My parents, they're my favorite people.
Our dynamics are just such that we just are happier together.
Amanda and the kids, you know, they're basically our life.
We never would have thought that we would have a lakefront
container home compound with the kids next door.
It's amazing.
It was just love at first sight.
Ron and I were high school sweethearts.
We had lived in Pennsylvania. Both of us were raised there.
And we have a daughter, Amanda, and a son, Ron Jr.
Both Ron and I thought when it was time to retire,
we would spend the last of our years in Pennsylvania.
So that's what we did.
Amanda became a mom.
She has two sons,
Mcgrath and Baier.
During that time, I saw them constantly.
We literally lived around the corner from each other.
They would pop in or I would pop in.
It was nice to be close like that.
We’ve just been together.
Both of her boys were my boys.
They're basically our life.
Oh, my grandkids are everything.
And we were all there in Pennsylvania
until my husband at the time took a job in the Birmingham area.
It was heartbreaking to leave my parents.
There were 13 hours between us.
We would do video calls with the boys.
Hi, guys. Hi.
Just to see them, you know.
I miss you too, buddy.
It's just not the same as being together.
They would come every couple to few months.
Not nearly enough.
Not for us.
To have Amanda and the boys gone
was just...
that's not how I saw my future, no.
That's not, not a future I want, no.
We were really trying to figure it out,
how everybody could be together again.
And then I learned from an old family friend that there was a property available
for sale, not too far from us on Smith Lake.
Well, I knew my dad would never be happy in Birmingham, but this was different.
This, I thought, could make him happy.
He could get a boat. He could fish.
And I figured we could come on the weekends.
That's how we were going to bridge the distance.
I didn't have much of a decision in it.
It was just, “We want this piece of property.”
And that's that. It was set up for a motor home.
So the plan was just to stay on it in the motor home.
We put our RV on. It was perfect.
Until the first storm came.
The camper
rocked and rolled, and that was it for me.
Oh, no.
That was not going to work.
Amanda heard about
this place that builds tiny houses.
So we went down there. And here's this container
sitting off to the side there, and it was like, “Ah!”
Come on, I'm going to show you. OK.
I am James Brewer.
I own Alabama Tiny Homes.
There's some big advantages to having a container home.
They sit on a slab and then they're strapped down,
so they're extremely weather safe.
It's a heavy steel box.
And once we get it set and strap that thing to the ground,
there’s not a wind coming that's going to take it away.
I think the misconception
with container homes is it's like a big square, you know, long,
you know, 40 feet long and 8 feet high,
and that's kind of what you get.
And that's not true at all.
Really, you're only limited to what your imagination can come up with.
Ready? If you want to walk around I’ll show you the rest of the container.
It was just amazing to walk in and say, “This thing is perfect.
It's perfect." Come on in. We'll show you the inside.
And then I said, "I want one of these."
I thought maybe we could kind of live in two places,
live in town and also live at the lake.
When she decided she was doing a container home too,
wow! That was a celebration.
So the bump-outs add two things. So it adds dimension to your house.
You have more than just a square box.
Gives you a little more visual dimension.
It also adds needed square footage to your house.
So with Ron and Deb's, they decided on
a 40-foot container, and we're going to add two bump-outs to it.
So the total square footage will be around 480 square feet.
And we said we wanted a full-sized refrigerator and a washer and dryer,
and we wanted at least as big a bedroom as we had in the motor home.
And we knew that we needed one huge picture window out over the lake.
And what we've decided on
with Amanda’s is we're going to go with a 20-foot container.
And we're going to add two-bump outs to it, around 320 square feet total.
And for mine, I wanted everything.
I wanted the bunk beds for the kids.
I wanted a Murphy's bed for myself.
I wanted a full bathroom, washer, dryer,
kitchen.
For Ron, Deb and Amanda,
they, uh, we started out at 85 on the little one.
And then the big one was 125.
Of course, along the way, if you want to make changes, that adds to the cost of it.
So with Ron and Deb’s
and Amanda's, we ran into complications on getting the containers.
So it took us around two and a half months
to get the containers and actually get them set here.
It was a little frustrating, but we actually just kind of calmed down
and, you know,
every time we would visit the shop, the work they were doing was so beautiful.
So even if it was a little slower than you wanted it to be,
you knew you were going to get quality in the end.
It probably took from signing to finish,
I'd say right at a year.
Welcome to our lakefront family compound!
Each time we come in
it's like, oh my gosh, it is so beautiful.
James did such an excellent job.
He captured the sunsets, that part of the lake,
and then your picture window.
Two people in the kitchen is not a problem at all.
Oh, yeah. Not at all.
Plenty of room to move around here and cook and serve,
whatever.
Baier raids
my cupboard for snacks and goodies.
I get,
I get a kiss and a hug, and
it's priceless.
Here's the bedroom, which turned out wonderful.
I like the pocket doors they put in, so when I nap,
you can watch TV in the other room. Yep.
It just,
you stand back and it just, it's magical from what it was
to what it is now in just a year's time.
It's amazing.
It feels like home. With the kids next door,
oh, yeah. We’re all home.
This container is basically like a house,
and it's better than our camper or motor home, you know?
Come on in, Mama.
I love that
you can see the container from inside.
I like that they preserve that. I do, too. Too fun.
Because it reminds you it's not just a house. Right.
It started life as something very different.
Because of the boys,
I went with the bunk beds that are permanent.
They're completely hooked up electronically.
They game together, you know, one above the other.
I've got my space here at night.
My Murphy's bed comes down and I'm kind of hidden from them
and I've got my private space.
It's got these nifty little legs
that come out.
And you've got a bed. And there it is.
Every inch matters. For you
three, totally matters, makes a difference in tiny living. Absolutely.
It feels like home.
Especially with you right there.
Yes. Especially with my neighbor next door.
One of my favorite people in the world
next door.
Oh, there's your tears.
You’re such a sap.
I know.
That was real.
I know.
It's good to live next door to you, too, Mom.
Yeah.
I don't know how much time I have left here, so.
Well, nobody does.
Every day I spend with you is just a bonus.
I think it's
extremely important for us to be together now, especially as they're getting older.
You know, you kind of become aware that it doesn't last forever.
You know, you don't have all the time in the world, so better make use of it.
Well, by the time where everything was said and done,
moneywise, I think we're right at $250,000 for both the containers.
It's all money that's well spent.
I would miss them something awful if we weren't seeing them at least every week.
My parents are adorable.
They're nuts. They are a lot of fun.
Life is just better with them than it is without.
Life's too short
to not have the people around you that you need to be there.
So it's just pure pleasure to have Amanda
and Mcgrath and Baier in our lives.