Tiny House Hunters - General Discussion

[NYGirl]

Did anyone else wonder if the sound healer yurt lady had placed her yurt and bathroom back on the market?

They showed same to a woman who was looking for a tiny house, but I don't think she bought it.

 

I'm not sure I believe anything I see on the tiny house version of HH after what they did with that Florida couple.  It probably was the same one.  Did the person looking pick that one?  If not it was just a decoy.

 

 

I too loved how the horse lady decorated her place. That had to be one of the most comfy & classsy looking tiny houses that we've seen - and I'm not even a fan of her horse art.

 

Was the horse lady on before?  If it is she was my favorite too.  She decorated that tiny house so beautifully and classy that I was amazed.

[truther]

I'm not sure I believe anything I see on the tiny house version of HH after what they did with that Florida couple.  It probably was the same one.  Did the person looking pick that one?  If not it was just a decoy.

 

Yeah, it crossed a line for me.  Sure the normal House Hunters episodes are fake, and the backstories and house searches are almost never genuine, but the underlying show is still entertaining.  We can all imagine ourselves searching for a place to live in Paris, for example, preferably with Adrian Leeds by our side. 

 

This Tiny House Hunters stuff, by contrast, seemed not only entirely unbelievable as a premise but also like a big con.  Nobody in real life would ever buy one of these stupid things.  The whole thing is likely just a put-on by whoever's trying to sell them.  It would be like watching Timeshare House Hunters and finding out that the show is co-executive produced by the country's biggest timeshare company.  Or, for that matter, any of those Other House Hunter Shows like Island House Hunters, which is similarly dumb. 

[DownTheShore]

Don't those two guys that show the homes on Island Hunters just creep you out? The dark-haired guy is so unctious and smarmy, and the light-haired guy is so pale and tries so hard to make the customers believe he's just like them, when instead he looks like he just got out of college.

I simply do not understand the families who move into the tiny houses. You want to downsize from a 3000 sq. ft. house, fine. Take an intermediate step to a 1000 sq. ft. home first. Our apt., when I was growing up, was about 600 sq. ft. and we managed with that. But don't go below 200 sq. ft.; there's no privacy and no place to go to get away from everyone.

[izabella]

But don't go below 200 sq. ft.; there's no privacy and no place to go to get away from everyone.

 

 

Those tiny houses would be a horror when one of you is sick.  Imagine having to climb up and down ladders from the loft to the composting toilet with the flu.  Imagine sharing that space with someone who has the flu. 

[auntjess]

 

Those tiny houses would be a horror when one of you is sick.  Imagine having to climb up and down ladders from the loft to the composting toilet with the flu.  Imagine sharing that space with someone who has the flu.

It would serve the person who picked the house right.

They are places for the young, athletic buyers, but only if they don't break an arm or a leg.

 

[SmithW6079]

I caught a marathon of this yesterday and I am just flummoxed by the people with children, especially the Florida couple that moved into the green packing box. So they are going to sleep in the SAME ROOM and the SAME SLEEPING UNIT as their two children? Um, say what? Do they not plan on having sex ever again? Sorry but that's the first thing I think of. Don't you want your privacy?

I agree with what you said, but I also felt sorry for the couple, losing their jobs and having to downsize. They would have been better served selling the house and moving into an apartment. I also found their emphasis on being able to pull up stakes and flee when there was a hurricane to be odd, especially since the house they chose could not be moved without a crane. And they set it up on their own property. Does that mean they would move it once the house sold? What was the point of closing up the big house if they hadn't sold it yet? They still have to pay the mortgage, or were they planning to stop paying and go into foreclosure, squatting until they bank sold the house?

Well I was pleasantly surprised that the lady who bought the camper for her tiny home did such a good job rehabbing it! So far it has been my favorite tiny house. If she wanted she could have even put a small recliner next to the daybed sofa in the living area and she could have also put a real toilet in the bathroom, depending on if she had sewage hookup.

I was glad she picked the camper, and yes, she did a good job with it. I didn't understand why, with the others, they kept talking about the landscape & scenery, and the "natural light," especially since whichever house she bought was going to be moved. No way would I do the yurt and have to poop in the open air.

I watched a few others last week. The hip videographer was obviously going to take the condo in the downtown area, but the layout was a little weird. It looked like what was the bedroom had had the wall removed (probably because there was no window. One of his party guests walked through the bedroom door and into the living room. I thought you could put up a nice rice paper movable screen or something so it wouldn't look like you were in his bedroom.

The math teacher who had this long list of things she wanted in her tiny house was easily the most annoying of house hunters I've seen lately. She was a whiny, self-centered, self-absorbed brat. I had to mute every time she opened her mouth. And she was another one who was going to squat on a friend's land. And since she didn't want to be really off the grid, that also means she was going to mooch his electricity and water, probably.

Sometimes, I think a con man created the first tiny house and then sold the concept to pretentious idiots who think it's "cool" to live in a house the size of a tool shed. With four kids. And a 100-lb. dog.

Edited October 27, 2015 by SmithW6079

[zxy556575]

I am not sure how it works in each state but do these people realize that depending on if these homes are on axles or off frame, they will depreciate in value, not increase? If they have axles, they have to be registered with the DMV. They have to have a little metal tag on the home that gives the ID and serial number of the home when it is built, like a VIN tag for a vehicle [not the license plate]. Even if you take the axles off after you set it up, it is still considered a DMV issue. So if you want the home to be mobile it is a trade off. Either with axles, registered to DMV, depreciate in value vs no axles at all when built and when you want it to be mobile you have to hire a mover.

 

I don't remember anyone on this show discussing property insurance, either. There are currently only a handful of companies that will even insure mobile homes. My house previous to this one had a serial number. Me being in FL didn't help the situation. Oy!

[DownTheShore]

@Smith - check back some posts in this thread. It turns out the guy has a business turning those storage containers into tiny homes. So everything they said in that episode is suspect.

[biakbiak]

I thought you could put up a nice rice paper movable screen or something so it wouldn't look like you were in his bedroom.

When he toured the place there was something like that up, he took it down.

[SmithW6079]

When he toured the place there was something like that up, he took it down.

Yes, I recall, but it looked pretty bad, like a sloppily constructed sliding closet door. A shoji screen would have looked nice and still let light into the bedroom.

[Grommet]

My DVR caught a couple of new episodes last night. One was a divorced father with joint custody of his 10 year old daughter. He was a kindergarten teacher so probably didn't make much and wanted no mortgage so they would have money to travel. He bought a horrible windowless shed. So annoying. His realtor pointed out that he could have used his "budget" as a down payment and gotten a small mortgage, so he could afford a decent house for his daughter, who seemed like a great kid. His "best friend" looked like she wanted to slap him. I know I did.

[Mu Shu]

Those tiny houses would be a horror when one of you is sick. Imagine having to climb up and down ladders from the loft to the composting toilet with the flu. Imagine sharing that space with someone who has the flu.

I was bedeviling tiny housers on YouTube for a time about toilet issues. According to them, the poo and pee are "vented out" so there is zero smell. I guess vomit is too? How about lady time? All I got is that I am gross. Never mind the sex 5 feet from your kids issues.

There is no way in hell I could sleep in a house knowing that poo, pee, vomit, and lady time suches were just sitting there fomenting , vent or no.

One guy kept mason jars in the loft to pee in at night, and insisted a pull down board was adequate for his fiancée to use as a stand up desk. She dumped his ass.

There is a company in Arkansas who builds pretty functional homes with flush toilets. I don't think they would work for a couple, unless they didn't spend much time at home.

[DownTheShore]

I would get one of those incinerator toilets if I lived in a tiny house.

[psychoticstate]

He irked me also. I thought the realtor was saying get the more expensive tiny house and have the mortgage on that. Which I thought was a dumb idea, for a tiny house. He seemed like he was trying to be adventurous but I wanted the friend to just shut up about privacy. It raised all kinds of flags, like he was a pervert or something. She kept saying it over and over right in front of the little girl. 

 

I liked what the Alaska lady with the three dogs did.

 

I also caught Tiny Luxury? It was about a man woman duo who build customized tiny homes in Orgeon I think. Very expensive ones, with that gentrified way about them. 

I actually agreed with the friend's point on his daughter was 11 years old and would want and need her privacy soon.  It didn't make sense for them to have a shared sleeping space.  What if he met someone and wanted to bring that person home?  Zero privacy.  (Of course that is an ongoing issue with a tiny mobile house.) 

 

I would lose my mind living in that windowless shed though.  And having your clothing hanging next to your sofa for all to see?  No thank you.  I'm surprised he didn't at least hang some type of curtain around it to cover the clothing up.

 

I thought the second home they looked at (the more expensive one) would make more sense for them but I understand that he didn't want to carry a mortgage.  I got the realtor's point of view too - - not many people can pay off a mortgage in 5 years and with your mortgage payment being less than many people pay for rent.  But if he wants to travel and do fun things with his daughter, in 5 years she will be 16 and that doesn't give him as much time before she potentially goes off to college.

 

Re the Alaska lady - - I really liked the second house she saw, the one that would have to be built.  It seemed larger than the 600 or so square feet they said.  Those dual lofts with the catwalk in between were fantastic.  I didn't understand why, if you are a single person living alone, you wouldn't make one of them your bedroom.  I would probably still want a pull out sofa downstairs for those nights you aren't feeling well and maybe want to be on the same floor as your bathroom but otherwise . . .   What she chose was cute but with 3 relatively good sized dogs?  I don't know.  But I generally don't "get" the mobile tiny houses anyhow so maybe that's it.

 

I also caught Tiny Luxury.  It fascinated me.  I did like the bay window with the little reading nook with the first couple, and the built in bookshelves that were inserted into the stairs.  They did quite a bit with the very limited space they had.  I also liked seeing the his-and-hers closets with the second one.  But the costs . . . can't you buy a condo or townhome for that amount in many areas?  I just can't wrap my head around spending $85k for 150 square feet of trailer space.

[DownTheShore]

I was thinking about all these tiny house homeowners last night when I couldn't fall asleep (head cold) and for the ones who get the house on the trailer and haul it hither and yon to different states for jobs, I was wondering about a few things:

A. What do they use as their home address for vehicle registration, vehicle insurance, and driver's licenses?

B. What do they use as their permanent address for tax purposes?

C. Do they realize that if a state they take a job in has a state income tax, they are going to have to file a tax return for every state that does, in addition to their federal return?

[Mittengirl]

The tiny house the father in OK bought, the $20,000 shed; did it have any other egress besides the door? That can't be legal and, legalities aside, is just plain stupid. Especially with both sleeping in a loft that would be filled with smoke in seconds.

Honestly, I think that if you can only afford a $20,000 house, you can't afford a house. And they sure skimp on the details on how he was setting up his utilities on his purchased lot.

I wonder how his daughter is going to feel about that house in a few years? And if I am being honest, I would not have wanted to live with my teenaged self in a 200-square-foot dwelling. I would have killed me.

Just curious, how would you react if you found out the person you were dating lived in a 300ish-square-foot house. I would have some serious questions for him. Like, you don't expect me to stay there, do you? And is this a direction you intend to continue in, or just a life phase you expect to change.

[DownTheShore]

Those were two interesting links, and addressed topics that the hosts of those tiny house shows never mention.

Remember the two guys who bought that cabin in Wisconsin with the great screened-in porch? The company who makes the these "Park Model RVs" has some interesting information on their FAQ page:

http://www.escapehomes.us/#!faq/c1stw

[Mu Shu]

The tiny house the father in OK bought, the $20,000 shed; did it have any other egress besides the door? That can't be legal and, legalities aside, is just plain stupid. Especially with both sleeping in a loft that would be filled with smoke in seconds.

Honestly, I think that if you can only afford a $20,000 house, you can't afford a house. And they sure skimp on the details on how he was setting up his utilities on his purchased lot.

I wonder how his daughter is going to feel about that house in a few years? And if I am being honest, I would not have wanted to live with my teenaged self in a 200-square-foot dwelling. I would have killed me.

Just curious, how would you react if you found out the person you were dating lived in a 300ish-square-foot house. I would have some serious questions for him. Like, you don't expect me to stay there, do you? And is this a direction you intend to continue in, or just a life phase you expect to change.

If it were someone who was living that way to save money for a real house, I could handle it for awhile. When you're young, your not home much. If it's a lifestyle aka, I've given up on my future and intend to live like a rat indefinitely, that's a no go. IMO, composting toilets aren't saving the planet, it's devolution. I mean, a 500 square foot condo with a flush toilet is most Americans idea of a modest starter home, and a very modest one at that. My thought is that many of these people are despondent after the recession and are just surviving instead of thriving again. The idea is sort of good in principal if your in survival/minimal mode, but these things aren't legal, so instead of using 20k as a down payment on a modest home that will build equity, they're flushing that money down the drain. Or composting it.

[psychoticstate]

psychoticstate Yes I completely agreed that they needed privacy, I just didn't like how the friend kept bringing it up in front of the little girl. The little girl didn't seem to be at that stage of knowing yet and the friend kept saying it in a creepy way. 

 

I agree with you.  I often think on some of these shows there are conversations in front of kids that shouldn't be had - - like financial ones.  Clearly a lot of this program is set up anyhow - - I don't think an 11 year old would walk into that tiny shed and the first thing she would say is something about how much storage there is.  There was not clearly a lot of storage; not to mention the first thing going thru my mind now, as well as when I was 11, would be that I was not living in a tool shed.  Sorry.

 

The tiny house the father in OK bought, the $20,000 shed; did it have any other egress besides the door? That can't be legal and, legalities aside, is just plain stupid. Especially with both sleeping in a loft that would be filled with smoke in seconds.

Honestly, I think that if you can only afford a $20,000 house, you can't afford a house. And they sure skimp on the details on how he was setting up his utilities on his purchased lot.

I wonder how his daughter is going to feel about that house in a few years? And if I am being honest, I would not have wanted to live with my teenaged self in a 200-square-foot dwelling. I would have killed me.

Just curious, how would you react if you found out the person you were dating lived in a 300ish-square-foot house. I would have some serious questions for him. Like, you don't expect me to stay there, do you? And is this a direction you intend to continue in, or just a life phase you expect to change.

 

I never considered the issue of fire but it's a good point.  So many of these tiny mobile homes have loft bedrooms.  If there was a fire from a kitchen appliance, where can you go?  If the windows in the loft can be opened, you can escape that route but the tiny tool shed had windows that were decorative and not meant to open.   And what about insurance companies?  Are they going to want to insure these tiny homes? 

 

I think if you only have $20,000, that's your down payment or you cannot afford to buy. 

 

I like the idea of reducing our footprints and downsizing but some of these people seem almost militant about it.  Like they want 300 square feet and it's non-negotiable.  Why?  Do you get a prize staying under 300 square feet?  Or does it have something to do with taxes?  I just don't understand.  If you have land you're building on, why not give yourself a little bit extra?  It doesn't hurt to have a bit of extra storage or to give you kid(s) a separate space with a door.  And why don't some of these fools consider they actually need space in their kitchen to hold their food?  It makes me stabby when they complain after the fact they didn't consider how small the place was going to be or how limited the storage options were.  Because you would naturally assume to have soooooo much storage capacity in a space under 200 square feet. 

[DownTheShore]

Here's a question for everyone:

If your neighbor installed a tiny home in his or her backyard, would you call your city's building code dept. and report it?

I think that I would, because they're probably in violation of zoning requirements and would depress my property's value. And because I would also be very leery about the waste disposal situation. Yes, they might have composting toilets, but where is that compost going to go?

Edited November 25, 2015 by DownTheShore

[Mu Shu]

I would be concerned with property values being depressed. I also have an objection to cholera, so those compost toilets aren't exactly a boon to public health. Add the fact that some necessary taxes are being evaded, and yes, I would complain. I guarantee that "harmless" compost is going into your it your neighbors trash when you're sleeping. Face it, these are glorified trailers not suited to being trailed and likely fire traps. There are too many issues these tiny housers ignore because some sucker in a giant 800 square foot home is footing the bill for.

People who live in trailer parks pay lot tent. People in RV parks pay daily, weekly, or monthly fees. Tiny housers think they're immune from that.

[Mittengirl]

I would be on the phone to the city with a quickness!

I live in an older neighborhood with 1000-sq. ft. homes and maybe 1/6th acre lots. You can buy an almost-tiny house in this neighborhood for not much more than what some are paying for their glorified trailers. It may not be as trendy as a tiny home, but at least it is legal.

And my property value went down enough during they recession, I don't need anything stopping the slow climb back up.

Maybe if I lived in a rural area I would give it time to see how the t.h. Is going to affect me.

Edited November 29, 2015 by Mittengirl

[paloma58]

Has anyone started a topic for Tiny House World?  I can't find one and don't know how to begin one.  There have only been a few episodes, but I find the house choices nicely varied and some are downright weird.  And since houses are generally smaller anyway outside the US, it is cool to see what is considered 'small'...

 

[auntjess]

Tiny House World is on FYI, and can be discussed in the tiny house genre topic, where everything not Tiny House Nation of Tiny House Hunters, go.

 

I never considered the issue of fire but it's a good point.  So many of these tiny mobile homes have loft bedrooms.  If there was a fire from a kitchen appliance, where can you go?  If the windows in the loft can be opened, you can escape that route but the tiny tool shed had windows that were decorative and not meant to open.   And what about insurance companies?  Are they going to want to insure these tiny homes?

Fire bothers me, and I never see a fire extinguisher shown.  As for windows, any bedroom MUST have a an egress window, or maybe a door directly to the outside would serve.
This is the rule in Ontario, which is the rule that everyone on DIY and HGTV must live by.
I really want Mike Holmes to do a series where he rips new ones on shows like these, and other rehabbers who drywall over plaster.

 

[paloma58]

Thanks, auntjess

[aguabella]

Here's a question for everyone:

If your neighbor installed a tiny home in his or her backyard, would you call your city's building code dept. and report it?

I think that I would, because they're probably in violation of zoning requirements and would depress my property's value. And because I would also be very leery about the waste disposal situation. Yes, they might have composting toilets, but where is that compost going to go?

 

Great question, DownTheShore!  I would think long and hard and consider both the unique situation and the potential consequences.  For example, in the schoolteacher's shed home, I don't believe the dormer windows satisfy the egress requirements.  (They're too small and there's usually a minimum size requirement.)  To correct that situation, I might try to plant a seed in the ex-yf's ear, if she ever came around.  That'd probably be the most effective mean of getting it done. 

 

Edited December 3, 2015 by aguabella

[izabella]

I just caught up with two of the most recent episodes, Boise and San Diego.

 

At first, I liked the Boise episode because they were looking in town at houses that just happened to be small, but were hooked up to the city water, power and sewer lines.  They also had their own lots, except for the one that was above a garage so it was more of a coach house.  But the idiots chose a 200 square foot house whose toilet was right next to the bed, separated only by a curtain.  There was a shower/tub next to it, but there was no bathroom or bathroom sink, so you'd have to walk to the kitchen to wash your hands.  I cannot imagine the horror of sharing a small space with someone peeing and pooping in the toilet right out in the open room, like in prison.  I guess it's a bonus if you get the flu since you just need to lean over from the bed to puke. 

 

They had a much better option, though - 500 square feet for $25k more than their budget, but it had actual rooms with doors and a real bathroom.  Great front and back yard, everything they could want except for an updated kitchen.  They should have chosen that one, not only for the real bathroom with a door, but also because they are far more likely to get their money back when selling that place than the one with the toilet in the main room.

 

The girls in San Diego were cute and charming.  The homes they looked at were 700 square feet, modern renos, and pricey, pricey, pricey!  All of the houses were cute, so any would have been a great choice.  I don't see that as wacky "tiny" house living; just small house living which isn't uncommon.  It's just crazy to pay half a million dollars for it!

[DownTheShore]

That Boise couple, that woman was a nut for wanting that place. The husband pointed out that he could aim-and-pee right from the bedside.

I think some of these tiny house people subconsciously want to crawl back into the womb and this is the closest they can get to it. Or maybe they are so insecure that they have to keep their SO within eyesight at all times?

[SmithW6079]

Oy, the Boise couple and the tiny house they chose! What was up the wife's ass about the 200-square-foot home? What was most annoying was the way she kept saying, "We lived in 400-square-feet in LA." Yeah, which was twice as big as that hobbit hole you wanted to live in. And then the husband gave in like a wuss.

At the end, the wife was saying how they would do a lot of "living outside." You live in Idaho, not Hawaii. You're going to have winter, and then you'll be confined to your 200 square feet day in and day out.

The third house was the best one.

[DownTheShore]

HGTV definitely needs to do a where-are-they-now visit to the Boise couple during some January day.

[psychoticstate]

Oy, the Boise couple and the tiny house they chose! What was up the wife's ass about the 200-square-foot home? What was most annoying was the way she kept saying, "We lived in 400-square-feet in LA." Yeah, which was twice as big as that hobbit hole you wanted to live in. And then the husband gave in like a wuss.

At the end, the wife was saying how they would do a lot of "living outside." You live in Idaho, not Hawaii. You're going to have winter, and then you'll be confined to your 200 square feet day in and day out.

The third house was the best one.

 

Totally agree.  I would have chosen either of the other places over that shithole they chose.  I wouldn't live in there BY MYSELF much less with another person.  And who on earth would want to come and visit you, knowing they would have to find a nice tree outside or drive to the closest Chevron if nature called.  Because no way would I want to use their facilities.

 

Also, that place is one 200 square foot box.  If you did have company, are they going to sit on your bed?  (With a bonus view of your toilet) 

 

Add me to the people who don't understand some of these Tiny House-ers who really have something up their butt about it HAVING to be a certain (small) square footage or under that (small) square footage. 

 

Like the poster I quoted said, wait until winter and they are stuck in that cesspool 24/7 with cold/rain/snow/ice. 

[lambertman]

I believe you folks actually talking about FYI's Tiny House HuntING. I've been so confused until now.

Edited December 13, 2015 by lambertman

[Grommet]

My DVR picked up a new episode on HGTV, young couple in south Dakota with 3 kids under 4 years old. Hated hated hated them. I hated the repeated use of the word "kiddos" and I hated that they didn't address the safety issue with the lofts. All because the chick didn't want to clean more than one bathroom.

[izabella]

I get the topic threads confused - there's discussion of the SD house in the regular HH thread, too.  As I posted there, I'm wondering if their comfy big house is in foreclosure, so they needed somewhere else really cheap to live.  Plopping a tiny house on the parents' property seems like it would be very low cost, and that's the only reason I can think of that a family of 5 would move into a 200 sq. ft. closet with loft beds for 3 young kids.

 

They should have picked a better excuse than cleaning, though.

[SmithW6079]

My DVR picked up a new episode on HGTV, young couple in south Dakota with 3 kids under 4 years old. Hated hated hated them. I hated the repeated use of the word "kiddos" and I hated that they didn't address the safety issue with the lofts. All because the chick didn't want to clean more than one bathroom.

I was just coming to post about "kiddos." So fucking annoying. And that last house where she describes the bedroom as "small" yeah, because "It's a tiny house!" I shouted.

They actually picked the smallest one. How stupid are these people? The father-in-law had to be wondering what a dipshit his daughter married (not that she's a brainiac).

[SmithW6079]

I believe you folks actually talking about FYI's Tiny House HuntING. I've been so confused until now.

You're right; the Boise couple were "Tiny House HuntING."

As near as I figure, this is the breakdown:

"Tiny House Nation," FYI, has its own thread. That's the hour-long show with John and Zach.

"Tiny House HuntERS," HGTV, is here.

"Tiny House HuntING" and "Tiny House World," FYI, would go in the "Tiny House ad nauseum" thread in Genre Talk. The narrator for these is John from "Tiny House Nation."

[Grneyedldy]

I get the topic threads confused - there's discussion of the SD house in the regular HH thread, too.  As I posted there, I'm wondering if their comfy big house is in foreclosure, so they needed somewhere else really cheap to live.  Plopping a tiny house on the parents' property seems like it would be very low cost, and that's the only reason I can think of that a family of 5 would move into a 200 sq. ft. closet with loft beds for 3 young kids.

 

They should have picked a better excuse than cleaning, though.

Yes, I kept thinking there's not one thing believable about the story they were trying to sell. Like we are really going to believe that their previous 2000 sqft rambling mansion was such a stress for the wife, that they would rather live in basically a closet, where their small children could fall to their death. I'm pretty sure there is much more to that story. :-)

[aguabella]

Confused by the Boise and San Diego comments, too b/c they didn't appear on HGTV.  Sorry but commentary on this week's HGTV episodes on the other thread, i.e. HH (USA).

 

Linked an article just now about the SD family of 5, if anyone's interested.

Edited December 16, 2015 by aguabella

[DownTheShore]

OMG! Ally & Jeremy on Tiny House ~whatever~ on HGTV tonight! She's got a Kewpie doll voice with severe vocal fry. I've had to mute the episode - she sounds like she's saying, "wah-wah-wah" all the time. What an absolutely horrible voice; why on earth would the producers select her for the show?

-----

Re the "kiddo" woman:

I just rolled my eyes when she complained that the "large" tiny home which was all of what, 400 sq ft, , had a lot of windows that would have to be washed! How many times a year does she wash the windows? It would take all of what, an hour maybe, to wash all the windows - inside and out?

And then they pick the smallest tiny house? The ones with the Lofts Of Death? WTF? With three kids under age 5???

Edited December 17, 2015 by DownTheShore

[Pickles]

Kewpie doll voice woman! Omg. I had to turn the channel. I could not stand that ridiculous baby voice. I did not stick around to see what they chose. Interesting that they showed off her 15,000 square foot childhood home.

[izabella]

Kewpie doll and her husband picked the tiny house on wheels, and then found some land to buy where they could keep horses.  Funny thing is, when they showed the house in place on the land, it looked like they were right next to a huge house.  I don't think it was a barn because the house had an upper level wrap around deck/balcony.

[izabella]

I think I've developed an irrational hatred for these tiny house buyers who want the cutesy boxes to stuff their families into.  I'm suspicious of all their back stories and plans for where they're going to put their carnival caravan.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I was thinking about all these tiny house homeowners last night when I couldn't fall asleep (head cold) and for the ones who get the house on the trailer and haul it hither and yon to different states for jobs, I was wondering about a few things:

A. What do they use as their home address for vehicle registration, vehicle insurance, and driver's licenses?

B. What do they use as their permanent address for tax purposes?

C. Do they realize that if a state they take a job in has a state income tax, they are going to have to file a tax return for every state that does, in addition to their federal return?

 

If you don't have a physical address, you get to pick where you want your permanent address to be.  For the RVing crowd, there's a company in Texas that operates an enormous mail service--tens of thousands of clients.  It's popular because most RVers who live fulltime traveling around are retired, and living in a state without an income tax is attractive to them. 

 

The mail service place is in a small town, and I think there are more "residents" at the mail service than in the rest of the town.  That becomes interesting when it comes to local elections, because those people vote in that town even though they don't live there.  However, the governmental agencies in that county are very familiar with the setup, so vehicle registration and things like that are a snap.

 

South Dakota is another state that has a significant level of mail service options (and perhaps unsurprisingly, it has no income tax).  However, the state has become a little picky and requires you to actually be in that state once every X years to renew your driver's license, and have receipts to prove it.  (Good luck if your birthday is in February!)

 

There are also a couple of businesses in Florida that provide mail forwarding services to RVers (also no income tax).  Texas, South Dakota, and Florida are really the only three states that have this kind of service.

 

However, in all these cases, it's become more problematic than in years past because of the lack of a real physical address.  The mail service places are okay when it comes to local stuff, because people know what's going on.  But some financial institutions, for example, don't recognize the address as a physical address (it's like a private mail box--123 Cedar Avenue #9004)--it gets flagged in the system as either commercial or non-residential, or something that makes it unacceptable, and they won't allow you to have an account with them if that's the only address you have.

 

You can also just get a regular PMB at a mail store in any city, and have them forward your mail to you periodically.  But you still have a possible issue of having your address not qualify as a "physical address."  You can get around that by using the physical address of a friend or family member, but wrangling someone else's mail is a bigger hassle than it at appears at first glance.

 

Now, one thing that REALLY separates the tiny house hipsters from their RVing oldster counterparts is health insurance.  Most of the RVers are on Medicare, which is a national plan, so they have no problems getting health care wherever they are.  Individual health insurance, however, is done state by state, and that IS a big problem for people who are traveling all the time. 

 

Emergency care is covered if you're out of your home area, but if you want routine care, or if you have to see doctors for ongoing prescriptions, you need to have a PPO plan that provides access to a national network of providers.  No insurance company in South Dakota has ever offered that at all.  Blue Cross was the one that people in Texas would use, but Blue Cross no longer offers any PPO plans in Texas (HMO only), and in Florida, they're offered only to people in certain counties.  A real problem.

 

Now, moving to a different state is a life-change event that allows you to get a new insurance policy, but if you "move" there for health insurance purposes, do you have to change your vehicle registration and all that to the new state, too? 

 

And you're right--people who work when traveling around have to file state income tax returns. However, most of these movable tiny houses aren't ever going to move, and if they do, it's not going to be often.

 

So they can just use the lot address of whatever god-awful trailer park they're plopping their tiny house down in, and use that as their address until the next time they rustle up $5,000 to hire a semi to move them. 

[KLovestoShop]

She's a nurse, with that awful voice, which to me sounds like Alvin and the chipmunks. If she were my nurse, I'd probably give up the ghost. He looked like he needed shampoo for that terribly greasy hair and that little bun in back.

How can you live in a place with no bathroom? I couldn't believe that first place. If you want to tie into a septic, or dig a well, it will cost thousands.

[DownTheShore]

Thanks, SO, for all of that good information on permanent addresses and such!

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@izabella - When I saw that building in the background my first thought was that the horses were living in the house, and the people were living in the horse trailer. LOL

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I would be willing to donate to one of those funding sites to pay for speech therapy for Kewpie doll voice.

[aguabella]

Yes, agree - good info on the permanent address issue.

 

Here's a little more, if anyone's interested.  When selecting a state, it's very important to be consistent and transfer as many things as possible to that state, e.g. license, vehicle registration, voting registration, etc.

 

Also, it's best to consider / calculate overall living costs instead of focusing on a single, major item.  For example, many, in fact most states exempt retiree income from state income tax.  So, if an individual's retired, then the lack of a state income tax in a particular state might not be significant WRT their overall costs.

Edited December 18, 2015 by aguabella

[StatisticalOutlier]

 

Also, it's best to consider / calculate overall living costs instead of focusing on a single, major item.  For example, many, in fact most states exempt retiree income from state income tax.  So, if an individual's retired, then the lack of a state income tax in a particular state might not be significant WRT their overall costs.

 

As for overall living costs, if you're not actually living where your permanent address is, they don't matter.  My p.o. box is in the priciest neighborhood in Austin.  I could never in a million years afford to live anywhere near there.  But my mail can!

 

I wonder if the RVing retirees are different from stationary ones, like they have more investment income to supplement their retirement income.  I've noticed them talking about which states exempt retirement income, but they also tend to worry about the general state income tax, as well, which would apply to their investment income.

 

That said, for people under 65, I do think that accepting a state income tax in return for access to insurance with a national network of providers might be an acceptable trade-off.  Definitely worth putting a pencil to.

 

A big hit can be personal property tax, which a tiny house might be in some states.  That's in addition to the usual licensing and registration of vehicles.  If you've never lived in a state with a personal property tax, you might not even realize that's something to consider.  (And if you're careful to make sure your tiny house isn't real estate in order to get around building codes, then you really do need to think about whether it's therefore taxable personal property.)

 

All of this address/tax stuff has been thoroughly examined for years by the RVing crowd, and a general consensus has developed about which states are the good ones for a permanent address.  Of course, the whole traveling-tiny-house concept was implemented by them decades ago, but those clowns stupidly chose houses that were designed to travel over the roads, so what do they know?  They don't even have lofts!

Edited December 18, 2015 by StatisticalOutlier

[SmithW6079]

As soon as you show me a house where I have to shit in a bucket in the kitchen, I'm out of there. That was worse than the "Tiny House Hunting" Boise couple whose toilet was behind a curtain in the bedroom.

 

I fast forwarded a lot of the episode. 

[aguabella]

As for overall living costs, if you're not actually living where your permanent address is, they don't matter.  My p.o. box is in the priciest neighborhood in Austin.  I could never in a million years afford to live anywhere near there.  But my mail can!

 

I wonder if the RVing retirees are different from stationary ones, like they have more investment income to supplement their retirement income.  I've noticed them talking about which states exempt retirement income, but they also tend to worry about the general state income tax, as well, which would apply to their investment income.

 

That said, for people under 65, I do think that accepting a state income tax in return for access to insurance with a national network of providers might be an acceptable trade-off.  Definitely worth putting a pencil to.

 

A big hit can be personal property tax, which a tiny house might be in some states.  That's in addition to the usual licensing and registration of vehicles.  If you've never lived in a state with a personal property tax, you might not even realize that's something to consider.  (And if you're careful to make sure your tiny house isn't real estate in order to get around building codes, then you really do need to think about whether it's therefore taxable personal property.)

 

All of this address/tax stuff has been thoroughly examined for years by the RVing crowd, and a general consensus has developed about which states are the good ones for a permanent address.  Of course, the whole traveling-tiny-house concept was implemented by them decades ago, but those clowns stupidly chose houses that were designed to travel over the roads, so what do they know?  They don't even have lofts!

 

I wasn't referring to costs associated with physically living somewhere when I said "overall living costs" b/c a road warrior doesn't have them.  I merely meant that it's important to consider all costs / total costs, i.e. "overall", instead of assuming that one state is better than another b/c of any one given issue. 

 

State income tax rates are often very low, e.g. 3% plus sometimes a state's general tax exemption applies to a retiree's investment income.  Determining that potential cost plus health insurance costs and coverage considerations, personal property taxes, vehicle licensing costs plus any other miscellaneous costs provides anyone considering such a move with their total overall costs on a state-by-state basis, meaning they've put a pencil to it (your words).

 

Yes, it's my understanding that over the years RVers have determined that TX and SD are usually the best states for their financial situation(s).  That said, it remains important for anyone considering this change to carefully review their own individual situation instead of making assumptions.

Edited December 18, 2015 by aguabella

[DownTheShore]

I'd like them to show a retired couple looking for a tiny house, people with arthritis and the need to urinate frequently at night.