Tiny House Hunters (2014–…): Season 2, Episode 14 - Joy and LaToya Are Leaving Hawaii Behind for a Tiny Living in California - 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.

Do you think you could live
in 250 square feet?

That sounds really tiny
right now.

- Really tiny.
- I mean, yeah.

Joy and LaToya are making
a big move to a tiny house.

This is so cool.
This is amazing.

Practice?

Yes.

- This is pretty small.
- Yeah.

I would prefer
a larger deck.

You need a larger house
for a larger deck.

Oh, you got jokes.

But is living with less

more than they bargained for?



From here to here
is the closet space.

And there,
this'll be my space.

That's an easy compromise,
so we're done there.

No.
We're not done here.

When you do get on my nerves,
all I have to do

is just walk downstairs
and snatch the ladder.

Wait for me.

Okay. Come on.

- My name is Joy.
- My name is LaToya.

We actually met
on a social media website.

We exchanged some correspondence
here and there.

Joy surprised me at work,
and I was just not having it.

I didn't wanna get catfished,
I'm just saying.

Well, we actually
started dating shortly after,

and then
we got married.

Joy just completed service

with the Air Force in Hawaii.

She and LaToya are relocating
to Escondido, California,

where Joy
will be attending school

and LaToya will pursue
a new career as a blogger.

Aren't you so happy
- we moved to San Diego?
- Oh, yeah.

California's always been a dream
of ours before we even met.

Yeah, and it's very similar
to Hawaii as far as the climate.

We just can't turn
that down.

We're currently
living in a hotel,

and we sold all
our our furniture.

We pretty much started
from scratch.

In order to afford the move,

Joy and LaToya have chosen
to make their first house

together a tiny one.

We were sick of apartments
and wasting money that way,

but we also did not want
to get a huge mortgage.

Tiny living,
it's good for us

because it allows us to not have
to worry about so much debt.

Our budget for the tiny house
is $50,000.

If it feels right,
we're willing to spend as much

as we need.
No way.

There shouldn't be a budget
for comfortable living.

We're already going tiny,
so we don't want to cut corners.

Financial freedom.

Okay.

They're hoping
for something mobile,

which means they'll also have
to find land to park it on.

We're willing to pay
$200 a month for that.

You know this room is about
the size of our place, probably.

We're looking for
around 400 square feet.

After you.

We wanna have enough room
to actually feel like a home.

I like this one.

The cottage feel
does work for me.

Because it's kinda, like,
cute and cozy for a tiny house.

The wood would have to be gone.
We don't want that at all.

We are not fans
of the cabin-feel.

Not at all.

I mean, we'd rather camp
in a cabin-feel...

- And then go home.
- And then go home.

There's your deck.

Yeah.
That is very cute.

You can't fit a chair there, though.

Personally I would love
to have a deck

in the front
of the house.

And that would take
away from my bay windows.

Yeah,
but I think it's cozy

when you walk up to the home
and you have that deck.

But when you're inside,
the bay windows,

it makes your home
feel more cozy and open.

So, what about
this kitchen?

I would love
to have a dishwasher.

I am the dishwasher
in the house,

so these hands
need a break.

These hands need lotion.

That's it. Oh.

That's all you would need
is some moisturizer.

You'll be fine.

Oh, that's cold.

They're hoping
for two separate lofts

that they can treat as home
offices for LaToya's blogging

and Joy's schoolwork.

Look at all of this room, though.

You wanna give this up?

The king-sized bed holds
a special place in my heart.

I could stretch out
and not have to,

like, elbow you.

We're downsizing.

We'll be fine in a queen.

I think we really
disagree on this king-sized bed.

And I know that I'm gonna
win the battle.

Hold on.
'Cause I always do.

What was that?

We disagree
on the king-sized bed.

- And what was the second part?
- And I always win.

No, you're wrong.

LaToya and Joy are also hoping

that keeping their work
and sleeping areas separate

will help keep the peace.

Just to be able
to close the door for a second,

and just have a time-out.

That'll be good.

I think I just
found the cutest dog.

We currently
don't have any pets,

but we're ready
to add to our family.

Hopefully we can find
a tiny dog to go along
with our tiny house.

Tiny house first,
then a dog.

Say it with me.

Tiny house, tiny dog.

Tiny house...

Hoping to find an affordable
new home, Joy and LaToya

have enlisted the help of
real estate agent Gabe Carillo.

The median price of a house
in Escondido is about 374,000,

so for the $50,000
that they're looking for,

I just can't find them
what they want.

So they may have to be open
to stretching their budget.

Today, Gabe is showing them
a home he thinks

could make both of them happy.

It looks like the "Little House
on the prairie," Gabe.

I know.
Very tiny, very cabin-like.

I don't know
if we were going for that look.

It'd just be like this?
Just sitting out here?

You could move it
wherever you want.

It's 250 square feet.

- That sounds really tiny.
- Well, how much is it?

It's 57,000.

There goes your budget,
Miss Budget.

There goes my budget.

I do not see
the bay windows.

Well, what I do see is
this deck, which I really like.

Oh, my gosh.

Whoa.

- This is so cool!
- This is amazing.

I know. Wow.

I know I said
I didn't like the cabin-feel,

but the craftsmanship
in here is wonderful.

What do you think we'll be
able to fit all the furniture

that we really want
in here?

I can't even get-- get my head
around it right now.

Can't even get started.

Because this is
really tiny.

Is this, like, a loft?

You could put things
up there.

But I don't envision that
as my storage space.

I want more cabinets,
more actual hidden storage,

not visible storage.

I guess you just
have to think

more creatively when you're
looking into a tiny house.

Everything is considered storage.

Listen--
I'm not trying

to compromise on everything,
you know.

- Really?
- Yeah.

So, you wanna try out
this couch?

This is not a couch.

I don't know what this is,
but I'm not comfortable here.

I can't lounge.

Like, this is just,
like, what-- what are we doing?

We're, like, uptight.
I don't want to be uptight.

Well, that's just a choice
of furniture.

I mean, you can put--

You can get that kind of sofa
and put it on there.

But it would have to be probably
custom-made for this space.

That would be difficult to find
and probably more expensive.

So I'm assuming this is,
like, our dining room,
table-area thing.

It's good
while you're eating,

but I wouldn't want it
to be taken away

whenever we're not,
you know?

That's tiny house living, though.

- What else they got in here?
- The storage is good.

Lots of storage
for the kitchen stuff.

This is perfect for you.

As I'm pulling back
these cabinets here,

I don't see the oven.

- Non-existent.
- Yeah, there is no oven,

and there's no dishwasher.

You could definitely add
that to it.

It's more cost.

It's completely
out of budget already.

I don't know
if we can do that.

You do have
a combo washer/dryer.

I've never seen
one of those before.

I don't know if it makes up
for the dishwasher,

but that was a good move.

I mean,
the storage in here is great,

What is it, a sauna?

I don't know.

It kind of looks
like an outhouse.

From here to here
will be my space.

And then this will be
my space.

That's an easy compromise.
That was done.

- So we're done there.
- No, we're not done here.

Are you serious?

Whoa.
Look at that toilet.

That's what that is?

Kind of like sitting
on a throne up here.

This is so high.

Are you the queen now?
Yeah.

I feel like a queen
up here.

I think this is
a really nice-sized bathroom.

I like how it's set up.

Whoa.

It's getting pretty tight
up here.

It's pretty neat for,
like, a loft, though.

Oh, my God.

What is this size,
a queen?
Yeah.

That's a queen. Okay.

I think we can fit
a king-sized bed over there

just because we have this space
specifically for the bed

and then
we have all this extra room

that we could just, you know,
for our office space

and if we wanna store
something here.

Listen. Will it fit
in the space?

Yes. But will it work
for the space

to be comfortable?
No.

She is in dire need
of her king-sized bed.

It's not gonna happen.

I'm definitely gonna
have my way.

I don't think that us working
side-by-side here will work.

Ideally we'd want a separate
work from sleeping space.

Right. Exactly.

I really did love
the-- the closet.

It did feel
like a true walk-in closet.

Yeah. I thought they did
a really good job

with the storage
in this house.

All over the place.

We're not really a fan
of the cabin-feel.

I'm not sure how that loft
is gonna work for us.

We're missing our appliances
that we really, really wanted,

like, the full-sized
appliances.

To add all the extras
that we wanted to,

I think we'll be
way over budget.

Gabe has found them
a roomier place,

but with a few trade-offs.

It's very noisy
around here.

Really noisy.

You got it.

Whoo!

After completing
Air Force service in Hawaii,

Joy and her wife, LaToya,
are relocating to Escondido,

California,
so she can start school.

To make the move affordable,

they're looking
for a $50,000 tiny house.

They've seen
a 250-square-foot home

that is over budget
and a bit too rustic.

While it has all the storage
they could wish for,

the lofted bedroom
lacks livable space.

So now, real estate agent Gabe

is showing them something
almost twice the size.

They wanted to see
a bigger tiny house,

so I brought them to this one.

It's a little bit
over their budget

but they want so much
in their tiny house.

The reality is
you have to compromise.

It's 399 square feet.

Awesome.

But it's very noisy
around here.

- Really noisy.
- It is noisy.

That's one of
the setbacks.

It's set between
two highways.

This place comes
with a $540 a month land lease

as part of the sale,

meaning they can't move the home
to a location of their choosing.

But it has to be purchased
right where it's at,

so the noise
is gonna be an issue.

I don't know why you
showing us this house, Gabe.

They are asking $55,000.

Wow. That's definitely
over our budget.

This is it right here.

This is absolutely beautiful.

You get to keep
the bay windows.

But I really wanted a deck
in the front of the house.

Yeah.
I mean, we really are right

- here on this street.
- Right on the street.

- It's very noisy.
- You are.

This is the bedroom
right here?

That's the bedroom.

I don't know
if that'll work.

You got two entrances
right here.

Nice.

Wow.
This is really nice.

Oh, my.

It feels like a real home.

Can you picture your furniture
in here?

- Um.
- Um.

That's why I have
my handy-dandy tape measure.

So I make sure that I, you know,
we can fit a sofa in here.

Do you think
we can fit a sofa?

Yea-- possibly.
Let's see.

Will we have to go
with a love seat?

Definitely no coffee table
and no end tables.

You know,
I think you could really do

quite a bit
of entertaining in here.

We could entertain, but I don't
think we can feed people.

I mean, is this
the dining room area here?

Now this is
pretty small.

I guess you could use it
as a breakfast nook.

Is that what
you're doing?

Practice?

Yeah.
It's pretty small.

I think this is
a pretty decent-sized kitchen.

It's a great kitchen.
You could take this kitchen,

put it in a standard house
and it would fit right in.

That's a dishwasher spot.

So we would have to add
the dishwasher ourselves?

Yes, you would have
to add that dishwasher yourself.

You know I really,
really want it.

Okay, Miss Budget, but
that's-- What about the...

Well, I'll splurge for that.

For a dishwasher,
I'll splurge for that.

The washer and dryer
would go here.

That is another extra
probably about $1,100,

right around there.

This home is getting
more and more interesting.

More and more expensive.

That's what you mean
to say.

But this bathroom, though.

How many people
can we fit in here?

- I think I'd fit in there.
- Wow.

This is pretty large.

Pretty nice.

Wow.

So, this is
the master bedroom.

I love it!

I mean, you know, the space
is-- is kind of small.

With the nightstands, though,

we wouldn't be able
to fit a king-sized bed in here.

No.
I mean, this is a tiny house.

But you see so many cars
going by here.

You just don't wanna hear that,
you know, while you're sleeping.

It's just way
too noisy for the bedroom.

That might not work.

Let me show you the loft.

Wow.

A little tight up here, but...

Height-wise--But it's roomy.

Although we wanted
the double,

this is a nice-size
single loft.

Okay. Let's figure this out.
Where would you work?

Yeah, so, like,
I'll be right here.

It's not in the space
or anything.

Well, since you're on this side
of the room,

I wanna claim
my own side.

So, probably be over here somewhere.

I mean, I really do like
the look and feel of this home.

Although it's not
a double loft...

that is a pretty large
single loft.

But at the same time, you know,
you have to get the washer

and dryer.

Dishwasher.
Yeah.

All that's adding up, and we're
already $5,000 over budget.

It's expensive
to park here, $540.

- Exactly.
- Plus we're on a street.

Our bedroom
is on a street.

It's a lot of noise coming
from the bedroom.

So, yeah.
As much as we love this house,

Gabe, I think we need
to keep looking.

So Gabe's found a space with
a solution for unwanted noise.

When you do get on my nerves,
all I have to do

is just walk downstairs
and snatch the ladder.

Really, Gabe?
Whose side are you on?

I'm hoping there's, like,
no snakes out here or anything.

Oh, yeah.

Would you protect me?

With her time in the
Air Force coming to an end,

Joy and her wife, LaToya,

are excited
to relocate from Hawaii

to Escondido, California.

They plan to purchase
a tiny house to save money.

They've toured
a 250-square-foot rustic model.

While over
their $50,000 budget,

it does have
ample storage space.

Next was a 399-square-foot place
that, while on budget,

is near a noisy highway
and cannot be moved.

So their agent, Gabe,

has found them a tiny place
that is more mobile.

- Oh, it's so cute.
- Now this is a tiny house.

Where are my bay windows?

We have the deck, though.
I'm gonna be honest with you.

I would prefer
a larger deck.

You need a larger house
for a larger deck.

Oh, ho, we got jokes.

And, uh, the square footage
is 200 square feet.

This one is $60,000.

- Geez, Gabe.
- Yeah, yeah.

This keeps happening. This is,
like, a growing trend here.

I don't know.

The budget's just way too low.
$50,000.

It's really tough to find houses
within your budget.

I know they're frustrated
with me not finding them houses

within their budget,
but at $60,000,

it's not a bad deal--
it comes fully furnished

and they can move it anywhere
they wanted.

If they could find a piece
of land that is reasonable,

it'll kind of make
up for the difference.

So, you mean to tell me we
have to move it from this place?

The owners are storing it here,
so it needs to go.

Oh, so now we have to find
a place to-- to put it.

Could get even more expensive
than what it already is.

I can't wait to see.

Oh, my gosh!

- It gives me that Aloha feel.
- Yeah.

I mean,
I know we were against the wood,

but maybe we can paint the walls
or something.

Kind of want
it already ready to go.

If you're gonna
be spending,

you know,
that kind of money.

But you did say
that it came furnished, right?

Yeah.
It comes fully furnished.

That's good, though.

That's saving you money.
Let's lounge.

You wanna try it out?

Oh, it's not
as comfortable.

How would this
work for entertaining, though?

Yeah, this is, I mean,
it's a dining table,

but it drops down--
you'd have a little more space.

Yeah, a little bit more space
for people to stand.

Yeah, exactly.
It's not really comfortable.

Cute little cozy kitchen.

Yeah, it's pretty cozy
but it's tiny too.

We can barely move around
in here.

Yeah.
Where's the oven?

There's no oven
in this house,

but there is a microwave.

And I think
we're missing a dishwasher.

I've already noticed it.

- In this case, we both lose.
- Right.

What is this?
Maybe a little closet?

It's a big closet.

Yeah, it is.

Oh, yeah.
This is pretty deep, though.

- Go in there.
- Let's see.

I'm nervous.
Oh, wow.

Look at this.

Very nice. No.

What are you doing?

I wanted to see, you know,
where I could put you, you know,

when we're having
a little disagreement.

Really?
Yeah.

Wow. This bathroom
is kind of tight.

I mean,
don't get me wrong.

It's a very cute bathroom,
but it may be a little too cute,

tiny, cozy.

Let's go see the bedroom.

This is nice.

What's this,
like, a queen, maybe?

Yeah,
I think this is a queen.

You know,
Gabe, I wanted the king,

and I don't think this loft
can fit that up here.

You haven't even
tried it out yet.

- Like, get on the bed.
- Okay.

I can see this working.

- It's not claustrophobic.
- Yeah.

Well,
what about working, though?

'Cause we were gonna use

the loft, our double loft
for work space.

Well, that's where
the double loft does come in.

Let me show you
where the ladder's at.

All right.

Oh, wow. Yep.

- Okay.
- Give that a shot.

Oh.

There we go.

The one thing I do like

is that we do have
our own spaces, you know,

if we need to get away from
each other for a little bit.

When you do get on my nerves,
all I have to do

is just walk downstairs
and snatch the ladder.

- See what that looks like.
- Really, Gabe?

Whose side are you on?

Gabe, I mean,
I really like the house.

I think it's really cool the way
they built it.

Yeah.
I get the deck that I wanted.

But I don't get the bay windows
that I want.

My main concern
is the price.

This is really tiny.

We may want a little bit
more space for our lifestyle.

Yeah.

It's time for Joy and
LaToya to choose a tiny house

that works for them.

A decision has to be made,
like, now.

Our house hunters
are upgrading to tiny houses.

Even though this vacation living
has been pretty cool,

- it's getting really expensive.
- I know.

After moving from Hawaii,

Joy and LaToya
have been living in a hotel

while they search for a tiny
home in Escondido, California.

They've seen several options
worth considering.

What do you think
of the rustic A-frame?

That was how much?

$57,000.

- $7,000 over our budget.
- Yeah.

I mean, then we'll have
to find a place to put it.

Has that log-cabin look,
but I think we can paint it.

I don't know
if it has enough room for us.

Right.
I didn't have my oven,

you didn't have
your dishwasher.

Could you live in the bedroom, though?

I mean, that may be
the only home that we can fit

the king-sized bed in.

But I don't know if I wanna
live up in the loft, you know?

Right.
Live and work in the loft.

Don't forget about that.

I mean, but you have to admit
there is so much storage.

So much storage, yeah.

I was so shocked to see,
basically a walk-in closet.

I mean, I'm thinking
about the overall space

for entertaining as well.

There wasn't really much... No.

We would have to get custom-made
furniture in there

'cause it's so tiny.

So, let's talk
about the largest one,

the one that's
on the highway.

The noisy, large one. Yeah.

I mean, the price on that one
was what, $55,000?

Yeah.

So that was over
our budget.

Plus we have a rental fee
because we can't move it.

I mean, being honest,
the location

definitely wasn't ideal
for us.

But I think that we'd be
most comfortable,

I mean, in that space.

I love that it has
your bay windows.

It doesn't have my deck.
There's no deck on it.

I do not think that you'll get
your king-sized bed

in the bedroom
that's downstairs.

That's definitely a negative
for me.

Right.
It didn't have the appliances

we were looking for--

the washer, dryer
and dishwasher--

but it has the setup.

So what do you think
of about the Cape Cod?

- The cute little beach one?
- Mmm.

Oh, I love it.

I mean, I feel like I'm still
in Hawaii when I'm in that home.

Right.
I love the fact

that it has the deck on it.

I mean, it doesn't have
your bay windows,

but I do love the color.

I love the fact that we
can park it on the beach,

we can move it around.

It was the smallest one we saw
and it was $60,000.

Yeah.
That's really over budget.

- You don't have your oven.
- Right.

You know,
we don't have a dishwasher.

I mean,

there's no way we could even
get a washer and dryer in there.

I don't think
there's any extra room in there.

I mean, the bathroom
was practically in the--

in the kitchen, right?

But it did have
that double loft.

So we could have
the work space

- plus your time-out space.
- I don't know.

I mean,
all of them were over budget.

So we have to take
that into consideration.

I think we should go
with the big one

next to the noisy highway.

The home
will definitely be comfortable.

I agree too.

Okay, good.
Perfect. Yeah.

- That's our home.
- Great, great, great, great.

I'm so excited.

We chose the house in the RV
park near the busy road.

It was going for $55,000,
and we paid $52,000.

It still is pretty noisy
around here,

but we are
getting used to it.

I don't think
it's that bad.

We're been living in our house
now for about 2 weeks.

And it feels amazing.

We are so comfortable.
We've settled in.

Already feels like home, huh?

Yeah. It does.

I got my dishwasher,
and I'm so happy about it.

Here you go, ma'am.

Do you put the glasses
on top?

You do whatever you want.

Just enjoy it.
Embrace it.

I really wanted
my king-sized bed,

but after thinking about it
and looking at the space

that we had downstairs,

I figured that the queen
would be just fine.

I think the queen
fits really nice in here.

- As I told you it would.
- Yeah.

I mean,
where would you put a king?

Okay. You win.
You don't have to rub it in.

When we initially
began looking for the home,

she was like,
"House first, dog second."

Tiny house, tiny dog.

And I made sure
I made her stick with that.

We have a 4 1/2-month-
old Yorkshire Terrier

and his name is...

...Freedom.

'Cause he's so tiny,
this is like a mansion to him.

Right.

I'm ready to go ahead
and get that desk

that we were talking about
because this is a desktop,

not a floor-top, you know?

Um, the work space
has been very unique.

Once we get some desks
in here,

it'll be a lot better
as far as,

like, put our computers
on and just chill out.

Well, initially I wanted the
deck on the front of the house,

but she won this one.

You actually won a lot
of things with this house.

But I'll be the bigger person
and say that the bay windows

actually look better
on the front of the house.

'Cause we can always do
a side deck, patio furniture.

I think-- I think
that would work out just fine.

Yeah.

Through this house hunting,
we kept reminding each other

of the overall end goal, financial freedom,

a change in lifestyle.

It feels amazing
to be homeowners.

Yes.
It's freedom.

Lay down.

Good job.
Good boy.