Tiny House Hunters (2014–…): Season 2, Episode 15 - Single Dad Jim Is Downsizing to a Tiny House So That He and Daughter Denver Can Afford to Travel. - 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.

Wow.

This is just a box.

Single dad, Jim,
wants to travel the world

with his daughter, Denver.

To afford traveling, he's going
tiny in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I cannot believe you are
seriously considering this.

It's so small.

His friend Tracy is along
to help with the house hunt.

Where are you guys
gonna sleep?

That's a good question.

There's no cooktop.
How is this feasible?

But when it comes
to kids and tiny houses,

does father always know best?



Get off my chair!

Father abuse.

I still don't see
where I would sleep.

On the toilet.

Catch up, catch up.

My name's Jim.

I'm a kindergarten teacher
in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I'm gonna pass you.

- No, you're not.
- Uh-huh.

Tulsa has been kind of
reinvigorated over my time here.

There's a lot to do.

They have a lot of outdoor
activities available.

There's a lot of things
within the city.

It's an exciting time
to live here.

- All right, you got it?
- Yep.

Recently divorced father
to 11-year-old daughter Denver,

Jim temporarily
shares a farmhouse with friends

on their 20-acre property
outside of the city.

I have Denver half of the time.

The other half of the time,
she stays with her mom.

After I got divorced,
my friends that I'm living with,

they were gracious to offer me
5 acres to purchase.

And now that he has the land,

he's looking for a house for him
and Denver to put on it.

Mr. Feisty.

- It's a girl, Dad.
- Here you go.

Oh, you're so right.

The average price
for a home in Tulsa is $147,000.

I've struggled for a long time,

living paycheck to paycheck,
as a teacher.

I love my job,
and I don't want to change that,

but I want to be
more financially stable

to provide some opportunities
for Denver and I

as she's growing up.

I feel like tiny living would be
the best decision right now.

Tiny houses,

they are substantially cheaper
than the average house.

Going to a tiny house

would get rid of a mortgage
payment for me.

And saving that money,
we're gonna be able to travel.

And that's really important
as she gets older,

to be able to show her
different parts of the world

that I wouldn't have been able
to do before.

When my Dad told me
that he was thinking

about moving into a tiny house,
I just was like,

"You're crazy.
Like, are you kidding me?"

And then I thought,
like, after a while, "Oh,

that's actually gonna be
a really cool idea

just to downsize.

It's gonna be like
having just a little hideout."

- Get off my chair!
- Father abuse.

I think my house hunting
is pretty unique,

because I'm gonna be
sharing this house

with an 11-year-old daughter.

It's a tiny space. She's going
into her teenage years.

This could be interesting.

- Did you scratch?
- I did scratch.

Helping Jim and Denver
on their tiny house hunt

is Jim's best friend Tracy.

Can you even afford a tiny house
if I take all of your money?

Tracy's gonna be
a good companion on the search.

She's gonna be that voice of
reason who might kind of tell me

like, am I being realistic
with myself?

Hope I'm not
distracting you.

Nyoink!

When Jim told me he was going to
buy a tiny house,

I thought he was crazy.

It's really hard to fathom

having a whole house
under 500 square feet.

I don't know
how you have room to breathe,

how you don't feel claustrophobic.

Here you go.
Take that out there.

Okay.

Oh, and you're gonna need this
for later.

I have a working budget
of $25,000.

I think I'm willing
to go a little bit above that

if we find the right property
that meets our needs.

Doesn't it look
really small?

Pretty small. I don't know
that we could both live in that.

I consider a tiny house
anything under 400 square feet.

- Oh, wow.
- Wow.

That one is great.

- That one's amazing.
- Look at the wood.

I think I like
the rustic look the most.

A rustic style in a house

would look to me like a house
that has a lot of natural wood.

Whoa. That's a really
cool-looking loft.

I think in a tiny home,
we really want private space,

where we can both be together
and have space to ourselves.

- Pretty weird.
- That's interesting.

- I mean, it has a porch.
- It does.

But that porch
is really small.

It's not much of a porch.

But I'd like to have
some outdoor space,

just to kind of
hang out outside.

And some room for our
clothes, plenty of storage

for the things that we do need
to keep in the house.

It's on a trailer,
- and it looks like a camper.
- Yeah.

It's important to me to have a
tiny house that's not on wheels,

that's on somewhat
of a foundation,

just so it feels
permanent and strong.

I think the tiny house is gonna
represent more time together

doing the things
that we love to do more often,

as well as being able
to go places

that we would've never
been able to go before.

I think moving into a tiny house

is totally worth
getting to travel the world.

To help them on their search,

they're working
with Tulsa tiny house expert

and real-estate agent
Jackie Paulk.

The tiny house movement is
slowly growing here in Oklahoma.

It's very exciting. Builders
are starting to catch on,

and we have more people
moving in that direction.

Jackie is starting them off

with a prefabricated cottage
that's just 384 square feet.

Oh, wow.

Well, it's not very rustic.

It's 36-by-12, 384 square feet.

I cannot believe you are
seriously considering this.

It's so small.

My first thoughts on the outside
of the house was, "Huh."

I mean, it looked like
just a big rectangle.

This one is $21,900.
That includes delivery.

I like that.
Denver, do you like the color?

No.
It's a little too plain.

I would not say that the outside
has a rustic feel to it at all.

It's definitely very basic.

What color
would you like, Denver?

- Just not this color.
- I'm looking underneath.

I don't see any wheels.
I like that a lot.

No wheels.

Wow.

Oh, it's one big room.

I feel like it's open
and ready for you

to customize it to fit
what you guys are needing.

Where are you guys
gonna sleep?

That's a good question. We could
do, like, a loft up on top.

But I don't feel like
there's enough ceiling space

to put a loft.

We could do bunk beds here and
close it off to have a bedroom.

- Possibly, yeah.
- What about privacy?

You know, she's gonna
want her own space, privacy,

feeling like maybe she wants
a little space from her father

as she's moving into
her teenage years.

And maybe Jim will also want
a little bit of space from her

as she's moving into
her teenage years.

That's a concern
in this house.

I don't necessarily see
where privacy is.

I like the floors.

Kind of gives it a little bit
of a rustic element.

It is full-size kitchen.

You have your full-size range
and your double sinks.

Wow. I like the cabinets.
I like the solid wood.

Room for a refrigerator
at the end.

I like the window over
the sink. That really helps.

I would've never imagined
such a big kitchen

- from the outside of the house.
- Right?

Seems like there's space
for a little table.

There's so much space
for a dining room

for us to have,
like, a real dinner

and not just a dinner where we
sit on the couch all the time.

Wow, this is huge.

Isn't it amazing?
What do you think, Denver?

I like the bathroom.

I think it's really big
and not what I expected at all.

I like that there's a big window
in the bathroom

to give you lighting.

I love the stand-up shower.

I feel like
it's definitely big enough.

Seems like you also have
some good closet space here,

although I did notice

it's the only one you have
in the whole house.

And Denver is going to be
a teenager soon.

That's very true.

She's gonna need
her closet space.

I really love the size
and the space in here.

It's under budget.

I probably would be adding, you
know, maybe a loft or a bedroom.

That would add to the cost.

And I do think
you have to consider

some of the storage concerns.

The closet space, right.

Plus, there are privacy issues
between, you know, for Denver.

I mean, she's 11, and as she
moves into her teenage years,

she might want
some separate space.

I really, really like this,
but I would like to have

the privacy and the storage
already in place.

So Jackie has found
Jim and Denver

a tiny home
that has everything they need.

There's no way
this is within my budget.

Nope.

- I had it.
- Try one more time.

Single dad Jim
is ready to downsize

so that he and his daughter
Denver can afford to travel.

With a budget of $25,000 and
help from his best friend Tracy,

he's looking for a rustic-style
home with private space

for when Denver stays with him.

They saw a plain,
cottage-style house

well within Jim's budget
at $21,900.

But at just 384 square feet,

it lacks storage
and is a little too open.

So now they're looking
at a larger, cabin-styled home

with more potential for privacy.

There's no way
this is within my budget.

You're right. I want you
to think bigger picture here.

This one is $62,400.

- What?
- It is over your budget.

I know, I know.

Denver's growing.
She's about to be a teenager.

You're gonna need
more space for privacy.

If you take your budget
of $25,000 and put it down,

over five years, your payments
would be about $750,

which is lower
than your typical mortgage.

Most people do not pay off
their mortgage in five years.

It's usually a 30-year,
15-year note.

For him to be able to pay off
his note in five years,

I want him
to get excited about that.

Keep in mind, this is not
where it's going to be.

It is close to the highway,

but it's on wheels,
ready to go to your location.

I don't really like the wheels.

The wheels
are for delivery only.

Once they bring it to your
location and set it up,

the wheels are gone.

It's rustic.
It has a metal roof
and some natural wood.

And there's a big porch.

The outdoor living space
you were wanting.

This porch is huge.

Plenty of space for
a table and chairs out here.

I love it.
How big is it?

It's 580 square feet,
including the porch

and a loft
that you'll see inside.

Wow!

This is really cute.

Walking in this house,

I think this is really,
extremely rustic.

There's wood everywhere.
It has a cabin feel to it.

Denver, look at
that space up there.

It is so big, and look at all
this storage on the stairs.

Oh, wow, this is amazing.
This is really big up here.

It could totally be my room.
It is so perfect.

I see Denver sleeping up here,

but I don't know
if we both could fit up here.

Where would I sleep?

I love the natural wood.
It's very, very rustic.

This is a full-size kitchen.

It is a full-size
kitchen in a tiny house.

I just don't know
if we need this much.

Maybe you do, though,
I mean, if you're gonna be

cooking for Denver
and having dinners.

Whoa, a tub!

You've got a shower
- and a tub.
- Yeah.

But I still don't see
where I would sleep.

On the toilet.

- Oh, yeah, I could fit in there.
- That's your bed.

Ah, here it is.

Seems like
a really nice sized room.

It doesn't
feel claustrophobic.

And there is a lot of storage
under the bed.

I love the options for storage
throughout the entire house.

There are drawers in the steps
going up to the loft.

There's plenty of storage
in the bathroom, in the kitchen.

It's really great.

And this closet
is nice size, too.

It goes back pretty far.
I do love this room.

I'm just-- I'm still concerned
that it's a bit much.

This is really far
over my budget.

I don't know.

It could be a really good fit
for you and Denver.

That's true.

I'm really digging the fact

there's separate spaces
for both you and Denver.

She could have her own loft.
You have your own bedroom.

I really like the loft.
I think it'd be nice

to just have my own separate
space away from him.

And most people only dream

of paying off their mortgage
in five years.

That would be great.
I'm just worried

that we would be making
sacrifices in the short-term.

We want to go
from a regular-size house

to a tiny house so we can travel
and have that extra money.

I don't know if we could do that
with this house.

So they're going
to see a slightly smaller,

more budget-friendly home.

Jim, this looks like a shed.

Attaboy. Got her.

Jim is going tiny
in Tulsa, Oklahoma,

so he can afford to take
his daughter Denver traveling.

With a budget of $25,000 and
the help of Jim's friend Tracy,

they're looking for a home
with separate, private spaces

for when Denver's
staying with him.

Real-estate agent Jackie
has shown them

an affordable, plain-style
cottage with an open floor plan,

but it offers no privacy,
and it isn't Jim's rustic style.

They've also seen
a more spacious cabin

with a separate loft space
that Jim and Denver love.

But at $62,400,
it's well over budget

and would require a mortgage.

So, today, they're seeing

a more budget-friendly,
simple structure.

But at just 360 square feet,

it's smaller
than the average two-car garage.

Wow, it's just a box.
It's kind of plain.

- Jim, this looks like a shed.
- What is this?

Well, you wanted simple.
You wanted rustic. This is it.

It looks pretty boring.

Kind of plain and not really
anything super-special about it.

Is this what you store
lawn equipment in?

There's, like, no windows.
I mean, it looks like a tomb.

360 square feet, and under
your budget at $20,000.

Under budget is good.

It does look rustic.
I like the wood grain.

And I don't see any wheels,
so I do like that.

But it's so plain.

I can't imagine how it's gonna
look on the inside.

Whoa. I love it.

That is certainly tiny.

Yeah, this is really small.

Doesn't feel very homey
because it's so unfinished.

That would leave it to
make it your own, customize it.

There's plenty of storage.

There's room
for our clothes, Denver.

I love the amount of storage.

It is 12-by-20,
7-foot ceilings.

Where would we put a couch?

- Good question.
- Or any other furniture?

It's all unfinished
on the ceiling.

No natural light.

You wanted simple.
You wanted rustic.

Wow.
I like the open shelves.

I like this sink. It's
a big sink for a tiny house.

Hey, wait. There's no cooktop.

Doesn't seem like there's even
a space for a table.

- No space for a table, right.
- Nothing's finished.

Yeah, I can't really even see us
eating dinner in there.

There's not a lot of space.

We'd end up eating dinner
on the couch.

- It's just really small.
- Yeah.

It is small, but it does have
a full-size bathroom.

I like it, and there's some
storage in the bathroom.

Can you turn around
in the shower?

Yes, I can.

I don't see a door in here.

We have a space-saving
pocket door.

- Okay.
- That's cool.

And where will you guys sleep?

If the couch is over there,
where are the beds gonna be?

Here comes the biggest surprise
of all, Jim.

If you'll pull this handle...

Oh, a pull-down ladder.

Whoa, this is cool.

Our loft is like
going up into a tree fort--

just a kind of little,
secret hideout.

Wow. A big loft space.

This is really cool.

Ceilings are kind of small.

Yeah, it is,
and if I put a bed up here,

I feel like
I would hit my head.

This is gonna be
your master bedroom?

Sitting up
in the middle of the night,

you would probably
hit your head.

I don't know
if he's fond of concussions

or if he ever had a date over,
if she would be.

But, you know, maybe if you put
some kind of cushioning

on the ceiling, as well,
you'd be set.

Jim, there's no privacy
up here.

What are you gonna do about
that, between you and Denver?

I could see maybe building
some extra walls for privacy,

maybe a little
partition between.

- A little curtain.
- I think it leaves it open

for you to customize it
the way you need.

It's small,
but it's a good space,

and I think we could
do well up here.

This house definitely is a box,
and it looks very boring.

But the most appealing
parts of this house

are the privacy that we could
add upstairs in the loft space,

and it's under my budget.

I really like
that space up there.

I think if we added partitions,
we could deal with the privacy,

and there's potential
for storage up there.

There's no stove.
How are you gonna cook?

It's a small kitchen.

It looks like a shed. I mean,
it's really just a simple box.

Remember,
it's under budget at $20,000.

That gives you $5,000
to work with

on all the improvements
and finishing things out.

I do like the under the budget.
There's plenty of closet space.

It seems really unfinished.
You have a lot of work to do.

With three distinctly different
tiny options on the table,

it's time for Jim and Denver

to decide
which one feels like home.

It's gonna be
a really tough decision.

House hunting just
got a little bit smaller

with people on the hunt
for tiny homes.

Could you live
in such close quarters?

- Whoa.
- Yeah?

Hoping to afford to travel,
Jim and his daughter Denver

are looking for a tiny home
within their $25,000 budget.

After seeing
several different options,

it's time for them
to make a decision.

What about that really
small box house that we saw?

Oh, the utilitarian one?

At $21,900,
it is under budget.

Yeah, and that did include
the price of delivery,

so that's nice.
I just had concerns,

because there was no privacy
between you and Denver.

And it didn't have
any outdoor space.

It was just one big,
giant open room.

But it is customizable
on the inside.

And it had
a pretty big bathroom.

Seems like
if you built out bedrooms,

then you would
really compromise

the little bit of space
that you did have.

Let's talk about the house

that's a bit over budget,
for sure.

But it was the largest
tiny house.

It was a great house.

And at $62,400,
more than twice my budget.

That's a big concern.

Yeah. But it did have
some great perks.

First of all,
there's the loft.

I really liked
that I had my own little space.

That loft space is great, and it
had a separate bedroom for me,

so privacy is taken care of.

The kitchen was enormous.

So big, and I liked all
the natural light that came in.

And the rustic feel
that I really liked.

And the outdoor living space.

The outdoor
living space is great,

plenty of space
for us to hang out in.

And to grow.
It didn't feel so tiny.

But I'm really concerned
that with the price,

it's more than
twice my budget.

And it was, in a lot of ways,
too much of a house.

I don't know if we're gonna
be able to travel right away,

which is the main motivation for
us to move into a tiny house.

What did you guys think
about that shed-looking one?

At $20,000,
it's well under budget,

and at 360 square feet,
it's a workable space.

But it had no windows.

I definitely
saw some potential,

but I did still have
some concerns

because it was so small,

and things like
there wasn't a stovetop.

I wasn't sure how you guys
were gonna cook meals.

There was a lot of room
to hang our clothes.

I felt like storage was adequate
in this house.

You would have to
adjust the loft

so there was privacy
between you and Denver.

I think that would be
really important.

But I did like the lofts.

I liked that there was
two separate lofts,

and one for the each of us, possibly.

I'm dying here.
Are you leaning towards one?

Think I'm gonna
go with the shed.

It's the least expensive

and gives us room
to add an outdoor space,

and we can travel
right away.

And there's privacy
that can be built in.

I think the space
could really work for us.

I'm really excited
for you guys.

Hey, Denver,
what are you doing up there?

Chilling. Ha!

I didn't want to go
on your side, anyway.

We've been officially moved in
for about two months,

and the transition has been
actually pretty easy.

We enjoy the space.
The privacy has been working out

just like
we had thought it would.

Denver seems really comfortable
with it.

What I like most
about the tiny house

is that I have my private,
little loft,

just to go
and hang out up in.

You can call in
some take-out or delivery,

and just tell them
that we live in the shed.

If he's driving me crazy...

I have my own space
to go up into.

I paid $20,000 for the house,
and that included delivery,

which was $5,000 below my budget

and gave me some room
to add storage

and potentially a deck
in the future.

There were some added costs.

We had to add partitions
upstairs to fully close off

the two loft spaces
for Denver and I to sleep in.

Jim has extended the partitions

and plans to add curtains
in the future.

We placed the tiny house

on the land that we purchased
from my friends,

and all we have to pay
are utilities.

And it's just been really great.

I remember
when you painted it.

I painted it
like four years ago.

Don't hang it up.
It's so embarrassing.

Oh, but I really,
really love it.

I'm definitely less stressed.

I'm not having to spend
as much time working on a house

or even cleaning a house,

so we have enough time
to plan activities,

enough time to just chill.

Hey, Denver,
you ready for popcorn?

Did you put salt on it?

- What's salt?
- Dad...

The tiny house
has changed my life,

in that it immediately
has allowed us

to kind of broaden
our travel perspective.

Pretty soon after we moved in,

because we were
so much under budget,

we were able
to take that extra money

and plan a trip to Europe
for two weeks

and got to see
four different countries

and have
some really great experiences.

It was so beautiful.
Europe is amazing.

What do you think?
Is there anything missing?

- Well...
- Space.

I really liked
moving into a tiny house,

because we get to go
anywhere we want, pretty much.

And I'm so lucky
to be able to do that,

'cause I know, like, nobody else
who gets to travel the world.

Look at that.

- It's hot.
- Pro.

Going tiny
has kind of allowed us

to live out
the dream of traveling

that we always had before
in the past,

and it just never was possible.

And we're gonna do this
every summer.

We have the next four to five
to six years planned.

The only regret that I have

is that I didn't do this
sooner in life,

because this has been
immediately life-changing,

and I wish I would've done it
10 years ago.