Tiny House Hunters (2014–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Family of Six Downsizes from 2500 Sq. Ft. To Tiny Home - 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.

Iz, put the phone down, please.
Do your dishes.

For this busy
L.A. family, going tiny

means downsizing
from their large family home

to one of these tiny houses
in Upstate New York.

We have to go sideways
around the toilet.

With a family of six,

they're budgeting
just 100 square feet per person.

Not much privacy. No.

That's a little closet.

How are we gonna fit
all of our stuff in there?

I would never in a million years

think about showing a house
like this to a family of six.

But this is what they asked for,
so here we are.



Behold.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

That's an outhouse.

Is this included
in the square footage?

Whee!

Whoa!
You caught him!

Dan, an animator,
and Cindy, a speech therapist,

live in the L.A. suburb
of Santa Clarita

with their four kids--

13-year-old Emilia,
9-year-old Isabel,

and 2-year-old twins
William and Adeline.

Are you a big
hula-hooper?

We kind of live the typical
L.A. life here.

We're busy.
We work a lot.

And with the four kids, they're
involved in a lot of activities,

so we're running
around a lot.

It's getting
a little tired.

Bye!

Say, "Bye!"

Our current home
is 2,500 square feet.

It's a decent-sized house.

All the kids
have their own bedrooms.

But it kind of creates
a little bit of a separateness.

Mom, come FaceTime me.

It's too easy
to go to your own room.

I'll come home from work
and I'm like,

"Where are the other kids?"

To get some quality time
together last summer,

Cindy and the children piled
into their family van

for a cross-country road trip.

We visited 30 states.
8,147 miles.

It was a tiny space
for many, many weeks.

And being together
forced us

to kind of connect
a little closer.

It was that road trip
that got them thinking

about their current
living situation.

I got back from the trip,

and the kids went off
to their rooms.

And the space
spread us all out.

And I said to Dan, "I think
we could live in a tiny house."

Em is gonna be 14.

You just start to realize,

she's not gonna be around
in our house very much longer.

And so we need to strip down
to the core

of what this family is,
which isn't a house.

It's the six of us.

To drive home
that sense of family,

they're moving
to rural Corning, New York,

where Cindy has relatives.

And they have an ambitious plan

for how small they want
the New York house to be.

Our goal was 100 square foot
per person.

600 just seemed like a fun goal,
at least, if nothing else--

6 people,
600 square feet.

Getcha, getcha,
Getcha, getcha!

This room here
is about the same size

as a tiny house
that we are looking for.

Seriously?

- Seriously.
- Seriously.

Everybody's gonna be
packed in there really closely.

It'll be really crazy.

And for Dan and Cindy,
going small with this new house

means big financial rewards.

We're going to pay cash.

Mortgaging the house
is not an option.

The top of our budget
would be about $80,000.

We'd like to get lower
than that.

Part of the reason
is to give us

a little more freedom
financially to travel more.

And we can be
a little more flexible

with how we're working
or how much we're working.

They both like
the look of older homes

common in the Corning area,

but they disagree on style.

She wants a craftsman bungalow.

To me, it's kind of
the classic tiny house.

When you hear the word
"bungalow," you think tiny.

Dan is angling for something
with more of a log-cabin feel.

I like the idea of, like,
the old grain of wood.

It's just such
a great texture.

And while Cindy wants to be

in a neighborhood
near their families,

Dan thinks living in a rural
setting with lots of acreage

would be a fun change from the
small yard they currently have.

Oh, that's out in the country.

Snakes. Ugh.
I know there'd be a snake there.

I would like to add
a building off of the house

that could be an office.

But you're talking about,
pretty much, a shed.

But a shed. Okay.

Yeah. We're not talking
about buying a house

and then building
- a skyscraper behind it.
- No.

In order to lay out the space
so it works for all six of them,

they want a fixer they can
customize to fit everyone.

We really want each kid
to have their own space.

It's not realistic that
they'll have their own bedroom,

whether that's a couple of lofts
or remodeling an attic.

What do you think?

Should we get
something like that,

that doesn't have
- a toilet?
- No.

No? It's a little
too rustic?

Iz, put the phone down, please.
Do your dishes.

I think
it's gonna be chaotic.

This is one of those leaps
that other people say,

"You can't do this."

Together, we're willing

to trust each other that,
"Yeah, we can do this."

So, they've flown out
to New York to meet

their real-estate agent, Ruthie,

to see a rural log cabin
11 miles from downtown Corning.

Yeah,
this is definitely rural.

- Dirt roads.
- Looks beautiful.

Oh, my goodness.
Look at that.

When Cindy and I first started
talking about downsizing

to a tiny house,
this is what came to mind,

this little house in the woods.

So I'm really excited
to see this house.

Oh, that's the country
right here.

This is the country.

Oh, my goodness.

Look at the pond.

- Yeah.
- Very pretty.

And wouldn't it be nice
to eat out here,

overlooking the pond?

- That is really pretty.
- It's beautiful.

Wow.

- Oh, my.
- That is a cabin.

This is definitely
a cabin.

This is a rustic cabin.

Wow.
This is amazing.

They're asking $100,000.
It's 25 acres.

But the house
is a tiny 420 square feet,

only 70 square feet per person
for their family of six.

This would be cozy
family living right here.

Yes, it would.

One loft bedroom.

And one, sort of, bathroom.

Ooh.

"Sort of bathroom."

That's concerning.

We heat with wood.

Oh, yeah?
I love the stove.

- That would be fun.
- I don't know.

I'm a little concerned
about the twins with the stove.

Yeah, but they have gates
to cover that, yeah.

Dan is definitely gung ho
for this kind of life.

I think I've lived in L.A.
too long.

This is-- It's gorgeous,
but I'm not sure it's me.

And then we have
your kitchen.

I was hoping
for full-sized refrigerator,

but there is room here.

And I like
the full-sized stove.

Full-sized stove, yeah.

I would do a little bit
with the kitchen.

But I love the sink.
It's a huge sink.

It's a huge antique sink.

So, the water here
is gravity-fed

from rainwater
collected on the roof.

Oh, my. Wow.

Yeah.

That's as green
as you get.

This house doesn't have
public utilities.

The electricity
is run on a generator.

So for some people,
it's wonderful.

Me?

I think you'd have to be crazy
to live out here

in this size house.

And here's
the stairway to it.

So, what do you do?
You just open it like this?

You twist that, and then pull
the staircase down.

Bring this down?

Gently.
Gently.

Well, the kids will love this.

Wow. I think we have
enough beds up here.

Whoa.

The kids would have a blast
up here.

- There's not much privacy.
- No.

But we have 25 acres.

So you would fit?

I think we would all fit
up here.

Great.

Remember how I said
there was a sort of a bathroom?

Yes.

Well, here it is. Behold.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

No way.

That's an outhouse.

Where's your sense
of adventure?

This is, like,
snake alley.

Oh, no.

Wow.

It's unique.

Is this included
in the square footage?

That outhouse scares me.

I'm worried about trying to
potty train twins.

I don't think an outhouse
is the way to go

for our family right now.

I think the outhouse
is a bigger drawback for Cindy.

The adventure aspect of it
is kind of appealing to me.

I think the adventure for her
probably ended at the driveway.

I think this is great.

I think when we first started
talking about the whole idea

of a tiny house,
this is what came to mind.

It's so cozy, and we're all
gonna be together here.

The kids would love it.

- They'd love the loft.
- The loft is a lot of fun.

No bathroom.
Outhouse?

Well, maybe that's
the first thing we do.

- Maybe we add a bathroom.
- Yeah.

I really want something closer
to town with a flushing toilet.

Wanting to show Cindy
something less off-the-grid,

their real-estate agent, Ruthie,
is taking them into Corning

to see the smallest house
on the block.

Oh, it's cute.

Tired of the L.A. grind,

Dan, Cindy, and their four kids
are downsizing

from their
2,500-square-foot house

to a tiny home
in rural Upstate New York.

They've budgeted
100 square feet per person.

For them, it's all about

bringing the family
closer together.

With a budget of $80,000,

they've seen a 420-square-foot
cabin in the woods

that was exactly what Dan wants.

But Cindy thought
it was too rural,

so they're now seeing
something closer to town.

At just 620 square feet,

it's the smallest house
on the block.

In fact, this entire house
could fit

inside their master bedroom
back in L.A.

Oh, it's cute.

The house is adorable
from the front.

I love the bungalow style.

It's close to my family.

It's a great location.

So, here's
the living room.

Okay.

This house is $44,900.

Just what you said you wanted,
100 square feet per person.

One bedroom
and one bathroom.

This house definitely has
that small feel

that we were looking for.

The key to making
this house work for us

is to maximize
every inch of this place,

and I'm a little nervous
about that.

I would never in a million years

think about showing a house
like this to a family of six.

But this is what they asked for,
so here we are.

Yeah, this definitely needs
a lot of work.

Makes me
a little nervous.

Not so sure about the carpet
and paneling.

Yeah, it would end up being
a brand-new room.

Okay.

Dining room and laundry facility
all in one.

What do you think?

- Yes, look at that.
- Oh.

Yeah, there's the plumbing
for the laundry.

Right where
the laundry goes.

Yeah, I don't want
- a laundry room/dining room.
- No.

Next is the home's
only bathroom.

- That is small.
- This is tiny.

We have to go sideways
around the toilet.

- But it does have a toilet.
- It does have a toilet.

Before this tour of homes,

I never would have thought
the indoor toilet

was a positive.

I would have thought
that was a given.

You're never too old
to learn something new.

Wow. That shower
is gonna need some work.

So, here's the one bedroom.

- Oh, look at that carpet.
- Wow.

It is possible
there's hardwood underneath.

- There is a gap here.
- Oh, great.

Nope.
Linoleum.

- I see plywood and linoleum.
- Oh, yeah.

It's linoleum.
- So, new hardwoods in here.
- Another thing to fix.

Oh, my.

Yeah.

That's a little closet.

How are we gonna fit
all of our stuff in there?

Yard sale, right?

Life would be all about getting
rid of some clothes, for sure.

And the attic
is up there?

How's it look?

Wow.

Is there space?

There's a lot of space.

I think we can work
with this.

Could it be a loft,
- do you think?
- Oh, yeah. Easily.

It needs
a lot of work up here.

The bottom line with this
house is it is a blank slate.

It could end up costing more
than we were ever anticipating

for a tiny house.

The kitchen also needs work.

Well, it's a space.

Not huge.

It's not efficiently used.

I feel like we could make it
a more usable space.

But, again, more work.

This space is definitely

one of the smaller backyards
we've seen.

I do question if I could fit
a artist's studio back here.

Every man
needs a shed.

It needs a lot of work.

It does need a lot of work.

It needs new walls, new floors,
new ceilings, new bathroom.

But it has a toilet,
so I'll take that.

I'll take that.

So, the fact that it
fits in with the budget,

$44,900 asking price,

that gives you
quite a bit of money

to make the improvements
that you need to make.

That's true.

I mean, you know,
I was looking

for something maybe
a little further out.

I'm just not sure
I feel that this is the place.

So Ruthie has now found a home

that is in better shape
and needs less work.

It's very cottage-y.

- This is good furniture.
- Yeah.

Looks like
tiny-house furniture.

Dan and Cindy
are tired of their four kids

being spread out

all over their 2,500-square-foot
Los Angeles home.

In hopes of bringing their large
family closer together,

they're buying a tiny house near
family in Corning, New York.

They've seen a rural,
420-square-foot log cabin

that Dan loved,

but it was over
their $80,000 budget,

and Cindy didn't like
that it lacked a bathroom.

Next was a 620-square-foot place
in town

with indoor plumbing for Cindy,

but the amount of work it needed
was overwhelming.

So their real-estate agent,
Ruthie, has found them a place

that, while still tiny,
needs less work.

Oh, cute house.

It is cute.

It's very cottage-y.

When we first started
talking about

moving into a tiny house,

this is kind of
what I thought of.

It's cute.
It's a cottage.

It looks like a tiny house.
It's a tiny house. It's tiny.

Welcome.

Nice to see you.

So, their asking price
is $72,900.

I know you told me
you were looking

for about 100 square feet
- per person.
- Yeah.

657 square feet,
not including a loft.

It is one bedroom
and one bathroom.

I think it's a great thing that
Dan and Cindy were doing.

I mean, for years I've been
selling these McMansions,

and then people turn to me
two years later and say,

"There are 72 windows in this
house that I have to wash."

So I think it's fantastic.

Hope it works out.

The living room in this place

is 180 square feet,
about four times smaller

than their current home's
massive living space.

I like the hardwood floor.

I definitely like starting
off with hardwood floors.

Good-sized closet
under the steps here.

The little bits of storage
would be really good

for a tiny house.

It'll be important
to you guys, yeah.

And this has been used
as the dining room.

It'd be hard to get six people
around a table in here.

Yeah, we might have to find
a new purpose for this space.

And the kitchen
is not much bigger.

So, this is the eat-in area.

We could maybe put, like,
a fold-down table here?

With some stools?

Going through this house
and seeing

its small, compact size,

it does start to dawn on you
what you're really getting into.

And it is a little scary.

These might have to go.

It feels like they've been kind
of repainted a couple of times.

That might need
some updating.

That's a concern because,

at the price that
this house is...

The top of our budget.

...we'll have to
take out loans,

and that defeats
the whole purpose

of being mortgage-free,
debt-free.

And, remember,
I might be able to negotiate

- the price down a little.
- That's a good thought.

And then this leads out
to the back patio.

Big yard.

It would be a nice space
for a studio.

Yeah.

I hear neighbor kids
running around.

I like being
in town here.

Through the dining room
is the bedroom, on the left.

Oh, my goodness.

This is the one bedroom.

That's some bright paint.

This would be tight
for all four kids.

Oh, yes.

If this was maybe repainted
and our room...

And then across the dining room
is the bathroom.

It's tiny,
but it's all here.

It'll be a lot of
getting used to,

six people
with one bathroom.

For sure.

This is a really great space
up here.

Oh, this is a big loft.

All the kids
could fit up here easily.

Yeah, we could easily
divide this up

for the twins
and then the older girls,

so they could have
some privacy.

It's a cute house.

There's some things
we could change

and put our feel on it,
but at the same time,

it's not an overwhelming
amount of work.

And we'd have
a lot of family time.

- And the loft is awesome.
- Yeah.

- The kids would love the loft.
- The loft is really nice.

What are you leaning toward?

I don't know.

I've got one
that's my least favorite.

Our house hunters
are upgrading to tiny houses.

Could you live
in something this small?

Dan and Cindy
have been on the hunt

for a tiny home
in Corning, New York,

near Cindy's mom.

- One more piece.
- Thank you.

With a budget of $80,000,

they want to pay all cash
for the place,

and have the financial freedom
to travel

and have fun
with their four kids.

They've seen several options.
Now it's decision time.

They saw a 420-square-foot
log cabin listed for $100,000.

- The cabin in the woods.
- Dan loves
the cabin in the woods.

I really like the cabin
in the woods.

25 acres of woods
to explore.

I think it'd be a really great
place for us to raise a family.

The pond and the woods,
it's a beautiful place.

I think it has
a lot of potential.

I think we'd have to update
some things so we could have

a flushable toilet.

It has an outhouse.
There's an outhouse.

But I think
it'd be pretty cozy.

You're certainly making
sure that your mother-in-law

doesn't visit you,
aren't you?

All these properties
have their bonuses.

Next was a 620-square-foot home

near downtown Corning
priced at $44,900.

It needs
a total overhaul.

It needs new flooring,
new walls, new ceiling.

Are you gonna have time
to do all that?

Well, that's one of the things
we have to think about.

It's way below our budget,
so we'd have a lot to work with.

They also saw a 657-square-foot
home listed for $72,900.

That house
is a house in town.

It was kind of
a more recently updated house.

Big living room.
Big kitchen.

The loft there
was really cool.

It had a lot of room.
All the kids could be up there.

But it still needs
a few things,

which makes us
a little nervous because

it's close to our budget.

What are you
leaning toward?

I don't know.

I've got one
that's my least favorite.

You know, I really do like
that cabin in the woods,

but there's even less space
for us.

I think we would all end up
being in the same room.

And it's really not practical
for four kids.

Right.

It's now down
to the under-budget fixer

or the over-budget house
that needs less work.

It had some really nice features,

but it does need a new kitchen,
and it needs new windows.

There's not a lot of wiggle room
because our goal

is to be mortgage-free,
and we don't want to take

a loan out to make changes
on the house.

I think the one I'm leaning
towards is the fixer.

It's way below our budget.

We can make it exactly how
we want it from the bottom up.

I think the fixer's
the right one.

We got a lot of work
ahead of us.

It's a lot of work,
but I think it's gonna be

a great adventure
for all of us.

I don't think this one's sturdy
enough to reuse anywhere.

It's our first day
- in the new house.
- First day.

Kind of getting
the lay of the land,

starting some of the easier
little clean-ups.

Really soaking in
what we've got.

And it's a lot of work
ahead of us.

At the end of the school year
is when we'll all fully move in.

Thank you.

The house was listed
at $44,900.

The final selling price
was $35,000.

What I'm most excited about
this house is that it is meeting

our goal of living debt-free
and living mortgage-free.

It gives us
a lot of extra cash

to be able to do
a lot of these modifications

that will make this
our house.

Gonna roll it?
Oh, wow.

We will be tearing out
some of this paneling

and putting in drywall.

But for some of their really
big plans for this tiny home,

they've turned to local
contractor Alex Martinec.

So, what we were thinking is,
like, bed in this area.

Definitely.

To maximize the small space,

they're converting the kitchen
into their master bedroom,

and then a new kitchen
will be built

where the current
dining room is.

The twins are going to
have the current bedroom,

and the older girls,
we're looking into

how to make the attic
into a loft.

I compromised on not living
out of the city as much.

At the end of the day,
it is much more important,

I think, for the kids
to be closer to family.

And we will put in, probably,

a studio in the back
for Dan's work.

But it's definitely something
that could wait.

I think there will be challenges
with being in a tight space.

Storage. Storage is gonna be
the hardest thing.

We're gonna have to cut way back
on what we have.

Okay, you want to see
the bathroom?

Are you ready?

No.

One bathroom.

What do you think, Iz?

Eh.

What do you mean "eh"?

After five years of living
in Los Angeles

and running around
like crazy people,

I think the future
holds for us

a lot of time for each other,
for reconnecting with everyone.

Less house
equals more time for us.

And it's gonna be fun.
It's gonna be an adventure.