Tiny House Hunters (2014–…): Season 2, Episode 9 - Family of Five 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.

Yeah, I don't think
we're gonna have room

for a big high chair
in a tiny house.

This South Dakota family of five

is looking to be debt free
and get into a tiny home.

Oh, I love it.

It's 204 square feet.

Oh, wow.
That's pretty tiny.

That is small.

So check this out--
TV area outside.

- Whoa.
- Oh, my goodness.

Yeah, that'd be awesome.

But finding a place
to fit all of them

may be a tall older
for builder Todd.



Let me get up
in the kids' side, here.

I just don't see

how they're gonna get
five people in there.

The safety issue of the lofts
with little children.

Wow.
- Not a whole lot of privacy.
- No.

I want more milk.

More milk? Okay.

- I'm Bethany.
- I'm Matthew.

And we live
in Selby, South Dakota.

- Do you want some avocado?
- Yes.

We have three
little kiddos.

We have Lincoln, who's 4,
Zoey, who's 2,

and Veda,
who is 7 months.

Right now,
I'm working for Bethany's dad.

- That'll work.
- Okay.

We farm and ranch.

And I run a full-time business
from home.

I sell organizational totes
and purses and wallets.

Zoey, are you gonna go
feed the chickens?

Yeah.

I'm just so interested

in looking at these
little babies eat so nice.

This family of five
recently sold

their spacious
2,200-square-foot home

and moved in temporarily
with Bethany's parents.

I think when I knew
that having a big house

was too much for me was
after we had our third child.

I just had almost like
a little bit of a panic attack.

You know,
I had to manage three bathrooms

and four or five bedrooms
and an office,

and it just overwhelmed me.

I had a lot of anxiety
and a little bit of depression

with just so much to manage
in my life.

And I really felt like
the less stress that I can have

would be better for me to be
a better wife and a better mom.

This is my parents'
basement, where we are
temporarily staying.

Our kids are just kind of
sprawled out wherever.

They love going out
and feeding the chickens.

Chicken!
Chicken, come out!

Let's hop in bed.

I think living out of a suitcase
has made me realize

how many things
that are just non-essential.

With their
enormous house behind them,

this family
is looking to embrace

a radically simpler
way of living.

We're going tiny
to be able to prioritize

what is our priority
in our life.

And it's not our house.

What we're really wanting
is financial freedom.

We really wanted to provide

a debt-free lifestyle
for our family.

We took all our equity
in our house

and decided to keep that.

So our plan is to buy
this tiny house with cash.

And it's really,
really important

that we live
within our means.

And when we buy it,

we're gonna move it
right on the farm here.

This is right where my parents'
house was, where I grew up,

so I think there would already
- be electrical there, plumbing.
- Yeah.

Do you know that
when I was little,

Papa and I
used to do this?

I grew up in Selby.

This is where I've lived
my whole entire life.

It's just a very simple lifestyle.

We kind of wanted that same
lifestyle for our kids.

Tiny to us is anywhere
between 200 and 500 square feet.

Why do I need any bigger house
right now?

When our kiddos
are this little,

they stay around
in a radius

of about six square feet
anyway around me?

Mom, what are you doing?

Oh, I'm just looking
at some houses.

The budget for our house
is $50,000,

but we're really looking
to spend less than that

if at all possible.

I think this is the style
you were looking at.

Matthew prefers a place

with a modern, rustic feel
on the outside,

and modern conveniences
on the inside.

I need to have
an open floor plan.

That's really important
to me.

I think I really love
the style of a Cape Cod.

Just lots of clean lines.

Oh, look at this one, honey.

This one has a tub
right there.

I'd really need a bathtub.

With three kiddos,
it makes more sense

to have a bathtub
than just a shower.

Whoa!

This looks like maybe you'd have
a bedroom up in the loft.

We're huge into two lofts.

To keep small,
we just felt like

getting the bedrooms
up on the loft

would be more practical.

And this one
has the side doors

that we could just kind of
open up into the living space.

I'm really looking
for a space in our house

that could be
a multipurpose room.

I want to have an area
for an office.

I want that to transition
into a dining room area

so that we can have people over
for lunch or supper.

I'm really looking
for a space

that can really transform
into a lot of different areas.

And while they plan to initially
keep their tiny house

at her parents' farm,

they also want to be able to
take it on family adventures.

Look at that one.

Except it doesn't have wheels.

You're right.

We want to go across
America and take our kids

and show them
what it's all about.

And so it needs
to be movable.

If we can really find
what we're looking for,

it's gonna really change
our world.

To find the perfect tiny home

for their growing family
of five,

Bethany and Matthew
are traveling almost 2,000 miles

to Nampa, Idaho, to meet

tiny-house builder and expert
Todd Holbrook

at Superior Custom Homes.

So today I'm gonna show
Matt and Bethany

a really small house.

I just want them to get

a concept
of what a true tiny house is.

This one is definitely tiny.

At a minuscule 204 square feet,

roughly 10 of these houses
could fit into their old home.

Oh, I love it.

I think it has a really nice
Cape Cod kind of cabin feel.

This one's $35,000.

- Well, that's well under budget.
- Yeah.

204 square feet.

Oh, wow.
That's pretty tiny.

That is small.

Oh, wow.
This is small.

Whoa!
It's really tiny.

Really good
craftsmanship, too.

It looks really well done.

I really like the color,
I like the feel.

It's definitely
my kind of house.

The vaulted kind of ceiling.

I think it's pretty open, actually.

I am really loving the fact
that there's two lofts.

That's something
I really wanted in a house,

to be able to kind of have
separate living spaces.

This is gonna be
your multipurpose area.

It's small, it's tidy.

I love that the idea of cleaning
just looks simple to me.

So these are called
a jackknife sofa.

They fold down like this

so you got another place
for your kids to--

Oh, man.
Look at that.

- Or you.
- Yeah.

I just really don't see
how this space

could turn into
an office space.

There's not really an area
that works.

So I love the look
of the kitchen.

I love this counter space.

I can see, you know,
the barstools with the kids.

We could do schoolwork
while I'm cooking.

Let's just see
what it would be like

with me and you
in this kitchen.

I mean, you're gonna have
three little kids

- running around in here.
- That's true.

Well, if I have this open
and the kids are right there...

It's small.

We could do some storage here,
I guess.

We got storage up here.

But I just don't know
where I'm gonna put everything.

It's just so small.

And as much as I love to cook,
I don't see this working.

Where's the bathroom?

Let me show you
your deluxe bathroom.

Oh, wow.
Aw, there's no tub.

No. You know, the kids
could probably use that sink.

Yeah, maybe we could put
a little step stool there.

I want to take a look
at the lofts.

Oh, I'm not really a fan
of that ladder.

We're gonna really
have to teach them

how to use
that ladder safely.

Yeah, and there's no railing.
Let's see here.

Oh, it's really cute up here.
It's really bright.

I really like the windows.

Let me get up
in the kids' side, here

and see what it would be like
up there.

Wow.

Wow.

I mean, it crowds in on you
pretty quick.

Yeah, and there's not
a whole lot of privacy.

No.

Plus we got the fan rolling
right here.

We definitely have to figure out
some kind of railing here.

I just don't see

how they're gonna get
five people in there.

The safety issue of the lofts
with little children.

I just don't see how
it possibly can fit their needs.

Yeah, and what about
the storage.

I mean, there's nothing
up here for storage.

How are we gonna put
their clothes,

how are we gonna put
their shoes?

You know, I love the idea
of having two lofts,

but the more I think about it,
I just think it's too tiny

up in the loft area
for, you know--

It's cumbersome to get
up and down the ladders.

Definitely different
than what we've ever
experienced before.

But for as little a space
as you have,

it's not super dark
and crowded.

I love the open floor plan,
I love the big, full kitchen,

the counter space,

although there's not much
storage in the kitchen.

Yeah, the storage
is a big downside.

At $35,000,
it's really below our budget.

So I think we have
a lot of wiggle room.

But at the end of the day,
it's just really tiny.

I mean,
I knew we were gonna downsize

and, you know,
go into something small,

but I'm just not
really sure

if I want to go into something
this small.

So Todd has found them
a house with a bit more room.

Oh, wow!

Boom. Boom.

Hoping for a simpler
lifestyle and financial freedom,

Matthew, Bethany,
and their three young kids

have said goodbye
to their 2,200-square-foot home

- and are ready to go tiny.
- Let's go!

They want something on wheels

so they can travel
around the country

and have been staying
at their parents' farm

in Shelby, South Dakota,
while they house hunt.

With a $50,000 budget,

they've driven nearly
2,000 miles to Nampa, Idaho,

to meet with builder
Todd Holbrook.

They've seen
a Cape Cod-style place

that's well below budget
and is Bethany's style.

And while it's mobile,
at just 204 square feet,

it lacks storage
and would be a tight fit

for this family of five.

So now Todd's taking them to see
something twice as large,

but still six times smaller
than the average American home.

Today I'm showing
Matt and Bethany

kind of a modern cabin.

I think this one
fits their needs

for five people to live in.

- Hey, good morning.
- Wow!

What do you guys think
of this one?

Wow, that's big.

I'm really excited
to show this one to you guys.

This thing, I think, could be
perfect for your family.

Great big porch
for outdoor living area.

Yeah, it's really nice.

So this one's $60,000.

Okay.

I know a little over
your price range,

but it's 400 square feet
on the main level,

240 square feet for loft area
for your kids,

so I think it's really
a great size for you guys.

Yeah. I do see that it's
on a special trailer.

That's not gonna be towable
by my truck, is it?

No, this one you'll have to have
a semi move it.

That's gonna run you,
you know, $5,000, $6,000

to get it moved
to South Dakota.

Not gonna go around the country
with this, though.

That's really something
to take into consideration.

Oh, wow!

I love
the openness of it.

It's just gorgeous.

Look at all the windows,
the natural light.

There is a lot of windows
for me to clean,

and I'm really looking
to kind of downsize.

It's got
a woodburning fireplace.

That's the chimney
we saw outside.

Oh, yeah.
That is great.

I could really see us
just sitting around here

in the South Dakota winters.

This has the full-size kitchen
- that you were looking for.
- Oh, yeah.

We could set up a table
to eat over here,

or we could also use it
as your office.

I love that
it's a full-size fridge.

- That is fabulous.
- Yeah.

- Oh, and the bathroom?
- Bathroom.

Oh, wow! Bathtub!

I'm so excited.
I just got to hop right in here.

Perfect for the kiddos.

Where's the toilet at, though?

So they haven't installed
a toilet in this one, yet.

- Okay.
- Cool.

Come check out
the bedroom.

Wow, it's really spacious.

It's for a queen-size bed.
It's big.

Check out all this storage.

I love the openness
of this room.

It's great.

And it looks like
a pocket door.

Yeah,
it has a closing door,

so this could really fit
your guys' needs.

Carpet stairs.

I'm not really keen
on the carpet.

But look at this space.

It's huge!

It is huge.

It's just really cool
up here.

Oh, and I love
this banister.

It's just safe
for the kids,

they can kind of check out
the downstairs,

and I'm not worried
about it.

I just love it.

You know, I didn't think
I'd want something so big,

but now
that I'm looking at it,

it's gonna be
a really hard decision for me.

Yeah, I mean, the open
floor plan is really great.

- I love that.
- Love the bathroom.

You hit it on the head
with that one.

Price-wise, though,
with the house itself,

moving it,
we're way over budget.

That is something that we really
dedicated to stick to,

and I'm just not sure
if that's gonna be okay

to go over that much.

I was really wanting
to downgrade

and just have
a minimal lifestyle

with less things
to maintain,

and I don't know
about all this square footage.

It's a lot to upkeep.

So Todd has found a smaller
and more affordable home

that could really grow
on them.

- Yes.
- So cool.

Scroll up.
How about we get that one?

Oh, that's a cool one.

Sick of the stress
of a large house

and dreaming
of financial freedom,

Bethany and Matthew
are looking for a tiny home

that they can park
on the family farm

in Selby, South Dakota,

and also tow themselves
around the country.

They've traveled almost
2,000 miles to Nampa, Idaho,

to find a tiny home

that's the right fit
for their family of five.

First, they saw
a Cape Cod-style cottage

small enough to tow themselves

and well within
their $50,000 budget.

But it lacks the storage
and accessibility

for a family
with three young children.

Then they saw a modern cabin

with plenty of space to grow
with their family.

But at 400 square feet,

it's a lot of house
to take care of,

needs professional towing,

and is well over
their $50,000 budget.

So today Todd's taking them
to see a slightly smaller

320-square-foot house
called a Fifth Wheel trailer.

And at $50,000,
it's the perfect price.

So what do you guys think?

This thing's made to travel
the country with your kids?

It looks really rustic-y.
I love all the wood.

- Yeah, that's your style.
- Very unique.

So this is kind of set up

for outdoor living
in the summertime.

This is a big power awning
that comes out.

TV area outside.

Whoa, yeah!
That'd be awesome.

The kids would love that.

They would really love to be
outside, and we could entertain.

Oh, wow.

It's way more modern than I
was thinking, from the outside.

Really beautiful, though.

What is this,
reclaimed wood?

Yeah. Reclaimed barnwood.

I love the storage.
I think it has a lot of space.

So I notice
there's no lofts.

I was really looking
for a couple lofts.

Yeah, this unit
does not have a loft.

This would be more like
your kids' sleeping area

up here in the front.

This seems really just
claustrophobic and closed in.

So let me show you
the cool feature about this.

These actually
slide out...

Oh, wow.

...and opens this whole room up
into a big ol' room.

Oh, that's great.

And you end up with another
four feet of space in here.

Yeah, I can really see
our family

just hanging out in there
and playing board games.

That is huge!

Oh, man.
Look at that.

So the cool thing
about this is, okay,

you got couches during the day,
you know,

if you guys want to come up here
and spend time with your family.

And then, at night...

literally a pull,
and you've two fold-down beds.

That's perfect.

Yeah, and we could even put
the baby on the ground here.

Yeah, as long as we had it
all cut off here.

Fireplace.

So, for those cold nights
in South Dakota.

Mm-hmm.

Really love the multipurpose
part of that room.

It can really utilize that space
in a lot of different areas.

Oh, and I love
all of this storage.

Wow, that'll be great.

Yeah, I could see
the kiddos' stuff being in here,

some hanging clothes.

It does bring it in
pretty close here, though,

you know, as far as trying
to get things open.

I mean, the kids
are gonna have to go

underneath or something.

I don't know.

You're gonna kind of
have to work with each other.

Oh, that's a lot smaller
than I was thinking.

Wow.

This is pretty cool
with all the rock.

I Just don't know
about not having a tub.

Let's take a look
at the master bedroom.

Wow, that is tiny.

It just feels tight
and claustrophobic in here.

See, this room expands also,
slides out.

So you guys gain
a whole bunch more room here.

It slides out
about two feet,

so your feet aren't stuck
underneath the vanity.

Now you can actually
get in your bedroom.

Oh, yeah.
Let's give it a try.

Whoo!

Yeah, this is nice.

It just made that room
seem twice as big.

Yeah, this house
is really my style.

I like that.

I really love
all the storage in the house.

But I do actually like
the master bedroom.

Yeah, privacy.

How awesome would that be
in a tiny house?

There's a lot of room
with that slide-out.

Yeah, and I really like
how that space kind of

transforms
into different areas.

But I just don't know
if we can be without a tub.

And it's pretty closed in.

I feel like you're kind of
going room to room,

and it's just a hallway
to each room.

Not as open
as maybe I would've liked.

But I really love that this
has a full open kitchen.

I love how spacious
this place is for us,

- so it doesn't feel tiny.
- Yeah.

With three vastly
different ways to go tiny,

it's time to decide
which one will help them

in their search for simple.

I'm gonna have to figure out how
to get rid of a ton more stuff.

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

- Whoa!
- Oh, yeah.

Bethany, Matthew,
and their three kids

are ready to get out
of her parents' house

and into a tiny home
of their own

that they can park
on the family farm

in Selby, South Dakota.

With a budget of $50,000,
it's time to decide

which tiny house
is the right fit.

What'd you think about
the tiny house on wheels?

Oh, like that Cape Cod
kind of feel?

Yeah.

Yeah, I love that it was
way below budget at $35,000.

That's really great.

And it had the double lofts,
you know?

But that would maybe
be cumbersome,

and I just wasn't sure
about that.

And safety
for the kids, too.

Even though it has an open
floor plan of the kitchen,

I'm just really nervous
that it doesn't have a bathtub.

It's just so tiny.

I don't know if we can fit
five of us in there.

I Love that modern cabin
with the huge open loft.

Oh yeah, the one that's $10,000
over our budget-- $60,000.

Plus our pickup
can't pull it.

I mean, we're gonna
have to have it towed

to exactly where we want it
every time we move it.

It did have a bathtub,
and I love that.

Look at that loft.
It's huge.

The kids would have so much room
to grow in there.

All three of them
could be up there.

What do you think
about the Fifth Wheel?

$50,000.

It didn't have the open floor
plan like I was hoping for.

I felt
it was pretty choppy.

You could travel
with that one.

Man, you could
take that thing anywhere.

I Did like that it had
a separate master bedroom.

Yeah, that was really nice.

And, you know,
it had the slide-outs

to make that
really feel bigger.

But there's no bathtub,

and I really want that
for the kids.

We said we wanted
to go tiny,

really want to live
within our means.

I mean,
$35,000 is way below budget.

We need to stick with tiny
and make it work.

I agree with you.

I think we really should
just stick to our guns

about going
to a lower budget.

Sticking with the tiny one.
I think that's great.

I'm gonna have to figure out how
to get rid of a ton more stuff.

- But I'm excited.
- Yeah.

Would you like to do
your orange by yourself?

- Yes.
- Okay.

Water, please.

This house
definitely meets our goal.

We don't need
a whole lot right now,

and we're just excited
for the drastic downsize.

I'm really happy
with the decision we made.

We paid a little bit
under $35,000.

Paying cash for this house
just felt amazing.

We have no mortgage.

It really follows through
with, financially,

where we wanted
our family to go.

We're gonna do
some nap time, okay?

We're still working out
lots of kinks.

Okay, watch out, kiddo.

Okay, practice
your ladder safety.

We haven't quite figured out
the safety aspect of that,

so we're both sleeping
with one kid in each loft.

Which doesn't really leave much
for date night.

We're gonna make
the loft situation a lot safer

by putting in
a guardrail-type system.

You want to do
a somersault, Zoey?

The look from our master bedroom
is beautiful.

It overlooks the sunset.

And I love the fact
that the back door is here

because I can overlook

the kiddos playing
in the backyard.

Look at your hair,
crazy Zoey!

We added a lot of shelving
in the kitchen,

which was really important
to me because there was nothing.

We also didn't get a tub
in this house

and that's kind of a big bummer
with having 3 kids under 4.

But we just knew that,
you know,

we could give
on some of those areas.

Dad, your hat's
almost as big as my house.

Oh, wow!
What's that say about my head?

I think my parents
have been really excited

for us
to be able to move home.

To have
the grandkiddos around,

it really brings
a lot of life back.

You guys want
- to help me set the table?
- Mm-hmm.

Okay,
you'll have to move aside,

and Daddy's gonna
try to get our table out

and see how we all fit.

Dining room table,
you're sitting in it.

Oh. I'm there.

You're also sitting
in the school room,

and the guest bedroom,
and my office.

I feel
very multifunctional.

Yes.
All right, Lincoln.

I'm just delighted
at the challenge

and how much it's gonna take
for me to continually downsize.

But I just feel peaceful
in this place.

I want to have a sleepover.
I really do.

Grandma wants to have
a sleepover.

This is just like a little
Hansel and Gretel.

I think for our family,
the future is really bright.

The fact that we're downsizing
allows us more opportunity

to really focus
on the things

that are important in our lives,
like family

and just realizing
what's important and what's not.