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A
Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong ding ding ding ding ding dong. Hello.
B
Well, hello, and welcome to Dwell. Hello. It's our House Hunters episode here on Watcho Crappens. I'm Ben. That's Ronnie. How's it going, Ronnie?
A
Oh, so great. What's going on with you today?
B
Not much. Just ready to talk some House Hunters. This is a. This is an interesting one because when we selected this episode. So we normally like to choose episodes that are not behind the paywall or that are easy to access.
A
And.
B
And when we chose, was easily readily available on Max. And then over the course of the next two or three days, it was taken down from Max, but.
A
Well, apparently someone sent us an email, and apparently Max, at the start of the month, took down a lot of House Hunters. They just axed a bunch of them. So I wonder.
B
Yeah, and I also wonder. I noticed that some of these were over on the Discovery app because, you know, like, Max is kind of oddly, like, has, like, a split personality where it's like, Discovery is part of Max, but not necessarily part of Max. And so I think you have to have, like, maybe an ancillary subscription to Discovery.
A
Well, they combined, so it was Discovery on Max, but I guess now they're making you pay for Discovery separately again, which I think. So I'm not doing that.
B
I saw that this was. Yeah. So it's. Sorry to that. Like, it was shocked. Ronnie. Ronnie texted me and was like, ben, where. Where's this episode? I was like, it's on Max. I saw. I. I just. I just saw the first 30 seconds on max. And that was on Thursday, but by Sunday, it was gone. So apologies ahead of time, but the episode in question is Tiny Dreams in North Carolina, sent in by Mary. This is volume six, season 145, episode 12, look for tiny Dreams in North Carolina. I wound up just buying it off of Apple for, like $2, you know, and it was worth it because I.
A
Like the episode, so I found it on Hulu myself. So here we go. North Carolina antique collector Bonnie is simplifying her life and going tiny. She's got a real heck of a daughter named Emma along to keep her grounded and keep that accent just goofying it up the entire time.
B
Yeah, it's so interesting. This woman, Bonnie, her daughter reminded me of, oddly enough, Grace Lily. I can't explain it. Maybe that Carolina thing, the Carol is like the accent, I should say, not necessarily the personality, but she really got that.
A
She really got. She's like, hi, Mama. And the mom doesn't talk like that. Just, she does the mom's talk, like, well, I love collectibles. And she's like, hey, mama, you know what? I think you need another baby. I'm like, damn, forest.
B
I'm Bonnie. I work in retail. I live with my dog and my three cats in rural North Carolina. And one of my hobbies is I love to collect things. JD At Antiques Baskets, JD More Jadot. I like to collect J Dot and JD yet.
A
Yeah, I collect things, unique things I can collect and use. You know, like J Dot teacups. Who doesn't need those? So I'm gonn tiny. I'm going to live tiny and I'm going to have lots of collectibles everywhere in a moving house. It's going to work out great. Hello. What are you talking about? You can't have a drivable house and collect Jadeite teacups.
B
People who go tiny on these shows always say, I just want to get rid of all my stuff and live tiny. She's like, I just want to collect more and more J. D and live tiny.
A
Yeah. So she's moving somewhere without cupboards or a closet. Can't wait to see how this is going to work out. Okay.
B
She's like an aspiring hoarder. She's like, she's like, I'm a hoarder, but I didn't have the discipline to be a hoarder. So I thought, what if I just make the space smaller and that makes the hoarding bigger.
A
Yeah. Also, I think her daughter, despite what she sounds like, I think she looks exactly like Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks.
B
Yeah, the daughter's gorgeous.
A
Yeah. Her daughter is a stunner. Or like modern day, I guess comparison would be Ally. It's a girl's name, Ally from Legally Blonde. She was the one that was on trial and Legally Blonde. And she was in Ali Larder. Yeah, Ali Larder. Yeah, Ali Larder. She's now in that, that Taylor Sheridan show with Billy Bob Thorton.
B
Oh, she is Good for her. Good to see she's still working.
A
She's just still sexy as heck, tell you that much. Ally Larder. Dang it. That woman's never taking a day off the Pilates. Jeez, have some, have some pie, Ally.
B
Alice went to a party and she was there and she offered me like a homemade, like, cupcake or something.
A
Yes, I'll take it. Ali Larder. Yes. I love you. I'll take whatever Ali Larder gives me. I love her. She's so beautiful. She's so good and everything.
B
She was really nice but there was something when she looked at me where I felt like she doesn't know who I am and she doesn't know why I'm here. I shouldn't be at this party. She's like, wait a second. I just offered one of my cupcakes to a non famous person who invited this person here. But she was very nice and she had a big smile.
A
So I love that you only take, you only want. You only want cupcakes from people who accept you at a party. Like, give me the cupcake. I care about the cupcake more than I care about the Alley Larder.
B
Wow, what a Joy. It took 20 years, but I finally got my Ali Letter story out podcast.
A
I tell my cupcake, that girl's. That girl's from Legally Blonde. You're never going to tell anybody because I'm eating off your head.
B
And then I remember. I remember also turning to someone and talking to them in the wake of this Ali Larder moment where I was, I felt kind of like. I was like. I just felt, like, very, like, out of place. And I turned to someone and I said, so where are you guys living? They're like, culver. I'm like, oh, Culver, where's that? I was like, is that near Culver City? They're like, no, that. That is Culver City. We just didn't say the city part. And I was like, I am failing at this party. I just always remember embarrassing myself with that Culver City comment.
A
They probably got in the car and they're like, oh, my God. Ali Larder's friend really did not approve of us being at that party because we're from Culver.
B
What's Culver?
A
Yeah, you were just passing on the insecurity from person to person. You, like, you paid it forward in the most negative way ever.
B
Ellie Larder's like, I gave that nice person a cupcake and he just gave me such a look, like, are my cupcakes not good enough? Everyone left shattered from that party.
A
That cupcake stealer just looked at me like, what are you. What are you doing at this party?
B
He was looking at me like, you're an actress. I know these cupcakes aren't good. I'm like, no, I know how to make cupcakes. I have dabs.
A
So she's like, well, I had a house. It was 1100 square foot. It was a mansion. And basically that was a money pit. So I decided to put it up for sale, and it sold faster than I thought I would. Turns out people love junk oh, my God. Is that J Dot? Get in my purse. Get it in my purse right now.
B
I have a question. What is jadeite, by the way? Is that just like.
A
It's like that milk glass. It's like that green milk glass that they have, like, old antiques, dishes and cups and stuff. You've seen it, right? We've got a lot of it in the South.
B
Yeah. I'm looking at pictures of it now, but, yeah, it's just so funny because I was like, I'm just laughing. I basically had a Culver City moment, a Culver moment, when I was like, J.D.
A
Well, it's a Southern thing. You see it everywhere. Everywhere. And then they'll try and charge you, like, a million dollars for it. They'll be like, oh, you want two J dot teacups? That'll be $200, like, off. Get out of here.
B
I will have some lapis lazuli instead. So she's like, yeah. So I've been looking for a tiny home for me. Tiny. It's just because I just want to live simply and amongst piles of jade, dot and little dishes, you know, and enjoy life.
A
I don't want the headaches of taking care of a house. And my children think that going tiny is kind of strange, you know, coming from an 1100 square foot, you know, I'm gonna do what I want to do. They know that Mama's gonna do what mama wants to do, so that's what mama's gonna do. Hey, guess what? I made that. Mama's gonna do this today. And here's what it says. Number one, Mama. Number two is going to do what mama's gonna do.
B
You know, being a mother, I've seen it all. I'm quite jaded. And I don't take a picture. I don't see what any sight. So I like my G day. So the daughter's like, yeah, I think that she's kind of crazy, and I think she might know that herself. But, you know, we're gonna embrace this together, and it's gonna be fun. I can't wait for my mama to live in a tiny home, and then I have to come in and cleaned out every single month.
A
I mean, I tell my mama to put on conditioner on her hair. She won't do that. But now she wants my opinion on what half she's going to live in. Hi, little White rain never hurt nobody, right, Mama? Come on.
B
Bonnie has $125,000 to spend. Unfortunately, she spent most of that on jadeite. So she has $10 left over for a tiny house.
A
125,000. That's crazy. By the way, my tiny house obsession is kind of coming back because, yeah, I kind of want to get a tiny house here in Texas because I need one. I just want a tiny house instead of a big house. I like a tiny house. I'm going to try it. I'm going to look into it. Okay. Just putting that out into the universe. Any tiny house builders, give me a call.
B
I have to say, I thought the tiny homes on this episode, at least the first two were not so bad. Normally the tiny homes episodes normally stress me out, but I thought these were pretty good. And we recently did a tiny home episode where there was some okay, tiny homes.
A
You know, the stressful ones are when they're like, I'll got a family of 10 and eight babies under the age of three and we want a tiny home so daddy can play in the bar at night. We could park it out in the Walmart while we were. I'm like, no, it's child abuse. But when it's Bonnie, Bonnie's like, you know what? I love Jade. I do. What mama's gonna do. So I want a tiny home. You're like, okay, well, for you it's okay. It makes sense.
B
Yeah, it makes sense. Even though it logistically makes no sense with your hobbies. So Emma's like, well, I just don't want her all the way out there in Timbuktu. Okay. I want to see her. So then Bonnie's like, here's an inspiration board of the tiny homes that I want. So here's a mansion. And this one here, this one's just like a four bedroom house. Just some nice inspiration for going tiny, you know?
A
Yeah, her inspiration homes were not tiny homes.
B
They were.
A
They were really nice little cabins and stuff. So she's hoping for a first floor bedroom for herself and her dog Scrappy, who's exactly. Who's named exactly how he looks. And we cut to Scrappy. Scrappy's like. I was like, scrappy. It's a Scrappy, a can opener with hair.
B
Scrappy, which is what he'll have to be in order to bound over the piles of little tchotchkes he'll be locked in with.
A
Scrappy, or as we call him, Jadeite survivor Scrappy.
B
Scrappy, whose new dog bed will be made out of piles of little jadeite saucers.
A
So Bonnie's like, well, for my kitchen, I want full size appliances, granite countertops. That's very important. They're very in right Now. And I don't want a house that's too small. You know, probably around 400 square feet. That would be ideal.
B
I'm like, bonnie, I think you want an apartment. So Emma's like, well, the one thing I'm worried about is that my mom is underestimating just how talented these houses are going to be. And I know she has a lot of trinkets. We'll call it and collections. Or as I like to call my boyfriend, garbage. Pure garbage. He just collects big, big pieces of garbage.
A
My mom's got a lot of stuff in her house. I like to call daddy substitutes. But I'm supportive for the most part.
B
Have you ever seen a J Dot dildo? I have. It's unpleasant. God.
A
Bonnie's like, well, I'm giving up my collections, I'll tell you that. I lighten some of them up. But some collections I would just never give up. I ain't gonna do it. I ain't going to do it. Now here's another thing. I make a list of things that Mama ain't going to do. Mama ain't getting rid of her collections. Check, check.
B
Local real estate broker Stephanie Johnson, who may or may not be a distant cousin of Riley from below deck, owns a tiny home of her own, and she's going to help Bonnie with her search in finding a terrible place for all her chotchkis.
A
So, Stephanie, is this what we wear to the office? You look like drag queen toilet paper.
B
Sure. Certainly is. Okay, well, I first met. I first met Bonnie when she called me looking for a house, and she knew I had a tiny house. She knew that because I like to go up and down the main street of Asheville. Hey, I got a tiny home. Anyway, she heard me one day at the coffee shop, was like, I want to do that, too.
A
She knew I could help her find her happy place, and that's what I intend to do. Now, I gave her a Jadei dildo, but that didn't do the trick. So we're moving on to homes. By the way, I'm dressed up because I got a tank top with sparkles on it.
B
So first up, Stephanie is showing Bonnie a modern tiny on wheels. I don't know why that's such a funny thing to say. A modern tiny on wheels.
A
Yeah, I want a tiny house that's not a trailer. You know what I mean? Because a lot of the tiny homes we see on these are just trailers, and they're, like, outfitted to be homes. But I don't want that. I want, like, a Little house. Like a tiny little house. Yeah.
B
You know what? You know. You know what would be a good example of a tiny home? Remember. Remember my friend Diana? We went to her. Her home in. When we went to Sweden, we went to her home and it was, like, in the middle of nowhere. That was actually a tiny home.
A
Yes.
B
Is that what you would want?
A
Yes.
B
Is that. Is that a little too big? Is that.
A
No, no. Something like that. Just a tiny little house.
B
You know, there was no bathroom, right?
A
Oh, I would want that. No, I need a bathroom. Yeah, I need a bathroom. I want, like, a fancy tiny home where you, like, really kitted out to be like a rain shower and, you know, fancy toilet and I don't know, just. Just well done. But tiny still.
B
Yeah. Because just because it's tiny, why does it have to always be in that same rectangle arrangement? Does it have to always be because.
A
They'Re putting them in trailers? I'm telling you, it's the trailer thing. You can make a tall, tiny house, you know, like a little, tiny house with a couple nice big stories. I think a lot of it is just, like, you have to drag the house around on these shows, you know? So anyway, I think that there's.
B
I. I think there is a world in which you get a nice plot of land and you just build a tiny home that may be L shaped. And I think that's okay.
A
An L shape? Yeah, something like that. And then we could put a little garden in the middle. Like a little patio. Yeah. Hell yeah. I'm in. So first up, Stephanie's showing Bonnie a home. It's a modern tiny on wheels. It doesn't come with land, but it's under budget at $69,000, which is something you cannot do with a J dildo. So Stephanie's like, All right, Ms. Bonnie, you said you wanted to go tiny. This 266 square feet of tiny girl.
B
You know, it's kind of funny when I see Stephanie, I used to call her a passe Tiny on wheels. That was when she used to have her segue before the accident on Main Street. Then she was legally not allowed to drive one of those anymore. Anyway, what was I talking about? Modern tiny on wheels. Go for it.
A
Someone's like, what is this mama shed? What's my mama gonna live in a shed? You putting mom in the shed? Don't put mom in a shed.
B
Bonnie's like, oh, it's a tiny house on wheels. That's great for when I go driving nowhere. And Stephanie's like, yeah, it certainly Is tiny in here, right? Am I right? It's awesome. It's on a trailer, so you can pull it behind your car wherever you want to go, so we could even find you lands. So it's in a beautiful setting. You know, you just hook this right up to your hond and boom, you're ready to go.
A
And Bonnie's like, you really think I could tow this? She goes, I think you could. You might need to get a truck. She goes, well, maybe that's the first thing I need to do is get a truck. Can I just live in the truck, Mama? You ain't living in a truck. Mama's gonna do what mama's gonna do.
B
Let me tell you something. Put enough caffeine in me and just give a harness and put in my teeth, and I'll drag this thing right to where you want it. Buy this house right now.
A
And Emma's like, yeah, mama, you can get this house. You could build a porch. You could build a swimming pool. You could build a mall out back with the TJ Maxx you love. TJ Maxx is right, mama. Sky's the limit.
B
All right, I could get a deck and maybe fold it up when I move. Let's look. I want to see so they go inside.
A
Bonnie, you are not getting a fold up deck. Can you imagine, Bonnie? Like, well, is there somebody around to help me fold up my deck? No, don't get something you can't do on your own, Bonnie. I'm not coming over there to help you fold up your deck every week.
B
Yeah, fold up deck. No, no, ma'. Am. So they walk in, and Emma's like, oh, man, you're not gonna be throwing a lot of parties in here, mom. Not that you did in the first place. Although I don't know if tea parties with your J Dot dolls counts.
A
Yeah, but it's got real tall ceilings. That makes it look bigger. And I like beadboard. It's got beadboard. This is another one that they're like, this is a modern tiny. This is not a modern time. This is a country tiny. The outside is shaker and the inside is beadboard. Stop calling everything modern just because it's 20, 25. Stop it.
B
I didn't know. What is beadboard anyway? I'm. I'm looking it up. I don't. Boards like the slats.
A
Yeah, it's like the little mini slats that are like country, you know?
B
Why would they call it beadboard if there's no beads? Should Be called slap board.
A
Slap board sounds whorish. So she's like, beatboard's nice. I love beadboard. It gives that country feel. Oh, my God. This counter, it's not granite, but, you know, it is butcher block. I like butcher block for not being granite.
B
I just love when people go into a tiny home and then they. They expect all sorts of luxury finishes. And Emma's like. Emma's like, well, I love this sink. It's kind of weird. It's bigger than anything in the house because it's this big old farmhouse sink. And Bonnie's like, oh, it's wanted a farmhouse sink, though. Could I live in a farmhouse sink? This would fit a lot of J.in here.
A
I know. Who complains about a sink being too big? It's an amazing sink.
B
It was great. I think that's. I think it's great that she has a big sink.
A
Yeah. So she's like, you know what this tank is good for? It's a perfect place to watch scrappy. Oh, you're not washing. Subscribe. Get scrappy out of the sink. We're trying to eat here.
B
I know. Don't put scrappy in there. Yeah. Emma's like, well, you wanted full size appliances, though, and there's no oven in here, and there's nowhere to cook pizza, which apparently is an important thing for Bonnie is to cook pizza. Yeah.
A
Emma's like, this is gonna be a big thing. Mama cooks me pizza. Mama, go make my pizza. You better find her a pizza maker. And Stephanie's like, well, there is an oven now, come on. There's a convection microwave. So that's just like an oven. It's like an oven. It's like a microwave and an oven. Okay. Now, it's gonna be a small pizza, but it's gonna be a pizza.
B
I guarantee you that Bonnie is not making any pizzas that are worth the effort to include pizza making accessories. Okay. Like herpes.
A
You know, those are weight watchers, fre.
B
Loafs or whatever we all know. Yeah. English muffin, ketchup, and cheddar cheese.
A
Yeah. Or my famous pizza, the tortilla with pizza toppings on top that you put in the oven. Actually kind of delicious. Try it out.
B
Of course. Yeah. I've been wanting to actually make some homemade pizza for like a year, and I haven't gotten around to it. Maybe tonight's the night. So Emma's like, well, what about displaying all your collections? Where would you do that? And Bonnie's like, well, it'd be nice to put a Couple more shelves in. But Stephanie tells her, yeah, well, there's a lot of room for shelves, but you need to remember, too, because this is on wheels. And you know what happens if you wind up committing the crime and having to move to another state. I wouldn't know from experience, but I'm just saying, if you need to get on wheels and get out of here quickly, you don't want things rattled around on those shelves.
A
How are you gonna escape the bank robbery if you got shit running around on your shelves? You can't have Jade out flying all over the place. What about Scrappy?
B
I mean, I saw deep impact. That wave came very far inland. You may need to get up and go next time a meteor hits this planet.
A
And Bonnie's like, well, I don't see a place to put my canopy bed. That's for sure. A canopy bed? It's a tiny house, Bonnie. Let's adjust our expectations.
B
Tiny house shoppers wanting to put every large piece of furniture in their tiny homes is one of my favorite tropes in the genre.
A
So funny. And Emma's like, yeah, that's probably definitely no you. That's a can of no bed. You ain't gonna get no canopy. That's a nopony bed, Mama. And don't you tell mama no.
B
So now, now listen, you don't have room for a can of peabed, but you do have room for a can of peas.
A
Any bed has a bed. So there's a bunk bed above the living area and a loft space above the bathroom. And so Emma's like, you could fit an air mattress up there. That'd be about it. I don't know if I could sleep up there, Mama. You ain't gonna make me sleep on up on an air mattress. Especially not after getting a pizza, I'll tell you that much. I mean, what kind of work world is this?
B
And then it turns out there's like a little living room area. There's like a little sofa that folds out to full size bed. And I could already tell that sofa was not a comfortable one. That's like an IKEA sofa where you sit on it and it feels fine at first, but then after a while, your butt starts to fall asleep and you're like, how is my butt falling asleep on a sofa. I'm on a sofa. There's no way that my butt could fall asleep. But it does because it's an IKEA sofa.
A
Yeah. And you know, it folds out into a full size bed, y'. All. It's a cozy. It's cozy. And then they are looking at this motorized thing, and it is. The bed. It actually is motorized. And it comes down from the ceiling. And it's not. I'll just say it's not, like, very artistically done. I mean, it's just a motor hanging off a wall, and it looks like a garage door opener. It's like. And she tries to sit in and almost falls to the ground. She's like, oh, I don't know about that.
B
Yeah. Because, like, sometimes, you know, like this. I could imagine, like, if it was, like, a nice engine and everything. You press it, it comes down. If it did, like a. It'd be like, oh, that's fun. But it is like a. You hear, like, chains. And also, by the way, my first thought is, what happens if you're up there? Or you want to go up there and you don't have power, there's a blackout, or maybe your generator's gotten. Now you just can't get up to your bed. You have to, like, take that little staircase and hop up there. And Bonnie's not doing that.
A
Yeah. Or like, what if your daughter is sleeping on the couch below you, you know, and your bed falls on her? Who wants that? Yeah, you kill my daughter with an electric van.
B
It's okay. I'll make a staircase out of J Diet. So, yeah, that. That bed was. Bonnie is too much for the bed. Like, when. When she got on it and it, like, dropped down, like, six inches, she was just like, no more. I'm not doing this.
A
Yeah, it's a good bet. It's a good idea. But it's. I would toss and turn so much, I'd bring the house down sleeping like that. So they go into the bathroom, and, like, this is your full size bathroom, and it looks like a truck stop shower. You know, it's, like, really tiny. And Bonnie's like, oh, this is so big. I like it.
B
Yeah. And so then she's back in the main room. She's like, well, I like this. I like the sound. It's nice and has nice open space. And the counters are good, but I don't know. And Stephanie's like, but it's half our budget at $69,000. Imagine all the jade you could buy. Now, come on, you put in a nice view. It'll be perfect.
A
Yeah. And, well, Stephanie found Bonnie a more spacious, tiny home, but this one might be a tough asset. So we go to Bonnie and Emma at an ice cream shop, and Emma's like, y' all got pizza.
B
Mama can't make pizza for the next few months, so we're needing to supplement here. You gotta make it out of ice cream.
A
Like, man, this is an ice cream mama, I ain't taking this. What, are you gonna live in the shed? Ice cream shed. This bullshit mama.
B
Antique collector Bonnie has sold her 1100 square foot home and is ready to live a simpler life by trapping herself in a tiny home with tons of clutter. Simple.
A
With her daughter Emma there waiting for her mother to die after an avalanche of jadeite crashes down upon her face. She's there as a sounding board as well. And she's seen a modern tiny that fits her country style and as well under the $125,000 budget. But she would have to purchase land. Yeah, that's kind of how it works. And also the whole purchasing land thing is where I get caught up because you got to run water, you got to run electricity, you got to run a sewer. It's not like you can just plop it out there, you know?
B
Yeah, it doesn't. Yeah, exactly. She'll have to purchase land to put it on and also deal with her daughter Emma's insatiable appetite for pizza. So now we cut to them all walking down the street today. Real estate broker Stephanie Johnson is showing them a large rustic contemporary that's part of a local tiny home community. But for some strange reason, when she walks on public streets, she wears a disguise. I don't know who she's running from, but we're alarmed.
A
All right, Miss Bonnie. Now I brought you to this property today because we're close to town. 20 minutes to Asheville. Now, it's 399 square feet, 87,900 way under your bed budget, way under your budget.
B
So Bonnie is like, well, I like the roof, but the porch and, and I like that there's a porch and double doors, but I don't know about the dark color of the siding. Oh, come on, Bonnie, come on. You're getting a tiny home. You can paint it. First of all, this is under budget. You can paint it. It's going to take about 30 minutes to paint because it's tiny. So let's get over that.
A
And this one, considerably nicer, I think, than the first one.
B
Way nicer. And this actually had, I, I'm gonna say this. I think this one had the best layout we've ever seen in a tiny home.
A
This had a great layout. It was very creative. I've never seen it before either. The big open kitchen in the middle. I thought that was so smart.
B
They should all be like this because remember the last episode, last Honey Home episode we looked at? There was that one place that had like a, A table, but then had staircases coming out of the table. Like, every tiny home always has like one aspect that's just like, like wrong. And this one, I felt like there was no flaws in the. It was so good that I even thought to myself, I could imagine myself living in this tiny little home. If I wanted to live the tiny.
A
Lifestyle, I feel like this was the one that I was like, yeah, I could do this. I'm looking for tiny homes again. I'm back to the tiny home hunt.
B
Get this one. Move to Asheville. Yeah.
A
So, and this one's on a trailer. It's not a foundation home. It's all skirting, okay? It's all skirting, skirting. And so there's wheels under there. They're just hidden well. So she's like, with the money we're saving, we could find you a quarter acre and you could put it anywhere. I mean, anywhere you wanted. If you wanted to poop in the ground and not have electricity.
B
Okay, so Steph, Stephanie's like, yeah. And, you know, but. Or you can stay here and pay $525 a month. And that includes everything. All the utilities, the community center, a pool, unlimited access to the pizza oven on site. So it's just a great option.
A
Now, look, I feel like you don't want. It's one thing to want a tiny house, but it's an entirely different thing to want tiny house neighbors. You know what I mean? I don't want tiny house neighbors because they're going to be a pain in the ass. Their dogs are going to be outside all the time barking. They're. They're going to be outside all the time because in a tiny home, you're going to be like, let's eat outside, everybody. I got a patio. And then you're gonna have to listen to everybody hooting, hollering, getting shit faced all night. And I don't know, everybody's car lights in your window and a pool. A pool with tiny home neighbors.
B
No, I, I agree with this. It's too much. It's like too much like, Like I've seen Nomadland. I see how everyone just sits out on their, on their, on their folding chairs. You have to chat with everyone every time you want to go out, and someone's. All of a sudden someone's like, hey, let me help you move. You move your dishes. And next, you know, all your precious Dishes have been broken because you got a nosy neighbor who wants to help. So I get it. But this makes the land thing, everything you said about the land being annoying, it kind of makes that seem less annoying because it's like, yeah, it is annoying to have to run electricity and water and all that stuff, right? It probably costs, I think probably for the water. It's probably cost what, between 10 and $20,000 for the pipes and all that stuff. And then I don't know what, electricity. But ultimately, if you're saving all that money with the tiny home, it's probably an expense you can absorb running.
A
Well, I don't think it's 5 or $10,000 to run sewage and water and electricity. I mean, I guess you use a septic tank, but even that's not cheap. I mean, that's a lot of money too.
B
Well, I know here, where I, where I live, I'm in like, I have like a town home. And so we're like the little town home complex. And there's like a gate with an intercom. And they needed to change the, the intercom. It was something ridiculous. Oh, you know what it was? The intercom broke that like everyone uses. And so to put in a new one, to put in like a simple thing where you like press numbers and like calls your phone to be like, there's someone at the front. They would have to run a phone line in to the intercom from like the street, which is like all of 15ft away. And that I know this because it's like HOA drama. That would cost $12,000. So yeah, so you see to run a phone line underground.
A
So yeah, a big expense is getting that stuff run. So yeah, I don't know, maybe my dream is dead, but I don't know, it's fun to have it for the time that it lasted.
B
Might be worth it though. That also may be just like LA bureaucracy causing all that. And like if you live out in, you know, out in the hills, Spicewood, Texas of Spicewood, maybe it's much cheaper. Maybe.
A
Guess we'll find one way to find out.
B
Good.
A
So they go look inside and this is a really cute place. It's high ceilings, it's got, got some nice paneling. She says it's busy with all the different color woods. I like it. I like it bothered at all. Like, woods don't have to match you weirdo. Who wants a house that every piece of wood, like top to bottom wood is all the same color.
B
It'll look cray, cray and Also, just paint it. I'm sorry. I know she wants, like, a blonde wood, but, like, just paint it. Paint it then. But honestly, I wouldn't even paint it because it's nice wood. So they go into the kitchen. It's a full size kitchen, nice appliances. And all of a sudden, Bonnie's like, well, I do wish there were stainless steel, though. Okay, you know what? Do you see that you have an. Like an actual open concept in a tiny home right now? Why.
A
Are the appliances, like. It's not that hard, you know, you're. It's half your budget, lady.
B
Yeah. So they go in the bedroom, and there's like a read.
A
Oh.
B
On the way to the bedroom, there's like this sort of space that's like a. It's a flex space. You can do anything with it. So she can even have a reading nook. Or she could put her collectibles there. She could set up like, a stupid, like, curio. Like, what do they call it? Like, a closet? Curio. Like those display case. I don't know. Yeah, it's perfect.
A
Yeah. The kitchen was my favorite because it spread out right in the middle, and it's like, it's huge for a place like this. And the kitchen is the center of the home.
B
And you know what I loved? Sorry. I also love the dining area. Like, there's like a counter, and you sit at it, and it's right in front of a window, so you eat and can look out the window. I think that was perfect.
A
Yeah, it was really well done. And then the washer and dryer is in there, and it looks really nice, too. It's in a perfect place. And then there's like a little mini hallway leading to a bedroom. And she's calling it the little nook area or curio collection area or whatever. That's a closet. I mean, you need a closet, guys. Like, yeah. We have not concentrated on the closet. Now, I know that Bonnie's not much of a clothes source, no offense, but still, you got to have more than two things, you know?
B
Well, I like that. Emma goes. So this would be your clutter corner. You could designate all your stupid Jada right here.
A
This is where we can keep the pizza mama.
B
They go into the bathroom, and Bonnie's like, well, the walls. That's nice, but I really would prefer a bathtub. Bonnie, you're in a tiny home.
A
Okay.
B
Like, we like, yes, you could theoretically have a bathtub, but, like, you've got to make some sacrifices. It's time now.
A
Yeah. Bonnie's got A pretty big list and a pretty tiny budget. Okay, Bonnie. So she's complaining about the bathtub, and she's like. And Emma's like, yeah, well, what about you sit on the toilet and you got everybody looking at you because there's a window right there. She goes, well, I guess we could put a drape or something on there.
B
I guess. Finally, some imagination. So then they go to bedroom, and there's that.
A
That, like, smoky plastic that comes in sheets, and it makes it look like frosted windows. There you go. Solved.
B
Solved.
A
Except I was kind of janky because I'm not a straight cutter. And so there's, like, little jagged edges to all of mine.
B
Then Stephanie is like. She's like. Then they go look at the bedroom, and there's, like, barn doors that show, like, reveal closets, but also can hide the TV and everything. It all looks really very nice. And there's like. But there's. She goes, do you think you have room for anything other than a bed in here?
A
Well.
B
Oh, sorry. Do you want, like, a love seat, too? It's a tiny home, the bedroom.
A
Do you need your treadmill in here? It's a tiny home. You can't put an indoor pool in here. Okay.
B
Yeah, sorry, ma'. Am.
A
Where am I gonna park my car? Not in the bedroom, you twit. Okay. Yeah. So then she's like, emma, you get the loft. That's where you're gonna be sleeping. And Emma's like, I ain't sleeping up there. It's like, for a small child, not for me. I mean, what the heck?
B
Yeah. And because the thing is, you have to, like, climb up a ladder, and then you can only crawl up there, which is annoying. I also want, like. Is it. Can they not make these tiny homes just, like, a little taller? I guess they would maybe flop over on the other side.
A
Yeah, it's fairly tall. But a loft like that is not abnormal. I slept. One of my first apartments in la, I slept like that. And then that place in New York, in the loft, I slept like that, and it was fine. It's actually nice. It's actually nice to just have a room that all you can do is crash and, like, either play video games or watch tv. It's kind of a dream.
B
Yeah. Yeah. Or they could just build these tiny homes a little bit taller and put, like, buttresses on the side so it doesn't fall off. It might look, like. Look crazy, but you can make the buttresses look really cute. You can, like, hang plants from it and stuff.
A
Yeah.
B
So yeah, they don't like this. And she's like. She's like, is this loft deal breaker for you, Miss Bonnie? She's like, I'm kind of thinking it might be.
A
Yeah.
B
Can you put a pizza oven up here, you think?
A
And Emma's like, well, I can sleep in the couch downstairs. That would be cool. And so then they walk outside and look at that. And Bonnie likes that. The master bedrooms on the first floor because that's a big thing in a tiny home and that it was permanent. But she does have the option of moving it, and it is moving. Ready. And there's room for Scrappy and the cats. You've got cats too?
B
Cats. Where the cats come from?
A
Are you just collecting things as you go, lady?
B
She's like, I did find some cats on the way over here, and I've decided I also have a collection of cats memorabilia from the show. I went there in 1994, and I loved it.
A
It? No, forever. So then Bonnie's like, well, I just wanted something I don't have to move. You know, something permanent would be nice. And Stephanie goes, yeah, I know we talked about that, but this one was just so you. I just wanted to get you to see the community. I mean, look at that guy over there who's only wearing a. A blouse and then a pair of dirty white underwear and nothing else. Isn't that cute? Look at him picking the lint out of his belly. But, hey there. How you doing? He's like.
B
Fun fact. The guy who lives too down for you is in a professional Dwight Yokum impersonator. So he does a show on Thursdays in the parking lot.
A
Are you the new neighbor? Come sit on my lap.
B
I think I'm gonna have to think about this one. Well, Stephanie's found an option that comes with land, but there's a catch. It's terrible. So now we go to commercial break. And now we have Bonnie and Emma walking down the sidewalk in Asheville, North Carolina. Bonnie is simplifying her life and going tiny with unreasonable expectations with her daughter.
A
Emma, who's way too hot to be dressing this poorly. So let's see what they're thinking when we see a rustic option on wheels can stay in its current location for 525amonth, or Bonnie could move in and find land of her own. Let's go see what Bonnie found. So Stephanie Johnson's back with us after commercial in case we forgot who she was. And we see a new house. This one is a standstill. It's not a movable house. It's just a tiny house. Cabin. And it's actually nice looking. I think I like this one on the outside.
B
Yeah, it's. It's. It's very nice on the outside. It has a porch. This is, I guess, what we're talking about, like a house that's just tiny. Not a tiny house.
A
It's a little. A frame.
B
And it's 518 square feet, which kind of. Yeah, it's. I think it's now more of a small house than a tiny house. But I don't know, it sort of rides that line a little bit. So it's a cabin. And they're out there and they're. They're out in the boondocks and there's a rooster that's going. Going nuts. And Emma's like, oh, she's gonna be getting a wake up call every morning from those roosters here in the boaties. I mean, how far away from Asheville? I'm like, you were in the car. You know how long the drive took? Come on, Emma, pay attention.
A
It's an hour from Asheville, which is crazy. That's too far. But it does have the view she wants. I mean, it's like rolling hills. I mean, it's gorgeous.
B
The view as close to a beautiful town called Burnsville.
A
Yes. Yeah, we're real close to Burnsville. Let's have safe.
B
They sell a lot of aloe there.
A
You know, in case you burn one of them pizzas, you got somewhere to go, you know, they can take care of you.
B
I kind of want to look up Burnsville to see what it. What this town. Oh, it's really cute. I looked up a picture of. Oh, it's a cute little town. I would be happy living close to Burnsville. I think it's. It is very small. It's very small.
A
Well, I mean, what do you need, you know? Y' all got a TJ Maxx? I'm in. I am. I mean, as long as there's a.
B
Supermarket and a gas station, I think you're pretty much set right.
A
Yeah. Well, you can go to Mount Mitchell's. I see that. Yeah, it's like a little southern town. Just like a little. A bunch of little country stores and stuff is what it looks. So then the view is really nice. It's rolling hills. This one's 145. And Bonnie's like, I am horrified. How dare you? And Emma's like, that's really high, mama. She goes, yeah, it's way over my budget. I don't Know if I can swing that. I got a J Dot budget. I got a mind. Okay.
B
Stephanie's like, well, there's always ebay. If no one's. Don't you even dare say those words to Mama. Those are curse words around here. Okay, well, let's go. Let's take a look on inside things.
A
Mama ain't gonna do number one, eBay. So they go, check it out. And now this one, they love it because it has a spiral. Like one of those metal spiral staircases, but it's, like, kind of right in the middle of the room, which leaves you unable to put a couch properly in this room. Like, there's nowhere to make a living room because it's this fucking spiral staircase. But they don't really notice that.
B
Yeah, it's kind of. It's a weird. It's a weird thing. Yeah. When they walk in, it looks just sort of like a house, right? Like, there's just space. I get the sense that probably if you were in there, it looks a lot smaller than it does on tv. That spiral. The spiral staircase right in the middle was strange. It felt like something you would see in a. In a strange. Like maybe in, like, a New York City apartment.
A
I had one in the left. The little loft space I lived in in LA that I had to climb up to the crawl room. And let me tell you, falling down that thing is not fun. I fell down that thing all the time. Because you can't just fall straight down the stairs. You have. You, like, keeping. Keep falling on a spiral. You know, it's like a bar, and then you fall down another bar. It's like. It hurts.
B
Yeah. We have a spiral staircase in my. Like, I grew up. I grew up with a spiral staircase. I. Spiral staircase is part of my identity. And, yeah, there's, like, a certain art to going up and down it.
A
It hurts. It hurts like hell.
B
Yeah. But the key is you put it to the side. And why did they not put it to the side? I guess there was, like, a door to a room. I just feel like, you know what? Oh, here's. Here's. Here's what I think happened. I think that was originally kind of like one of those ladder things. And at some point someone said, you know what we should do? I'm sick of this ladder. Let's put in a spiral staircase. Because if it were a ladder, it would make sense. It wouldn't be as obtrusive, but the staircase is just right in the middle there in a strange way.
A
Yeah. So what's up There anyway. On the second floor. I forgot.
B
I don't remember it. I think it's just like a lot. Oh, it's another. It's the room. It's. It's kind of like the upstairs space. There's a room that's where the roof comes together.
A
Right, right. The A frame. Like those pointy.
B
Very hot up there too, you know, it's hot.
A
So let's see. She doesn't like the kitchen because it doesn't have granite. It does. The kitchen is looking cheap. It's like that.
B
It does.
A
It's like low end. The kitchen's low end. She'd have to redo that. And the bathroom's really low into. She's like, yeah, that looks like a. That's just a stick in shower. I'd have to. I'd have to tile that, which you can't do. You have to pull that out and have the whole bathroom redone, which is not cheap. But I think that's a deal breaker. The kitchen and the bathroom, you can't do both of those. That's too much money.
B
And on top of that, she. The. They wedge the washer and dryer into the bathroom in a really strange way. It's like you walk in the bathroom, the first thing you encounter is the washer and dryer. And then like, you have to scoot by it to get to the sink. It's just a. It's a very strange layout. I don't know if the washer and dryer would be a deal breaker for me because I think the utility of having a washer and dryer is ultimately so important that I would deal with it. But it is really weird.
A
You do need one, but in the bathroom is odd. I mean, on House Hunters International you see that, but not. Not a stackable and not in the bathroom. It's weird. So she does not like the kitchen or the bathroom. So like I said, for me that's a deal breaker, but not for her. And I like that. I love Stephanie the realtor, because they keep complaining and Stephanie does not give a. She just smiles right in their face and tells them no. She goes, I mean, is there somewhere else we could put the washer and dryer? And she goes, well, not unless you wanted to build something outside. Wouldn't that be fun? Okay, let's keep on moving.
B
Yeah, you don't know. Not doing the outside thing. And so then they go up the spiral staircase and Bonnie's like, oh, this is nice. It's a little small, but it would be your Room, Emma. Just like a hot un. Air conditioned, basically. Adam. Adam. Attic. I call the attic Adam. That's what I do. I'm gonna put my favorite jade out there and say, here, this is where Adam lives. And you can live there too, Emma.
A
I'm gonna store my Jada in Lord's first man.
B
Emma's like, well, I think this is more than you could ask for in a loft in a tiny home. And Bonnie's like, yeah, you're right. You can stand in it. Say, I could do jumping jacks. She's like, please don't do that. So they go outside. The view is beautiful outside. You know, it's very charming, but I'm like, I don't know. I don't.
A
I like too far.
B
It's too. It's so far from, like, the city. And it's the layout.
A
As someone who chose that, I chose to live too far from the city. And it sucks for everybody because I want to have dinner parties and they like coming over, but they're like, okay, you know, so now it's. It's in. In traffic, it's an hour. It's like, okay. So now when I go visit them, it's like a whole thing. It's like, okay, I gotta knock two hours out just for travel there and back. And then it just kind of ruins everything. It's. It's worth it to live closer. Pick smaller and closer. That's what I say. Bonnie? Bonnie, can you hear me? Can you hear me, Bonnie?
B
So they're. Bonnie's like, well, it seems like there'll be a lot of upkeep. And I'm not crazy about the counter and the cabinets and the washer and dryers right smack in the middle of everything. And. And I don't like the upgrade. I don't like the fixtures. There's a rooster. Everything about this place is shitty. This is probably the worst one we've looked at.
A
I'll take it.
B
I'll take it.
A
Hey, can I fit really tacky red leather couches in here? Okay, let's do it. Can't fit them against a wall. It's okay. Put them right in front of the staircase, kind of at an angle. It kind of goes into the kitchen. Who cares?
B
So that's exactly what she does. She deliberates. And she doesn't even really consider the other two, even though the middle one was like, truly the best one. She. She does take this one. She puts it in red velvet sofas. She puts one sofa at an angle in front of the. In front of the staircase, I guess, to create, like, a separation of space. It is really janky. I think the one thing that was sort of nice is that she brought in this table that her dad made. It's kind of like a banquette, which is cute. Looks uncomfortable as hell. Hell, but it looks. It looks nice. And their tchotchkes are everywhere. Tiffany lamps everywhere. She opens up a cupboard, she's like, I can find someplace for my J Dot. I was like, oh, God, this is the perfect place for her, actually. Yeah.
A
It ended up being really cute, and I like that. The daughter's like, well, mama, if you pick that one, we're gonna have to make sure that there's neighbors close enough to help you, because I ain't coming out here.
B
And then they did the weirdest thing. They put Emma. They put a canopy bed up in that loft for Emma, and I got.
A
The canopy bed up there. That was crazy. I was like, she picked this for that bed bed.
B
But, like, it felt so. It feels like the roof itself is your canopy. It just felt so busy with, like, a canopy and then an A frame. I was like, this is not right.
A
Yeah, but you know when you buy something nice and you just. You're like, I'm gonna keep this forever. I think that was one of those purchases. And I really do think, at the end of the day, she picked this house to fit that bed.
B
Yeah, I think she. And I think that she didn't want to get rid of her red velvet sofas. I think she really. She really liked those. She just needed, you know, she needed space for her tchotchkes, and this really is very much her kind of spot, like, bond. Of course, Bonnie's gonna live on a hillside in the middle of nowhere with a rooster out back and, like, a strange spiral staircase. This is 100 the most Bonnie home. It's worse.
A
Like, anyway, so Bonnie coated.
B
Yeah, it's. It's very Bonnie forward.
A
It's really Bonnie forward. All right, well, thank you so much for recommending this to us, Mary Jolly. We appreciate it. If you guys want to recommend an episode, best to make sure it's on max. We've already told you the stress that that causes, and just email us at watch what crappens gmail.com and use the subject line dwell. Hello, Suggestions so we can find you in a search when we search through the email. We love that you guys are here. Thanks for being part of Wondry plus, and we will talk to you next time.
B
Bye.
A
Bye, y'. Alls.
Hosts: Ben Mandelker & Ronnie Karam
Date: May 8, 2025
In this episode of "Watch What Crappens," Ben and Ronnie dissect a classic House Hunters episode titled "Tiny Dreams in North Carolina," submitted by a listener. The hosts lovingly lampoon the show's participants: Bonnie, an antique collector embracing tiny living, and her outspoken daughter Emma. From discussing the realities (and delusions) of tiny house dreams to riffing on Southern collecting traditions, the guys deliver a playful, detailed recap packed with the trademark Watch What Crappens banter.
On Bonnie’s collecting:
“I’m a hoarder, but I didn’t have the discipline to be a hoarder. So I thought, what if I just make the space smaller and that makes the hoarding bigger.” — Ronnie [04:12]
On making room for large furniture in tiny homes:
“Tiny house shoppers wanting to put every large piece of furniture in their tiny homes is one of my favorite tropes in the genre.” — Ben [21:05]
On the practicality of tiny house communities:
“You don’t want tiny house neighbors… Their dogs are going to be outside all the time barking. They’re going to be outside all the time because in a tiny home you’re going to be like, ‘let’s eat outside, everybody.’” — Ronnie [28:01]
On the spiral staircase:
“Let me tell you, falling down that thing is not fun. I fell down that thing all the time… You keep falling on a spiral, you know, it’s like a bar, and then you fall down another bar.” — Ronnie [40:54]
On the final home pick:
“This really is very much her kind of spot—of course Bonnie’s gonna live on a hillside in the middle of nowhere with a rooster out back and, like, a strange spiral staircase. This is 100% the most Bonnie home.” — Ben [47:16]
Ben and Ronnie take listeners through a hilarious and detail-rich recap, balancing lighthearted mockery with genuine interest in tiny house living. Their episode is a celebration of both the quirks of House Hunters and the oddities of following your dreams—no matter how many Jadeite teacups (or velvet sofas) you insist on packing into your new, compact lifestyle.