Tiny House Hunters (2014–…): Season 4, Episode 1 - New York Bed and Breakfast Owners Go Tiny - full transcript

Homebuyers across the country

are saying goodbye
to big houses...

Wow, look at that.
That is tiny.

...And hello to small spaces.

With the push of a button,

this house contracts
to half its size.

- Wow.
- What is this?

This is the bedroom.

- It's a fold-down sink.
- That's so cool.

- Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!
- Wow, this just got weird.

Hi, neighbors.



But the smaller the house,

the bigger the challenge
fitting inside.

It'd be six of us up here.

Where am I gonna sleep?

This swings back. Whoa.

That's the loft. Whoa.

I think I see
- a problem already.

It could be
a great attraction.

People could see it.
- I think it's awesome.

I mean, it's got
camouflage on the top.

New York
bed and breakfast owners

Rick and Christine
are going tiny.

Literally, I could go here
to the toilet.

- The stairs roll out.
- That's ingenious.



But with a teenage son in tow,

it may be more than
they bargained for.

Yeah, I could just
jump up here.

I'm gonna have
to open this up

every single time I want
to go to the bathroom.

Have you thought about
a bush?

Can I please come down now?

Yes.

Maybe pick something up
for the guest rooms too,

- like a little gift.
- Yeah, perfect.

Okay.

I'm Rick, I run a management
consulting company.

I'm Christine.

I'm a school counselor,
and I run a B

We can put this in the rooms
for our guests.

- That's a great idea.
- That's your favorite? Okay.

Let's get a couple.
Rick and Christine

live in Fly Creek, New York,
outside of Cooperstown,

and run a bed and breakfast
out of their home.

We have approximately 10 acres.

We have a number of
cashmere goats.

We actually
sell our own fiber.

And because agritourism

has become a very, very
big thing right now in our area,

it seemed the perfect fit
to make this property

into something
that our guests would enjoy.

We were always told,
anyone who came here to visit,

how beautiful it was.

That's really what drove us

to seriously consider
becoming a B

and having guests
on a regular basis.

You'll be able to help out
with chores if you want,

pr just spend some time
holding the animals.

The whole concept
of building a tiny house

came out of
Christine's mind.

I thought a tiny house
would be a great idea

because we'd be away
from the house

and have our own home
for just us. Right.

And with the B
being so busy,

we're gonna need a place
where we have our own privacy,

particularly with people

that want to rent
the entire property.

All right, come on,
I'll show you where
your rooms are.

Come on upstairs.

But they're not
the only ones going tiny.

Throw me down
three bales.
All right.

We have one son, Matthew.

And he's pretty much
your typical 15-year-old,

loves his technology,
loves his friends.

And loves being outside,
being on the farm.

But Matthew, I would say,

was not sold on this concept
in the beginning.

My first thought
when my parents asked me,

"Hey, would you want to live
in a tiny house with us?"

I said,
"What's a tiny house?"

But then I started to think,

"Hey, this could be a really
cool opportunity for me

because I've never done
something like this before."

Hey, I got some pictures
of some tiny homes.

From a stylistic standpoint,

I grew up in a Colonial,

very traditional,
very New England-y.

So I'd like to replicate
some of those aspects

in a tiny house.

But I still want the farm style
in the house

and kind of a little
more eclectic, I think.

So our budget
is right around $25,000.

But I would push it
maybe to $35,000

because I would say

we would want to spend more than
a luxury car on this home.

This one, look at it.

It has a bedroom
on the main floor.

That's what we want.

I would like to have it be

interior white,
exterior white.

I would like a farm sink.

I would like to have
a nice stove to cook in.

I would like
some really good storage space

to put my things.

But we have to have
a lower bedroom... I agree.

We don't want to be
going up a ladder.... With space
with a queen bed.

And they'll need
a loft for Matthew to sleep in.

I'm going to need
some office space.

And I definitely
want a flushing toilet

and not
a composting toilet.

I think a composting toilet
would work just fine.

I know this is
my parents' house.

But I really want
some aspect of it to be for me,

like having plugs in my loft,

being able to have enough space
for my friends,

and I want my own privacy.

The other thing
that we considered too,

and we really believe
it's gonna happen,

is that it'll actually be
an attraction for the property.

But it's not being built
as an attraction.

It's really being built
for us to live in

so that we don't have
to be in the house

when people are here.

- But it's a possibility.
- Maybe... not.

Guiding them
on their tiny adventure

is Tennessee-based builder,
Randy Jones,

who's going to build them
a tiny home.

We happened to find Randy

because he had really just
gotten off the ground

in building some models
that we liked.

And his design was really
versatile and diverse.

So he could build us,

pretty much, he said,
what we wanted.

They're traveling to Tennessee
to look at some models.

And Randy
is starting the family off

with a 200-square-foot
tiny house that he's pretty sure

will attract some attention
on their farm.

It'd be a great attraction.
People could see it.

It would draw people
into the farm stay.

We are not an attraction.

This is our sanctuary.

I think it's awesome.

I mean, I could see my friends
and me hanging out inside.

I mean, it's got camouflage
on the top.

It's not fitting
my style.

Matthew and Rick
love this place.

But of course they would
because it's a guy's pad.

And I don't want my home
to be an attraction.

I want it to be our home

where we can go
and get away from the farm.

Now, Randy,
I noticed this one,

there's not
a lot of windows.

We can put as many windows
as you would like.

I don't think that
we need a window, I mean...

- You like it.
- I love it.

I don't care if this place
has 1,000 windows,

it's really cool.

What's your base price
on a model like this, right now?

This is $30,000,
right here.

Oh, yeah.

- See the round door?
- You love that.

That's awesome.

All right, watch
your head as you go in.

Oh, wow.
It's pretty dark.

- Yeah, it's dark.
- What happened
to my white walls?

Well it's supposed to look
like it's underground.

It's like a cave.
- It's awesome.
- Good, Matt.

I mean, my concern
is the size of this work space.

It just feels like
it's just in the wrong area.

You work on a laptop,
So you can sit next to me.

And there's a TV here.

- Get him, Matt.
- The workspace,

I don't think
really matters.

Well, I guess that would be,
uh, that'd be interesting.

You have a say,
- but you don't have a vote.
- Oh, yeah.

Matt really likes the place.

But then again,
Matt doesn't have a wallet.

I like the farm sink.

I mean, the stainless steel.

I don't know if I would go
with stainless steel,

but it's big.

And the countertop's great.

But when I cook dinner,
this is probably gonna go.

I don't think
that's gonna work.

I think we need to put

a regular stove
- cook-top here.
- Sure.

And move the washer/dryer combo
- somewhere else.
- That's no problem.

But, as you know,

you'll swap out a convenience
for another one.

But I'll be glad
- to work with you.
- It's a kitchen.

All we're gonna need to do
is make food.

I mean,
as long as it makes food,

I'm good with it.

- Where do we sleep?
- This is a bed

that will fold out
into a larger bed.

And underneath
is some storage.

So this is great
for Matthew.

But where would we sleep?

Right here.

Voilà.

- Ah, our sanctuary.
- Oh.

Literally, I could go here
to, oh, the toilet.

Oh, saving a step,
- there you go.
- I-- okay.

What kind of toilet
- is it?
- That's a flushing toilet.

That's a normal
household toilet.

- No compost, just regular.
- You were looking at that.

Yeah, but I really
wasn't expecting it

to be adjacent
to our bed.

Only one thing I'm
a little bit concerned about

is I'm gonna
have to open this up

every single time I want to
go to the bathroom, so...

Have you thought about
a bush?

What do you think?

Well, I think
some positives were

it has a flushable toilet,
first floor bedroom.

But I think we really
would need the stove.

Yeah.
And it's definitely...

It could be an attraction

to get people to come
to the farm stay.

Knowing that something
this unique is on the property,

I think,
would draw a lot of attention.

Well, good.

Randy's now showing them

a tiny house
that's more Christine's style.

But the guys
may be a tough sell.

Holy cow.

That better
come with everything.

Lookit.
They're easy to catch.

- See, it's hard?
- They're very--

They're super, super calm.

With business booming
at their bed and breakfast,

Rick, Christine,
and their teenage son, Matthew,

are looking for
a tiny house to move into

to free up their main
3,000-square-foot farmhouse.

Rick's comfortable to spend
no more than $25,000.

But Christine's comfortable
going up to $35,000.

They've traveled
from New York to Tennessee

in search of a tiny home.

Randy Jones,
owner of Incredible Tiny Homes,

has shown them a 200-square-foot
fable model home.

And while Rick likes

that it would bring people
to the farm

with it's unique look,

Christine doesn't
want their tiny house

to be an attraction.

And it's not
her farmhouse style.

Randy's now showing them
a bigger model

with a different layout.

Wow, this is big.

Yeah.
I agree, Rick.

It is actually
pretty big.

What's
the square footage?

224.

This is definitely
not a tiny house.

What's the siding
made of?

That's a southern yellow pine.

It's real durable.
It's a lot of resin.

- And this is unfinished?
- This is unfinished.

This house feels
so much more like my style,

that farmhouse-chic,

because you can add
those farm touches

and put things into place
with a blank canvas behind it.

But it definitely is bigger

than the two of us
had ever imagined.

Take a look at
the front.

How much does it cost?$40,000.

Holy cow.

That better
come with everything.

That's even more than I was
thinking of spending.

All right, here you go.

Wow, oh my gosh.

This is fantastic.

Look at these--
- look at these doors.
- Good space.

This is exactly
what I was picturing--

More of a barn style,
The doors, full bedroom.

And we have nice windows,
there's plenty of light.

And plenty of outlets
- in here.
- It could be an office, too.

I like the fact that I can
kind of close you guys out.

- Very funny.
- It's true.

It would definitely be
a separator.

Well, this is your flow area.

This is your entertainment.

Okay.
Sure.

So we wired this for
a flatscreen TV on the wall.

And the ladder here.

Actually, it's supposed
- to be in the center.
- Ah. Okay.

Okay,
and you can access the loft,

which will allow
the flip-up countertop

- to be functional.
- Ah, okay. Okay.

Well, that really adds
a lot more workspace.

Wow.

I'm a little concerned,
still, about the ladder.

You can actually just
store it away over here.

That's great,

but we're gonna have
a full-size sofa here.

So I'm not sure
how that's gonna fit.

The ladder is a problem.

And there's
no real way to store it

without it being in the way.

Wait,
I got an even better idea.

I can just jump up here, and...

Oh, Matthew.

And I'm good.

- Perfect.
- What's it like up there?

Actually, now that
I'm up here, it's awesome.

I mean, I got outlets
on either side of my bed.

There's lights.
The windows are great.

And I got storage
right here, Mom.

It's not really enough
for all your stuff, really.

Is it?
Yeah.

No, And that means I have
to buy things to put in here

and have it fit right.

And that means more money.

Okay.
You're up there for a bit.

I want to see the kitchen,
okay, stay there.

This sink
is really pulling me in.

I love the farm sink,
and I love this faucet.

It goes really great with that
whole farm style.

Is this where
the fridge would go?

Or would we put it here?

Yeah, it was built for
an undercounter fridge,

- in this area right here.
- How much would that cost?

You're probably looking
$400, $500.

Okay, that's good

because we wanted
the small refrigerator.

Yeah,
and as far as an oven,

how much would it cost
if we put a stove here?

$400 to $500
just for the fixture.

And then us to install it, electrical,

you're probably looking
maybe a grand.

Okay.
Mm-hmm.

That's a lot.

You know, Dad,
our green camping stove

would be perfect for just
putting it on the countertop

instead of having
a massive stove

that you have to install.

I agree.
I don't know.

Can I please come down now?

- Yes, you can come down.
- Yes, you can come down.

I'll get the ladder.

Sink's really tiny.

But you really only need it

to brush your teeth,
wash your hands.

You're going to like the shower,
get in that shower.

Oh, this has the full-size
shower like the other house.

- 36-inch-wide shower, yeah.
- It's big.

But you know what, Randy,
what is this thing for?

That is made for
a washer-dryer underneath.

Plumbing, electrical's
all ready for the appliances.

But we'd have to purchase
our own?

You'd have to purchase
the washer and dryer.

So for $40,000,

the only appliance we get
is a composting toilet.

And I wanted
a flush toilet.
I know.

Randy builds a great product.

But at the end of the day,

it's got to have the things
that we need

within our budget.

This loft
is a little smaller

than the loft up there, right?

- Yeah.
- So it... Let's see.

Extra space, if we need it,
to store things.

I know y'all wanted to see
a bigger house.

And of course,
this is a little big bigger

than what you wanted.

But I thought maybe
you'd like to see it.

Yeah, I mean,
this is a lot more space

than we originally planned.

I agree.

But we get
the downstairs bedroom.

Matthew's space is on
that side of the house.

Yeah.

And the kitchen is
a really nice kitchen.

But it doesn't have
anything else in it.

So that--
My big concern there is cost.

You know one thing
definitely about this space

is it's a hangout space.

So it's big enough for all of
me and my friends.

Just what I want,

a house full of
more teenagers.

Wanting something
more budget-friendly,

they're now seeing a house

less expensive
and a lot smaller.

Where would
- we put Matthew?
- This, actually.

- Oh.
- We have a hidden bed.

Wow.

I got this last one,
all right?

Hey, hon, we're going to
bring it down that way

- and put it over.
- Okay.

Rick and Christine run
a farm stay bed and breakfast,

out of their 3,000-square-foot
house in upstate New York.

Since the B has become
increasingly popular,

they need to move
out of the main house

to give guests more room

and have decided to go tiny.

Placing their new home
on the farm,

Christine's okay
to spend up to $35,000,

while Rick's hoping to stay
under 25,000.

With their 15-year-old son Matthew,

they've traveled to Tennessee

to work with tiny home builder,
Randy Jones.

They've seen
a 200-square-foot fable home

that Rick thinks would attract
business to their farm.

And while it's only
slightly above Rick's budget,

it's not Christine's
farmhouse style.

And the bedroom/bathroom layout

isn't as private
as they'd like.

They've also seen
a 224-square-foot
mobile farmhouse

that does fit
Christine's style.

But it's over budget,
still needs appliances,

and may be too big
for their needs.

Today, Randy's showing them
another model

he hopes will strike
the right balance

between size and cost.

It's adorable.
The shutters-- really cute.

And it has that
New England cottage style.

I thought it'd be
a little bit more your style.

When I first
walked up to the house,

it had such
a playful feel to it

with the color
of the shutters.

What is the actual size
of this home?

This home here
is 154 square feet.

And the price--
you're going to love it.

It's $27,000.

Now you're talking.

Oh, wow.

This is beautiful.

I did not expect this.

What kind of finish
do you have on the wood?

- This is a white wash.
- I can kind of see it.

It does add a little brightness,
which I like.

And I'm surprised
by the windows.

They actually let enough light
- in to this area.
- Yeah.

And, look here.

You open this up,

and look at the gain
in the light you get here.

- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah, that's great.

- It's a great idea to have.
- It's great.

This is a Dutch door.

154 square feet
really seems small.

But the room
and the actual tiny house itself

is very open and airy.

This is
an elevated kitchen.

What we've done is
we've got some movable stairs.

- Oh.
- The stairs roll out.

You latch them on,
so they don't move on you.

- That's ingenious.
- All right?
You also have storage.

- That's really cool.
- Isn't that neat?

- Yeah.
- All right.

Go ahead
and look at the kitchen.

Wow, this is really
roomy up here.

I'm surprised.

You know,
this table space right here

would just be awesome
if I had a party.

I could just put food, snacks,
sandwiches up here.

My friends could
just pick them right off.

- Yeah.
- It'd be awesome.

Quite a bit of space here.

- I love the shelving.
- And it's got my farm sink.

And I think it might be
enough prep space.

But where do you
do the cooking, though?

Well, over here
we could put a range

with a stove top
on that end. Okay.

And you'd still get
your countertop

because your fridge is
underneath your counter.

That would work.

Yeah, I mean,
biggest concern there is

once we start
adding things,

the price goes up
pretty quick.

The kitchen
is my favorite part.

I do all of the cooking.

But, uh,
I'm a little concerned about

some of the additions
that Randy's talking about.

Rick somehow thinks
that we're gonna get
everything we want

in our $25,000 range.

But in this circumstance,
we really are gonna need more.

I don't see a place
where I would work.

I also don't see too many
outlets, either, for things.

Yeah, there's no plugs.
I would've wanted plugs.

There's four
on that wall.

- Okay.
- Yeah, but I'd have
to move this ladder.

That's all
I'm concerned about.

I'll come in and move it
for you every Tuesday.

- Right.
- Is that the only place
that we can sit?

- This is a sofa.
- Okay.

I think the sofa
is really small.

And with that one space,
where would we put Matthew?

Well, we have a loft
up here, okay?
Mm-hmm.

But let me show you
what I got here.

And this, actually... CHRISTINE: Oh.

We have a hidden bed.

- Oh.
- Wow.

Wow, it's actually big.

Yeah, get on there, Matt.

Oh, this is comfortable.

- Isn't that nice?
- Yeah.

Actually,
looking at this now,

I think this is where
mom and dad are.

- Yeah.
- And I think junior
should be up in the loft

'cause I don't think
you're going to see me

going up and down a ladder
- all the time to go to bed.
- Oh, yeah.

Oh, Rick,
the shower looks great.

That's a full 36-inch shower,
standard in a home.

But you know what?

I'm not seeing
a sink or a toilet

in this bathroom
right now.

We've pre-plumbed
so you can do the flushable.

And also, it's pre-plumbed
for a sink.

But it's
on the shower wall.

But we just
didn't put it in.

Some people
don't even want a sink.

We need a sink,
and we do need a toilet.

So once again,
my concern is,

if we add that,

we're gonna be adding
to the cost.

We got a lot
to consider here.

We've got, you know,
to decide on

what kind of toilet we want,
what kind of sink.

I love the farmhouse sink,
that it's white porcelain.

I love the white wash
on the walls.

And I was really surprised
to see the Dutch door.

That was really
a creative idea.

And we have to figure out,
you know, a fridge, a cooktop.

But with all these
little added things

that y'all are talking about,

I think we're still
within your budget quite a bit.

With several unique options
to choose from,

it's time for Rick, Christine,
and Matthew

to decide which tiny house
speaks to them.

But I think it could be
an attraction for our property.

Yeah, but it's not supposed
to be an attraction.

It's supposed to be where
we're going to be living.

Our house hunters
are upgrading to tiny houses.

Willing to spend up to $35,000,

Rick, Christine,
and their teenage son, Matthew,

are looking to move into
a tiny house,

so they can rent out
their main home

to their bed and breakfast guests.

They've seen several options,

And now it's time to decide.

Well, we're all here.

Let's figure out
what we're gonna do
and make a decision.

So let's start
- with the fable house.
- Okay.

I mean, I liked
the fable house a lot.

That house
looked awesome.200 square feet.

It was $30,000.

I liked the bedroom
on the first floor,

the bathroom.

It had a desk
for me to work.

And we could all sit
on that big couch

and just kind of
hang out.

One of the concerns
I did have was,

with regards
to the kitchen,

the amount of prep space.

But, it's a little
too different for me.

But I think it could be
an attraction for our property.

Yeah, but it's not supposed
to be an attraction.

It's supposed to be
where we're gonna be living.

You know what
I thought was really cool,

was that mobile farmhouse,
224 square feet.

Well, it was big.
It's pricey.

It's $40,000.
It's way out of our budget.

But we wouldn't have to
put anything else into it.

We'd have to paint it
- and do some other things.
- Yeah.

I mean,
it is really roomy.

My favorite thing about it
is the size of my loft

and that I have windows
and outlets,

and I'm gonna have
my own privacy.

But there were some things
that it needed, too

that were going to be additional.

But it's still
way above our budget.

You know the one I really liked,
was the tiny gray cottage.

I love
the farm-chic style.

I liked the kitchen.

But we'd have to get
our own washer-dryer,

and figure that out.

And the lack of office space
and privacy.

But at the budget there
of $27,000,

it was 154 square feet.

We had a loft.

But I guess I'm kind of
wondering at this point,

you know, could we live
in that full-time,

the three of us?

Well, with this farmhouse,

I know you're concerned
about price.

But in the long run,
I'm thinking down the road,

of us living
in this house 24/7

and how we're
going to fare with it

- in getting along.
- Mm-hmm.

And I think it meets
most of our needs,

if not all our needs.

And my loft has plugs.

So I'm definitely
happy with that.

Well, let's get Randy
on the phone

and, uh, talk through
some of the details then.

So does that mean we're buying
the large house?

Yes.
Oh, yes!

Finally, you guys
settled on something.

Can I have a burger?
Yeah.

Yeah,
- let's make a burger.
- All right.

We picked the big mobile farmhouse.

It was $40,000,

and we paid $40,000
for it.

We've lived in the house
for about two months.

And I would say this house
really met our needs.

I'd have to agree.

Randy did a great job.

Everything was done
really, really well.

And he made all the changes
we wanted.

Christine's happy with it.

And, uh, I think
that's important, too.

I think the arrangements
work pretty well for sleeping.

We do have some privacy.

And he has plenty of room

for all his, you know,
teenage gear.

And he's kind of
made it his own.

Well, I got my plugs
right here,

plus my speaker,

my guitar
to the side over here,

and I definitely
have my privacy.

I mean, this is exactly
what I was looking for.

I would have to say,
through this process,

Rick compromised
more than I did.

Absolutely.

The composting toilet is
a big adjustment for everybody.

However,
once you get used to it,

it's absolutely no different
than your toilet at home,

except for you have
to clean it out after
every three months.

Did you bring my wine?

I'll get your wine
in a minute.

Let me just sit and enjoy.

We're really happy
with where we put it.

People can be down
in the main house.

They can't see us up here.

We have a beautiful view.

So we have our privacy.

And it's a nice,
peaceful place to live.

I would say
it's definitely a respite.

We can come here,
and it's...

We don't have to think about
anything else.