Tiny House Hunters (2014–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Jersey City Newlyweds Search for Tiny House on Large Rural Lot - full transcript

Across the nation,
people are going small--

really small...

These are so cute!

...buying tiny houses,

some just a microscopic
100 square feet.

Whoa.

This is a tiny house.

It looks really small.

This tiny trend is
picking up big steam,

with everything from
converted train cars and barns

to yurts
and microhouses on wheels.



I'd be a gypsy
on the run.

Everyone has their own reason
for going tiny.

For Adam, he's looking
for something really small

in rural New Jersey.

I think it would be
a really huge adventure.

But his wife Karen has reservations.

The first is 420 square feet.

Karen, don't freak out.

That is a tree house.

It looks like
a wooden UFO to me.

And it's not just
the idea of a tiny house

Karen has to be convinced of.

It's also the logistics.

Oh. It's tiny.



I'm amazed
at how every square inch

seems to have a purpose.

There's no running water
and no septic system.

- Can I get the pepper?
- Go for it.

Okay.
I'll do potato duty.

I'm Adam,
and this is my wife, Karen.

I'm a sustainability consultant.

And I'm an art teacher.

Wait, wait.
Don't cut me.

After getting married
a few months ago,

they've been living
with their two cats

in Adam's 750-square-foot condo.

But now they want to
buy a home together,

and Adam has come up
with a radical idea.

He wants to get a tiny house

with their all-cash
$100,000 budget.

What a tiny house means for us
is lower operating costs,

more ability for us
to customize the kind of house

that we want to live in
for the rest of our lives.

I think that the tiny home
might give us an opportunity

to actually
own something outright

as opposed
to having a mortgage forever.

Could you imagine, like,
living without a bank payment?

It would free us up
to travel

and to do other things
that we like to do.

Yeah. Yeah.
It'd be great.

I'm really nervous
about this house hunt.

The apartment we have now
is small,

and I know
that going even smaller

will definitely be
a challenge.

I don't know
if I'm quite prepared

for how small
it's going to be.

I think it would be
a really huge adventure

to see if we could live
in a space that's even smaller

than where we are now.

And Karen's really supportive
of my crazy ideas.

They're not at all
on the same page

about how tiny
their new home should be.

I'd like to see how small
we can go in a new tiny home--

less than 500 square feet
if possible.

Well, that's 250 square feet
right there,

which technically could be
an entire tiny home.

Do you really want to go
this small?

I would go smaller
on a bigger piece of land.

Hopefully with some property,
it could always be added on to.

But I don't want to go
as small as possible.

Since Karen has flexibility
as a teacher

and Adam works from home,

they've decided to look
for a place in the country

on at least five acres

to get some distance
from their neighbors.

Wow.
The A-frame is cool.

I like
the exposed-timber rafter beams.

Yes. Craftsman.

You're a very crafty craftsman.

It fits
with your personality.

Thank you.
Artistic style.

I'm looking for
a log-cabin-style house.

And I like the idea
of a tree-house style.

Me, too, actually.

My dad and I built a tree house
when I was a kid.

I'm kind of tree-house obsessed, actually.

Good use
of the outdoor space.

My wish list would definitely be
some kind of garden.

She also wants large windows

to make the small space
seem bigger,

while Adam is hoping
for a wood-burning stove

to give the house character.

If we can save money,

I'd be totally open
to renovating a house

that needed a lot of work.

Oh.

And I don't have an interest
in that,

and it sounds like
a lot of work.

Flushing toilet.

How do we know?

It looks like it is.

Part of the attractiveness
of a tiny home

is the ability
to be low-impact

and possibly have
a composting toilet.

I feel like
we have two cats.

We don't need to
become cats.

I'm not suggesting that we do it
like a litter box.

It can have--

Like, there's
professional composting toilets

that will work fine.

First up, they're meeting
their agent, Mariel,

in Lakewood, Pennsylvania,

about three hours northwest
of Jersey City,

to see a farm
with two extremely small cabins.

I know
you've both been intrigued

by the idea of gardening
and living off the land,

so today I'm taking you
to a fully functioning farm.

- Oh.
- All right.

This home is currently listed
for $89,900.

Hmm.

It sits on about
three-and-a-half acres.

There are two cabins.
The first is 420 square feet.

Karen, don't freak out.

The second is
144 square feet.

How do you feel about
becoming farmers?

I have no idea
how to do that.

Could be a lot of work.

Does the barking dog
come with the property?

I don't know.

You'll have to ask her
about that one. Okay.

These are so cute!

Yeah?

Love the green and purple.

I'm not a fan
of the purple so much,

but I really like
that the siding is green

and it looks
very barn-like.

It blends in really well
with the property.

There's no windows on that side,
and it's small.

I like the size.
That's the goal here. Yeah.

And it's high enough
off the ground

that we could put storage underneath.

Underneath?

Underneath
to collect spiders?

The clothes don't care
if there's spiders.

And the things we put
under there, they don't care.

I care.

Here we are.

This is it?

Yes.

This is small.

This is it.

I'm amazed
at how every square inch

seems to have something
going on, has a purpose.

But I...

Where would we fit
any of our furniture?

Yeah, that's going to require
a lifestyle change for sure.

We've been talking about
downsizing for a long time,

and to actually see
how small it is scares me,

and I wonder
if we're a little bit crazy.

This feels a little small
for two cats and two people.

Where would you put
the litter boxes?

Good question, Mariel.

Yeah, good question.

The square footage of 420
does include the loft space.

Kind of reminds me
of being a kid, you know,

sleeping up
in that space.

Oh. It's tiny.

The current owners are using
the second cabin

as their sleeping quarters.

So you wouldn't necessarily
have to sleep up there.

Oh.

This stove is
really great.

This is exactly
what I would have done.

It looks like they used
local rocks

and probably
- cemented them in themselves.
- They did.

The kitchen measures
in at just 32 square feet.

I'm having an issue
with the cabinets.

They don't quite fit.

I know it's a huge departure
from our current kitchen.

Yeah.

But that's kind of
the point.

I think it would be nice to
get out from under all of that.

I think Karen
is finally understanding

exactly what's in Adam's mind
when he says,

"I want to live in a tiny home."

What's behind the curtain?

That's your bathroom.

Behind the curtain?

There's no door?

Hey, looks like a real toilet
with water in it, Karen.

Indoor plumbing.
Real water.

Whoo!
All right.

Small victories.

All right,
why don't we take a look

- at your sleeping quarters?
- Okay.

The sleeping cabin is
just 144 square feet,

about half the size
of an average master bedroom.

This is really nice.

This is like
an entirely new house.

Yeah.

There's a lot of space in here.
There really is.

So it's not so tiny,
huh, Karen?

Maybe, Adam.

So, you would have to go outside
to use the bathroom?

Yes.

I'll have to escort you
to the bathroom?

Every night.

Like camping style.

Ugh.

What do you think
about the idea

of actually working
all this land?

I can't picture it.

And the living quarters
are very small.

But this is exactly what
I pictured in terms of size,

and the fact
that there's multiple buildings

kind of makes up
for the fact

that the main house
is kind of tight.

Price-wise,
this is right in our range,

which gives us a lot of room
for improvements.

Maybe we could even connect
the two buildings somehow.

Ah. Yeah.

Have the two of you considered

maybe building
your own tiny home?

With that idea in mind,

they're going to see
a customizable home

that's just 384 square feet.

You can choose
to purchase a plot of land

and then have a tiny home
built on it.

Sounds like it could get
very expensive.

So I heard you guys
are looking for a tiny house.

Yes. That's the word
on the street.

Adam and Karen are downsizing

from their 750-square-foot
Jersey City condo

to a tiny home in the country.

With an all-cash
$100,000 budget,

they plan to buy the house
outright and be debt-free.

And for Adam, it's also
all about the adventure

of going tiny,

but Karen has her reservations.

Karen wants to
get away from you

or you want to get away
from her.

I've thought about that.

That thought frightened me,

considering
we just got married.

So far they've seen
a working farm

with two extremely small cabins.

One was just 420 square feet,

and the second
only 144 square feet.

While Adam loved the small size,

Karen thought the cabin layout
left much to be desired.

They're now in
Deposit, New York,

to look into the idea
of building a custom tiny home.

There is a company
called Bungalows in a Box.

We're going to meet
the builder today.

You can choose to purchase
a plot of land

and then have a tiny home
built on it.

From scratch?

Yeah, we could do it.

Well, you know,
- we'll have a budget.
- Sounds expensive.

So we have to find the land.

Today they're seeing
a 384-square-foot model home

as an example
of what they could customize.

This place is about half the
size of their Jersey City condo.

- Very cool.
- It's beautiful.

I like that it has a lot
of the timber-frame features,

all the natural wood.

But it's not Craftsman.

This lot is not for sale.

When it did sell,
it sold for around $24,000,

and the shell would go
for around $50,000.

Okay.

And the builder
is going to tell us

a little bit more
about it.

This is Raoul.
Hi, Raoul.

- Nice to see you again.
- Good to see you.

This is a typical example of one
of our prefabricated kits.

We put the building up
within a week.

When I'm done,
it's a raw shell.

It still needs a lot of work.

All right.

I love the beams.
They're beautiful.

Really Craftsman.

The ceiling height is great.

I actually didn't expect that
until we came in.

It's a tall ceiling.

The staircase is really awesome.
Was this included?

This is part
of the finished carpentry.

This actually costs
$7,000.

Whoa.

You could build a ship's ladder
for a few hundred.

A ladder?

Karen, I think we can save
a lot of money that way.

Do you know how much
the floor cost?

The floor was $8,000.

Oh!

Don't have a heart attack.

- Ouch!
- You have to remember

you're buying a new home, essentially,

so it really, you know,
that up-front cost,

you're not going to have
additional costs down the road

once you complete it.

- It'll be brand-new.
- Yeah.

This area over here
looks a lot less finished.

What is this?

Well,
this will be the kitchen.

It could cost them
as much as $20,000

to install their own kitchen.

That's a lot of work.

Ooh.
I love the door.

Yeah, it's awesome.

Wow.

And it could cost as much
as $15,000 for the bathroom.

I noticed
there is a real toilet.

Is there an ability to do
a composting toilet instead?

Well, you certainly could do
a composting toilet.

No, but we're gonna have
a real flushing toilet, right?

I don't know
if we need it.

I mean, composting toilets were
used for a really long time.

I think it could be--

Were used
for a really long time.

Adam keeps talking about
the composting toilet

as if it's going to happen,
and it's never going to happen.

Very cool.

Yeah.

Would this count toward
the 384 square feet?

No, this is extra space.

I did eight feet of loft.

And then the owner added
another eight feet.

Eight feet. Oh.

So, we have
a king-sized bed now.

Yeah.

So that's not
much extra room.

We might have to look
at going out.

That's very small.

This is great.
Oh, definitely.

It feels like
you're up in the trees here.

This is nice.

Yeah, like a tree house.

I love the exposed beams,
the flooring.

I think it's spot-on
in terms of the style,

and it really feels like
a cabin.

It's new construction.

It really gives you
the chance to pick

which features
and which materials you use.

I didn't realize just
how quickly everything adds up.

And I'm afraid
you can easily go over budget.

Since Karen is still
unsure about going so small,

their agent has found
a bigger place,

and it happens to be
a tree house.

It's very unique.

It looks like
a wooden UFO to me.

Karen and Adam are trading in

their 750-square-foot
Jersey City condo,

but for them,
bigger isn't better.

They're in the market
for something very unique--

a tiny house in the countryside

that's just a fraction of
the size of their current place.

And while Adam is all for it,
Karen has reservations.

I'm nervous
about the change.

If we're in
such a tiny house,

it would be really great
to have a lot of land.

They visited a farm
in Lakewood, Pennsylvania,

on 31⁄2 acres that had
two extremely small cabins--

One was 420 square feet,

and the other
only 144 square feet--

that were right up Adam's alley.

But Karen wasn't convinced

she could make
such a drastic downsize.

Next was a tiny model home with
384 square feet of living space.

While Adam was intrigued
with the idea of a custom build,

upgrades would be pricy,

and Karen was still unsure
of its small size.

So their agent, Mariel,
has found

a slightly bigger tree house
that she thinks Karen will love

in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania,
two hours from Jersey City.

- Whoa.
- Cool.

- What do you think?
- That is a tree house.

Well, this house is currently
priced at $125,000.

- Hmm.
- Wow. That's-- Okay.

It's considerably
over our budget.

It's above your budget,
but remember,

where you start is not always
where you end up.

It looks like
a wooden UFO to me.

But I like it.
It's very unique.

It's on four-and-a-half acres
and just under 700 square feet.

That's pretty big, actually.

Similar to
our current place.

I was really looking
for something smaller.

Karen seems to like
that it's under 700 square feet.

Yeah.

It's beautiful.
I feel so relaxed.

As far as gardens,
I'm not sure where we'd put it.

That area over there
is getting some good sun,

but overall,
it's really shady.

- Wow.
- Oh.

It's beautiful.

I love the windows,

the view.

It feels like
you're in an actual tree house.

It has
a lot of character.

I've never seen anything
so unique.

And the kitchen's over here.

It's very tiny.

Well, you know, with tiny homes
come tiny kitchens.

I love how open it is.

Yeah,
but we're missing a stove.

- That's correct.
- All right.

We have a great kitchen now,
so this is gonna need some work.

They see a small spare bedroom

before heading into the master.

- Ooh.
- Feels like we're outside
in here.

Yeah.
The view is amazing.

I can imagine
waking up to this.

This is beautiful.

And there's a closet
over here.

I like that.

We could really fit all
our stuff in a place like this.

It might even be
a little bit too big.

There's a lot of wasted space
over here.

And with all the windows,

the heating and the energy
becomes an issue.

It's big. Hey.

Tiny-house bathroom,
not so tiny.

No privacy, though.

You don't need it.
There's four-and-a-half acres.

That scares me
a little bit.

No one's gonna be walking around
out there.

This is a regular toilet,

but there's a toilet-looking
thing over there, too.

What's up with that?

Yes, that's a portable toilet.

That is there because
there is no running water

on the property
and no septic system.

Well, we have
a perfectly good toilet.

We just need the system.

What does that cost
to put in, roughly?

The homeowner says a well
would be about $6,000

and a septic maybe anywhere
from $8,000 to $12,000.

So, on top of the asking price,
which is over the budget,

we're looking at another--
could be 20 grand.

This house needs a lot of work,

but I could picture myself
living here

and looking out at this view.

I would really like to look
at the composting-toilet option.

I think
that makes a lot of sense.

No. No.

You need
a flushing toilet.

This is, like,
the perfect opportunity

to have
a composting toilet.

No.

Adam would really like
a compost toilet,

but you know what?

Married to Karen, I just don't
think it's going to happen.

The tree-house factor
is awesome.

Okay.
Yeah, yeah.

I've never seen
anything like it.

It's got so much character.

It's so unique. Yeah.

I love all the windows.

There's a lot to do here
with plumbing, septic.

It's not really
downsizing for us.

- We have to decide.
- This is gonna be tough.

Our house hunters
are moving on up

to a much smaller space.

Could you live in a tiny house?

See how people
make the small space work at...

Karen and Adam are packing up
their Jersey City condo

and are ready
to move to a tiny house.

They just haven't figured out
which one yet.

With a $100,000 budget,

they've seen several
very small possibilities.

They're now ready to choose.

What did you think
about the farm?

I loved the gardens,
the fields,

- and it's under budget.
- It is. Yeah.

I'm afraid
about the whole farming aspect.

The living quarters
where you sleep

is separate
from the bathroom.

I think we could always
just sleep in that main house

and use
that other bedroom house

for something
completely different.

Maybe an art studio.

I like the sound
of that.

Okay.

Their next option
is a model of a tiny home,

which could be built
for a base price of $50,000

if they do the finish work themselves.

They would also
have to factor in

the cost of buying land,

as well as upgrades
to the house.

We could really have a say
in what's built.

I am afraid about it
budget-wise, though.

It sounds like it could
get completely out of hand.

I don't know how to do
any of that stuff,

and I don't know
if I'm cut out for it.

Tree house--

That one was already
over our budget at $125,000.

I loved all the windows.

So unique.
Has so much character.

That house was bigger
than what I had in mind.

It didn't even have
running water,

but it was situated
really beautifully on the land.

It had
- those sweeping views.
- It was.

I think we should go
with Bungalow in a Box,

build our own house
on a piece of land that we find.

We could spread out
some of the work

and also spread out
some of the cost.

I agree.

I love the fact
that it's gonna be brand-new.

Are you ready
to build something together?

I think so.

This will
seal this place up tight.

No spiders.

After several weeks
of searching,

they wound up
buying a piece of land

near Equinunk, Pennsylvania,

about 2 hours and 45 minutes
from Jersey City.

We got a lot more acreage
than we ever thought we would.

We were looking
for five acres, around that,

and we ended up
getting 12.

But because
they spent $82,000--

the majority of their
$100,000 budget-- on the land,

they decided to go with
a smaller, less expensive house.

We needed to come in
at $35,000,

so we ended up going with
a 14x20-foot house.

I wasn't sure
if I was ready for it,

if our stuff could even fit
in a place this small,

but I love
the style of the house,

the timbers inside.

It's definitely Craftsman,
which is what I wanted.

We're gonna come in
the front door

and be greeted
by our couch in this area.

We ended up deciding
to do all the work ourselves

except for the shell,
the plumbing,

and the electrical.

So we haven't been able
to move in

as quickly
as we had thought.

For now, they're coming up
on the weekends

and camping while they work.

It's a learning curve
on everything.

It's a learning curve
on how to frame a wall,

and then it's a learning curve
on how to tile the bathroom.

And every once in awhile,
you hear, "Ah! Ugh!"

And he messed up something.

This is gonna be
our bathroom,

and a flushing toilet
will go there,

which I am, of course,
happy about.

My favorite part
is the kitchen.

I love the window,

and it's gonna overlook
the sink.

Corn--
it's burning a little.

Is that okay?

Sure, if you like
your corn burnt.

This house represents
a lot of hard work

and a dream
that really came together.