Tiny House Hunters (2014–…): Season 4, Episode 10 - Family Goes Tiny in Michigan - 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.
- Wow.

- What is this?
- This is the bedroom.

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

Oh!

Wow,
this just got weird.



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.
- Ohh.

I think I see
a problem already.

Oh, this is cute.

I really like the look of
the outside of this place.

Bill and Jamie are moving back
to their home state of Michigan,

and they want a tiny house
with a lakefront view...

Oh, wow.
Ah, yes!

...but downsizing with
two kids in tow

may be more challenging
than they think.



No bathtub, though,
for the kids.

You just let them
sit on the floor.

It feels like
a "sbath."

That's what my kids call it--
the shower bath.

I thought you said
there was a bedroom.

Aww! There's no privacy!

I was not expecting
this surprise.

Can we all fit in here?

- No!
- No!
You can't come in!

I'm Bill.
I'm Jamie.

And we're living
in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

I'm a
country-radio deejay.

It's 7:22.

We got some tickets for you
if you're here at 7:50,

your shot
to go to the show.

I'm a personal chef
and stay-at-home mom.

Say, "Yes, Mom!"

Jamie and I have two boys.

We have Peyton-- he's 6.
Finley's 3.

And we also have
a 4-pound Yorkie

named Pork Chop.
Pork Chop.

Before moving back
to Grand Rapids,

Bill and Jamie lived
in a large home in Connecticut.

My work
is very flexible,

and they actually came up
with a great idea.

They want me
to split time

between Connecticut
and Michigan.

So that way, Jamie and the kids
can be in Michigan full time.

And that's important to us
because if I'm going

to be gone
50% of the time,

Jamie's gonna need help
with the kids,

and it'll be nice
to be near family, then,

so that
they can help.

Yeah, the kids
are looking forward

to being around
their cousins again.

Do you
want a doggy?
Okay.

Jamie and I
and our two kids

and our dog
are all staying

with my sister
and her husband

and her two kids
in a two-bedroom house.

Yeah, it gets
a little crazy sometimes.

It's time to
get our own space.

Way too small.

I want to go tiny,
but... Reminds me of a Porta-Potty.

I want to go tiny because
if he's gonna be

going back and forth
from Connecticut to
Michigan for work,

it's really important
for us to have less to
maintain, less to clean,

and we can spend more
time with the boys
and more time outdoors.

But Bill needs
a little bit of convincing.

He's not really all about
such a small space.

I'm open
to the idea,

but I'm just not sure that
we're gonna be able to do it.

I need that space.

Go outside.

It snows a lot
in Michigan.

Is it, like,
two rooms in one?

I think that's just
kind of how it is

when you have
a tiny house.

Our house in Connecticut's
2,400 square feet,

so it's
a bigger house.

I'm thinking something
more in the range of
500, 600 square feet.

That seems good
enough for me.

It seems like a space
that we could be comfortable in.

Our budget
is $90,000.

That's as high
as we can go.

I think we can go
a little bit higher.

Nope.

Oh, that's cute.
I like that.

Yeah, nice
and cozy-looking.

I like modern
farmhouse-style

because it kind
of mixes old-vintage

with
modern-contemporary.

And I'd like
a lot of stone

on the outside
of the house.

Also need a fireplace,
'cause in Michigan,

winter lasts
like 6 months.

We'd love to have a fireplace.
I love to have fires.

Also an outdoor space,
some kind of a little patio.

And as a personal chef,
it's really important for me

to have a spacious kitchen,
so I can have room

to keep all
my equipment in it,

room for prepping,
et cetera.

I wonder if
the appliances
are included.

It's a
- full-size fridge.
- That's awesome.

Being by the water
is really important to us.

Jamie grew up
with a cottage on a lake,

and we've spent
a lot of time there.

Yep, we like to water-tube,
water-ski, fish-- all that.

Granite countertops.

It does look like
a nice place.

The cabinets
match the floor.

I'm not going to be convinced
to buy a fixer-upper.

That is not something
that I'm willing--

I'm not willing to take on
any more projects in life.

I can change a light bulb--
that's about it.

- Move-in-ready.
- Move-in-ready.

We're keeping
the kids, right?

We might need
two bedrooms. Yep.

I'm excited to see what
each tiny house presents

and the possibilities
that would be there for us.

I'm concerned.

I don't know
what to say.

The tiny house is hopefully
going to be a place

that we can make home
and be comfortable,

and it's gonna be the start
of a new beginning.

Bill and Jamie are
focused on tiny homes

around the Grand Rapids,
Michigan, area.

And helping them find
those homes

is friend and real-estate agent,
Blake Edidin.

I'm bringing Jamie and Bill
to an area called Delton.

There are several
lakes here,

and it is
a cottage destination.

But with this being
Bill and Jamie's first time

moving into a tiny house,

I think they're gonna be
in for a big shock.

Oh, this is cute!

I really like the look of
the outside of this place.

What we have here today is
a 1950s beautiful stone cottage.

It's 600 square feet,
and it's listed for $69,900.

Looks nice.

Yeah, there's fences
all around, too,

so the kids
can play... And the dog.

Yeah, but it's not
on a lake.

Nope, this is not
on a lake,

but you have three lakes
within a half mile from here.

Yeah, and for that price
to be close to lakes...

I really like this place.
It's got a lot of character.

All the stonework
is original.

I love it.
I was looking for stone.

And the fact that
the stonework is original

makes it even more
authentic--

it's something to brag
about, if you were
to buy this house.

Oh, wow! Nice,
new wood floors.

The wood floors
actually are original.

This would be, like,
the living room and dining room.

This would be
the living room,

and that would be
the dining room.

It really looks
and feels move-in-ready,

but I'm just not sure where
all of our stuff's gonna go.

I mean, we're coming
from 2,300 square feet.

Right, and our couch is like
half the size of this room.

Where are the kids
supposed to be?

With all of
our stuff in here,

there's gonna be
no room for them.

The toys, I guess,
we'll have to do

some under-the-bed storage,
wall storage.

- Yeah.
- Get creative.

Right here, we have
the dining area.

Feels like it's the same space
that we were just in.

The trim work
is really nice.

It's original trim work
with some newer vinyl windows.

We've spent thousands
on windows in previous houses,

so that's a huge thing to not
have to worry about that again.

Move-in-ready, that's
what we're looking for.

This is actually a lot
more spacious than I
thought it was gonna be.

I don't know about that.
I mean, you cook for a living.

Where are you gonna
put all the dishes

and all the Dutch ovens
and all the pans and pots

and everything
that you have?

I don't know. I think there's
some nice shelving in here.

The dishes will fit.

You're gonna be shopping
every day, because there's
nowhere to put the food.

Well, that's part of
moving into a tiny house,

is becoming creative
with your spaces.

Bill doesn't
think this kitchen

is gonna be big enough
for me to cook in,

but it's a tiny house--
what does he expect?

I think that we
can manage it.

Oh, this is nice
and big back here.

Yep. Just under
3/4 of an acre.

Oh,
there's a shed.

Good.
We're gonna need the storage

'cause we got
a lot of stuff.

That propane tank, though,

that's not gonna be
a good location for that.

It can be moved to
any location that you want.

Plenty of space, and the dog
will love it, too,

and it's all fenced in,
so it's great.

And I know a deck was
big on your wish list.

And this does
have a deck.

Nice. Huge.

Maybe down the road, we
could expand this and
maybe put in a patio.

- It's a start.
- It's a starter deck.

Here's the
one bathroom.

It seems kind of smaller,
but for a tiny house,

this is actually a pretty
good-size bathroom.

No bathtub, though,
for the kids

I mean, they do
love their baths.

You just let them
sit on the floor.

It feels like
a "sbath."

That's what my kids call it--
the shower bath.

They can
- take a sbath.
- No.

This is one
of the two bedrooms.

This could probably
be the kids' room.

It could work for
the bunk beds, I guess.

We'll have to get some
under-the-bed storage and...

What's this?

That's your
electrical panel.

Ohh, yikes!
Electrical panel
in the kids' room.

"Hey, Ma. You making dinner?"

- Yeah.
- So,
that's good.

That's not really
a good spot for that. No.

I'm guessing this
is the master suite?

This would be
your master bedroom.

How big
- is our bed?
- It's a queen.

A queen-size bed with
a frame. Where are
you gonna put that?

You really want to downsize
to something this small, huh?

I'm not sure.
I don't know.

I don't know if I can live
without a dresser

and a closet big enough
for all of our clothes.

We could always get bunk beds,
just like the kids.

- That's true.
- There you go.

If it's something you
want to do, you'll figure
out how to make it work.

I really like the stone
look on the outside.

Yeah. But the inside,
it's kind of lacking

that modern-farmhouse-feel
that I like.

The kitchen, though,
it's pretty big.

I think that we can
make that work.

I really like
the size of the yard,

it's big enough
for the kids to play.

And being $20,000 under
budget's a huge, huge deal.

Yeah,
that's true.

But it's not
on the water.

I can't see the water,
I can't hear the water,

and that's what I was
really looking for.

Blake is showing them

a tiny home
that's closer to water,

but such a small footprint
has its drawbacks.

You'd have to squat

to brush your teeth
and wash your hands.

Yeah.

You guys excited
to go tubing next summer?

Radio deejay Bill
and his wife, Jamie,

are moving out of their 2,400-
square-foot Connecticut house

and heading home
to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

With two kids in tow,

they're going tiny for
a low-maintenance lifestyle,

since Bill will be commuting
between two states for work.

They're staying
with Bill's sister,

but the search
has been a challenge.

Friend and real-estate agent
Blake Edidin has taken them

to see a 600-square-foot
stone cottage

that's well below
their $90,000 budget,

has a workable kitchen,
and is move-in-ready.

But it doesn't have
direct lakeside access,

and the bedrooms are smaller
than they'd like.

They're now seeing another tiny
option, with a lakeside view.

Oh,
this is cute.

I like
the screened-in porch.

You got a nice view
of the water.
Yeah, me too.

Hi, guys. How are
you doing today?

Good.
How are you?
Good.

Well, today, we've got a cute
farm-style bungalow.

It's 520 square feet,
2 bedrooms, 1 bath,

and it's listed
for $70,000.

Okay.
Under budget.

And while we're not
on the water,

we do have
a beautiful lake view.

Yeah, you got a nice view
from the porch.

You can hang out
and have a couple of cocktails

and check out the water.

It's really important for me
to have a place to go

and relax and unwind
and crack open a beer.

And it's a stone's
throw from the lake,

so the screened-in porch,
that's perfect.

Ooh.

So, this is
the living-room area.

We do have your fireplace
that you wanted.

Yeah, plug-in.
Is that electric?

It is electric.

Nice, tall
ceilings, though.

Cathedral ceilings
do add a lot of height.

Yeah, that's good.

I think the couch
would fit in here.

We can hang the TV up on
the wall over here and...

Yeah, there
is space for that.

Looks like the lighting fixtures
need some updating, too.

Yeah, I think I had a fan
like that back in 1985.

I mean, overall, I think
if we painted the trim white,

put a new color
on the wall,

put some nice
hardwood floors down,

I think that would
give it a more updated look.

I'm not a big fan
of the linoleum.

It doesn't
look awful, though.

It's not something you'd have
to replace right away.

What's--
what's that?

That's your light
over the kitchen sink.

But, if you like,
you can take that down

and get the cabinets
extended up over
the refrigerator.

You'd have to do that
because we have food,
we have two growing boys.

Where do you put the
food and the dishes?

There's just not enough room
here to work with.

Yeah, maybe we could add
some cupboards over here
on the opposite side

and put an island
in the middle?

What about
the air freshener?

Air freshener, unfortunately,

does not come
with the house.

Oh, this is nice
back here.

And here's
the one-car garage.

Yeah! We could store
some jet skis in there,

extra toys. Yeah,
our extra stuff,

'cause we're gonna have
a lot of extra stuff.

That's a big deal
to have that.

- Absolutely.
- This is a good space.

Wow. This is really,
really small.

This is way too small.

This is supposed to be
a family bathroom.

You'd have to squat
to brush your teeth
and wash your hands.

That would get old.

Yeah.

I'm not...

I'm not seeing myself
doing that every single day.

What do we use, then?

We could always use
a hose outside.

Here, let me
get that for you.

- No door.
- Oh, yeah.
No door.

This is one
of two bedrooms.

They are both
very similar in size,

so either one could be
for you or the kids.

Okay. I don't see
any closets in here.

But this room
is big enough

to hold your queen-size
bed and a dresser.

No closet, no door.
I don't know.

No door. Again.

No closet. Again.

And what is this
door over here?

It's the
emergency exit

in case the water heater
starts on fire

because the water heater is
in the corner of this room.

That's really dangerous
to have around the kids,

so we would have
to make this our bedroom.

This would have to
be our bedroom.
There's no choice.

This room
is just awkward.

The kitchen is
a lot more spacious

than what I was
thinking it would be,

and, I think, with a couple
more cupboards in there,

I could really
make it work.

It's not move-in-ready,
so we would need

to make a couple
renovations on the inside.

Paint, carpets...

But the screened-in
porch is awesome.

We can see the lake
from the house.

That was my number-one
thing, and you got us that,

but the outside
of the house

doesn't have that distinct
look that I was looking for.

It doesn't really stand out
and catch the eye,

but for the view,
I think I can get past that.

And with $20,000
under budget,

there's definitely
some room for improvements.

Since renovation is an issue,
Blake's found them a tiny home

that's move-in-ready
with a major bonus.

Oh, wow.
Ah, yes!

There it is. Awesome.

What about
in the winter?

The body heat, I hear,
will heat the house, so...

Well, I meant,
like, outside.

We're gonna build an
igloo in the backyard
and live in that.

That'll be
a fun activity.

With two kids in tow,

Bill and Jamie are moving back
to their hometown

of Grand Rapids, Michigan,
to be closer to family.

And to make their lives
more manageable,

they're going tiny.

While Bill's sister has taken
the entire family in

during their search,

Bill and Jamie are ready to find
their own home-- and fast.

They've seen a 600-square-foot
stone cottage

that's well under
their $90,000 budget

and has a big backyard
and a nice-size kitchen,

but it isn't on the water

and doesn't have the patio
or deck Bill's looking for.

Next was a 520-square-foot
farm bungalow

that has the big backyard and
lake view they've been wanting,

but the master bedroom
is too small to be practical,

and the home needs
extensive updating.

Since move-in-ready and
water access are priorities,

friend and real-estate agent
Blake Edidin

has found them a tiny option
that may fit the bill.

There's
that stone. Look.

Yeah. I love
that natural setting,
too, all the trees.

So, today, we've got
a one-bedroom, one-bath.

It's 480 square feet,

and it's listed
for $125,000.

Oof. That's a little
over budget.

It's a little
over budget,

but everything
was just recently redone.

But no view
- of the water.
- Yeah, where's the water?

We wanted to be
on the water.

I love the outside of the house,
I like the stonework,

it's all redone,

the roof looks like it's gonna
be solid for a number of years,

so it's a beautiful house
from the outside walking up,

but I don't see a lake,
I don't see seagulls.

Where's the lake at?
I don't see a lake.

It is closer
than you think. Like,
how close?

I'm not seeing
what you're saying.

Looking around,
I don't see water.

It's right down the
path, on the other side
of the dunes there.

It's close?
It's close.

I'm excited
to see this.

Oh, wow.
Ah, yes!

- Awesome.
- There it is.

You wanted a lake?

How about the biggest lake
in the United States--

Lake Michigan.

- This is awesome.
- You delivered.

We both grew up on this
side of the state,

on this side of Michigan,

so when we would go
to the beach, we'd
go to Lake Michigan.

So this is home, right here.
Yeah, the boys would love this.

Every day. I'm getting out
of work early every day.

This is perfect.

This is what I've dreamed
of my whole life--

always wanted to be
on the water.

Here we are, finally.
We have a chance.

Wow.
Tall ceilings. Fireplace.

Makes it feel a lot
more spacious in here.

Newly remodeled kitchen.

We could definitely store
all of our dishes.

This may have as
much cabinet space

as our
2,400-square-foot house.

The kitchen in this house
has a lot of cupboards,

a lot of counter space.

The pull-out island
could double as a cook surface

and also as a table
for the kids to eat at.

So I can totally see myself
cooking in there

and having plenty of room.

Leads us right into
the family room, here.

And my fireplace.

With your fireplace
and more stone.

That is perfect. Is that
propane or electric?

It is run off
propane, yes.

I love how the mantel
kind of matches the floor, too.

It was a custom builder,
and there was a lot of
attention to detail.

Okay,
that's great.

Do you like the yellow
on the walls?

Sure. They don't bother me,
so I must like them.

And over here is
more storage for toys
or what have you.

Yeah. Needs a couple
cabinet doors, there.

So, I thought you said
there was a bedroom.

Well,
funny you mention that.

You're standing
in it.

Okay.

What do you mean?

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah. This... Uh...

Little Murphy bed.

So that's for us, right?

What about the kids?
Where do they sleep?

One other option is the loft
above the bathroom.

Looks a little
tight up there.

Well, not much privacy
- between the sleeping areas.
- There's no privacy.

It's a beautiful house,
it's cozy,

but not having any walls
and no private bedroom?

I go to bed really early
because I get up early.

So I can just picture myself
laying there and the kids

just jumping on my bed
as I'm trying to go to sleep.

That's not gonna work.

Well, there are definitely
some obstacles to overcome

with going tiny
in this house,

but it does have a
rather large bathroom

for being a tiny house.

All right, well,
let's see it.

Love this door,
this barn door.

- Yeah, I do, too.
- It's pretty cool.

Does it lock?

Nope. I'm guessing
it doesn't lock.

Everything has just been
redone in here also.

It's got a large,
full-size shower.

That is a big shower.
Not a bathtub.

Yeah, the kids are not
gonna like the fact

that they
have to shower.

But other than that,
- it's set to go.
- Yep.

So, what do
you guys think?

That view
of the lake--

that's more than what
I was hoping for.

Still got to think about this.
We had no bedrooms.

There's a bed for us,
but where do the kids go?

The kids not having
their own bedroom

is gonna be an issue, though.

But it does have
the larger kitchen.

Plenty of
cupboard space,

lots of counter
space to prep.

And you did
get me the stone.

You came through on that
on the outside of the house

and on the inside
around the fireplace,
which I really like.

Ready to move in,
nothing to do.

This is turnkey.

It's a great house.

With several options
on the table,

Bill and Jamie need to decide

which tiny home
is right for their family.

That is breathtaking,
far above and beyond
what I was expecting.

Yeah. How awesome
would that be?

Our house hunters
are upgrading to tiny houses.

With a $90,000 budget,

Connecticut residents Bill,
Jamie, and their two sons

are moving back
to Grand Rapids, Michigan,

to be closer to family.

And after seeing
several options,

it's time to decide which
tiny home is right for them.

What do you think
about the stone cottage?

At 600 square feet,

it has a list
price of $69,900.

Way under budget.

I love the stone cottage--
It has a lot of character,

the boys would have
their own room,

we would have
our own room.

There's several lakes
really close-by.

Yeah. Can't see it
from the house, though.

- That's a big deal to me.
- That's true.

The kitchen is
a little bit small,

but I think we could
probably make it work.

And I said I wanted stone.
It's made out of stone.

No fireplace, though.

That does stink.
I really wanted a fireplace.

And there's
a big backyard,

which, obviously,
they're gonna need some space.

I liked
the farm bungalow.

It definitely needed
some updating.

At $70,000, this house
is 520 square feet.

No doors.
No closets.

Not one single closet
in the whole place.

And the bathroom
was super tiny.

The kitchen was--
overall, it had kind of
a spacious feeling.

We would need appliances,
we'd need to add some cabinets,

but the porch...

The view of the water. I can
see us out there hanging out.

You walk to the water,
you're there in one minute.

What did you think about
the renovated lake house
near Lake Michigan?

At 480 square feet,
it's listed at $125,000.

Way over budget.

That's $35,000
over budget.

But we wouldn't have
to do any renovations.

The lake is right
out the back door.

That is breathtaking,
far above and beyond
what I was expecting.

Yeah. How awesome would
that be in the summer?

But what do we
do in the winter,

we all just sit in
one room for 5 months?

No bedrooms.

The kitchen's huge,
though, for a tiny house.

- A lot of cabinet space.
- Lots of cupboards.

- Love the fireplace, though.
- I do, too.

It gives it a really nice,
warm, cozy feeling.

That's too much money,
$125,000.

We wouldn't have
to do any renovations,

so I think that it
makes up for that.

I think the stone cottage
gives us

everything that
we're looking for,
it's under budget.

It's not on the water,
but there are three
lakes within a mile.

I love the look of it.
I think that that is our house.

- Yeah, me too.
- Should we call Blake?

Yeah, let's do it.
All right.

Somebody's slaphappy.

We've been living here
for about a month now.

It's been a little bit
stressful unpacking

and trying to figure out
what we need to keep,

what we need to sell,
what we're gonna store.

It's pretty amazing the things
that you think you need

but you actually
don't really need.

It's actually been kind of nice
to purge a lot of stuff.

- A pot?
- It's not in there.

It is.
It's way in the back.

It was listed
for $69,000,

and our budget
was $90,000.

We got the house
for $65,000,

so that saved us
$25,000.

So we're able to
put that away,

spend it on some vacations
in the future,

and it gives us a little
bit of a cushion.

Big thing for me was finding
a house that's move-in ready,

I didn't want to have
to do any repairs,

and this place
was exactly that.

We were able to just bring
our stuff in, set it down,

and here we are--
we're good to go.

We're not right on the water,
which was our goal,

but, you know, there's
three lakes within a mile,

so this is gonna do
just fine.

Let's go
for a swim. Ready?

The boys are loving
the tiny house.

They have bunk beds set up
in their room now.

They've got a closet,
they've got their space and
all of their toys again.

They can get a little
crazy sometimes,

with having less
space to play in.

But they seem to be
adjusting well.

They're the happiest
I've ever seen them.

Do you like living
by your cousins?
Yeah.

Going back and forth between
Michigan and Connecticut,

it's a little difficult
juggling the schedules,

but overall,
it's worked out well

having family down
the road to help out.

Watch out, Pork.

Pork Chop likes
it here, too.

It's just his size.
He fits in really well.

He doesn't get lost, like
he used to in our big house.

- I winned!
- I winned.

I was a little
reluctant at first.

I didn't know
if we could go tiny,

if we could downsize
from 2,400 square feet to 600.

But I'm happy
with our decision.

I really like
the house,

and this is working
out great so far.

It's given us more time

to play with the kids,
more time to visit family.

We're gonna be on the lake,
we're gonna be having
jet skis, so I'm happy.

I think this was one
of the best decisions
we've ever made.

Ready?
- Hop over!
- It's not gonna end well.