfect! Cause I can't speak a lick of French hahha

[@doneyhon4227]

***** If you are as pretty as on your photos and videos, I would be very happy to teach you my language. lol :p

[@niveditashankar1168]

Really Inspiring 🙏🤍