Tiny House Hunters (2014–…): Season 4, Episode 5 - Military Couple Goes 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!

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--
- that's the loft.
- Whoa... wow.

I think I see a problem already.

This thing is awesome--
I really like the wood
look on it.

Jake and Ashley want
financial freedom

and the ability to move anywhere
at a moment's notice.

Whoo!
So they're going tiny.

This would be a perfect room
for the baby.

There is a lot of space
in here.

Oh, this place is so unique!

While they agree
they need to downsize,

finding everything they both
want could be a challenge.

That is not a toilet,
- that is a box.
- It's a toilet.

I can't even cook! I would
have to remodel everything.



- Ready to lose, Jake?
- I don't know, we'll see.

I'm Ashley--I'm 22,
and I'm a realtor.

I'm Jake, I'm 25,
and I'm in the military.

- What?
- What?

We met in Virginia--
I actually went to go

be a beach bum for the summer,
and this fellow walked into

my best friend's living room. Yep.

Her entire head was purple,
and I was like,

"Wow! That's pretty rad.
I need to go talk to her."

And then there's this cool dude
that isn't afraid

to talk cars with me--
total turn-on.

We are engaged,
and we're getting ready

to have our first child.
Yep!

Little Clark. Mmhm.

Our current house, we own
in Lindenhurst, Illinois.

It's a 1,200-square-foot ranch.

And about half of it
is under construction.

They've realized that such
a big project and house

is more than they bargained for,

so once renovations are
complete, they're putting
the house on the market

and want to buy something
about a quarter of the size.

So for us, it's gonna be
the transition to something

that's much smaller of
a footprint and doesn't

have a 30-year mortgage
tacked onto it.

Preferably under $65,000.

For preferably under $65,000.

But while Jake is all-in
with selling the house

and going tiny,
Ashley needs some convincing.

I thought he was
absolutely insane.

Ultimately, what convinced
Ashley was she really

crunched the numbers,
and just the amount

of savings that we were
gonna get was astronomical.

To start our little family off
with no debt

is gonna be just amazing,
and another reason was

Jake has to move so much
with being in the military,

we wanted the option
to bring our house with us

every place we have to go.

So I found this one last night,
and I think it's adorable.

In terms of size, we're looking
for something that's around
300 square feet.

Really wanted it towable,
so whenever I move it

by myself when he's not around,
I don't feel pressured

into moving something big,
but we still want it
to feel homey.

My grandparents used to live
in downtown Prescott, Arizona,

and it's all old homes,
Victorian feeling,

and that's what I want
in my home.

And I prefer something

like an RV, I think it's built
a little bit more

to travel over the road.

But an RV is not made to feel
homey, to raise a family,

- and that's what I want.
- But you can make it homey.

We'll see about that.

It's an actual tiny house
with a real vintage door.

- That's pretty nice.
- I really want stairs--
I don't want a ladder

trying to carry an infant
up and down them.

I really need shoe storage.

And I do not think
- it's necessary.
- Oh, it's completely necessary.

One pair out of
the 900 pairs you have
is all you're getting rid of?

Yeah, I mean,
is that not enough?

And she also thinks that me
requiring a porcelain toilet

- is out of the question.
- I think more of that stems
from the military

and using porta potties,
and I feel like

a kitchen table's important--
I also need a real tub

to bathe a child in
and space for the baby.

I can totally fit
your king-size bed up there.

Yeah, it looks like there's
some room for us to expand
in there.

So one of the big things
on my wish list

is to be able to fit
a king-size bed

inside of the tiny house,
and I still want to be able

to have a residential-sized
fridge to put all of
our groceries in.

- Bubba, come on!
- Come here, Bubby!

But finding a tiny home
with enough space
for two adults,

a baby, and a 120-pound dog
is challenging.

I think that if we keep
going about the way
we're going

that we are never gonna decide
on anything that we both want,

so we're bringing in my friend,
Michelle, who is also a realtor

to kind of be
the voice of reason.

Yeah, be more of a voice
of reason for us.

Michelle is starting them off
with a 402-square-foot
tiny home.

I wanted to show Ashley and Jake
this tiny house on wheels today,

because I think it has
everything that they're
looking for.

It's got a lot of windows,
it's got the space,

- and it's towable.
- This thing is awesome!

It's big.
There's two lofts, one bath.

- It's 32 feet long.
- Uh-huh, how much is this thing
running for?

It's $55,000,
so well under budget. Okay.

That's really good.
I don't know if the truck could
pull something this heavy.

And it's gonna end up being me
pulling it when he has to

go off and do military stuff.
The size of this trailer

is just a little bit too big.

I don't believe it is safe
for Ashley to pull by herself.

There's a lot to worry about.

Oh, this place is super cute!

It's not technically my style,
but it's so unique
that it works.

It really is--
that wood ceiling's pretty rad.

- I really like these stairs.
- That is great, too.

It looks like they got
- storage in there.
- There's storage.

I don't know how I feel
about that.

I don't know--I think
I'd rather just have them

finish it and get rid of
the storage. Yeah.

But look how cute
the railing is.
What is this?

I think it's just, like,
galvanized pipe with
a rope through there,

but I mean, it's cool, it kindaIt's unique.

Ties back into everything--
yeah, it's very unique.

This kitchen, though--
I think this has more space

in this kitchen than
in our actual house!

And we've got
a full-size fridge!

And I get a real stove.

But I still don't think
we're gonna have room
for a kitchen table.

I think if we just took
this whole thing out,

we could put a kitchen table
right there.

But there's really not gonna be
enough room in there.

By the time I sit down
and you sit down over there,

there's not gonna be a real
kitchen table.

I think you're finding excuses.
You know I love this place,

- and you just want to hate on it.
- No, I know that I love you,
and I know that if you get

into this place
and it doesn't work,
you're gonna be mad at me.

You really need to check out
this bathroom.

All right.
You think the kitchen is big.

It is a massive bathroom.

It--oh wow, it is.

- But what is that?
- That is your toilet.

That is not a toilet,
that is a box
It's a toilet.

With a toilet seat.

When you do your business,
you take the sawdust

and...
Oh, you can put that back.

- ...yeah.
- The baby and I refuse.

I think we have enough
wiggle room to where

I can really make that bathroom
something amazing.

I just have to replace
the toilet and put in
a bathtub--

bam, done in
a three-week timeline.

Oh, man--well, first thing,
there's carpet.

Well, that's something that
we can replace really easily.

What do you think about
- this divider?
- It'll be nice for when the baby's older.

He can have a separate play
space versus where he sleeps.

But until he's old enough
to walk, he really needs
to be down here.

I understand that, I mean,
we could use this

as sort of just
a storage space until
he gets a little bit bigger.

Yeah, I mean, that'd be
a nice place to put
all my shoes.

Well, I disagree, I think
we should look at downsizing,

because remember,
it's a lifestyle change.

I'm still trying to figure out
what this pole's for.

Well, you're gonna need
a way to get down.

Why don't you give us
- a little show?
- Oh, man.

- Whoo-hoo!
- Oh, goodness.

I do want to see the master.
Let's do it.

There is plenty of space
for a king up here.

- Awesome!
- And there's a ton of storage.

That's pretty rad.

I really like this house.

It's hit a lot of the things
on our wish list.

It's got a lot of counter space,
the stairs are actual stairs.

There's plenty of room
for the crib.

My biggest concern with
this place is that toilet.

Also, I'm afraid that you're
not gonna be able to pull this
by yourself.

Well, I mean, if you trained me
correctly on how to pull it,

- this wouldn't be an issue.
- I don't know.

I still feel like that we should
go look at something

a little bit closer to what
I like, maybe an RV.

Yeah, I don't think we should.

Michelle is now showing them
something much smaller

and easier to tow.

This is the kitchen table.
That is the kitchen table? Wow!

- You having fun fishing?
- A little bit.

- All right.
- It'd be better if
I caught something.

With a $65,000 budget,
expectant parents,

Jake and Ashley,
are searching for a new home
in Lindenhurst, Illinois.

Since Jake is in the military,
getting re-stationed

is a real possibility,
so he's convinced Ashley

to go tiny so they can bring
their home wherever they go.

They've seen an eclectic
402-square-foot tiny home

that has plenty of space
for the family,

but it may be too big
for Jake's taste,

and it doesn't have the flushing
toilet he's looking for.

Today, real estate agent,
Michelle Oelkers,

is showing them a customizable
model that, while smaller,

packs a lot of wish list punch.

I wanted to go tiny,
and I think this is
really small.

- What is the size of this?
- This is a 20-footer,

- 250 square feet.
- What does this one come in at?

- Forty thousand, yeah.
- Forty thousand, okay.

But it comes in larger sizes--
you can get 24- or 28-foot-long.

The 28-foot comes in
at $60,000, which is

- still well under your budget.
- That's kinda good.

- This is so not my style.
- I kinda don't mind the style.

This is just, like,
engineered wood?
Yes, it's engineered wood.

There's a lot of windows,
so it's nice and airy inside Okay.

- And two lofts.
- Two lofts, that's nice.

Oh, wow!

Wow, this is actually
pretty nice.

There's no carpet,
it's all wood--
that's nice.

- I do like that.
- What do you guys think
about the style?

I mean, it has a little bit
of the Victorian feel that
I was looking for--

the wainscoting is really nice--
but it's still small. Yeah.

At least it has stairs,
I like that instead of
a ladder.

With me being pregnant,
we can go up to the loft,

but what is that?
Yeah.

This can be another
sleeping space.

How would you get up there?
A ladder.

The only down side with it
would be going up, again,

- a ladder with a baby.
- And where would we fit
the crib?

Now if we did the 28-foot,
it would push out

eight feet on this side,
you would put your kitchen

over here, and you would have
this whole back end

where you could make it
a living room, you could
make it the baby's room.

But there's really not space
for a kitchen table.

Is that what the kitchen table's
supposed to be?

This is the kitchen table.
That is the kitchen table?

Wow! Try to up this thing up,
see how big it is.

We could put the baby there.
Yeah, it would be

the baby changing station,
that's really all we get now.

There's nowhere to put the baby
in this house.

The one option I saw
was taking out

the excuse for the kitchen table
that they had

and putting the baby down there,
but then I would have to

worry about the baby
and the dog being on
the same floor together.

We do have a larger fridge,
That is nice.

Which is your wish list. Yeah.

There's no prep space, though,
but I love how big the sink is.

We could actually wash
the baby in it.

And I get the exact cooktop
that I wanted.

- It's a real gas burner.
- It does, it is.

So I don't have to cook
everything in the microwave.

The only downside is I think
that it's just way too small.

I think we're losing
a lot with it.

You want to see how small
- it is up here?
- Yeah.

You think you could get
a king up there?
Absolutely.

Oh, my gosh! It's awesome!
King-sized bed.

I kinda like it up here.
I like how it's got all
the windows, all the light.

And you can always make
the other loft

- for Ashley's thousands of shoes.
- Yeah.

I mean, we haven't seen
a closet in here yet.

Be our closet space. Yeah.

It does have a real wood door.

Yeah, that's nice.
And it has a bathtub in it.

Ah, it does have a bathtub!

Somewhere we can wash
- the baby!
- That is true.

I do like how it's actually
tile, that's nice,

but that is a plastic toilet.

The builder can put a porcelain
toilet in for only $250.

And look at all
- the storage space.
- That is pretty nice.

You'll never find
a bathroom this size

with a tub in an RV.Yeah, that's true.

So what do you think?

I think the inside is kinda
what I'm looking for.

A couple shades of paint
on the wall, but I don't know
how I feel about the outside.

The outside's not too bad.
It's still towable.

True, and this is
an amazing kitchen.

I do get my real stove,
you get a fridge.

But I do not like
that plastic toilet,

and I really don't like
just how small it is,

but the builders can also
make us a bigger unit.

And then we'd have room
- for the crib.
- That's true.

If you went with the 28-footer,
spent the extra $20,000,

you'll get so much more space,
and you're still under budget.

I really do like that,
but I still feel like

we should look at an RV.

Michelle has found Jake an RV,

but selling Ashley on the idea
won't be easy.

Is this thing even towable?

Look at all these diapers
- that we got.
- You know the baby's gonna

go through that in,
- like, a day, right?
- Really?

- Yeah.
- Oh, my goodness.

Jake and his fiancée,
Ashley, are ready

to move out of
their 1,200-square-foot home

in Lindenhurst, Illinois,
and go tiny.

With a baby on the way,
Ashley is hesitant

to downsize, but the lure
of financial savings

and the freedom to move
the entire house wherever

Jake's military career takes
them is too good to pass up.

They've looked at
a 402-square-foot
eclectic property

that has more than enough space
for their growing family,

but it may be a little too big
to easily tow,

and it doesn't have
the flushable toilet
Jake really wants.

They've also seen
a 250-square-foot
Woodland model

that is small enough to tow
and is well under

their $65,000 budget,
but the main floor

is tight for three people
and a dog.

Real estate agent,
Michelle Oelkers, is showing

Jake what he has wanted to see,
a 350-square foot

fifth wheel RV.

Jake, this one's for you.
I like it.

Yeah, it's only for him. No.

- Is this thing even towable?
- It is--it's 40 feet,

weighs about 12,000 pounds--
it's definitely towable.

Like I would never be able
to do this by myself.

I think you could do it
by yourself no problem.
Dual entrances.

That would be nice for the baby
and the dog.

- How much is this one?
- It's $43,000.

I am super excited
to check out the fifth wheel.

This is what I have been
looking for.

It's gonna be easier to move,
and it's gonna have

the majority of everything
we're looking for.

- Seventeen-foot awning.
- That thing is pretty awesome.

We could have a grill out here,
have everybody over.

This thing would be awesome.

This RV has nothing of
my style on the outside.

This looks like I'm about
to take my family
on a vacation

Why don't we come in
and take a look?

- Let's go look.
- Okay.

This is just so brown.

I would have to remodel
everything!

But it's not that big of
a space to remodel,

so I really don't
- have a problem with it.
- Exactly, it's not that big of a space.

Look here, I can't even, like,
really cook.

I know I'm pregnant,
but I'm not that big.

Ashley is a little bit more
on edge,

she's worried about the baby
getting here,

so I think it's gonna take
a little bit of convincing,

but I know that once
I show her the space

and how it will open up,
she will really start
to like it.

There's four different areas
that completely move out

and gives you
so much more space--
let me show you.

Uh-huh, see.

Well, I guess if it does give us
a little bit more room...

And this is only the one.

- There's three more.
- Look, it even opened it up
for more cabinet space now.

I mean, the extra square footage
would be nice.

Look how much more room
there is in here!

Okay, you're right,
it does give us more room,

but I still am stuck with
an RV fridge.

I mean, look at this--
it's so small!

I know the fridge is small,
but you get a microwave

and a gas stove!

I guess I could work
with the gas stove.

You've got the sink--
it opens up.

I mean, I do like
the double sink.

You've got the couch
that you wanted.

You can actually sleep
up to 13 people in this unit.

- Wow, that's pretty nice.
- That's not bad--
I mean, this couch

is super comfortable,
but where do those other
people go?

The table folds down--
you can sleep people there.

And then you've got
your two bedrooms.

- So is this like a pantry?
- It could be.

I think we could use it
- as whatever we wanted.
- Absolutely.

I think this would be
a perfect room for the baby.

There's a lot of space in here.

Two bunks, two sofas
that also turn into beds.

Tons of storage.

I'm glad there's so much space
in here, but do we really

- need all the bunks?
- We don't,
but the neat thing about it is

if we were able to put
some organizers up there,

that would give us so much
extra storage,

and, when Clark gets
a little bit bigger,

we actually have beds for him
to sleep in.

Okay, I do like that idea.
What's through that door?

- Ah-ha!
- Bathroom for the baby!

- Clark has his own bathroom.
- That's pretty cool.

And porcelain toilet.

There's no tub in here--
where am I supposed
to bathe him?

And I don't know how I feel
about our baby having

access to the outside.

I'm sure that we will find
a way to baby-proof this.

I do like the baby would have
his own bathroom with storage.

I can totally put extra diapers
and stuff in there.

Oh, there's a master suite
in a tiny house?

Yes, there is.
I didn't think I was

ever gonna hear that,
but that's pretty sweet!

- This is only a queen, isn't it?
- It is.

And I don't even think
we can fit a king in here.

There's a lot of storage,
- though.
- It is kinda nice-- check that out.

Yeah, I mean, there is
a lot of hanging room.

And... Going into...

Oh, master bathroom!
Master bath!

Another porcelain toilet,
that's a plus.

- But there's no tub.
- There is not a tub--
that is going to be

a big negative.

I actually really liked it--
I think it hit a lot of
stuff on my wish list,

and it also hit some of
the stuff on your wish list,
as well.

There's a lot of room,
you have the double sinks,

you're getting a big kitchen
table for such a small size.

But it's still not the vintage
style that I want.

I'm with Jake on this one.

There's a lot of things in here
that work for both of you.

There is a ton of space
for your shoes.

You've got counter space
and a large area for the baby.

It's--I'm just having
a hard time seeing it.

It looks like a camper!
And I don't think
we can tow this.

I know that we can tow this.

After seeing several options,
it's time for Jake and Ashley

to decide which tiny home is
right for their growing family.

We both know
there's only one option.

Our house hunters
are upgrading to tiny houses.

Could you live in something
this small?

I think the baby really wants
to know where he's gonna live.

Jake and Ashley are
expectant parents that are

taking the plunge
and going tiny.

They've considered several
different options within

their $65,000 budget--
it's time for them

to figure out which one
to call home.

What about that really unique,
402-square-foot one?

That one was pretty cool.
We could put a real crib

on the main floor,
and that second loft,

we can use for
all of my storage.

I don't have to get rid
of a single pair of shoes,

and that kitchen was huge!

That bathroom that didn't even
have a real toilet...

it had a box
and a toilet seat on it.

But at $55,000,
it still comes in
under budget.

But there's more money that
we have to put into it.

So that Woodland model
was pretty nice.

It is 250-square-feet
and $40,000.

- Yeah, but it was just so small.
- Yeah, there wasn't room for
a crib, there wasn't room...

- No kitchen table.
- There wasn't even room to put
one in there if we wanted to.

They also have the option
to buy a larger,

28-foot model for $60,000.

- That bathroom was amazing.
- That had to have been the best
bathroom out of all of them.

- And it had a tub.
- And it had a porcelain toilet,
which was nice.

- Mmhm.
- It did have real stairs
instead of a ladder

- to the master loft.
- And I'm totally comfortable
with towing that.

I notice you're avoiding talking
about the fifth wheel,

and I really think we should
talk about... Because we're not moving
into an RV.

Why not? It's $43,000,
it's a two-bedroom, two-bath.

The baby will have
his own space, we can fit
a full-size crib in there.

Even if you don't like
the dinette, we can put

an actual table in there.
It feels like we're camping.

I want to feel like
we're in a space where

I can actually raise our son.

I really do think that the RV
is gonna work out the best
for us.

I mean, at the end of the day,
it really just boils down

to the money,
and for the amount of space

and at the price point,
we both know that

there's only one option.

I think the RV wins,
and after a little practice,

I'll probably be able
to back it in by myself.

Yeah, so I think
we made a decision.

I need to call Michelle--
she's never gonna believe me.

She's really not, but I think
it's gonna end up being
great for us.

We ended up getting
the fifth wheel.

They were asking $43,000 for it,
and we paid $43,000 for it.

Hold up, stop, stop, stop!
I'm stopping.

Be careful when
you stop so fast.

Seeing the RV in this setting
actually really draws it back

to why we wanted to go tiny
in the beginning.

It takes us out of the mindset
that bigger means better.

- Well, I guess we're home.
- Looks good--good job.

Yay!

Jake and Ashley are currently
staying at a local RV park

in Lindenhurst.

We just got here, so...

And I think we're adjusting
pretty well.

I've finally got to put
some décor pieces up,

and it's starting to look
a little bit more like home.

- Something fun like a green.
- It kinda matches everything else
we already have in here

- and my shirt.
- The favorite part of the RV

so far has to be the nursery.
It really is.

We spend most of our time
in there decorating,

folding clothes.

This is really gonna
be his room. Absolutely.

I am super excited about
my porcelain toilets.

I would say it was number one,
and number two on my list.

And I'm super happy that we have
not only one, but we have

two of them in our unit.

Compromising with Jacob
was a little hard,

but I did get to keep
all of my shoes.

I didn't have to downsize.

And I had to make
a compromise, too.

Not only did I not get my king,
but I didn't get

my full-size refrigerator
like I wanted to.

We had to just kinda compromise.

I think we made
a really good investment.

We're going to be completely
debt-free.

It shows that the younger
generation of people

can do this.
Mmhm, it's an entire

lifestyle change.
We're both excited.