I was cleaning up my inbox this morning and came across an email from mid March of this year from a producer at Pie Town Productions:
Hi Greg!I hope this email finds you well.I am a show producer for HGTV’s Tiny House Hunters and would love to chat with you
about taking a homebuyer on a tour through one of your homes on either Apr. 7 or 8.
It would be a one day film shoot with a crew of just four people, two home buyers, and a real estate agent. We’d light it well, would be sure to treat it with respect, and would be done in 8 hours of shooting. The purpose of this tour is just to highlight the features and benefits of the house, and compare how it fits with our home buyer’s wishlist (she is looking for a tiny house with rustic elements).
Her budget is under $25K, so I was hoping you might know of a Durango model we could film (it looks, on your website, like this may be the lowest priced of your houses – yes?).
I would love to chat with you today if you have even just a moment.
She also followed up with a phone call during which time I learned that the homebuyer had already bought a house and they basically wanted to try and recreate the whole process just to get something good on film I respectfully replied back:
Hi,
Don’t think I’ll be able to help you. We are currently building a spec house but it won’t be complete by then. Furthermore, it would be more in the $35k range and I would not mislead viewers into thinking they could get something like that for $25k.Thanks for reaching out,
Greg
Her reply:
Thanks for your reply. Your houses really are beautiful – I can imagine they wouldn’t fall into such a low budget range.Would you happen to have a line on any houses which might fall somewhere close to this budget line?They can be located in CO, AZ, CA, or OR.Or do you happen to know of anyone who might own one of your houses, valued at around this price range, who might be open to letting us film a tour of it inside the home? Shoot date would be either Apr. 7 or 8, and we can compensate house owner for time and transport of house.
It was really an innocent enough request, but for some reason it pushed me the wrong way and I wrote her back:
Hello again,
My houses typically are at the lower end of pricing, at least for a new house. Do some research and you will see that 30-40k is very reasonable for a tiny house. The norm is closer to 50k. People have a very skewed reality regarding this. Material costs alone can run $25k. The only way you are going to find a house that cheap is used, and probably not very interesting. Try looking at tinyhouselistings.com. I would never ask any of my current customers to do what you are asking unless they were actually trying to sell their house. The “fakeness” of these reality shows is really not a good thing for the movement and I would encourage your network to move more in the direction of true reality rather than prioritizing entertainment.Best regards,
Greg
I suppose what led to my little rant was the high number of TV producers contacting me asking if I had a house they could use in their show for a completely fabricated false scenario. Not only was the scenario false, they were trying to portray custom built tiny houses as units that only cost $25k to purchase. Sure, one can build a tiny house for that much or less, but a decent sized, quality built, custom tiny house constructed by a tiny house company is going to cost more. There’s no way around it. It is shows like this that have people calling me up asking for a top of the line 30′ house for $30,000 and asking if they can have it in a month. I try to be nice about it, but when folks just can’t accept the reality of the situation I have to hit the delete button and move on.
I’m undecided whether all these new tiny house TV shows have been a good or bad thing for the movement. Myself, having been on TV, I have a whole different perspective on these shows. While the storyline of our build was more or less accurate, there were a lot of little things thrown in for effect. Some of those scenes were not organic at all. Some took 4-6 shoots before the producer was happy. This is just the nature of the business. Overall my experience was positive, but I wouldn’t do it again. I tell people that it’s not what it’s cut out to be., and this is the honest truth.
As for the “Tiny House Nation” show, they paint extremely unrealistic pictures. Granted, there are some really cool ideas and solutions that they come up with, but the plot is just so predictable. The crew shows up to tiny house build in progress. The customer is in over their head. They need the house finished in two weeks. They need these super cool expensive features in order to meet their needs. Their budget is a completely unattainable $30,000. Trucks get stuck, storms roll in, vendors miss deliveries, old wood bridges threaten to fall into the river, the house tries to roll off a cliff…Somehow in the end it all comes together and the people are left with their dream tiny house. Folks, this just isn’t how it works. Perhaps if you somehow find your way on that show, but chances are you won’t. If you do agree to do the show, you might wish you hadn’t. Don’t take my word though, go ahead and see for yourself.
Great design, great craftsmanship, and great tiny houses take time. They also take money if you plan to hire a builder. Even if you decide to build it yourself, how much is your time worth? Even if you are planning to find and use as much reclaimed material as possible, how much time will it take to find it and make it suitable for use in a tiny house? Short of receiving materials as gifts, you are going to pay for them with money or time.
To wrap this rant up, I guess an important point I am trying to make is that my business is devoted to crafting amazing tiny houses and focusing on our customers, not trying to score TV gigs and please producers. If you are a TV producer reading this wanting me to host a show or use one of my houses for some new spinoff, please take note. Don’t call me. I’m too busy on the phone with my customer, drawing plans, or swinging a hammer. Also, like I told the producer above, please put more emphasis on the reality of tiny houses and less on entertainment.
A real breath of fresh air. Honest fresh air. Thank you for putting the truth out there.
And it’s sort of an open secret that the “house hunter” shows fake the house tour process for the cameras after the choice home is already purchased.
I, for one, appreciate your honesty and candor!
Keep it real Greg!
I appreciate your values and standards.
Will be in contact in person soon to discuss goose neck plans 🙂
great RANT ! My wife and I are still on our plan to move to colorado in 3years now!! and purchase a Tiny from You; either 12 or 16footer.
I’ve been targeted by four different TV shows (two existing and two pilots) since Dec. I also happen to have a custom-built RMTH that is being used as a backyard vacation rental. Greg has described these NON-reality shows perfectly. TH Hunting is the worst – they comb airBNB for TH vacation rentals and get the owners to pretend their backyard rental is for sale. To make matters worse, they present these backyard dwellings (not on wheels or skids) as if they can be sold, along with the portion of the backyard where they reside, and fabricate ridiculous sales prices.
They wanted me not only to pretend mine was for sale (it’s not) but also pretend that if it were for sale that I could actually sub-divide my homestead lot that’s right in the middle of the city (no one can do that!) and sell my TH AND the dirt beneath it. The two “not for sale and couldn’t be sold even if the owner wanted to” tiny homes were right off of airBNB, and I’m familiar with both from the research I did when deciding how to price my TH per night.
Not only is this show fabricating prices, but they’re also misinforming TH enthusiasts into thinking that real estate on a single lot can just be chopped up to accommodate THs and bought and sold at the whim of any property owner. At first I was asking questions just out of curiosity about the premise of each show, but all it took to abruptly end every conversation was the stipulation that I would not lie about the purpose of my home, it’s price, or where it can legally be parked for full-time living. Those are the magic words that turn off ALL reality TV show producers. They are really doing a disservice to the movement.
YES! We got really far through on the casting process on THN and I can’t say who I talked to that had been associated with the show, but I’m SO happy we turned it down. I want FULL control over my future home, the build, materials etc and dont’ want to be pressured/rushed into making decisions about it. Thanks for posting this!! So true!
xx
Lauren Jade
Lauren Jade Lately
Simplify Life, Maximize Happiness
Just as I thought. I knew it was to good to be true. Because in San Diego, CA, I’m being told where I can park the home, ( more where I can’t park it), before I even buy it. For the show to say you can park it in camp grounds, NOT IN SAN DIEGO, CA! Don’t get me wrong I still plan on having one built, it just has put a wrench in the works. Thank you for being so HONEST! I truly love the THM movement, and look forward to getting my Tiny Home soon. Thanks again, and by the way your homes are, Beautiful!
Tiny homes can be parked in campground, but ONLY if they are RVIA-certified. What that means is you have two choices: 1) Use an RVIA-certified builder (semi-hard to find) or 2) Go through a long, arduous and potentially expensive RVIA certification process. If you are planning to go for the RVIA certification, you had better start at the very beginning of your build selecting RVIA-approved appliances, water storage tanks, wiring and more. RVIA certification should be central to your build from day one if you want to have even a chance of successfully getting your home certified. This is probably the biggest misconception I find in this movement regarding THOW (Tiny Houses on Wheels).
I am not certain what state you live in but in Florida many campgrounds allow tiny houses on wheels my husband is a drywall mechanic and we were keenly stay at various campgrounds throughout the state for a week and sometimes longer we stayed at 1 in Leesburg one and what kind of one in Claremont and one in Clearwater each for more than a week and not only was our tiny house welcomed we met several interested wannabe tiny house homeowners and everyone wanted to tour our house we built it ourselves and it is not rvia certified
Thanks for your candor. Sounds like you have had enough of that show! My wife and I have been very impressed with your products that we have seen on TV. Just filled out your questionnaire, looking forward to working with you
In a couple of years. Thanks again, Greg.
This really put a lot in perspective for us as we have been watching those shows because we really want to pare down to a tiny home no more that 400 sq ft. So thank you for the information. It has really helped. I knew they had to be misleading the cost as I have talked to a builder in Idaho.
I love your homes could you transport a finished one to Idaho?
Thank you, Janet
Yes, our houses can be transported to Idaho.
I live in Napa CA. Can you recommend a good tiny house builder that will be able to give me all the bells and whistles. My husband and I are wanting to purchase two. One for us and our 7 year old, and one for my parents so they can move out to CA. Our budget would be around $125 -$150 for the two. We plan to put a blu home on the property the following year. Any advice and recommendations would be appreciated.
Jill, I am not too familiar with Napa Valley. I know there are builders in California, but I do not know how custom they can go. We have done several builds with all the “bells and whistles” and can deliver to that part of the country.
Best,
Greg
Totally with ya!
I was contacted by THN about 3 months into my build. They wanted to come finish it for the show, for “only” $30,000! I already had $15K in it and was well on my way, so I said no thanks. The benefit of these shows has been outreach and education though. Everyone knows what tiny houses are, and making them more mainstream will accelerate the acceptance of them as a housing option.
I’ve never held any illusions that the various house hunting and house building shows are more than a tad contrived. However, with that understanding I still peruse the shows getting ideas about space design and use. The rest I fast forward through!
Excellent Greg! Spot on…we are a small outfit that builds fully off grid self sustaining tiny’s in Northern New Mexico and have received many a call from these folks wanting to do basically the same as you described…the answer has always been no for the same reasons as you so very well spoke to. And again spot on about the pricing. When I designed and built my house it was done so with the charter that it would have all the amenities of a “normal” sized house just smaller (200 square feet) plus it would be powered by a PV/battery solar system, composting/grey and on board water system, wood stove etc….I spent close to $28k on all the materials/appliances for the house…which of course doesn’t include my design time and labor. Additionally we build houses that folks will live in day in day out, year in year out…not a summer cabin or a guest house in the back yard. Whilst there is nothing at all wrong with these, it is unrealistic to expect a livable tiny fully ready to go from a builder for under $40k to $60k…
By in large folks that are in the romance stage of tiny living need to really research and investigate the realities of living tiny. It’s not for everyone for sure and it is a disservice to the tiny community and movement to have folks be misled about the lifestyle, costs associated and the realities of what is and can be an amazing adventure…
I love tiny house nation, but I am smart enough to realize the plot, the budget, the build and the situations are unrealistic. I appreciate your honesty and your stand to not add your own fabrication. The tiny house movement needs people to continue with integrity. Of course I also enjoy a little fantasy tiny house building on TV since my husband won’t agree to go tiny!! 😉
I’m a builder from out east and recently wrapped filming a TH show. This post is spot on. The episode of my show hasn’t aired yet, but I know for an absolute fact that a lot of it will be “t.v. magic”. We filmed certain scenes multiple times and they had myself and the buyer react to certain things in ways that were less than authentic, but would “work” for the show. They had an image of the build process that they wanted to present. Again, the episode hasn’t aired yet, so I can’t say how real or fake certain aspects will be, but I don’t think it will be a true reflection of the build process. It was quite fun to film, though, and the crew was very professional. I have also been approached for several other shows, but I could never really shake the feeling that tiny houses are interesting, but not totally appropriate for reality t.v. It’s almost like they are making a TH reality show bubble. People are going to get sick of us. We’re in limbo. Not quite mainstream, not quite fringe dwellers. Just there as entertainment.
Greg, you’re one of the most honest builders out there, so you’ll always have business. Keeping things authentic takes integrity – along with the courage to back it up – which you have in spades.
Hey, Greg…is it? Amen. Yes, yes, and yes. I came upon Dee Williams on a “60 Minutes” segment in 2011. Immediately recognized tiny and mobile as my solution to being anti-mortgage and my solution for affordable living the rest of my life. When I began obsessively researching tiny houses in 2011, they were few and far between (on the internet), most modeled after Jay’s and Dee’s floor plans and! It seemed there were many go-getters building their own as cheaply as possible. Good! And, bad. 🙁 I began researching basic cost of building materials and quickly realized that–yes, building materials alone, you’re into 15-20k plus ??? I realized that I could not afford to pay a builder $35,000 or $45,000. Then, as I talked to people, I got same reactions–that a builder should be able to build/sell a tiny home for $15,000 or $20,000 or $25,000. Really people? What? Do you expect a builder to do manual labor putting together your house for several weeks…manual, dangerous work and get paid zero dollars? It always kills me how people expect to make great money in their own professions; but when they go to make a major purchase, they expect other people to not make a good profit in their respective professions or get paid a reasonable wage for level of expertise. How one-sided. Yes, the shows are pretty dramatized. I tend to fast forward to the end to see the finished product. Lol. I don’t like sitcoms and fake reality shows. I just want to learn about building. And another thing: are they using plywood sheathing in all these builds? Are they gluing and screwing? Are they using hurricane ties? Are they using state of the art energy efficiency practices? Modern insulation? Are they taking the time to build really solid, mobile structures? Does not look like it; but I hope so. I feel like their “supposed” speed-building, their acrobatics, and their “drama” does cast a dark cloud over the original “philosophies” that Jay and Dee espoused. Thank you for having good ethics and keep up your good work. I am doing a minimal, open floor plan shipping container home next year. Peace bro. Nice post!
You are kinder than I, my friend. My response to anything TV: “I don’t believe in Television. Good luck.” Strangely they never respond.
Thank you for your candor, it sure makes my job easier. 🙂
The movement would benefit more if we focused on builders that are providing actually affordable homes. Yes there is a market for the high end finishes, but the movement started because most of Americans can’t afford the standard stupid McMansions. $50k for 500 sgft is New York pricing and truly not in the true sprit of the tiny house movement.
Would you please supply some links to TH builders who are providing a turn-key 500 square foot house for less than $50K?
Interesting article – heads up, your URL has a typo and points to tinyhouselisings.com instead of tinyhouselistings.com
Thanks for the posting .. I appreciate you spending your time to share your experiences.
And the number of self builders that have been encouraged to build on old RV frames …. I better not start !!
Wow. Even a park model RV starts around $50k. Custom tiny homes are not an affordable housing solution. I know, I checked. Something as cheap as $30k does exist, though, it’s called a single-section manufactured home. Usually it’s used.
I discovered how fake Tiny House Nation was when they were building a Minim house for a couple. The hosts pretended to be so surprised when the couple didn’t want their bed in a loft, and suddenly came up with the bright idea to add a pull out bed to the design. I had already checked out this model online, so knew that the pull out bed was a part of the original design of the house —they changed nothing. Anyway, thanks for this refreshing dose of reality!
I agree. I relate more to those shows that interview the actual homeowner after living in the home for some time. How has the adjustment been, etc? As a unemployed homeless veteran that has over 30 years in the construction field I don’t need to see how they fit a Jacuzzi tub into a 200 sq ft tiny home. Be real. I’m still in the planning stages but I think this may be my solution to my housing problem, but again I don’t have $50k so I will be on the street for a few more years.
The thing that really bugs me in Tiny House Nation is how they act like they’re the ones coming up with these houses, when there is already a builder working from plans and they just drop in and help for the cameras. And trying to tell people how much stuff they can take or need to get rid of.. I mean really, people can’t figure that out for themselves? They need to do a better job or presenting the builders and the true costs and logistics of these products.
Could you please come down under & visit us in Australia.
As with Absolutely Everything we are a long way behind the rest of the world.
Tiny Houses in Australia are very expensive that is IF you can find one.
This is what I’ve always said about Tiny House Television! I have always wished it focused on the reality instead of what they think will be entertaining, not only because it doesn’t represent real life, but also because Im just not interested in fake entertainment ploys. Shows like this would be SO much more interesting to me if they went into the gritty details and real aspects of living tiny. I hope someone listens and makes a show that I can get behind!
Great reality check in this article. I spent $23,495.10 on my build without labor added in. Did all the work myself or with families help. Quality built homes cost $ regardless of the size. Check out my cost articles at https://rangerfan213.wordpress.com
I am getting really tired of all “tiny houses” being built on wheels for travel. There are so many tiny houses that are just that, and are much more interesting. In deference to HGTV, they featured my caboose in 2011 on “You Live in What?” and they portrayed it and me very accurately.
Not counting the variation in appliance selection nor the cost of the trailer, what is the average square foot construction cost of a tiny house versus traditional house construction?
It’s all across the board, Bill. Besides, $/sq ft is not a good metric to use when comparing tiny houses to traditional houses.
We 9nly watch one of these shows and my husband said “this is crap no way that only cost that.
Eye-opening—Grazie molte!
It is possible to build a tiny house for around $25K, but not using big box store bought materials in large part, unless you do it yourself or have an individual builder like I used, who mills his own wood and has minimal costs other than himself and a helper. The only thing “used” in my house was the trailer – which we sourced used so that the builder could get my 10X20′ tiny house to my rural location from his shop, and that was about $2K. I’ve never seen any of the TV shows, though I’ve seen snippets online – and was contacted once for being in an episode of HGTV which featured small dome homes – and at that time I was currently living in a steel strut, marine canvas covered 20′ diameter Pacific Dome. I declined as I wasn’t ready for any kind of show and tell in my used dome home. I’ve been living here in my tiny house for three years now, not full time as I’m still working full time in town and don’t have easy access to grid power out here, etc. I’m using solar panels now for my simple needs & generator when needed. On the whole, It’s coming along nicely. In order to meet my budget, I had to scrimp on the flooring, knowing that I could upgrade later, but otherwise, it’s full dimensional rough-hewn cedar board & batten, metal roof, all knotty pine interior paneling-simple, functional design with 7X10′ log raftered sleeping loft, 3X7 bathroom with toilet and 32″ shower & 4X10′ covered front porch.
Yes, yes, yes!!!’m
My friend asked if I have saved up enough money for a tiny house, thinking it would cost 25K, I am saving but that isn’t the only cost, I live in California and the cost of property is pricey. I have to be patient and save but I feel confident it will take time and still a good chunk of change for quality construction.
I’m all for “Tiny House” living and have done quite a bit of research to see what I’d have to do to get into one. Which is really the reason why I’ve stopped considering getting one. “Tiny House” living may have started out as a ‘good thing’ but it’s evolved into something that a lot of us who didn’t get in on it early enough – especially if there are ways to be ‘grandfathered’ in for a variety of things – now find it very prohibitive.
There are many things to consider when contemplating getting a Tiny House.
Where are you going to live/where are you going to put it?Are you going to travel with it all year, part of the year, once in a while or not at all?What are you actually going to do with it?
Some of you may be thinking /duh /facepalm, those answers are pretty obvious… but, really, they aren’t.
1. Where are you going to live/where are you going to put it?Many cities are now creating laws that will not allow people to just park anywhere and live or camp, even for just a few hours. People who have been “stealth camping” over the years have pretty much taken that away from the rest of us.
For instance, according to San Diego, CA, law:
“… section 86.0139 of the San Diego Municipal Code (SDMC) prohibits oversized, non-motorized and recreational vehicles from parking on public streets between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. and prohibits parking any such vehicle within fifty (50) feet of an intersection at any time. Residents may obtain a Temporary Overnight Recreational Vehicle Permit (TORVP) which will allow for overnight parking of RV’s on the *Resident’s block*.” [“*” emphasis my own.]
Check the website for answers to “Is my vehicle eligible for a permit under this ordinance?” as well as permit fees, number of permits allowed, and required documentation.http://www.sandiego.gov/parking/permits/torvp/
You really need to know where you are planning on putting your Tiny House so that you can check zoning laws and regulations.
So, you’ve found that you can’t really park your house just anywhere or where you had planned. Now what? You look at buying property and that is just way more than you wanted to get involved in, really! What’s left? Trailer parks.
But wait, you wanted to get into a Tiny House to *avoid* rents and mortgages and all that stuff! Right? Tiny House living, at this point in time, isn’t the ‘silver bullet’ that everyone is now saying it is, not unless you live in an area that has no regulations with regards to that movable home you have or are planning on getting.
2. Are you going to travel with it all year, part of the year, once in a while or not at all?First, is your Tiny House actually registered as a RV? If so, you have to make sure all the paperwork and fees are up to date. If not, can you actually legally travel with it?
If you don’t have the privilege of having a permanent spot for your Tiny House, if you leave from where ever you are currently parking your home, will that place/spot be available when you get back from where ever you went? If you’re renting the space, you better make sure that you have your rent paid up for the time you’re gone, unless you know for sure there will be other spaces available somewhere and that the amount won’t have been increased while you were gone.
Also, if you don’t travel much or more than at least half the year, what are you planning on doing with your towing vehicle? A towing vehicle is not something you want to use for every day running around. And if you have to store it… how much is that going to cost? How much is it going to cost to maintain? Would it be better to rent a towing vehicle for those times that you actually do take your Tiny House somewhere? And then there is the cost of the traveling and the “camping” itself. Where are you going to stay/park when you get to where you’re going? Would it be more cost effective to just stay at a hotel instead of bringing your home with you?
3. What are you actually going to do with it?Are you actually going to live in your Tiny House, 24/7/365? If so what are the laws and regulations regarding doing so? Do you actually have to have electricity and water/sewer connections – even if you use solar power/generators and have a compostable toilet?
Are you going to be using it as a home office? A business? Believe it or not, check those zoning laws because you might not be able to do that at all.
Planning on using it as a ‘guest room’ or as a ‘kids room’? Believe it or not, there are restrictions with regards to where minor children can be – check with your city council and the Department of Health and Human Services or Child Protective Services.
Just like with gardening (some cities will not allow you to use your front yard for any type of eating/kitchen gardening – only landscaping or flat lawn allowed), there are regulations that you probably know nothing about.
Do your research BEFORE you commit yourself to building that ‘silver bullet’, mortgage-free, hassle-free, rent-free Tiny House.
So glad this thread’s alive! Saw my first several THNs last night and found the formulaic artificiality depressing. Also that one of the builders is someone with a number of unhappy customers IRL, possibly because though very creative, he takes on more business than he can handle, and the show’s just going to steer more to him.
The comment above is FANTASTIC. It should be printed on the back of TH books the way they print warnings on packs of cigarettes, although I’m afraid it would be just as ignored. Not by me, though! One day I want to be an old lady in a TH, without a loft but with a walk-in bathtub. Move a couple times a year to friendly, legal mooring.
HG channel doesn’t keep it even slightly real. I just watch for the interiors, except for House Hunters International, where I can finally get inside French farmhouses I’d never see otherwise. Even if you’re pals with a French family, they aren’t big on house tours.
I have been interested in the Tiny Home “Thing” for some time. I totally agree that the prices touted are completely skewed. Having worked in construction as a welder for many years I am familiar with building practices and COST. “BUILT TO LAST” takes TIME & MONEY. “CHEAP” and cutting corners always bites you in the behind EVERY TIME. If someone wants cheap and EASY they would be much better off restoring an old travel trailer or fifth wheel in my opinion.
I understand that the slew of tiny house shows on TV are trying to romanticize the so called “Movement”. That’s all well and fine. However, there is NOTHING romantic with dealing with zoning & building codes as mentioned in previous posts.
I agree that there is a NEED for some downsizing in our culture. However, I find it dishonest at best to paint the American housing development as something bad and wasteful. A lot of it comes from people who compare OUR building and housing practices to other countries who saturated almost all of their lands centuries before America was barely starting out. Hence the comparison of the smaller homes abroad is quite baseless. If there were available lands they would build bigger. That’s just human nature.
Greg, I applaud you for holding to your principles. I agree that IF someone wants a $25,000 home that it is unreasonable and probably IMPOSSIBLE to build using some one else’s hands. I love your CRAFTSMANSHIP and attention to detail. Would I do some things different? Sure. I am now changing my mind on the “SYSTEM” that I have had in mind and I see that the “goose neck” offers many more advantages than the “Trailer” style. I really liked the use of space in the “Rio Grand”. I especially liked the stealth office space and the possibility of having a stackable washer & dryer. The folding porches are awesome as well.
If one wants to know what their actual needs are for their living situation I’d recommend doing a “Timing Test”. Simply put record the time and activities spent doing things in your current home. I know what and where I do the most of my time. That should give you a better idea of WHAT you want based on your daily life. Yes, some of the whimsical additions portrayed on these shows are unique and exciting. Usually found to wholly impractical and become abandoned when the revisit occurs.
It boils down to WHAT some one wants. It’s up to the BUILDER to deliver that. There will be and are compromises along the way on both sides. Either way you stack the deck you will NEVER get a “DREAM HOME” for $25,000 unless you build it yourself. And even then it will be stretching it. I have the abilities to build my own and I’d still have Greg build for me.
Beautiful work Greg & Company.
Rusty,
Thank you for your encouraging and well thought words. We bust our butts doing what we love. Feedback like yours just makes it that much worthwhile. Best, Greg
Greg, thanks for your honesty. I’m looking to build a 700-800 sq. ft home in evergreen, co within 18 months. I want it to be interesting and doable for about 150k start to finish. Is that realistic? And can you do it?
Would that include the cost of land, or just the house? I think a structure could be had for that much. I do not do site built structures outside of Durango.
Thanks.
Ha ha. No surprise. All those “flip your home” that show renovations are woefully under priced and unrealistic. It’s sad to see so many people being mislead, possibly into making huge financial mistakes by these shows. It’s not just THN. The shows are borderline fraudulant which is a bad thing due to targeting lower income buyers that don’t have resources to recover from making such huge mistakes.
These shows are capitalizing on the fact there is a serious affordable housing shortage and these shows prevent changes in policies that might be more productive. Financing and land zoning are never presented as serious make it or break it issues like they can be in real life.
Thank you for the reality check. I admit that I am caught up in the appeal. I’m a 38 year old soon to be divorced dad of an 8 year old girl. Looking for housing options for her and I in the San Jose, CA area is very difficult. Rent ($1,100ish) plus deposits for 5 years here easily hits over $70k. For crowded giant apartment complexes. Why not finance $70k for a custom tiny home build? One made just for us. I can’t build anything, LOL. It’s such a perfect sustainable option in this area as a run down double wide here is $78k plus hoa/rent for park its permanently in. What’s even more surprising is that I’m trying to put it in Santa Cruz where the movement should be there with open arms but I can’t find it.
Added note. Tiny house lovers on a budget are NOT the same as homeless living in trailer in parking lot…thanks!
Thank you for your honesty. It is so important to know what you are getting yourself into before you start.
I only came upon your post because I “Tiny House Hunting Fake” after watching an episode on A&E. The couple was looking for a micro apartment in NYC. The woman was quite pregnant when they looked at a place in Brooklyn. They ended up buying that same place and did a total gut job lasting 3 months, yet after the reveal of the apt in all its beauty she was still pregnant, and not looking any bigger. Thanks for your integrity and having the integrity to not sell out for exposure.
I live in British Columbia Canada and the show contacted me and my husband to do an episode. We are currently building our own tiny house and we are paying for it in time by looking for reclaimed materials etc. I was confused as to why they were even contacting us because we were building our own house not looking for one. But I guess this clears it up a bit.
I’ve been watching the THN shows lately and wonder why so many are for sale within a year, one, the same month the show aired! Is this because of bad planning or part of the show, just show the homes, what they do with them later, doesn’t matter?
I just feel, if you want people to consider tiny homes, making it “real”, looking into every aspect of zoning, etc. will help the movement and not make a lot of disillusioned or misinformed buyers.
I do love the multi-function ideas and they can be used in any home if handy and the downsizing…one good thing about THN, every time I watch, another bag goes to Goodwill or the curb. ; )
Saw the most recent episode of Tiny House Nation, and I have to say that I am astonished that anyone would want to actually live in a box made of painted chip board. No matter how cutesy they tried to make it, the episode for the photographers from Denver just made me wonder how long it would be (a couple of months at best) before the bathroom would start to fall apart. The seams between the boards were not finished at all, so the humidity would just destroy it in a short amount of time. I am assuming that they (the producers) thought no one would notice the horrible workmanship and cheap materials. Brush up against those walls with your clothes and it would just ruin whatever you were wearing. It amazes me that people fall for this nonsense.
This show is tricking people into thinking it is going to be easy to build something durable and transportable. I feel for you and your company having to break the news to people that this is not real, and the junk they create on TV is not going to be liveable, roadable or last more than a short amount of time.
This episode surprised me too. I have been watching each show looking for cleaver ideas on storage ec. for my tiny cabin. When I saw this one with a small child’s room where his bed as surrounded by 3 chip board walls I was stunned! I even mentioned to my wife how within a week the child will pick at the walls. Notice at the end of the show you never actually see the couple live in the home. It’s just being stored.
Amen! Every show I have seen on HGTV skews the reality of construction budgets and time. It leaves the general public with an unrealistic view of the realities of design and construction, no matter the scope of the project. It’s a disservice to the audience, as well as the building profession. I watch for entertainment, but unfortunately, most people think it’s reality. Maybe more open letters like this can help educate HGTV’s audiences. Thanks for posting!
I see one for sale now on TH Listings that hasn’t even been on Tiny House Nation show yet…seems to be Tiny House Flipping.
John W from THN called the time frame “TV reality” meaning it’s for show, but I don’t get it, why not show an accelerated time frame for TV but tell the real time it took to make?
They also don’t mention they have participants pay but they do upgrades for them.
I have taken the time to read each and every reply, as well as your original post Greg. I think that we, as a whole, know that TV shows are fabricated, sensationalized, edited, etc. This is true in anything from the news to the building/educational type shows, etc. What I personally have always done has been to take away the concepts, ideas, principles, etc. But then go and do ACTUAL research. We have become a nation of “instant gratification” that has left us unwilling to do the work it takes to make sure that we are making the best decision for ourselves and our families. Not to mention our environment and our wallets. I end my post by asking that no one “beat me up” for my opinion, because I did not do that to anyone for theirs.
My question is where is the ‘water source’ for the Tiny Houses that are off the grid and/or driven to remote areas???
If they aren’t on a well, most either truck it in, or haul it in via 5 gallon camp containers.
Thank you for your honesty about Tiny House Nation. I live in Virginia and was looking for their advertisements when I found your app. I wondered just how they could sell a tiny custom made one for so inexpensive. Now I know that they really cannot. Thanks for opening my eyes.
Sincerely,
Sheryl Lewis
Thanks for this article. Maybe it’s called “Reality TV” not because it represents reality, but because it tries to shape it.
Thanks for the honest info. I’m building a TH on my lakefront property now, basically a guest house I can live in while I rent out the main house in summer. It will come in around 10k but it’s only 120sq ft to stay under the state law for no permit needed, I’m using lots of reclaimed materials, I’m tapping into the main house’s electric and water via plain old very long extension cord and hose, and I’m doing much of the work myself over a 9-month period. I watch THN for storage and layout ideas. The prices always seemed low to me for what they get, so I’m glad to know about the unreality of the prices on THN.
My husband does remodeling and the proliferation of these “reality” remodeling shows has prospective customers thinking he can completely remodel their kitchens in 2 weeks and for less than what a new car costs. And because these people have such unrealistic expectations he finds himself lowering his prices just to get the job. Don’t get me wrong, we love these houses and would
like to start making them ourselves but until HGTV & FYI start showing more “realistic” construction timelines and costs on par with shows like This Old House, we’ll stick to just building one for ourselves.
I don’t disagree, but there’s a flip side to this. Just as there are unrealistic expectations on the buyer’s side, there are a lot of builders who charge ridiculous amounts of money trying to capitalize on a trend when they really don’t offer anything in terms of originality or craftsmanship. So it really goes both ways.
I’m glad to hear that your focus is on your clients and getting their homes out to them. I agree that these shows paint an quite-unrealistic picture. You can pretty much call the beats of each episode without fail. Like you said, there’s a mudslide, a building space too small, or they face an inflexible deadline that would spell utter catastrophe if reached.
If for nothing else, the shows are good to find new ideas for your build.
Keep doing the great work that you do!
Good luck great article Working as an executive producer on TV and Film projects has shown me just how distorted “Reality” shows really are.
Great information, really impressed by the honesty and intelligence of your comments; not surprised at all by what really goes on, but then I’m REALLY a skeptic about (and mostly a hater of) ‘reality’ shows.
We’re not in the market for a tiny home (own our 1,400sf house), but I wondered if you had a minute or two to address a couple questions my husband (currently watching “Tiny House, Big Living”) and I have: nothing is said about where they get power, water, sewer disposal, etc. My reply when he said “They don’t tell you any of that!” was, they probably would park it outside somebody’s backyard fence and sneak over to hookup to whatever they could get. 🙂 But perhaps you could tell us how you’d actually get power, water, etc., wherever you’d decide to locate a tiny house. Appreciate it.
And … since these are apparently not even ‘real’ tiny-house builds in the first place, it’s no wonder they don’t talk about such issues!
This was a terrific post. I watch every one of the Tiny House shows…but only ’cause I’m looking for inspiration & innovative ideas while I’m waiting for Canadian Municipalities to *finally* change zoning by-laws so we can have them where I live. (Been pestering my city since long before any of the shows existed & still waiting…sigh)
But, I guess I thought most people already knew how crazy & unrealistic the budgets, etc. are on these (not-really) reality shows. If FYI or HGTV is involved with the build, then there’s no labour charge…the most expensive part of the build! I’d build 3 tomorrow if all I had to do was buy materials, cross my arms & nod my head like Jeannie! lol And if the show ends in “Hunters” (a la House Hunters) then shame on you if you don’t already know how they scam ’cause that’s been around forever.
Personally I’m not too worried. I figure when I can finally have a house here I can scoop up my first for a steal from someone who was ill-informed & wayyy too ambitious because they believed these shows!
Totally appreciate your comments on this subject!
Greg,
You are 100% correct in your comments. Thank you for putting this out there! I think every potential tiny house customer should read this prior to contacting a builder. I to am/was a tiny house builder. I built a beautiful custom tiny house on wheels and have been trying to sell ot for the last year with no success. I have had alot ot “tire kickers” come look at it and alot of people come look at it that just wanted to see a tiny house because they’ve never seen one. Its been a huge waste of my time. I have also had people tell me that it was priced way too high or call me a scammer because I wouldn’t sell it to them for $15k. That doesn t even cover the cost of the trailer and shell! The whole situation has been very frustrating and disheartening. It really has put a bad taste in my mouth about the whole tiny house movement. Its sad because I really enjoy building the tiny houses but I think once the one I have sells, I will close up shop. I hope you keep building and wish you continued success! Good luck!
Thanks,
Jason
Thank you for keeping it real.