'Tiny House Hunters' Pick: Burned-Down Shack
How can you afford to buy a house with lots of land in Los Angeles? Buy a burned-down shack. That’s what Aubree Bernier-Clarke and Jordan Strang decided to do on a recent episode of HGTV’s Tiny House Hunters-and they explained their seemingly bizarre decision in an interview with Slate.
The couple was looking for a fixer-upper with a budget of $265,000, which can hardly get you much in Los Angeles, especially in a more desirable area. Aubree was cool with renovating, but Jordan wanted something more move-in ready. It’s clear that Aubree won that argument, because they picked a small house that burned down, but in an area close to their work.
If you watched the episode, what didn’t get mentioned was the smell. The property had been abandoned since 1998, and colonies of feral cats had moved in, and you can imagine the stench. “The smell that was going on inside that house was a fragrance I cannot describe and would not wish upon anyone,” Jordan told Slate. Lately, some coyotes have started to hang out nearby, so the cats have called it quits.
Since the show, Aubree and Jordan have hauled away 60,000 pounds of trash and debris from the property, and it’s still not completely clear. They’re keeping parts of the foundation and framing of the house, and trashing the rest. They’re looking to build a one-bedroom, one-bath tiny house with a lofted space, and want to eventually have a pool outside, too. They spent $155,000 for the burned-down shack, but will end up spending a total of $325,000 when all is said and done, a whopping $100,000 over budget.
But the couple says the cost and hard work will be worth it in the end. In fact, they argue they saved money because they bought a lot that already was properly permitted and had electricity and water. “We read the Twitter comments, also, and people were like, “Oh my God, I just watched two totally insane people pay this much for literal trash,” Jordan said. “But if you are in LA, that’s what it costs!”
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