Tiny House Hunters (2014–…): Season 2, Episode 19 - Charleston Couple Goes Tiny - 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.

This is different.

Charleston, South
Carolina, couple Miranda and Jim

agree that they're ready
to downsize.

It's very coastal feeling.

Certainly doesn't
look rustic.

Miranda wants all the luxuries
of a full-sized home.

This is not
a king-sized bed.

- Two bathrooms?
- Two bathrooms.

Well, you are excited
until you open the door.

Wow, this just got weird.

Jim is hoping for something

along Charleston,
South Carolina's scenic coast.

Oh, yeah,
I could get used to this.



Will they find a tiny home
on land or on water

that they both love?

I hate it.

You hate it?

Nope.
Oh, no!

- I'm Miranda.
- And I'm Jim.

And we currently live
in Charleston, South Carolina.

Say, I don't hit a tree,
you do the dishes.

All right. Fair.

- Ooh!
- Oh.

Oh, man. Looks
like I'm doing the dishes.

You're doing the dishes,
and you owe me 5 bucks.

Wait a second. No, that wasn't
part of the deal.

I'm a funeral director,
and I own my own business.

And I'm in admissions of
a local arts college downtown.

Make you a cocktail?

Yeah, that'd be awesome.

We've been together 9 years.

- Mm?
- Married for 5--

- Eight?
- 10 years? 8 years.

Been together for 8 years.

We live in a condo
in the Charleston area.

With our two dogs,
Mike and Hank.

Come here.
Did you miss me today?

Before moving into
their small condo,

they lived in a sprawling,
1,900-square-foot house.

I remember the day vividly
that we decided

that no longer would we live
in a 1,900-square-foot house.

And I remember Miranda
walking down the stairs,

drenched in sweat,

saying, "Why am I cleaning
bedrooms that we never use

when we could be out doing
other things and having fun?"

It was a light-bulb moment.

So many people are wrapped up
in material things.

Jim and I want to be able
to travel

and to not have all of those
things holding us back.

We rented an 850-square-foot
condo that is simply a stop

along the way
to our ultimate tiny house.

- Hank needs a place to run.
- I know.

- You need to take him for a walk
- I know.

Condo living has definitely
been a challenge,

hearing your neighbors talk
next door through the walls.

One of the things I'm looking
for the most is an area

to put our tiny home,
where I can spread out.

Spread out on land,

and we just need that place
to be a family again.

We've set aside about $140,000

to include both the land
and the house.

- So I've been looking at houses.
- Okay.

How would you feel
about looking at a houseboat?

You know, imagine
if this is where we lived.

You can take a houseboat anywhere.

You could take a houseboat anywhere.

As far as square footage
goes, the tinier, the better.

I would entertain something
that was 200 square feet.

My lowest number
I would probably go to

would probably be 500,
possibly 600 square feet.

We can totally do less than that

if you get rid
of some of your stuff.

Even though I've come
a long way in downsizing,

there's some things
that I just really

can't part with as of yet--

t-shirts and pint glasses
and things of that sort.

But she's working on me.

We'll get him there.

I like this one.

As far as style
of home is concerned,

I'm looking for a rustic
log cabin sort of feel.

You know what?
I do like this.

I like the kind of
corrugated metal.

Rustic's okay.
But I like the straight lines.

I like something
with a more coastal feel

when it comes
to the architecture.

I mean,
look a the fireplace.

I'd like to see
a wood-burning fireplace,

a large back porch.

It definitely has to have
a king-sized bed.

With the two of us and two dogs
in the bed, it can get crowded.

When I'm trying to get ready
in the morning, it's imperative

that we have two bathrooms
and a separate area for myself.

For me, I have to be able
to get away

and read my book
or watch a movie.

This would be freedom
in so many ways.

For me,
this new house is different.

It is fully in line
with our lifestyle

and what we want our lives
to look like going forward.

Helping them go tiny

is local Charleston
real estate agent Bryan Mills.

The market
is really strange here

'cause there's not that many
tiny houses around.

There is more and more people
that are warming up to them.

So I think they've got
a bright future here.

But right now, there's just
really not much going on.

But today, he's managed

to find them
a Cape Cod-style model home.

And at just 200 square feet,

roughly nine of these would have
fit into their old house.

- This is cool.
- Wow.

- It's definitely tiny.
- What do you think?

Well, what we've got here,
is a 200-square-foot tiny house.

It's on a trailer,
so it's mobile.

Wait, did you
say 200 square feet?

200 square feet.
I thought I heard him say that.

I was a little worried.
That seems tiny.

But I love the style.
It's amazing.

It's very coastal feeling.

Yeah. Certainly doesn't
look rustic.

So, as you can see,
it's on a trailer.

So you could just hook this up
to a regular truck and pull it?

Yes, you could. You can take it
anywhere you want to go.

We've got a truck.
We'll travel, right?

- Where we gonna put it?
- Well, we don't have that yet.

- We don't have any property.
- Come around behind here.

You can see
where they left the siding off

to show what it was made of.
This is a model home.

This one, as it sits,
it would be $62,000.

- Oh, $62,000.
- I like that.

That's below our budget.
We have money to find some land.

Sure.
Let's go inside and take a look.

- Oh, wow, this is cool.
- Here it is.

- Cool!
- It's definitely tiny.

You know what I love,
though, is the wood.

I've got my kind of
rustic-y wood feel.

- Absolutely.
- Oh, the ceiling is wooden, too.

- This living room area's big.
- It feels big.

But I mean, in all reality,
I mean, let's look here.

I can almost touch both walls,
though, babe.

When you do that,
it's a tiny house.

I feel like this living room
area is a good size.

I mean, look how bright and airy
it is in here.

- This is, like, a pullout futon?
- Yeah.

That's a pullout futon.
It's an extra place to sleep.

And you got some built-in
shelves back there.

I like that.
So... loft.

- That's the loft, yes.
- Is that the sleeping loft?

That would be the sleeping area
or on the pullout.

So there's not a bedroom.

There's not a bedroom
to speak of.

The loft
would be the bedroom.

Why aren't there stairs
or a ladder to get up here?

Well, You could put a ladder
over on the other side, here.

This is not
a king-sized bed.

It would eliminate our "dogs
in the bed" problem, though,

'cause there's no way
they're getting up there.

But I also don't love the idea

of having to pull out this futon
every night

and make it up every day
when we go to work.

Yeah. It's like
a living room slash bedroom

slash what the heck is it?

- So this is the kitchen area.
- It is.

Oh, there's a big sink.
I love that sink.

I'm liking the sink.

But where's the rest
of the kitchen?

Well, the refrigerator
is right there.

- It's a half-fridge.
- Oh, okay.

I mean,
I could almost live with that,

but there's nothing else
to the kitchen.

There's no stove.
There's no oven.

A kitchen's very
important to me.

I do all the cooking
in our relationship,

and I love to do it.

I'm okay with it being tiny,
but it needs to be functional.

This feels a little
claustrophobic to me.

I liked how open it was
up there.

I don't know.
I disagree. I like that.

- You like that?
- Yeah, it gives a more cozy,

- homey feel.
- And is this the bathroom?

- That is the bathroom, yes.
- Oh, my.

All of it?

Wow.
I don't know to say about this.

Look at the sink. There's no
room to get ready in the morning

- No.
- ...at all.

I mean,
the shower's pretty decent size.

- I do like that.
- That's a bonus.

I love the design,
the coastal feel.

I love the inside.

I got that rustic feel
that I was looking for.

So it was kind of
a good mix for the both of us,

which I didn't know
we were gonna be able to get.

The bathroom
is a train wreck.

There's no way
that we're gonna all be able

to get in there
and get ready in the morning.

And that kitchen
needs a lot of work.

I want more functional space
in there.

Well, don't forget,
it's just a model.

So you can do
whatever you want to it.

You know what it doesn't have
is my fireplace.

As much as I love the design,
the coastal feel,

it's still 200 square feet.

I definitely think we need
to look at something bigger.

So Bryan has found them a tiny
home that's a little less tiny.

Oh, wow.
This is different.

- Come on.
- Up.

- There you go.
- Hi, buddy.

After downsizing
from a 1,900-square-foot house

to a temporary condo,

Charleston, South Carolina,
couple Miranda and Jim

are ready to go even smaller.

With a budget of $140,000,

they're looking for a tiny home
with a long list of amenities,

including two bathrooms,
a lounge area for Miranda,

a fireplace for Jim,
and room for their two dogs.

They've seen a small, Cape
Cod-style model home on wheels

that has the look Jim loves.

But the kitchen
leaves a lot to be desired.

And at just 200 square feet,
it would be a tight fit.

So today, they're seeing
a slightly larger, rustic cabin

on 7 acres, 60 miles away

in Youngs Island,
South Carolina.

Wow, that was a drive.

Yeah, it sure was. But it's
a pretty cool house, huh?

- Hey, Jim.
- Hey, buddy!

- Good to see you.
- Good to see you, too.

- What do you got for us?
- This is a log-house-style,

- 504 square feet.
- Okay.

I definitely like
the log cabin look.

The house itself is $74,000.

Okay.
That's in our budget.

Yeah, absolutely.

The land is also for sale,
right at $60,000.

$60,000,
and how much acreage is here?

Just short of 7 acres.

Ooh, that's exactly
what I'm looking for.

Yeah, you would like it.

It's gonna take an hour and
a half for me to go to work.

I was really pumped when I heard
that there was almost 7 acres

of land-- plenty of room
to spread out.

Building a deck out here.

A good outside area.
Look at this.

This goes the whole length
of the house over on this side.

I like that. Am I gonna
have to climb up that thing?

You're gonna have to
climb up that thing.

Until the deck is built,
that's the way in and out.

Aha. Modern technology.

Oh, wow.

Definitely got
the log cabin feel.

Oh, wow.

This is different.

Yeah.

I like the beams.
That's really cool.

- It's really woods-y.
- It's a log cabin.

Well, I know, but it's just--
There's a lot of pine.

I want that coastal feel.

I should be able
to have my log cabin feel

if we're gonna be
out in the middle of nowhere.

- Look.
- There's your fireplace.

There's my fireplace.
That's awesome.

Look at this cool mantel
that goes along with it.

Isn't that awesome?

It takes up a lot of space, though.

And what's going on
up here?

- That's the loft.
- How do I get to it?

Well,
that's the interesting thing.

The contractor hadn't gotten
to that part yet.

There's this ladder here.

Yeah, be very careful.

It's got a lot of space,
which I like.

It could definitely be
a spot for me to hang out.

Not a lot of head room.

Be real careful.

I love that it has
full-sized appliances,

but they're black. Doesn't
the black just look cheap?

And I wish we had
a little more counter space.

Yeah.

- Oh, wow.
- Oh, my goodness.

Look at the size
of that pantry.

There's a ton of storage
in there.

Right here is the bathroom.

- Okay.
- Let's take a look.

- This is the only bathroom?
- This is the only bathroom, yes.

Okay.

Hmm.

I mean, it's good size,
but there's only one.

I'm still loving
this log cabin look, though.

Look at the ceiling.

- Okay. So this is the bedroom.
- Yep.

Good size window behind the bed,
which I love.

Is that gonna hold
a king-size bed?

This is set up
for a king-size bed right now.

That actually makes the room
look really tiny.

- I can't imagine--
- But we need the king-size bed.

Can't we just get away
with, like, a queen?

You, me, and two dogs
in a queen? No.

We've got his and her closets.

- Oh, wow.
- Yeah, they're good sized.

That's huge.
Oh, check out the storage.

That's cool.

Oh, that's awesome.

Hey, my t-shirt collection.

Oh, yeah.

There's a lot
I like about this house.

I love the log cabin feel.

That's what I've been
looking for.

So I love that
right off the bat.

I love
the full-size appliances.

I'm not wild
about them being black.

I love that we can fit
a king-size bed in.

That was a big thing for me.

It's on almost 7 acres,
and it's in budget,

which is really gonna
be difficult to find.

At the end of the day,
when we get out here

- and we're able to relax--
- I don't hate the land.

But I'm 3 hours in the car
to and from work.

The big drawback for me
is this just woodsy feel.

I don't know. I keep saying it,
but coastal, coastal, coastal.

That's what I'm looking
for here.

And I like
the log cabin feel.

Since Miranda likes
the idea of a houseboat,

their agent Bryan has found them
a 53-footer closer to her work.

And it also has something
for Jim.

You wanted a coastal feel.
I don't think you can get

- much more coastal than this.
- You got me on that one.

He wants to chase
that ball so bad.

I know. We got to get him out
and have him some place to run.

Wanting the freedom to travel,

Charleston, South Carolina,
couple Miranda and Jim

are ready to downsize from their
small condo to a tiny house.

With a budget of $140,000,
they're looking for a home

with some outdoor space
big enough for two dogs.

They've seen a Cape Cod-style
mobile cottage that Jim likes.

But it lacks a full kitchen
for Miranda.

And at just 200 square feet,
it would be a tight squeeze.

They also saw a rustic log cabin
that Miranda loves.

But it's an hour and a half
away from her work

and lacks any coastal details
for Jim.

Knowing that Miranda
is interested in houseboats,

real estate agent Bryan

is now showing them
a 53-foot-long boat,

right on the water
in Charleston.

- Hey, Mills.
- Hey, what's happening?

What's going on Miranda?
Hey, Jim. How's it going?

- How you doing?
- I'm doing good.

You wanted a coastal feel.
I don't think you can get

- much more coastal than this.
- You got me on that one.

Look at this view. Can
you imagine looking at
this every day?

Yeah. That is nice.
That's your backyard.

Here in Charleston,

there are a lot of people
that live on the water.

There's several good marinas
right near the city.

And it's one of those things,

that it might be your flavor,
might not be.

It's got 500 square feet
of interior living space,

plus a 300-foot deck on top.

It is a little bit more than
your house budget at $95,000.

But you don't have
to pay for the land.

- Okay.
- So you're under budget overall.

- Okay.
- You know what I love
about this?

I could literally
ride my bike to work.

Yeah.
You're right around the corner.

Oh, look at the porch
back here.

- Oh, wow.
- That's cool.

This is very spacious.

Look, dolphins!

Oh, that's awesome!

This would be
a good view every day.

Absolutely.
This is nice.

Oh, wow!
I like it.

Not what I would've expected
when I saw the outside,

- actually.
- Definitely your coastal feel.

It's really got a coastal feel.

This is the living room,
and your television.

Let's test it out.

Ooh, yeah.
I could get used to this.

Look at the views out of every
window, which is awesome.

- Absolutely.
- Okay.

So here is the first
of your two bathrooms.

- Two bathrooms?
- Two bathrooms.

Well, you are excited...

- It's tiny.
- ...until you open the door.

So it's a half-bath.
Wait. What's the shower head?

Right.
There's a shower head there,

and there's a drain
beneath your feet.

So the whole bathroom
actually turns into a shower.

- It's called a wet bath.
- That's weird.

Okay.

Got the kitchen over here.

Oh, wow!

- I hate it.
- You hate it?

It's got great counter space,
but there's no stovetop.

I mean, how am I gonna cook?

But imagine having that view
every single day.

I'm not gonna lie. Being able to
look at that every day

is awesome.
But what am I gonna cook?

- Well, watch this.
- That's different.

What is that?

It's a keyboard.

- It's a electric piano.
- I love it!

- That's lame.
- Why is it lame?

Can I get rid of that
and put a stove over there?

- No!
- Are you sure?

'Cause that's part
of the whole party.

Wow.
This just got weird.

And, Jim, this is where
you captain your ship.

I could take you
to faraway, exotic lands.

If that engine works.

Do you even know
what all this stuff means?

Absolutely.
That one says water pressure.

That one says shower pump.

- That's all you need to know.
- Right.

I am not confident at all

that Jim knows anything
about a boat like this.

I mean, we've had a small boat
in the past.

But this is a whole
'nother animal.

Where are the dogs gonna "go,"
if you know what I mean?

I mean, there's a dog park
two blocks that way.

I guess, you could hold
schnauzer, like, over the...

- Side?
- ...side at night.

That could be an option.

Wow!

That's your master bedroom
there. That is a king-size bed.

It feels bigger
once you're up here.

- Does it?
- I guess.

But in the middle
of the night,

you're gonna
bonk your head right there,

Yeah. I wonder
if you could open this.

- Oh.
- Oh, wow.

Oh, wow.
A little residual water.

But that could be really cool, actually.

That could be really cool.
I like that.

- Good feature.
- That's a cool feature. Yeah.

I can't imagine
how nice it would be

to come home every night

and just kind of
be rocked to sleep.

Let's take a look at the
bathroom. For a houseboat,

this is actually
a really large bathroom.

Huh. It's kind of tight.
Yeah, I don't know.

But we have the whole other
half bath upstairs.

- Well, that's true.
- And then, you duck down there.

- And there's the second bedroom.
- Oh, wow. Okay.

- Oh, wow.
- Tons of storage.

This was a bedroom.
You can see

these little platforms here
are meant for mattresses.

- So, two.
- Right.

So two full-sized beds
could fit in here.

Well, I mean,
you could come down here

and get away and do my laundry
at the same time.

Really?

Well, I definitely
like the coastal feel of it.

There's no doubt about that.
I am worried about the dogs.

Going to the dog park would have
to become a part

of our daily routine,
which I don't think is terrible.

It'd have to be something
to think about.

I love the interior. I think
it's been beautifully updated.

There's lots
of different little areas

for us to go
to be by ourselves.

And two bathrooms.

They're kind of
weird bathrooms.

- But there's two of them.
- Yeah.

So I can totally
make that work.

I really would miss
not having a fireplace.

You know,
there is a lot of money

that I think we would
have to put into it.

There's definitely gonna be
some maintaining

and more upgrading
on the exterior.

Not having land, though, is
a big concern for me, as well.

You know how
I like to spread out.

Something about just that soil
and being able to walk on it,

that is amazing.
And that's so important to me.

With three completely different
tiny homes to choose from,

Miranda and Jim
must now pick one.

- We've got a lot to talk about.
- Yeah, we do.

House hunting just
got a little bit smaller,

with people on the hunt
for tiny homes.

Miranda and Jim

are ready to downsize
from there temporary condo

to a tiny house of their own
in Charleston, South Carolina.

After seeing
three very different options,

it's time to decide
which one they'll call home.

- We've got a lot to talk about.
- Yeah, we do.

So what do you think
about the tiny house,

I mean
the really small one?

The model that we saw
was $66,000.

I like the style.
I mean, not the outside.

That was totally you.
But the inside was totally me.

- A lot of coastal feel to it.
- But still kind of rustic.

Yes, absolutely.
Big concerns?

I almost could touch
both sides of the house.

It was really small.

It was,
but it could be expanded.

We'd have to completely redo
the kitchen.

And that bathroom
was a train wreck.

But we could do all that.

I'm just concerned
of how quickly we're gonna

eat up budget if we're adding
all of these other things.

And then we still need a place
to park it, so that's a concern.

What'd you think
of the log cabin?

I like the size of it.

And it was $74,000
for the house.

- Absolutely.
- And how much for the land?

Well, I mean, it's gonna meet
our budget of $140,000. So...

- But I'm driving 3 hours a day.
- I know.

I know you hate that part.
But it's 7 acres.

The dogs can just sprawl out
as far as they want.

I really didn't like
how rustic it was, though.

I mean, I know you liked it.

That was my favorite part, actually.

Yeah. To me, there was
no coastal feel in that at all.

But the king-sized bed will
definitely fit in that bedroom,

which is nice.
The kitchen is functional.

Full-size appliances.
All of those things, I do like.

So what about that houseboat?
I mean, that was pretty cool.

That was $95,000,

and the great outdoors
at your fingertips.

I'm a little concerned, though,

paying $500 a month
just to have a place to park it.

Yeah, but you can move it
anywhere. I'm more concerned

about where the dogs
are gonna be able to run.

And it wasn't rustic for me
at all.

Even though I did like
what they did with the inside,

I wasn't getting my rustic feel
at all.

You can't get more coastal
than a houseboat.

Than being on a boat, absolutely.

So what are you
really thinking?

The rustic cabin.

Completely your style.

I get the land, the fireplace
and that beautiful deck.

I think it could be
- really good for us.
- I think you're right.

I think the cabin on the land
is the best decision.

At the end of the day,
I want you to be happy.

And you know what?
We'll figure it out.

- We'll make it work.
- Here y'all are.

- Hey, Jimmy.
- Yeah.

I think
we just bought a house!

Oh, my gosh.
That's great.

So the place
is really coming together.

I know.
Isn't it great?

I'm not sure where this one's
gonna go, though.

We've been in the house
for 3 weeks.

And one of the first things
we did was finish the deck,

which is
as big as the house is.

And we love coming out here,
and we spend a lot of time.

What if we put it over here,
over this piece?

One of the things
I was worried most about

is if Miranda
would really regret the drive.

I don't love the drive.

But at the end of the day,
this does feel like home.

The purchase price
really came to the $140,000

that we were hoping to have,

so we got everything we wanted
within our budget.

- Come here!
- I got my rustic cabin feel.

But, I mean,
once you see the inside,

it's kind of funky.
I think it represents us both.

He definitely loves this,
doesn't he?

- He does.
- Where did Hank run off to?

He's over there, running around
with the neighbor's dogs.

I'm really loving
my own private space.

I can go read a book
or watch some movies.

So, all in all,
it's worked out.

I can't believe
this is all ours.

- Yeah.
- At the end of a long, busy day,

it's so nice to just be able
to come and relax

and be away from things.

You want to take the boys
for a walk?
Yeah.

I think we're outdoors
and more active

a lot more than we were.

I don't have a huge house
to clean.

We don't have a lot
of upkeep around here.

So it's a lot easier
for us to throw the kayaks in

or to go for a hike and not
have to worry about the house.

- What do you think, guys?
- Is this fun?

I have no regrets.
I mean,

I think we got everything
that we wanted and then some.

Now we're just enjoying being
in our new home together.