Carson and Brielle Matranga have lived for four years in a tiny 560-square-foot house they built themselves and are now ready to reveal their “forever home”: the house they’re building right across the street from their family’s tiny home.
The married couple, who run a family brand that has more than 4 million followers on Instagram and TikTok, spoke exclusively with Where Is The Buzz about their choice of design features for the house, how they are going to treat certain elements that made their life easier in the tiny home, what mistakes they will avoid in the new home, and certain aspects they have not disclosed publicly so far.
They talked openly about not providing the house with a washer and dryer from the start, skipping a dishwasher, and not including a utility closet in their plans, as well as hacks for storage solutions they developed during four years of living in a tight space. They described their tiny home as a surprising experiment in home design, as four years of life in the smallest space possible helped them figure out which features really improved their lifestyle and which aspects of life they had underestimated. The lesson they’ve taken from their experience, they said, is that square footage plays the least role compared to how the space is used.
It has been bittersweet watching the construction of the new home from the tiny home.
“It was bittersweet at first. We love our tiny home, but we are also ready to move into a bigger home that we have been working toward,” the couple said. “With that said, we are already starting to miss our small space and how everything is pretty much within arm’s reach. But we are so grateful to be building right across from it.”
@creator___ She didn’t fall for it 🤦🏽♂️ #couple #husbandandwife
First, they said getting the right plot of land for their forever home wasn’t part of their initial plan.
“How we ended up with the property is actually an awesome story,” Carson Matranga said. “We were going to buy some property a few streets down and were just one signature away from it being ours. At that time, Brielle was pregnant with our son Lyric, and the doctors told us there could be something wrong with our baby.”
Carson recalled that the pressure was additionally increased by his work schedule.
“I was also working more than ever. I had a regular 9 to 5, taught dance in the evenings four days a week, did wedding photography on the weekends, and was still doing social media full time,” he said. “I didn’t want to believe I was stressed or anxious because Brielle is typically the anxious one in our relationship. So I tried to play it cool, but my body started creating what I now know as ‘stress bumps,’ which were painful bumps all over my hands.”
The turning point came when Carson was talking to his parents.
“Anyway, one evening I was expressing some negative feelings to my mom and dad about the property we were about to buy, and my mom said, ‘What about the property across the street?'” he said.
The land across the street wasn’t for sale, and Carson wasn’t sure about living so close to his parents.
“Now mind you, this property wasn’t for sale, and we had no clue who owned it. I told my mom, ‘I don’t even know who owns it, and it’s not for sale. Plus, I know Brielle said she wanted to be close to you guys, but I don’t know about that close. I mean, are we going to move out of the backyard just to become neighbors again?” Carson said.
Then he turned to Brielle for her opinion.
“So I walked through the backyard to Brielle and said, ‘Babe, just hypothetically speaking, if we could get the property across the street, would you want that?'” Carson said. She said, ‘Oh yeah, I would much rather have that.'”
With his wife’s support, Carson tracked down the landowner and asked for the sign.
“So I found out who owned it, sent him a text, and then prayed. I said, ‘Lord, if we are supposed to buy this property, let him come back with this exact number, and I’ll know it’s from You. We will lose the money we put down on the other property,'” he said.
@creator___ She gets what she wants😌❤️ #couple #husbandwife #home #family @Brielle Matranga
A day later, there were two answers.
“I went to work the next morning and still had no text. Lunch came around, and Brielle texted me. She said, ‘The results are in for our baby. Can you go look at them?'” he said. “I went to my car, said a prayer, and saw the results. There was nothing wrong with our baby, and I also found out we were having a little boy. A healthy, perfect little boy.”
Now it was time for Carson to go home and tell Brielle and Xalïa the good news.
“I went home and told Brielle and Xalïa that we were having a little boy. As soon as we were done with our hugs, I walked to our bedroom, which is only a few feet away in our tiny home, and I got a text,” he said.
The owner answered with the exact number that Carson had prayed about.
“I fell to my knees, crying and laughing at the same time. Brielle started smiling and saying, ‘He said the number!? He said the number!!??'” Carson said. “I just shook my head yes and showed her my phone. I thanked the Lord, and we bought the property. Nearly two years later, we were finally able to start building on it.”
And what about the tiny home?
The family had certain plans for how to use the house after they left.
“Maybe one of my siblings will move into it, or we’ll turn it into a studio where we can create more content,” Carson said. “Brielle really wants to start our podcast again, so maybe we can invite guests to our tiny home and record the podcast there. I think that would be such a fun idea, as long as someone in the family doesn’t need a space to live, of course!”
The non-negotiable aspect of the new house was, in fact, keeping the same intimacy of their small house.
“I’d say the non-negotiable was definitely making our dream home feel like the tiny home in the sense that everything is within arm’s reach,” Carson said. “What we mean by that is someone could be sitting on the couch in the living room while someone else is in the kitchen, and they can still feel connected. The tiny home has an open floor plan, so we knew we wanted that same feeling in our dream home.”
Living in the tiny home has changed their expectations of the bigger space.
“Bigger doesn’t always mean better,” he said. “We actually struggled a little when the house was first framed because there was so much ‘dead space,’ and when you live in a tiny home, there’s no such thing. We had to learn that it’s okay to have some space we aren’t actively using because we are building a house with everything in mind, including how our family will grow into it over time.”
@creator___ We danced in our TinyHome we built together… now we are dancing in our dream home 6 years later. #husbandwife #couplegoals @Brielle Matranga
The aspect of tiny home life that has affected their routine in the most ways, and that isn’t shown on camera, is living in the same yard with extended family.
“Having to share a yard with my family. We absolutely love my family, and it’s nothing against them by any means. But there are moments you just want to spend with your little family,” Carson explained.
“Being in my parents’ backyard means that when they’re sitting in their living room, they can look outside and watch us playing with the kids. Sometimes they’ll come outside and join us too. Again, it’s not that we don’t like that. We do! I mean, we are literally building across the street from them. But there are moments you want to share with just your little family, and that’s okay,” he said.
This aspect has been taken into account in the design of the new house.
“With the house across the street, we’re making sure the backyard feels very private,” he said. “We’ll still be incredibly close to our family, which is exactly what we want, but we’ll also have our own private outdoor space where we can spend time together with our little family.”
Their main splurge was Brielle’s wish.
“Brielle’s 7-foot bathtub. She loves taking baths, and she asked for a bigger tub, so I said, ‘Of course.'”
Another luxurious feature was the ability to use the space under the stairs.
“Having access to the ‘unusable space’ underneath the staircase was really important to us,” he said. “We’re turning most of it into our pantry and a small portion into a playhouse for Lyric since the staircase backs up against his room. Living in the tiny home taught us that there really shouldn’t be such a thing as unusable space. If there’s a way to give it a purpose, we want to find it.”
On the other hand, Carson and Brielle saved money on the things that they didn’t want anymore.
“We actually feel a little opposite about this one. There were a lot of things we went cheap on in the tiny home that broke two or three times, only for us to eventually buy the more expensive version and stop having problems,” Carson said. “If anything, we say that if you can afford it, buy the better quality option because it will probably last longer.”
Faucets in their tiny home are a good example.
“One example is our bathroom faucet. We’ve already replaced it three times. But we splurged on our kitchen faucet, and it still works as if it were brand new,” he said.
On the other hand, buying things secondhand has proved successful.
“What does come to mind, though, is buying things secondhand, redoing them, and using them for what you need and how you need it,” he said. “All of our tiny home kitchen cabinets were secondhand. We spent around $125 total for all of the cabinets, not including the paint and countertops, and we still love them. It showed us that we didn’t need to spend a bunch of money to get something we loved. But it was a lot of work!”
They’re taking certain storage solutions to the new home.
“Definitely the storage underneath the staircase, and maybe even couch storage,” Carson said. “We love being able to lift our couch cushions and store things underneath them. Even though we’ll have more space, hidden storage is something we have really come to appreciate.”
More space won’t give them more clutter, he said.
“Brielle is the clutter queen! In the tiny home, we have to go through everything pretty often and get rid of things just to maintain the space. I’d say we donate items about once every two months. Just because we’re moving into a bigger place doesn’t mean she’ll stop doing that.”
The new layout will still have some intentionality, but not like in a tiny home.
“Yes, we are definitely designing everything with more intention, but we’re also learning that not every space needs to be filled or have a purpose. We’re learning that it’s okay to have a space or two with no purpose at all,” Carson said. “But don’t worry, if we ever need to turn that space into something, the tiny home definitely taught us how to think outside the box!”
@creator___ We are so excited to finally be building a bigger space!!! #family #diy #housebuild #home #construction
Raising their two young children influenced the house’s layout.
“We made sure there were bedrooms both downstairs and upstairs. That way, they don’t have to go up and down the stairs as small kids. But as they grow, if they want to move upstairs, they can,” he added.
Their children are also taking an active part in the process.
“Well, Xalïa wants her entire room pink one day, and then she wants it rainbow the next. So we’ll see what she decides when the time comes!” he said. “When it comes to their rooms, though, whatever they want to do, we’ll help them achieve it.”
@creator___ Would tune into our podcast? #family #home #housetour #diy @Brielle Matranga
Their main aim was to create a home that would work for them for many years.
“Having bedrooms on both floors gives us options as they grow. They can stay downstairs while they’re little, but when they’re older and want more independence and privacy, they’ll have the option to move upstairs,” Carson said. “We wanted the house to grow and change with them instead of only working for the stage of life we’re in right now.”
If they were asked about which tiny home feature should be in every larger home, Carson would name something that cannot be created.
“Something that makes it feel like a home. It may sound cheesy, but what matters in the end is the people who are in the home,” he said. “It’s not the stuff or the closets underneath the stairs. It’s the willingness to live in that house with the people you care about most.”
Visitors already feel the similarity between the two homes, he said.
“I think when people walk into our tiny home and then walk into the dream home we’re building now, they already feel like, ‘Yep, this is Carson and Brielle’s house,'” Carson said. “I’m not exactly sure what it is, but maybe it’s because Brielle and I built the tiny home and are also building this house. I think putting so much of ourselves into both homes is what gives them that feeling.”
Carson didn’t disclose one feature to his followers.
“How we’re going to set up our backyard for the kids,” he said. “We haven’t shared those plans yet, but we’re really excited for everyone to see what we create for them.”
