Tiny House Hunters (2014–…): Season 4, Episode 23 - Wanting Tiny in Washington - 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, my goodness.
- It's light and open.

James is giving tiny
living a shot

in Spokane, Washington.

Could you fit
a bed up there?

It would be tight.

He has ex-wife, Rachel,
along to keep him focused.

You're definitely going to want
to put some railing up here.



Look at all the storage
you're going to get

inside this refrigerator.

This is definitely
a one butt kitchen.

I think we're doing good.

What do you think, James?
- I'm sold.

Up! Up!

I'm James, I'm 36,
I work at an HVAC distributor

and I live in Spokane, Washington.

Good boy.

I've lived in Spokane
my whole life.

I have two dogs.

Katie is a golden retriever
and Bear is a mutt.

He's an Australian
shepherd/lab mix.

I like getting outside
every chance I get.

Whether it's hiking or biking

or snowboarding
in the wintertime.

Anything that'll get me outside
and get my heart going.

You ready, buddy?

I first learned about
the tiny movement

about 2 years ago watching TV.

The things that
really appeal to me

about it are being able

to pay off your home
in 5 to 10 years

and using that money
for fun things in life,

and just the simplicity
of living.

Over.
Good, over.

Right now, I'm living
in my mom's basement.

She's great.
The upside is that the basement

is preparing me
for the tiny house.

It's actually been liberating

getting rid of
a lot of the stuff

that built up
in the old house.

Helping him find
his new tiny home

is good friend
and ex-wife, Rachel.

Even though
we're not married,

it's really important for us
to remain friends.

No matter what our titles
or labels are,

I love him and I want him
in my life on some level.

He's just such
an extraordinary person.

Agreed.

I would love to help James find
his new house

because, men, they tend to go
towards just functional.

I met James as a bachelor.
Very sterile environment.

So what I would like
to bring to the situation

is keep
that warmth to it.

My budget is $45,000

and I'd like to get
a smaller house,

somewhere around
300 square feet.

He also has
a $20,000 budget for land

to put his new tiny house on.

Have you really given
a lot of thought

to what your absolute
deal breakers are?

Yeah.
One of the big things

is going to be
having enough space

for both me and the dogs.
- Yeah.

My style that I'd like to see
in the tiny house

is more of a rustic cabin

with a modern feel
to the inside.

And it would be nice to have
a ground-floor bedroom.

Yeah.

And full-sized appliances
would take up a lot of space,

so I don't think
that would be part of it.

You think
that's a bad idea?

The one thing that
I would disagree with James on

is a full-size kitchen.

Right now, it might make sense
to not have that,

but,
in the future,

I think it'll make great sense
for him and where he's going.

I want to stay away from things
like a bathtub...

Okay.

...which is going to take up
a lot of space.

A shower would be fine
for that.

And then I'm looking
for something

with a composting toilet.

I'm really committed to
the tiny house movement,

so I'm excited
to actually take a look

at some real-life tiny houses

and see how functional
they would be for space.

For help finding both
his new tiny house

and the land to put it on,

James has enlisted
longtime friend

and real-estate broker,
Nichole Andreasen.

The market is
growing here in Spokane.

I think more people are becoming
more interested in the movement,

and I've known
James since high school.

So when I heard
that he was going to be

looking for a tiny house,

I jumped all over it.

First up, Nichole wants James

to see a 315-square-foot
boxy gray bungalow.

- Looks nice.
- So modern.

It's not quite as rustic
as I was looking for.

I love the pop of red
and all of the windows.

That's super light.
- I like the shed-style roof.

What's the cost?

-$49,500.
- Oh, wow.

So we're already over
budget with that.

But I didn't count it out
because my thoughts are,

we could find
a piece of land

that's less than what
we've been looking for

and then that'll keep you
in the budget.

Yeah.
So that might be workable.

So let's go take
a look at inside.

All right.

- What do you think?
- Oh, my goodness.

- This is beautiful.
- Yeah.

- Look at the fireplace, James.
- Yeah, that's...

- Does this have heat?
- It does.

- Oh, wow.
- That is a source of heat.

I don't think I could fit
my furniture in here.

Does this come with furniture
in the price?

Yes.
Everything you see in here

comes with the home.

- That's awesome.
- Does it have a master bedroom

or is it just
the sleeping loft?

There is
no main-floor bedroom,

which I know was very
important to you, James.

However, this awesome couch
actually turns into a bed.

So this
can become your bedroom.

Want to try it out
with me?

Looks a little dangerous.

Come on in, Nichole.

- Room for me?
- Yes.

Nice.
What do you think, James?

I'm sold.

Do you guys
just want to go ahead

and take a look at the loft?
- Yeah, let's do this.

This would be bad news, though,

if you were a little tired
in the morning, James.

It's dangerous.
I like it.

Can all three of us
fit in here?

Absolutely.

And you have a TV.

The thing I like is that
they made the entrance

on the high side
of the shed roof.

You lose a little bit
of privacy here,

but this wall, this barrier,

provides a great one.
- Yeah.

Let's go take a look
at the rest of the house.

You're definitely going to want
to put some railing up here,

I think, James.
- Yeah.

I like the floors in here.
- Mm-hmm.

Behind you right here

is the his-and-hers
closet space here.

I know there's not
currently a her,

so you can do whatever you want
with that second space.

- All mine.
- All yours.

You get a lot more counter
space and cupboards

because, as you can see,
your favorite, a smaller stove.

Yeah.
I like it.

The appliances seem like
they fit the area really nicely.

I don't think they're oversized.

They're just about right
for what I'm looking for.

I am in love
with this door.

It's like an old
barn door, James.

How cool!

Yeah.
I like it.

Look at this shower, James.
It's nice and big.

What do you think?
- Most of the tiny houses

that I've seen have
small, tiny shower stalls,

so this is a really good size.
- Yeah.

You could definitely fit
three people in here, Nichole.

Now it's getting
really awkward.

I'll in.
- Hey, you guys.

We did it again.

The thing I like
about this bathroom

is the composting
toilet and no bathtub.

So I think it helps
the space a lot.

And then this looks
like a washer/dryer unit.

Is that right?
- Yes.

That's awesome. Okay.

I really like how the light
coloring brings out

and makes it look bigger.

The kitchen
was really well done.

I like the stainless
steel appliances.

The compostable toilet,

the shower with no bathtub
and that's a big shower.

- Storage, too.
- Yeah.

So I really like the
shelving unit involved in it.

The outside isn't as rustic
as I thought it would be,

and I do wish it had
a downstairs bedroom,

even though the loft
is a good size.

And I really wouldn't mind
seeing a tiny house

that has maybe less
square footage.

That way, we might be able
to come in under budget

and give us some room to work
with the land price.

Nichole's found
a smaller home for James,

but it may be
a little too snug.

It's definitely
a one-butt kitchen.

We'll flip around.
Let's see what we can do.

Now we need
to get this on film.

Yeah. I'm probably going
to crash into you.

With help from
his ex-wife, Rachel,

fitness and outdoor
enthusiast James

is going tiny
in Spokane, Washington.

He wants to minimize
his mortgage payments

and live a simpler lifestyle
with his two dogs.

In addition to his $45,000
tiny house budget,

he's set aside
$20,000 for land.

So far, friend

and real-estate broker
Nichole Andreasen

has shown him
a 315-square-foot

modern gray bungalow he likes.

But it doesn't have
the rustic exterior

or the first-floor bedroom
he's looking for,

and it's well over
his house budget.

Today, Nichole's lined up
a tiny green cottage

that's small in size
but big on savings.

- Oh, my gosh.
- That is really small.

That is not your style
at all. I would not say rustic.

- No.
- I am noticing something huge.

There's no wheels.

Yeah. That's going to
make it a challenge.

It's actually only
going to be $3,500,

which we could work
into your budget.

You'd put it on a flat bed.
- What's the square footage?

198 square feet.

Oh, wow.

However, the upstairs
has a loft area

that brings you closer
to that 300 square footage.

- How much is the house?
- It's only $29,950.

Oh, my gosh.

That does seem
like a good deal.

I really hope that
James sees the value

in this tiny home
because it's going to open up

a lot of opportunities
for the land

that I could find him
and the budget

I'd have to work
with him on that.

All right.
Here it is.

- It is cute.
- Wow.

So, really, we could
stand in one spot

and see it all right here.
- Take it all in.

We've got the kitchen
and we're in the living room.

I know it's small down here.

However, we still have some
attic space that we'll look at.

I actually like
the coloring in here.

It's light enough to make it
feel open

and this window lets in
a lot of natural light.

I just feel like I can
almost touch the walls.

Definitely.

I think you'd have to get
really creative with furniture

to make it
a livable space.

Let's look at this kitchen.

All these cabinets
are really nice.

What is this?

Oh.
- Oh, wow.

It's a dining room table
right here.

We just need a couple
folding chairs and we're set.

- Yeah.
- Seriously!

You could put at least
three people here.

It is definitely
a one-butt kitchen.

But it's just you,
so that would be perfect.

There are three of us
in here, you guys.

Let's flip it around.
Let's see what we can do.

No.
- I think we're doing good, Rach.

Does this have a fridge?

Well, I know how you
love small appliances,

so here's your small appliance.

That is definitely
on the small side.

I think I could fit maybe
two jugs of milk in there

and be at capacity.

So you really wanted
that main-floor bedroom.

You're in your bedroom
right now.

So we have the nice futon.

You can sit on it
during the day

and then pull it out at night.
See?

So if you did watch TV,
this would be it.

I could almost open
the fridge from here, too.

That's nice.

I think if James were
to buy this house,

we could definitely figure out
a solution to the living area.

I think with the right
furniture, it could work.

It would be a stretch, again,
with the dogs.

However, James could
make it work for him.

The real test,
James, is to see

if there's enough space for you
to actually do a push-up.

Physical challenge.

Okay.
We got one.

Hold on one second.
- Oh, God.

- And again.
- Oh, no.

Sold! It works!

- Oh, my gosh.
- This is a big bathroom.

Look. It has the shower
that you want.

What do you think?
- I like the shower stall.

It kind of reminds me of an RV
with the walls here.

Nailed it.

But the rest of it
looks really nice.

I'm noticing it does not have
a compostable toilet, though.

That's a big deal
for me.

With the extra money
in the budget,

it might be something

that I can change
in the future, though.

But you've got this
great washer and dryer.

Yeah.
That's cool.

- All right.
- I'd like to get a ladder

and take a look
at this attic space.

Okay.
Awesome.

What do you think
about it up there?

If I spent the time and money
to finish this place,

it would be useful for storage
and that's about it.

- Oh.
- Could you fit a bed up there?

It would be tight.
It would be really tight.

The upstairs attic
might be something

that I can work with
in the future

to make it a livable area.

But, overall, I really like
the layout of this tiny house.

But I think they did
a lot of thinking

to make this area work.

The kitchen has a ton
of storage space.

The bathroom is big
for a tiny house.

There's going to be
enough money in the budget

to change that
to a composting toilet.

So it does have a lot
of things going for it.

Would you want to come
home to this every day?

No, you're right.
The style isn't me.

So part of that money
that I'd be saving

would be used
to redo the outside.

The one thing that I can't
change about this house

is fitting two dogs
into that small square footage.

But, for this price,

we could find you
some really cool land.

Because James wants
a little more space,

Nichole is showing him
something bigger,

but it may be too much.

What's going on
with this kitchen?

These appliance
are like juggernauts.

What are you going to do with
all of your exercise equipment?

Outdoor enthusiast
James is going tiny

in Spokane, Washington,

for the financial freedom
it offers him.

He's set aside $45,000
to buy his tiny home,

and another $20,000
for land to put it on.

Friend and ex-wife, Rachel,
is along to give advice

finding a home
that's rustic on the outside

and modern on the inside,

but it also needs to be
big enough for his two dogs.

Friend and real-estate broker,
Nichole Andreasen,

has shown them
a modern gray bungalow

that has the shower
and composting toilet

he's looking for.

But it doesn't have
the downstairs bedroom

he wants and it's well
over his house budget.

A tiny green cottage
has the spacious bathroom

and a great price
that would allow James

to spend more money on land,

but it lacks room for the dogs

and doesn't have the rustic
exterior he's looking for.

Hi, dude.

Hey, Nichole.
How are you doing?

Today, Nichole has arranged

to meet up
with tiny house builder,

David Bates,

who has
a 396-square-foot custom

modern cabin for sale.

- Wow. It is huge.
- Oh, my goodness.

What do you think
of the outside?

I think it looks cool.
I really like the cedar siding.

- These windows are huge.
- These windows are big.

Yeah. Those are
all dual-paned windows.

Definitely hits that rustic
feel that you wanted.

But it is huge.
- Yeah.

Do we have to hire
a special trucking company

to get this thing moved?
- No, I have a company.

I have two companies that I use.
- What does that usually run?

- Probably $1,000.
- Okay. That doesn't seem bad.

What is your price
on this house?

Now, this particular
one is $48,000.

Wow. That's a lot
outside my budget.

Well, why don't you
take your time

and go on inside
and check it out,

and if you have any questions,
catch up to me.

- Okay. Sounds good. Thanks.
- All right.

Oh, my goodness.

It feels really open
in here. I like that.

Look at these ceilings.
They're amazing.

Originally, you had told me

you didn't want
all wood on the inside.

What are your
thoughts on that?

It doesn't feel
like it's all wood

because of the white,
so I like that part of it.

What's going on
with this kitchen?

These appliances
are like juggernauts.

This home was actually
purchased by someone else

and they backed out
last minute.

I brought you here just to see
if it's something

that could work out.
- They're just so big.

I'm not sure I could
ever use all of it.

Well, I think you need
to look long-term, James.

You wouldn't have to bring
the chest freezer over.

Look at all of the storage

you're going to get
inside this refrigerator.

From my perspective,
the kitchen is insane.

I would be the happiest person.

James, he does tend to hone
in and focus on functionality.

So my hope is that he won't
just focus in solely on that.

It looks like there's a
secondary heat source over here.

Yes.
Nice wood stove for you

and custom tile finishes
around it.

- I like that.
- And style-wise, it looks good.

What's going on up
here with the loft?

Wow. It feels
a little bit tight up here.

A little.
You're going to hit

your head
every morning, James.

I've got those memory
foam mattresses.

That's going to kick it
up another 6 inches,

so I'm losing
even more space.

- I don't think this would work.
- It doesn't seem functional.

- Yeah.
- Just utilize it for storage.

Wow. This is a really
good sized bathroom.

What is this?
This is the composting?

- Yeah. Here it is.
- Oh, my gosh.

What do you think
of the bathtub?

I think we would be perfect
with a shower stall.

There's just
too much bathtub here.

And for as big
as this bathroom is,

I wish they would've put
more space in the loft.

I agree,
but I think it's heaven.

I would be
so happy with that

and I think you're going
to learn to love it

if you did go with it.

This is the mudroom.

- Huh.
- Oh, wow.

This is interesting.

Is this just a washer?

That's actually
a dual unit.

So, to save space in here,

it does both
the washing and drying.

And why is the dishwasher
in the mudroom?

That's strange.

If we would have had smaller
appliances for the kitchen,

they could've put
the dishwasher in the kitchen

where it makes sense.
- Yep.

But all in all,
put a doggy door in here.

It might be useful.

I like the windows,
how big they are.

It lets in a lot
of natural light.

The outside is my style.

I like the cedar.
- I think it's awesome

that it actually came
with this woodburning stove.

- I do like that.
- Yeah.

The high ceilings
are incredible.

What about the loft?
Could you live with it?

The loft just
doesn't seem functional.

There's a lot of stuff
that I don't need.

I don't need
a big bathtub.

I don't need
full-sized appliances.

I don't know.
I know there's a lot here

that you don't like,

but I also think there's a lot
here that you do like.

After seeing a wide
variety of options to go tiny,

it's time for James
to make a decision.

This is going
to be challenging.
It will.

James is looking to go
tiny in Spokane, Washington.

With a house budget
of $45,000

and a land budget of $20,000,

and his ex-wife, Rachel,
there to help,

it's time for him to decide
which place he should buy.

That boxy gray bungalow,

that one was pretty cool.

That one was
expensive at $49,500.

Yeah. I think that 315 square
feet is perfect for you.

As far as
the exterior goes,

it wasn't what
I was looking for,

but they did
a really good job

of incorporating enough
small windows

to bring in a lot of light.
- Yeah.

I think they kind of nailed
it with the fireplace

and then the convertible furniture.

You also have a lot
of head room in the loft.

And it didn't have
a big old bathtub

to take up
a lot of space,

and it also had that
composting toilet.

- Mm-hmm.
- So what did you think

about the tiny green cottage
at $29,950?

- It's a steal.
- Yeah.

The layout was really great,
but 198 square feet on that.

Yeah. What I really did
like was the bathroom

and that it has
so much storage in it,

and then also with
the washer and dryer.

That was really nice.

But that tiny house just
had no room for the dogs.

- No.
- Plus the main living spot

is gonna be
a conversion area

that I'd have to make
usable as a bedroom.

I think even the money you would
save to purchase land,

you would be investing it

to make it
what you actually want,

with the compostable toilet
that it didn't have,

fixing up that attic,
getting new appliances

and getting furnishings
that would fit to make

that a really usable
living area.

Definitely.

What did you think
about the modern cabin?

I know it's a little bit
out of your budget.

What was it, again?
-$48,000.

The overall look of it
was awesome...

- Mm-hmm.
- ...but those appliances

were just way too big,
and the bathtub.

So if that would have been
a shower stall,

it would've freed up

a lot of square footage
on the main floor.

It did have
a compostable toilet.

I did like that part.

The loft was another part

that I didn't like.
- Yeah.

It just seemed like
the head room wasn't there.

But I think it would just be
absolutely perfect

for the dogs.

This is going
to be challenging.

It will.

Where I really think
you would be happiest,

though, James,
is the modern cabin.

I think with the huge windows

and as much as you love nature,
I think you would love it.

- I think you're right.
- Really?

Yeah. I put that in
the right piece of land

and I think it's just
going to stand out.

- This is going to be awesome.
- Yeah.

It looks
incredible, James.

I really, really like it.

I ended up choosing
the modern cabin.

The asking price
of it was $48,000

and I ended up
paying $48,000 for it.

My budget for land was $20,000.
Nichole did a great job.

She found me a 1/4 acre

10 minutes outside of town
for $9,000.

So she came in way
under budget for me.

And the dogs love it.

Every time they get outside,
they're happy as can be.

Oh, my God.
You brought gifts?

Uh-huh.
Open it!

I wasn't sure

how the furniture
would fit into this space,

but it fits in nicely.

As far as the big appliances
go, it's kind of ironic,

but I think I'll grow into
that part of this tiny house.

I might even take
a cooking class down the line.

Well, show me around.
I'm excited.

As far as the bathtub goes,

Rachel and Nichole both

made a really
good point about it.

That might be
a good selling point

if I ever wanted to rent
this place out or sell it.

I will definitely use
the downstairs area

as a bedroom as well.

The upstairs loft can be
used for guests and storage.

- There's so much room in here!
- I know.

Doesn't even feel
like a tiny home.

- I know. Isn't it incredible?
- Yeah.

Rachel was awesome through
this whole process.

Even though
we're not together,

she's still one
of my best friends,

and her perspective and insight

through this whole thing
has been invaluable.

I couldn't have pictured
a better outcome.

A few months after
moving into his new tiny house,

James has an update.

He and Rachel are giving
their marriage a second chance.

I'm excited about
our future.

I just see an endless stream
of possibility.

I love him.
Sorry, ladies.

He's mine, so...