1 00:00:01,568 --> 00:00:03,102 [Shalina Luna] We're building a straw bale house. 2 00:00:03,136 --> 00:00:04,570 [Ben Griffith] It's a lofty goal. 3 00:00:04,604 --> 00:00:06,538 We have never built a house together. 4 00:00:06,573 --> 00:00:08,707 [Shalina] It's gonna make us or break us. 5 00:00:08,742 --> 00:00:10,776 Straw bales. Have to keep them dry. 6 00:00:10,810 --> 00:00:12,311 [Ben] If they get wet, they're ruined. 7 00:00:12,345 --> 00:00:13,078 [Shalina] Uh-oh! 8 00:00:13,113 --> 00:00:14,146 [rain pattering] 9 00:00:14,180 --> 00:00:16,582 [Shalina] Every time we start to get somewhere... 10 00:00:16,616 --> 00:00:17,916 Something happens. 11 00:00:20,153 --> 00:00:21,286 [Ben speaking] 12 00:00:21,321 --> 00:00:22,388 [Shalina] I don't know what to do. 13 00:00:22,422 --> 00:00:24,289 - [Ben] Push. - [Shalina] That was crazy. 14 00:00:24,324 --> 00:00:25,724 [Ben] That was absurd. 15 00:00:25,759 --> 00:00:27,593 [Shalina] I'm feeling pretty defeated right now. 16 00:00:27,961 --> 00:00:28,961 [drilling] 17 00:00:28,995 --> 00:00:31,630 I almost started a fire. 18 00:00:31,664 --> 00:00:32,998 [Shalina] It's getting scary. 19 00:00:33,033 --> 00:00:35,501 This mud has to settle before it freezes. 20 00:00:35,535 --> 00:00:37,336 [Ben] We have to be very resourceful out here 21 00:00:37,370 --> 00:00:39,905 - to make things happen. - [Shalina] Pushing my limits. 22 00:00:39,939 --> 00:00:41,273 [Shalina] It's very frustrating. 23 00:00:42,575 --> 00:00:45,577 [narrator] Are you ready to go Off The Grid? 24 00:00:46,179 --> 00:00:47,112 [drum roll] 25 00:00:50,917 --> 00:00:51,984 [Ben] Careful. 26 00:00:52,018 --> 00:00:53,786 One of the really cool things about this property 27 00:00:53,820 --> 00:00:56,121 is we are actually on reservation land. 28 00:00:56,156 --> 00:00:58,524 So, when we decided to build out here, 29 00:00:58,558 --> 00:01:00,526 we wanted to really use from the Earth. 30 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:04,496 And kinda give back to the history of what was here. 31 00:01:04,531 --> 00:01:07,099 - A whole lot of cactus. - [Ben] Let's walk over here. 32 00:01:07,133 --> 00:01:08,801 - I'm Shalina. - And I'm Ben. 33 00:01:08,835 --> 00:01:11,703 [Shalina] And we're building a straw bale house in South West, Colorado. 34 00:01:11,738 --> 00:01:13,105 - [Ben] This way. - [Shalina] Okay. 35 00:01:13,139 --> 00:01:15,507 [Shalina] We bought this land about a year and a half ago. 36 00:01:15,542 --> 00:01:18,010 [Ben] It's very hilly with arroyos going everywhere 37 00:01:18,044 --> 00:01:20,979 and very dramatic. Got some cliffs on parts of it, 38 00:01:21,014 --> 00:01:23,715 with lots of giant, sandstone boulders. 39 00:01:23,750 --> 00:01:26,285 - You need a rock in your living room? [laughs] - Yeah. Sure. 40 00:01:27,620 --> 00:01:30,355 [Shalina] The site is located in Ignacio, Colorado 41 00:01:30,390 --> 00:01:33,225 which is about 30 minutes southeast of Durango. 42 00:01:33,259 --> 00:01:34,993 I really like this spot right here. 43 00:01:35,028 --> 00:01:36,528 [Ben] Yeah, it's already cleared. 44 00:01:36,563 --> 00:01:38,831 - We wouldn't have to take out any trees. Yeah? - Kinda flat. 45 00:01:38,865 --> 00:01:41,066 - I think this is the spot. - I think it's a good starting spot. 46 00:01:41,101 --> 00:01:42,101 I think this is good. 47 00:01:42,135 --> 00:01:43,569 [Shalina] It's just gonna be a lot of labor. 48 00:01:46,172 --> 00:01:48,941 When I bought this property, there was already an existing 49 00:01:48,975 --> 00:01:50,709 straw bale house that was here. 50 00:01:50,743 --> 00:01:54,513 But I met Ben and our families started coming together. 51 00:01:54,547 --> 00:01:56,682 Currently living in the house is Ben and I, 52 00:01:56,716 --> 00:01:58,383 my 18-year-old daughter, Joli, 53 00:01:58,418 --> 00:02:00,486 my ten-year-old daughter Norissa. 54 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,555 And then occasionally we have his son, Adrian, who is 16, 55 00:02:03,590 --> 00:02:04,857 who comes and visits as well. 56 00:02:04,891 --> 00:02:06,859 Okay, get the corn for the chickens. 57 00:02:06,893 --> 00:02:09,128 I think it was a big... 58 00:02:09,162 --> 00:02:11,630 change for all of the older ones for sure. 59 00:02:11,664 --> 00:02:16,034 Yeah. No wifi, limited power, limited water, everything like... 60 00:02:16,069 --> 00:02:17,469 - AC. [laughs] - ...that. AC. 61 00:02:17,504 --> 00:02:20,005 It's like glamping here all the time. [chuckles] 62 00:02:20,039 --> 00:02:21,240 [Shalina] Okay, who's going for eggs? 63 00:02:21,274 --> 00:02:24,443 I have a lot of animals. A lot. [laughs] 64 00:02:24,477 --> 00:02:30,182 Eleven goats, ten chickens, a rooster, five dogs, a cat. 65 00:02:30,216 --> 00:02:32,184 - Did I miss anything? - I think that's it. 66 00:02:32,218 --> 00:02:33,452 I think that's all right now. 67 00:02:33,486 --> 00:02:35,654 Well, we had a horny toad yesterday but I had to let it go. 68 00:02:35,688 --> 00:02:36,688 - Yeah. - [chuckles] 69 00:02:36,723 --> 00:02:38,257 [Shalina] I'm looking for eggs. 70 00:02:38,291 --> 00:02:41,293 But I'm in a hurry because the rooster doesn't like when I steal them. 71 00:02:41,327 --> 00:02:43,896 He's the cranky one and he will chase you down. 72 00:02:45,165 --> 00:02:46,732 So, reason for buying this property was, 73 00:02:46,766 --> 00:02:48,967 I've always had this thing for my kids, 74 00:02:49,002 --> 00:02:51,537 when they turned 18, they were gonna build their own house 75 00:02:51,571 --> 00:02:53,338 and they would always have a home to come to. 76 00:02:53,373 --> 00:02:56,842 So, my daughter Joli just turned 18 and we decided 77 00:02:56,876 --> 00:02:59,144 it's time for us to build her her home. 78 00:02:59,179 --> 00:03:01,246 All right, let's do this. 79 00:03:01,281 --> 00:03:02,848 I'm very excited. 80 00:03:02,882 --> 00:03:05,517 Because this is gonna be a house I can call my own, 81 00:03:05,552 --> 00:03:07,486 and a house I can go to whenever I need. 82 00:03:08,521 --> 00:03:10,355 [Shalina] We are building a straw bale house 83 00:03:10,390 --> 00:03:12,958 that will be covered in cob and lime plaster. 84 00:03:12,992 --> 00:03:16,695 We'll be starting with a 34x17-foot concrete slab. 85 00:03:16,729 --> 00:03:19,831 There will be two 12x14-foot rooms on each side, 86 00:03:19,866 --> 00:03:22,234 one will be a living room, and one will be a bedroom. 87 00:03:22,268 --> 00:03:23,869 In the bedroom, there will be a loft, 88 00:03:23,903 --> 00:03:25,771 which is where Joli's bed is gonna go. 89 00:03:25,805 --> 00:03:29,508 And in between the two rooms will be a six-foot wide kitchen and bathroom. 90 00:03:29,542 --> 00:03:33,712 We're getting all of the materials here from our own land or right around us. 91 00:03:33,746 --> 00:03:35,247 [Shalina] For our off-grid features, 92 00:03:35,281 --> 00:03:37,916 we're going to have solar panels for electricity. 93 00:03:37,951 --> 00:03:41,053 We'll be hauling water in and have a tank under the kitchen sink 94 00:03:41,087 --> 00:03:43,121 that will run off of an electric pump. 95 00:03:43,156 --> 00:03:45,324 For heat, the straw bales are gonna do most of the work, 96 00:03:45,358 --> 00:03:49,895 but in the dead of winter, we do have solar-friendly ceramic heaters for warmth. 97 00:03:49,929 --> 00:03:52,831 And my favorite off-grid feature is going to be 98 00:03:52,865 --> 00:03:56,501 a cob hot tub powered by a wood burning stove. 99 00:03:56,536 --> 00:03:58,737 Our total budget is $10,000. 100 00:03:58,771 --> 00:04:00,739 And our timeline is four weeks, 101 00:04:00,773 --> 00:04:03,775 [Ben] It's a lofty goal. But I think we can do it. 102 00:04:03,810 --> 00:04:05,644 I'm good at lofty goals. [chuckles] 103 00:04:05,678 --> 00:04:07,446 - She is good at lofty goals. - [chuckling] 104 00:04:16,789 --> 00:04:18,090 [Shalina] So we got the foundation in, 105 00:04:18,124 --> 00:04:20,692 and it was actually an absolute nightmare. 106 00:04:22,395 --> 00:04:24,963 One of the things about living off-grid is... 107 00:04:24,998 --> 00:04:28,433 Sometimes your machinery doesn't quiet fit up the drive. 108 00:04:28,468 --> 00:04:31,169 And so, we had to park half-way down. 109 00:04:31,204 --> 00:04:33,372 - And they had to-- Truck it all up. - Truck it on up. 110 00:04:37,977 --> 00:04:40,178 That was a lot of work. 111 00:04:40,213 --> 00:04:44,149 The foundation is in, it's set. Now we wanna go vertical. 112 00:04:44,183 --> 00:04:48,186 We are spacing out our studs, our straw bale's depth, 113 00:04:48,221 --> 00:04:51,089 and we'll stand these two up and then do the outside walls. 114 00:04:51,124 --> 00:04:53,292 [Shalina] Straw bales are here on site, half of them 115 00:04:53,326 --> 00:04:55,227 I've been keeping dry for about eight months. 116 00:04:55,261 --> 00:04:57,262 The other half just got here yesterday. 117 00:04:57,297 --> 00:04:58,664 Have to keep them dry. 118 00:04:58,698 --> 00:05:00,132 [Ben] If they get wet, they're ruined. 119 00:05:00,166 --> 00:05:03,201 Ruined. And there are no more in this area. This is it 120 00:05:03,236 --> 00:05:04,970 - [Shalina] until next year. - [Ben] Last cut of the season. 121 00:05:05,004 --> 00:05:06,271 Joli... 122 00:05:06,306 --> 00:05:09,274 Can you help me with this wall, please? 123 00:05:09,309 --> 00:05:12,010 - [Shalina] Where are we going with this, before we... - [Ben] Just up. 124 00:05:12,045 --> 00:05:14,146 And then somebody can hold it, up. 125 00:05:14,180 --> 00:05:16,748 I have got my sister Amanda here helping 126 00:05:16,783 --> 00:05:19,217 and she's brought her four-year-old son, Asher. 127 00:05:19,252 --> 00:05:21,286 And also my friend, Mike's here as well. 128 00:05:26,926 --> 00:05:29,795 I'm gonna do 11, 10 and-a-half. 129 00:05:29,829 --> 00:05:31,797 We have never built a house together. 130 00:05:31,831 --> 00:05:35,267 We're also kind of building the foundation of our relationship at the same time 131 00:05:35,301 --> 00:05:37,569 we're building the foundation of these houses. 132 00:05:37,603 --> 00:05:40,605 So, it's gonna make us or break us and I think that 133 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:42,974 - we're doing a great job at it. - It's gonna make us. 134 00:05:43,009 --> 00:05:44,509 [Shalina] I think it's gonna go great. 135 00:05:45,311 --> 00:05:46,978 [Ben] That is money. 136 00:05:47,013 --> 00:05:50,482 We're all here. I say we put up these front walls. 137 00:05:50,516 --> 00:05:53,085 We need the moisture barrier before we put anything down. 138 00:05:53,119 --> 00:05:55,687 - We do. We should get that out 'cause we're like there. - Can't forget that step. 139 00:05:57,223 --> 00:05:59,057 [Shalina] The moisture barrier's probably one of the most 140 00:05:59,092 --> 00:06:00,959 important things when you're dealing with straw bale, 141 00:06:00,993 --> 00:06:03,695 because, if you put your straw bales 142 00:06:03,730 --> 00:06:05,731 directly down on any store of ground 143 00:06:05,765 --> 00:06:07,599 where water is going to penetrate, 144 00:06:07,633 --> 00:06:09,868 then your straw bales... That moisture is gonna get inside 145 00:06:09,902 --> 00:06:11,770 and they're gonna rot from the inside out. 146 00:06:12,772 --> 00:06:14,906 A lot of this I'm doing on the whim. 147 00:06:14,941 --> 00:06:19,578 - I guess we just eyeball it. - Just see if it pokes in, is that what we're doing? 148 00:06:19,612 --> 00:06:22,581 This piece is honestly my first time doing it from the ground up. 149 00:06:23,616 --> 00:06:25,384 [Ben] So, we'll stand this wall up. 150 00:06:25,418 --> 00:06:26,885 Boom! In place. 151 00:06:26,919 --> 00:06:29,821 - On the plastic? All right. - [Ben] On the plastic. 152 00:06:35,094 --> 00:06:37,896 Yeah. Wait--Wai-- Too much. There. 153 00:06:37,930 --> 00:06:39,698 - [Joli] Perfect. - [Shalina] Right there, perfect. 154 00:06:42,168 --> 00:06:43,935 [Ben] So we got this first wall up. 155 00:06:43,970 --> 00:06:46,138 And now, we install the second plate. 156 00:06:46,172 --> 00:06:49,441 And this is gonna get filled with pea gravel to take up this void. 157 00:06:49,475 --> 00:06:52,611 And then we'll s-- You know, stab our bales on this. 158 00:06:52,645 --> 00:06:54,212 All the way up to the top plate. 159 00:06:54,247 --> 00:06:56,882 The goal today is to get at least one room, 160 00:06:56,916 --> 00:06:57,949 completely framed and up. 161 00:06:59,552 --> 00:07:01,853 So that we can be ready to roll tomorrow on 162 00:07:01,888 --> 00:07:03,255 straw bales and a kitchen. 163 00:07:03,289 --> 00:07:06,792 Come here, Joli. You're gonna help me pour this pea gravel in here. 164 00:07:06,826 --> 00:07:09,361 [Shalina] Okay. 165 00:07:09,395 --> 00:07:11,730 The house is like a living home. 166 00:07:11,764 --> 00:07:13,899 So it almost is like it has to breathe. 167 00:07:13,933 --> 00:07:16,935 The moisture has to be able to go through the straw bales and dry out. 168 00:07:18,938 --> 00:07:22,040 - That looks good. Cool. - [Joli] Yeah. 169 00:07:23,543 --> 00:07:25,444 [thunder rumbling] 170 00:07:25,478 --> 00:07:27,979 [Joli] Look at those clouds, Mom. Is that rain? 171 00:07:28,014 --> 00:07:29,014 [Shalina] Uh-oh! Okay. 172 00:07:29,048 --> 00:07:29,714 [rain pattering] 173 00:07:31,384 --> 00:07:34,085 [Shalina] I've lived on this property for a year and a half 174 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,321 and it's probably rained a handful of times. 175 00:07:38,024 --> 00:07:42,060 And of all times, the first day I need my straw bales dry, we've got rain. 176 00:07:43,796 --> 00:07:45,464 I'm so sad! 177 00:07:45,498 --> 00:07:49,301 Every time we start to get somewhere, something happens. 178 00:08:00,346 --> 00:08:01,580 [Shalina] Uh-oh! Okay. 179 00:08:01,614 --> 00:08:03,381 [rain pattering] 180 00:08:03,416 --> 00:08:05,650 [Shalina] We've been fighting for so long to keep these 181 00:08:05,685 --> 00:08:07,953 straw bales from getting wet and worst case 182 00:08:07,987 --> 00:08:09,554 that could happen is a downpour. 183 00:08:09,589 --> 00:08:11,456 And, that's exactly what happened. 184 00:08:11,491 --> 00:08:12,157 [raining] 185 00:08:22,502 --> 00:08:24,536 - [Shalina] That was crazy. - [Ben] That was absurd. 186 00:08:24,570 --> 00:08:25,637 [Shalina] You think it's gone? 187 00:08:25,671 --> 00:08:27,506 [Ben] That looks like it's going that way. 188 00:08:27,540 --> 00:08:29,274 [Shalina] Everything seems to look okay 189 00:08:29,308 --> 00:08:31,409 but everything is pretty wet. 190 00:08:31,444 --> 00:08:34,679 We got lucky with the storm. It was actually pretty quick. 191 00:08:34,714 --> 00:08:36,982 Miraculously the straw bales stayed dry. 192 00:08:37,016 --> 00:08:38,850 There were a few that were wet. 193 00:08:38,885 --> 00:08:41,586 But being this far off the grid, we kind of knew 194 00:08:41,621 --> 00:08:44,523 that we might run into some issues so we did get some extras. 195 00:08:44,557 --> 00:08:48,059 However, our pea gravel and our base of our moisture barrier 196 00:08:48,094 --> 00:08:50,729 has probably a quarter of inch of water just sitting in it. 197 00:08:50,763 --> 00:08:52,297 Soaking wet, all the way through. 198 00:08:52,331 --> 00:08:54,633 Look at all of that water in there. 199 00:08:54,667 --> 00:08:59,571 That's a "I'm not stacking straw bales" kind of problem for today. 200 00:08:59,605 --> 00:09:02,874 So that's a big delay. We were hoping for straw bales today. 201 00:09:02,909 --> 00:09:05,610 We cannot put straw down, like this. 202 00:09:05,645 --> 00:09:08,747 Winter is gonna come and we need warmer temperatures. 203 00:09:08,781 --> 00:09:11,883 Especially to do the cob, the mudding on the outside 204 00:09:11,918 --> 00:09:13,118 and we gotta get this done. 205 00:09:13,152 --> 00:09:14,619 We need that southwest sun! 206 00:09:14,654 --> 00:09:16,454 [Shalina] Tomorrow we can come back in and 207 00:09:16,489 --> 00:09:18,056 start full force on the bales. 208 00:09:20,393 --> 00:09:22,761 [Shalina] It's a new day today. The sun is shining. 209 00:09:22,795 --> 00:09:26,598 And the pea gravel's dry. So, it is time to stack some straw bales. 210 00:09:27,433 --> 00:09:28,633 So how many do I need? 211 00:09:28,668 --> 00:09:29,868 [Ben] I think that's good and uh-- 212 00:09:29,902 --> 00:09:32,370 I think you guys throw them up and see what we got. 213 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:36,007 We gotta get this flushed with the framing. 214 00:09:36,042 --> 00:09:37,676 [Shalina] Yeah, so go back a tiny bit. 215 00:09:39,812 --> 00:09:40,979 [Ben] Ready to push? 216 00:09:41,013 --> 00:09:42,814 Hey, watch out for rebar in your hands. 217 00:09:42,848 --> 00:09:44,082 [Shalina] Yeah, don't push your hands. 218 00:09:44,684 --> 00:09:46,251 Just shimmy it. 219 00:09:46,285 --> 00:09:47,919 Oh! We're so close. 220 00:09:47,954 --> 00:09:48,987 Here it is. There's one. 221 00:09:54,026 --> 00:09:57,996 [Shalina] This is gonna be so nice and so sturdy. 222 00:09:58,030 --> 00:10:00,432 It's a crucial aspect to have straw bales that 223 00:10:00,466 --> 00:10:02,901 are all very taut and similar in size. 224 00:10:02,935 --> 00:10:05,670 I've definitely had straw bales that were not tight. 225 00:10:05,705 --> 00:10:08,773 And when you're making a wall you need them to be very sturdy. 226 00:10:08,808 --> 00:10:10,175 So I lucked down on these. 227 00:10:16,315 --> 00:10:17,983 It's almost there. Okay, that's it. 228 00:10:18,017 --> 00:10:20,318 - [Ben] Looks like a wall. - [Shalina laughs] 229 00:10:20,353 --> 00:10:24,489 So, we were stacking our bales and on a roll and very excited 230 00:10:24,523 --> 00:10:28,326 to see bales going up and happy with how fast it was going 231 00:10:28,361 --> 00:10:31,963 and then I think you realized we forgot a step. 232 00:10:31,998 --> 00:10:34,532 By the way, aren't we supposed to be doing some lathing here? 233 00:10:35,067 --> 00:10:36,001 - Yep. - [laughs] 234 00:10:36,035 --> 00:10:37,836 - [Shalina laughs] - Oh no! 235 00:10:37,870 --> 00:10:40,171 - [Shalina] We skipped a step. - [Ben] We just forgot a whole thing. 236 00:10:40,206 --> 00:10:43,074 Our intent was to put these little kinda angle brackets 237 00:10:44,010 --> 00:10:45,510 every course of straw bale. 238 00:10:45,544 --> 00:10:49,014 - It'll keep the studs and the wood connected together. - Yes. 239 00:10:49,048 --> 00:10:51,116 We forgot to do that. [chuckles] 240 00:10:51,150 --> 00:10:52,851 - [Shalina] Good test run, everybody. - [Ben] Yeah. 241 00:10:52,885 --> 00:10:54,052 Glad everything fits. 242 00:10:54,086 --> 00:10:56,788 - Take it all down and let's start over. [laughs] - Yeah. 243 00:10:57,723 --> 00:10:58,556 [Ben] Rough start. 244 00:11:03,396 --> 00:11:06,398 - [Joli] Is that rain? Maybe. - Yeah but that's way over there. 245 00:11:06,432 --> 00:11:07,465 [Joli] We're gonna ignore it. 246 00:11:07,533 --> 00:11:10,068 [Shalina] No repeat of yesterday. If we have that, 247 00:11:10,102 --> 00:11:12,604 I would probably just cry. 248 00:11:12,638 --> 00:11:16,107 This is the piece that we forgot to put in between the bale. 249 00:11:16,142 --> 00:11:19,878 And what we're doing is we're securing it with staples 250 00:11:19,912 --> 00:11:21,546 to the wood and then we've got... 251 00:11:21,580 --> 00:11:24,616 - There you go. - And sod staples into the bale. 252 00:11:24,650 --> 00:11:27,819 [Ben] We had lots of family and friends helping today. 253 00:11:27,853 --> 00:11:30,689 And it didn't take too long to re-do it all. 254 00:11:30,723 --> 00:11:31,923 Even the kids were helping. 255 00:11:31,957 --> 00:11:33,625 - It's what it's all about. Family. - Yeah. 256 00:11:35,161 --> 00:11:36,895 [Ben] We started with the easy walls, 257 00:11:36,929 --> 00:11:40,632 the full bale walls. But, we do have to cut quite a few bales. 258 00:11:40,666 --> 00:11:42,801 So we gotta re-tie bales to go into 259 00:11:42,835 --> 00:11:44,969 the spaces that are not full bale length. 260 00:11:45,004 --> 00:11:47,238 I re-thought an entire window, 261 00:11:47,273 --> 00:11:50,141 all because I didn't wanna re-tie that many bales. 262 00:11:50,176 --> 00:11:52,711 [Ben] And I'm gonna take this baling needle. 263 00:11:52,745 --> 00:11:54,879 Our pieces of twine that I've already cut. 264 00:11:54,914 --> 00:11:58,049 String them through. Then I gotta tie a Miller knot. 265 00:12:00,953 --> 00:12:03,188 These are three-string-bales so, 266 00:12:03,222 --> 00:12:05,523 three... Three ties for each side. 267 00:12:05,558 --> 00:12:08,193 'Cause what's gonna happen is, I'm gonna get this piece... 268 00:12:08,227 --> 00:12:10,895 I wanted and this piece is gonna stay compressed 269 00:12:10,930 --> 00:12:12,464 and maybe be used somewhere out. 270 00:12:12,498 --> 00:12:14,299 [Shalina] So then, we'll just be able to pull it apart, 271 00:12:14,333 --> 00:12:15,734 and have two-- Our two bales? 272 00:12:16,402 --> 00:12:17,502 [Ben] In theory... 273 00:12:17,536 --> 00:12:20,805 I should pop this existing blue string, 274 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:22,640 and have two bales. 275 00:12:22,675 --> 00:12:25,777 [Shalina gasps] You just popped your orange. 276 00:12:25,811 --> 00:12:27,412 [Ben] I thought this would be pretty slick 277 00:12:27,446 --> 00:12:31,783 and go pretty fast but, I didn't practice my knots enough. 278 00:12:31,851 --> 00:12:35,687 And, they failed on my first cut bale. 279 00:12:35,721 --> 00:12:38,556 I'm feeling pretty defeated right now because... 280 00:12:38,591 --> 00:12:42,660 The wind's coming in. I see very black clouds. 281 00:12:42,695 --> 00:12:44,162 I don't like it. 282 00:12:44,196 --> 00:12:46,131 I think we gotta revisit this. 283 00:12:46,165 --> 00:12:49,267 I think it's a good time to just tarp everything off 284 00:12:49,301 --> 00:12:51,770 and clean up and hit it again tomorrow. 285 00:12:55,574 --> 00:12:59,811 Second day in the row we've been shut down due to weather, due to rain. 286 00:12:59,845 --> 00:13:02,347 And it probably hasn't rained here in three months. 287 00:13:03,816 --> 00:13:06,251 The wind is always blowing when you're working with tarps. 288 00:13:14,493 --> 00:13:17,462 Over the past couple of weeks we have been focusing on 289 00:13:17,496 --> 00:13:20,131 getting all of the straw bells cut and in their place 290 00:13:20,166 --> 00:13:22,000 and putting them in the framing. 291 00:13:22,034 --> 00:13:24,302 [Ben] This is the last straw... bale. 292 00:13:25,304 --> 00:13:26,738 [Shalina] Did you really just say that? 293 00:13:26,772 --> 00:13:28,940 - [Ben] I'm ready to say that, actually. - [Shalina laughs] 294 00:13:28,974 --> 00:13:31,543 [Ben] The last custom bales. 295 00:13:31,577 --> 00:13:35,113 Yeah, we had a storm this week that shut us down for 296 00:13:35,147 --> 00:13:38,483 three days. And there's snow on the mountains. 297 00:13:38,517 --> 00:13:43,054 So, it went from summer to late fall, in a week. 298 00:13:43,088 --> 00:13:45,523 And so, I'm gonna cut it open the original, 299 00:13:45,558 --> 00:13:49,394 cut the original twine and I should have two little bricks. 300 00:13:53,299 --> 00:13:55,567 Redemption! I finally figured it out, I think. 301 00:13:57,703 --> 00:13:59,571 I don't think I will ever forget this knot. 302 00:14:00,039 --> 00:14:01,005 Forget me "knot." 303 00:14:10,950 --> 00:14:12,450 [Shalina] Another project that I'm working on 304 00:14:12,484 --> 00:14:14,853 is creating shelving in the kitchen, 305 00:14:14,887 --> 00:14:17,088 by cutting niches into the straw bales. 306 00:14:18,224 --> 00:14:20,058 - [Shalina] Is it niches? - [Ben] It is niches. 307 00:14:20,092 --> 00:14:21,559 - Niches, na-ches. - Niches. 308 00:14:21,594 --> 00:14:23,595 I'm doing my little niches. [laughs] 309 00:14:23,629 --> 00:14:26,564 - [Ben] I think it's niche. - I think it's niche because... 310 00:14:27,166 --> 00:14:28,166 I don't know. 311 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:30,501 - It's niche. - Well, you're notching it out. 312 00:14:30,536 --> 00:14:31,803 Notching out a niche. 313 00:14:31,837 --> 00:14:34,005 We're notching out niches. 314 00:14:34,039 --> 00:14:36,374 It's like I like to get all this straw out so that 315 00:14:36,408 --> 00:14:40,278 it's deep enough that can mud an inch and a quarter 316 00:14:40,312 --> 00:14:43,448 and still have enough shelf to set your spices in. 317 00:14:47,486 --> 00:14:51,055 Whoo! I almost started a fire. 318 00:14:51,090 --> 00:14:54,692 I hit a piece of metal. And it sparked into the straw. 319 00:14:54,727 --> 00:14:56,461 At the state that the house is in right now, 320 00:14:56,495 --> 00:15:00,098 it'd probably go up like that. 'Cause this is just dry straw bale everywhere. 321 00:15:00,132 --> 00:15:01,766 [Ben] It's a framed tinderbox. 322 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,068 All right, I'm not going any higher on that. 323 00:15:04,803 --> 00:15:06,271 It's getting scary. 324 00:15:06,305 --> 00:15:07,872 [Shalina] So if there was a little spark, 325 00:15:07,907 --> 00:15:10,808 we don't have a faucet that we can go turn on a water hose 326 00:15:10,843 --> 00:15:14,078 and spray it out. So we have to be very careful to not have 327 00:15:14,113 --> 00:15:15,613 - anything like that happen. - Very careful. 328 00:15:15,648 --> 00:15:17,248 [Shalina] You got vanilla. 329 00:15:17,283 --> 00:15:19,450 - [Joli] Cinnamon. And pie spice. - Cinnamon. 330 00:15:19,485 --> 00:15:21,586 [Shalina] You're in charge of Thanksgiving dinner this year. 331 00:15:21,620 --> 00:15:23,755 - I'll try. I'll try. - All right. That's gonna be perfect. 332 00:15:26,859 --> 00:15:29,560 Our next project is to post and beam in between 333 00:15:29,595 --> 00:15:32,697 the two structures. For the kitchen and bathroom. 334 00:15:32,731 --> 00:15:34,966 We acquired some really cool beams. 335 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:37,502 It'll give it kinda like a farmhouse feel, I think. 336 00:15:37,536 --> 00:15:39,737 I think timbers and straw bale go well together. 337 00:15:39,772 --> 00:15:40,705 They're in good marriage. 338 00:15:42,308 --> 00:15:44,709 [Shalina] These are gonna be going across the top of the kitchen. 339 00:15:44,743 --> 00:15:46,344 So one of these is gonna be... 340 00:15:47,012 --> 00:15:48,813 The post is the corner walls. 341 00:15:48,847 --> 00:15:50,581 And this is gonna be the top part. 342 00:15:55,587 --> 00:15:57,689 - [Ben] You wanna handsaw it? - You wanna handsaw it? 343 00:15:57,723 --> 00:15:58,389 - Yeah. - Okay. 344 00:16:00,326 --> 00:16:02,427 [Joli] I love helping out when it comes to 345 00:16:02,461 --> 00:16:04,729 just anything in general, but I'm really excited 346 00:16:04,763 --> 00:16:06,064 to help out with this house. 347 00:16:06,098 --> 00:16:08,566 Because, I could put all my effort into it, 348 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:10,368 just like all my family members are. 349 00:16:11,904 --> 00:16:12,770 [Shalina] Good job, Joli. 350 00:16:13,439 --> 00:16:14,706 [Joli] Thank you. 351 00:16:14,740 --> 00:16:16,574 [Shalina] You girls, you gotta step back, please. 352 00:16:25,084 --> 00:16:26,851 - [Shalina] How much is it-- - Come up a little. 353 00:16:28,153 --> 00:16:29,787 Boom! It's gonna work. 354 00:16:29,822 --> 00:16:32,924 - Okay. That's perfect. Okay. - All right, let's set it down. Now we have our beam. 355 00:16:38,630 --> 00:16:40,098 [Ben] So before we attach this beam, 356 00:16:40,132 --> 00:16:42,367 we will need to install the post it sits on, first. 357 00:16:44,036 --> 00:16:45,503 [Shalina] Come down a tiny bit. 358 00:16:45,537 --> 00:16:47,472 More. Perfect. 359 00:16:49,074 --> 00:16:50,675 - Yeah, that's good. - [Shalina] Nice. 360 00:16:50,709 --> 00:16:52,221 Since we are drilling new holes, 361 00:16:52,245 --> 00:16:56,514 we gotta epoxy the rebar into those holes so it doesn't go anywhere. 362 00:16:56,548 --> 00:16:59,083 - [Ben] Oh! I need a gun for this. - [Shalina] Oh no! 363 00:17:00,119 --> 00:17:01,452 [Ben] I don't think we have one. 364 00:17:01,487 --> 00:17:02,887 So, what do we do? What does that mean? 365 00:17:02,921 --> 00:17:04,322 [Ben] I don't know, we need one. 366 00:17:04,356 --> 00:17:07,291 It would be a one hour drive to town one way 367 00:17:07,326 --> 00:17:10,495 to go get this, so, let's see if a friend can bring one. 368 00:17:12,231 --> 00:17:15,500 Oh! I have no service. Do you have service? 369 00:17:15,534 --> 00:17:21,039 Without the caulk gun, can't put these posts in. So that's just another step backwards. 370 00:17:23,042 --> 00:17:24,842 [Ben] We need to drink a beer. 371 00:17:24,877 --> 00:17:27,311 [Shalina] I didn't even know busy signals existed anymore. 372 00:17:33,118 --> 00:17:35,486 Oh! I have no service. Do you have service? 373 00:17:35,521 --> 00:17:37,321 [Ben] So, we're installing these really cool 374 00:17:37,389 --> 00:17:40,825 posts in the kitchen. But I just realized I don't have a caulk gun. 375 00:17:40,859 --> 00:17:45,897 I need the caulk gun to put on the adhesive to attach the post to the floor. 376 00:17:45,931 --> 00:17:48,766 That would be a one hour drive to town, one way 377 00:17:48,801 --> 00:17:50,134 to go get this, so, 378 00:17:50,169 --> 00:17:52,036 we're gonna see if our neighbor Frans can bring one. 379 00:17:53,138 --> 00:17:54,439 Every call gets dropped. 380 00:17:57,142 --> 00:17:58,810 Oh! Wait, don't-- 381 00:17:58,844 --> 00:18:00,611 [Shalina] Are you there? Hello? 382 00:18:01,380 --> 00:18:02,046 Can you hear me? 383 00:18:03,849 --> 00:18:04,515 Okay. 384 00:18:05,417 --> 00:18:06,851 I'm gonna be real fast. 385 00:18:06,885 --> 00:18:08,553 Do you happen to have a caulking gun? 386 00:18:11,590 --> 00:18:14,659 Are you ser-- [laughs] He's looking at one right now. 387 00:18:14,693 --> 00:18:17,161 - As they're clean-- - [Ben] That's fantastic. 388 00:18:17,196 --> 00:18:20,364 Okay, thank you so much. Yeah when you head this way, 389 00:18:20,399 --> 00:18:22,667 if you'll just bring that with you, I'd greatly appreciate it. 390 00:18:22,701 --> 00:18:25,470 We have to be very resourceful out here to make things happen 391 00:18:25,504 --> 00:18:29,140 and I think we rely a lot on our friends and family. 392 00:18:29,174 --> 00:18:30,875 I'm very relieved we got in touch with Fran, 393 00:18:30,909 --> 00:18:33,611 'cause if not, we'd have to wait till tomorrow and... 394 00:18:33,645 --> 00:18:36,581 Every single day that we wait right now, is just 395 00:18:36,615 --> 00:18:38,749 super crucial and it throws something else off. 396 00:18:44,690 --> 00:18:47,024 We're not at a standstill because we're gonna build 397 00:18:47,059 --> 00:18:51,162 a five-foot wall over each of these houses that's gonna be a loft bed. 398 00:18:51,196 --> 00:18:55,366 And, so we'll be able to move on now and do these walls for the... for the loft. 399 00:18:59,538 --> 00:19:01,072 - Hey, look who's here! - Yeah! 400 00:19:01,106 --> 00:19:03,774 - Hey, guys. Got the caulk gun. - Caulk gun in hands. 401 00:19:03,809 --> 00:19:05,910 - Ready to rock. - Did you bring muscles too? 402 00:19:05,944 --> 00:19:07,945 - Perfect timing. - [Ben] We built a heavy wall 403 00:19:07,980 --> 00:19:09,213 and I don't think we can put it up there. 404 00:19:09,248 --> 00:19:11,315 - If you guys can help us with that. - For sure. 405 00:19:11,350 --> 00:19:13,618 Frans and Mike are a couple of friends of ours. 406 00:19:13,652 --> 00:19:14,719 And they're our neighbors. 407 00:19:14,753 --> 00:19:17,722 So, the plan is to get this on these rails. 408 00:19:17,756 --> 00:19:19,624 [Shalina] This thing is ridiculously heavy. 409 00:19:19,658 --> 00:19:21,659 [Ben] And then, we'll push it up these rails, 410 00:19:21,693 --> 00:19:23,027 balance it up there, 411 00:19:23,061 --> 00:19:25,596 and then, we're gonna lift it up and set it in place. 412 00:19:25,631 --> 00:19:26,731 [Mike] All right, ready? 413 00:19:28,133 --> 00:19:29,433 [Shalina] Woah! 414 00:19:29,468 --> 00:19:32,103 [Ben] The uncertainty here is that this thing is super heavy. 415 00:19:32,137 --> 00:19:33,004 Yeah, I got it. 416 00:19:33,038 --> 00:19:35,006 It's precarious being up there 417 00:19:35,507 --> 00:19:36,541 You got it? 418 00:19:36,575 --> 00:19:38,976 [Frans] I'm not tall enough anymore. 419 00:19:39,011 --> 00:19:40,545 [Ben] It could fall either way. 420 00:19:40,579 --> 00:19:42,113 Fall in the house, fall out here. 421 00:19:42,147 --> 00:19:43,714 We just don't want anybody getting hurt. 422 00:19:43,749 --> 00:19:45,950 - [Ben] Make sure it's flushed on the outside, love. - [Shalina] I sure will. 423 00:19:47,753 --> 00:19:48,452 [Ben] All right. 424 00:19:48,987 --> 00:19:50,421 It's a wall. 425 00:19:50,455 --> 00:19:53,024 [Shalina] Not having the caulking gun kind of put us on a delay. 426 00:19:53,058 --> 00:19:55,693 But luckily we were able to move on to another project 427 00:19:55,727 --> 00:19:57,795 and not let that just hold us back. 428 00:19:57,829 --> 00:20:00,131 - [Shalina] Now it's not such a mini house. - [Ben] It's not. 429 00:20:00,165 --> 00:20:03,000 I can't wait to move in. Joli doesn't even know I'm taking it over. [laughs] 430 00:20:06,238 --> 00:20:08,706 [Ben] It's been a busy couple days. 431 00:20:08,740 --> 00:20:11,108 Since we got the caulk gun, we were able to install 432 00:20:11,143 --> 00:20:12,276 the kitchen beams and posts. 433 00:20:13,545 --> 00:20:14,745 [drilling] 434 00:20:19,851 --> 00:20:20,518 [drilling] 435 00:20:21,053 --> 00:20:22,520 Oh! 436 00:20:22,554 --> 00:20:24,455 [Shalina] And with all the extra hands, we have on site, 437 00:20:24,489 --> 00:20:26,891 we wasted no time raising the second pony wall. 438 00:20:27,326 --> 00:20:28,559 [drilling] 439 00:20:28,594 --> 00:20:30,194 We even installed the roof rafters. 440 00:20:31,196 --> 00:20:33,965 I'm deathly afraid of heights. 441 00:20:33,999 --> 00:20:37,835 This is already pushing my limits so much. 442 00:20:37,869 --> 00:20:39,570 [Ben] And we put up plywood sheathing. 443 00:20:40,639 --> 00:20:43,241 We feel stressed out a little. 444 00:20:43,275 --> 00:20:47,245 We're definitely exhausted and... 445 00:20:47,279 --> 00:20:49,614 But we can't stop. We just gotta keep going. 446 00:20:51,683 --> 00:20:54,452 [Shalina] I'm about to start mudding the front part of the house 447 00:20:54,486 --> 00:20:56,454 where we've already placed our chicken wire. 448 00:20:56,488 --> 00:20:59,123 Right now, I'm getting my clay kinda cleaned out. 449 00:20:59,157 --> 00:21:00,558 I'm gonna add sand, 450 00:21:00,993 --> 00:21:01,959 in that. 451 00:21:01,994 --> 00:21:04,795 And there isn't an absolute recipe because, 452 00:21:04,830 --> 00:21:07,164 no matter what you look up, it can say like 453 00:21:07,199 --> 00:21:09,433 "Two parts clay, one part sand." 454 00:21:09,468 --> 00:21:10,935 Every piece of land is different. 455 00:21:10,969 --> 00:21:12,436 So your clay content is different. 456 00:21:12,471 --> 00:21:14,739 So you have to just kinda feel it and work with it 457 00:21:14,773 --> 00:21:17,708 until you find the mixture that's right. 458 00:21:17,743 --> 00:21:21,479 Then I'm going to add water. And I'm going to add the straw 459 00:21:21,513 --> 00:21:24,415 that we have that's been crumbling off the house. 460 00:21:24,449 --> 00:21:26,417 And we're gonna make a cob mixture. 461 00:21:30,522 --> 00:21:33,124 Now I'm gonna go ahead and make my ball 462 00:21:33,158 --> 00:21:35,126 to see if I have the right mixture. 463 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:37,461 If I do, I'm gonna know I have the right mixture because 464 00:21:37,496 --> 00:21:40,765 when I drop my ball, it's gonna form to the concrete. 465 00:21:42,067 --> 00:21:43,200 Perfect! 466 00:21:43,235 --> 00:21:46,871 So now, I'm gonna start smooshing this into my straw. 467 00:21:46,905 --> 00:21:49,206 - That's my mud girl. - [Shalina laughs] 468 00:21:49,241 --> 00:21:51,208 Hey, on our first date, remember, I-- 469 00:21:51,243 --> 00:21:53,978 - I got down and started playing in the clay? - [Ben] Yeah. 470 00:21:54,012 --> 00:21:57,014 - [Ben] That's when I fell in love. - [Shalina] That was it. 471 00:21:57,049 --> 00:21:59,817 [Shalina] All right. We'll go ahead and get our mixture now 472 00:21:59,851 --> 00:22:02,553 and put it into the straw. 473 00:22:02,587 --> 00:22:05,423 And it's so important to get this now, because 474 00:22:05,457 --> 00:22:07,825 once the temperatures start dropping below 40, 475 00:22:07,859 --> 00:22:11,262 we can't do the mud. Because it's gonna start cracking. 476 00:22:11,296 --> 00:22:13,130 So, it's warm today during the day, 477 00:22:13,165 --> 00:22:16,267 but come six o' clock as soon as that sun starts to set, 478 00:22:16,301 --> 00:22:17,935 we're gonna start getting to the 40's. 479 00:22:22,174 --> 00:22:25,509 One of the cool projects of this house is we're gonna make a bottle wall. 480 00:22:29,815 --> 00:22:32,416 We're gonna have to cut the bottles on each end, 481 00:22:32,451 --> 00:22:34,051 and then they'll be placed together. 482 00:22:35,754 --> 00:22:37,488 So now these will go together. 483 00:22:37,522 --> 00:22:39,490 And it'll be a cylinder of light 484 00:22:39,524 --> 00:22:40,891 that you just kind of see through. 485 00:22:42,527 --> 00:22:44,495 So, I will mud my bottles, 486 00:22:44,529 --> 00:22:46,764 and then I'll transition into mudding the house. 487 00:22:46,798 --> 00:22:48,699 So it'll just be a very smooth finish. 488 00:22:52,637 --> 00:22:54,505 So, there we go. We have our first one. 489 00:22:58,043 --> 00:22:59,543 What do you think of those colors? 490 00:22:59,578 --> 00:23:00,745 [Ben] Looks rad. 491 00:23:00,779 --> 00:23:02,546 Can't wait to see it all finished. 492 00:23:02,581 --> 00:23:04,648 [Shalina] I know. It's gonna be cool. 493 00:23:11,656 --> 00:23:13,824 [Ben] We got Mike and Frans here to help us 494 00:23:13,859 --> 00:23:17,828 with the solar today and get the solar tower up 495 00:23:17,863 --> 00:23:19,697 that we will put our panels on. 496 00:23:19,731 --> 00:23:21,499 - [Ben] You guys ready? - [Frans] Let's rock it. 497 00:23:21,533 --> 00:23:24,301 [Ben] I believe this was a lighting tower 498 00:23:24,336 --> 00:23:28,272 for a hotel and Shalina finagled her way into getting it for free. 499 00:23:34,146 --> 00:23:35,546 We got three sides. 500 00:23:36,281 --> 00:23:37,515 Watch those. 501 00:23:39,184 --> 00:23:40,184 Hanging us up. 502 00:23:41,853 --> 00:23:44,088 [Ben] Mike and Frans had made a pad for the tower 503 00:23:44,122 --> 00:23:46,791 to sit on with the threaded bolts coming up 504 00:23:46,825 --> 00:23:50,261 for the tower to attach to. 505 00:23:50,295 --> 00:23:54,632 There wasn't enough thread sticking up to fasten the tower down. 506 00:23:54,666 --> 00:23:57,234 So, yeah. It looks like that one, 507 00:23:57,269 --> 00:23:58,202 and this one. 508 00:23:59,304 --> 00:24:01,338 [Mike] We gonna grind down the concrete more. 509 00:24:01,373 --> 00:24:02,873 Yeah, might have to. 510 00:24:02,908 --> 00:24:06,110 These little problems we run into, you know that turn into 511 00:24:06,144 --> 00:24:09,947 hours of work just set us back on our deadline. 512 00:24:09,981 --> 00:24:12,183 In a perfect world, this thing would've just... 513 00:24:12,217 --> 00:24:14,752 on to here. But, building off grid, 514 00:24:14,786 --> 00:24:17,955 everything doesn't always go as it's supposed to. 515 00:24:17,989 --> 00:24:19,290 [Ben] Oh! It's just annoying. 516 00:24:27,065 --> 00:24:29,667 [Ben] Mike and Frans had made a pad for the solar 517 00:24:29,701 --> 00:24:32,336 towers to sit on with the threaded bolts coming up, 518 00:24:32,370 --> 00:24:35,639 for the tower to attach to. 519 00:24:35,674 --> 00:24:40,678 There wasn't enough thread sticking up to fasten the tower down. 520 00:24:40,712 --> 00:24:42,646 [Mike] Shave down a little more concrete. 521 00:24:50,689 --> 00:24:53,624 [Ben] So, we had to get some grinding wheels 522 00:24:53,658 --> 00:24:57,394 and buff out the concrete pad that was set on to... 523 00:24:57,429 --> 00:25:00,464 let the tower sink down to give more threads to put nuts on. 524 00:25:04,903 --> 00:25:06,003 [Frans] Ha! Looks good. 525 00:25:06,738 --> 00:25:07,905 You ready to set this thing? 526 00:25:11,276 --> 00:25:12,142 [Ben] Ta-da! 527 00:25:13,378 --> 00:25:15,179 Solar power tower. 528 00:25:17,916 --> 00:25:18,749 This is rad. 529 00:25:19,484 --> 00:25:20,584 You guys did a great job. 530 00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:21,886 [Mike] Thank you. 531 00:25:26,625 --> 00:25:30,027 [Ben] Over the last few weeks, we have been working super hard. 532 00:25:30,061 --> 00:25:31,829 We finished framing and siding the house. 533 00:25:33,398 --> 00:25:34,665 The windows have been installed. 534 00:25:36,735 --> 00:25:39,303 And even though, we don't have the solar panels up, 535 00:25:39,337 --> 00:25:42,873 we are running electricity to the house through the batteries. 536 00:25:42,908 --> 00:25:44,508 - [Shalina] Wow! - [man] Wow! You're electrified. 537 00:25:44,543 --> 00:25:45,543 [laughs] 538 00:25:46,011 --> 00:25:47,044 [Shalina] Yeah! 539 00:25:47,078 --> 00:25:49,680 We've started our mudding, we did some test walls 540 00:25:49,714 --> 00:25:51,649 this past couple of days. 541 00:25:51,683 --> 00:25:55,286 And today, we move into Joli's bedroom and we start doing the walls. 542 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:56,754 So, let me show you where I'm at. 543 00:25:56,788 --> 00:25:58,856 See, you're gonna start in this nook right here. 544 00:25:58,890 --> 00:26:00,958 Only where the bale is wet, 545 00:26:00,992 --> 00:26:01,825 Gotta be dry. 546 00:26:01,860 --> 00:26:02,826 No. [laughs] 547 00:26:02,861 --> 00:26:04,194 It's what we've been saying forever. 548 00:26:04,229 --> 00:26:05,663 But now, the bales have to be wet. 549 00:26:05,697 --> 00:26:07,731 I'm gonna work here. So, y'all start this way. 550 00:26:09,668 --> 00:26:10,434 You're gonna love it. 551 00:26:11,469 --> 00:26:12,603 [Joli] I hate mudding. 552 00:26:12,637 --> 00:26:14,238 You know, that's not fun. 553 00:26:14,272 --> 00:26:16,574 I took a clay pottery class once. 554 00:26:16,608 --> 00:26:17,474 And that was enough. 555 00:26:17,509 --> 00:26:18,909 [Shalina] This is your house. 556 00:26:18,944 --> 00:26:21,979 I've done more than my part. I think this is somebody else's-- [laughs] 557 00:26:22,013 --> 00:26:24,148 Just smash it into the straw. 558 00:26:26,685 --> 00:26:28,185 [Shalina] This is a huge milestone. 559 00:26:28,219 --> 00:26:31,655 This one feels really good because this is almost kinda like... 560 00:26:31,690 --> 00:26:34,224 Once you've framed your house and you go to paint it 561 00:26:34,259 --> 00:26:36,660 and you're putting on your coat of paint. 562 00:26:36,695 --> 00:26:39,997 I've been looking at straw bales for a while now. 563 00:26:40,031 --> 00:26:41,999 So it feels good to look at something new. 564 00:26:42,033 --> 00:26:42,700 [Joli] It does. 565 00:26:44,836 --> 00:26:47,805 [Shalina] We have less than two weeks to get this mudded 566 00:26:47,839 --> 00:26:49,707 before the weather starts to get bad. 567 00:26:49,741 --> 00:26:53,110 And I need the mud to set before we hit below 40. 568 00:26:53,144 --> 00:26:54,812 So that it can actually cure. 569 00:26:54,846 --> 00:26:56,947 But, I think that Norissa can do it. 570 00:26:56,982 --> 00:26:59,116 You can miss school this week. It's fine. 571 00:26:59,150 --> 00:27:00,451 Yeah. I would love that. 572 00:27:09,995 --> 00:27:12,262 [Shalina] At this point, we are pretty much gonna be mudding 573 00:27:12,297 --> 00:27:14,732 every single day. Until it's time for bed. 574 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,002 Mud. Mud some more. Mud again. 575 00:27:18,036 --> 00:27:21,572 Wake up and mud. Go to bed. Get up and mud. [laughs] 576 00:27:21,606 --> 00:27:24,575 I have a huge deadline right now 'cause winter's really coming quick. 577 00:27:24,609 --> 00:27:28,812 And this mud has to settle for a little bit before it freezes. 578 00:27:28,847 --> 00:27:31,448 If it drops below 40 and my mud hasn't cured, 579 00:27:31,483 --> 00:27:33,484 it's gonna definitely crack. 580 00:27:33,518 --> 00:27:36,487 We are gonna be in the mid-30's tonight. 581 00:27:36,521 --> 00:27:40,090 So, we decided we're gonna have to pull an all-nighter. 582 00:27:43,528 --> 00:27:46,563 So we finished the final mud plaster on the wall 583 00:27:46,598 --> 00:27:49,833 and everything is smooth and ready for our lime tomorrow. 584 00:27:49,868 --> 00:27:51,468 We're gonna put the curing blankets on, 585 00:27:51,503 --> 00:27:53,604 and make sure everything cures properly 586 00:27:53,638 --> 00:27:55,072 and hopefully we don't have any cracking. 587 00:27:56,908 --> 00:28:01,045 The temperature is only probably about 43 right now. 588 00:28:01,079 --> 00:28:03,247 We finished everything. We've tarped everything. 589 00:28:03,281 --> 00:28:06,483 I am ready for bed and plastering tomorrow. 590 00:28:12,424 --> 00:28:14,625 Last night we... 591 00:28:14,659 --> 00:28:18,128 had to pull an all-nighter and get this wall plastered 592 00:28:18,163 --> 00:28:20,364 because our temperatures were down to 36. 593 00:28:20,398 --> 00:28:24,068 And we had to do the curing blanket because we were 594 00:28:24,102 --> 00:28:27,137 risking cracks at that temp. So we're gonna take it down 595 00:28:27,172 --> 00:28:30,207 and hope for minimal cracking like it should be. 596 00:28:30,241 --> 00:28:31,942 And ready for plaster. 597 00:28:34,379 --> 00:28:36,780 I'm a little nervous about taking off the curing blanket. 598 00:28:36,815 --> 00:28:38,749 I'm not sure what we're gonna find. 599 00:28:38,783 --> 00:28:41,719 But, worst case scenario, we could have some cracking. 600 00:28:41,753 --> 00:28:43,420 [Ben] It's still quiet damp. 601 00:28:43,455 --> 00:28:44,388 [Shalina] Well, it should be. 602 00:28:45,290 --> 00:28:46,156 The blanket's off. 603 00:28:46,191 --> 00:28:48,625 I am extremely happy there's no cracks. 604 00:28:48,660 --> 00:28:49,927 The curing blanket did its job. 605 00:28:51,396 --> 00:28:52,062 See? 606 00:28:52,797 --> 00:28:54,031 It's gonna be nice. 607 00:28:54,065 --> 00:28:55,199 [Ben] That's what you wanted? 608 00:28:55,233 --> 00:28:56,767 [Shalina] Yeah, that's what I wanted. 609 00:28:59,804 --> 00:29:02,740 [Shalina] The final coat to put on the house is a lime plaster. 610 00:29:04,976 --> 00:29:08,345 The mixture is made out of lime, sand and water. 611 00:29:08,379 --> 00:29:11,448 It's pretty dangerous stuff, because you can inhale it 612 00:29:11,483 --> 00:29:14,618 and get it into your lungs and you can have respiratory issues from that. 613 00:29:14,652 --> 00:29:17,454 And if it gets on your skin, it can actually cause third degree burns. 614 00:29:22,994 --> 00:29:27,498 I would like to try and use a tool and see if it can go faster. 615 00:29:31,369 --> 00:29:35,239 - Should I give it a try? - [Ben] Yeah, for a test piece. 616 00:29:35,273 --> 00:29:38,142 [Shalina] We've mixed the plaster as thin as we can so hopefully 617 00:29:38,176 --> 00:29:40,644 it'll work with the sprayer because it's gonna be thin. 618 00:29:40,678 --> 00:29:41,879 It's not gonna come out. 619 00:29:43,348 --> 00:29:45,649 Unfortunately it's not working the way I wanted it to 620 00:29:45,683 --> 00:29:47,584 so, we're gonna have to do this by hand. 621 00:29:47,619 --> 00:29:49,720 That means it's gonna take a lot longer. 622 00:29:49,754 --> 00:29:51,622 The temperatures are dropping really fast 623 00:29:51,656 --> 00:29:54,525 and could lead to some problems with the plaster. 624 00:29:54,559 --> 00:29:57,528 Getting this to dry without cracking is gonna be almost impossible. 625 00:29:58,763 --> 00:29:59,763 No! 626 00:30:09,908 --> 00:30:12,476 [Shalina] I wanted to speed up the process by 627 00:30:12,510 --> 00:30:14,211 using the plaster in a sprayer. 628 00:30:14,245 --> 00:30:16,547 But the mixture was just way too thick to work. 629 00:30:19,884 --> 00:30:21,785 It's not gonna come out. 630 00:30:21,820 --> 00:30:25,055 We've hand-sculpted every piece of mud in this house. 631 00:30:25,089 --> 00:30:27,958 So, this is just the final step with hand-sculpting. 632 00:30:30,695 --> 00:30:32,863 Very disappointed the sprayer didn't work. 633 00:30:32,897 --> 00:30:36,800 I probably could've been three times as far by now. 634 00:30:36,835 --> 00:30:39,036 But we're gonna keep on going and we're gonna get it done. 635 00:30:39,070 --> 00:30:42,439 We're gonna pull some more all-nighters and we may be cranky but... 636 00:30:42,473 --> 00:30:43,941 We'll have a house finished. 637 00:30:51,115 --> 00:30:54,051 [Ben] For the last couple of days. we've had a pretty big push. 638 00:30:54,085 --> 00:30:57,321 We finished framing up the loft area as well as the bathroom. 639 00:30:57,355 --> 00:31:01,358 [Shalina] We managed to get a decent start on mudding the interior walls. 640 00:31:01,392 --> 00:31:05,963 We did really well on one wall, so we thought we nailed it. 641 00:31:05,997 --> 00:31:07,931 And then, with the temperatures, 642 00:31:07,966 --> 00:31:10,000 just the way that they'll be 80 during the day, 643 00:31:10,034 --> 00:31:12,603 and we literally got down to 28 at night. 644 00:31:12,637 --> 00:31:14,371 We wake up and the clay is frozen 645 00:31:14,405 --> 00:31:16,740 and then the plaster's frozen and the water's frozen. 646 00:31:16,774 --> 00:31:19,810 So we have to kind of, thaw everything and then make a new batch. 647 00:31:19,844 --> 00:31:22,045 So, it's been a process. 648 00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:23,547 [Ben] We're just gonna keep doing it. 649 00:31:23,581 --> 00:31:25,549 We gotta beat winter and... 650 00:31:26,150 --> 00:31:26,817 Get it done. 651 00:31:31,189 --> 00:31:33,257 [Shalina] We have lots of projects still going on. 652 00:31:33,291 --> 00:31:36,193 Inside, I have my friend Casey who's in there mudding 653 00:31:36,227 --> 00:31:39,596 and Mike is gonna help me build stairs for the loft. 654 00:31:39,631 --> 00:31:41,431 I found these amazing stairs online 655 00:31:41,466 --> 00:31:42,699 that already had drawers in them. 656 00:31:44,936 --> 00:31:45,869 Downstairs. 657 00:31:48,806 --> 00:31:50,040 [Frans] Slide it back. 658 00:31:50,074 --> 00:31:51,174 There you go, right there. 659 00:31:54,078 --> 00:31:55,045 [drilling] 660 00:31:56,514 --> 00:31:58,815 [Frans] Uh-oh! The battery's dead. I'm gonna go get another battery. 661 00:32:01,019 --> 00:32:03,387 - All right, here's another one. - All right. Thank you. 662 00:32:05,857 --> 00:32:07,557 - [Frans] Oh! - [laughs] 663 00:32:07,592 --> 00:32:10,193 We've been using these house batteries now for three days 664 00:32:10,228 --> 00:32:12,963 without solar panels hooked which is actually pretty amazing. 665 00:32:12,997 --> 00:32:16,133 But today, we realized we tapped out the limit so... 666 00:32:16,167 --> 00:32:18,402 They didn't get a chance to recharge. 667 00:32:18,436 --> 00:32:21,271 Well, it stinks. I really wanted to get these in today 668 00:32:21,306 --> 00:32:23,607 but, I guess that's part of building off the grid. 669 00:32:23,641 --> 00:32:26,343 Every battery on the jobsite is dead. 670 00:32:26,377 --> 00:32:28,712 We have limited power and... 671 00:32:28,746 --> 00:32:32,449 We need to wait to charge these, so I guess it's tomorrow. 672 00:32:32,483 --> 00:32:35,452 Every little delay sets us back and it's very frustrating. 673 00:32:39,157 --> 00:32:42,259 We're getting down to the wire here. We have a lot to do, still. 674 00:32:43,528 --> 00:32:47,264 [Shalina] We got this amazing recycled fiber insulation 675 00:32:47,298 --> 00:32:50,067 which is denim and newspapers and cotton fibers. 676 00:32:50,101 --> 00:32:52,469 It's a lot more work. Just like the rest of the house. 677 00:32:52,503 --> 00:32:54,104 But, in the long run, it's better. 678 00:32:54,973 --> 00:32:57,674 - Lots of plaster. - Lots of plaster. 679 00:32:57,709 --> 00:33:01,511 Lots and lots of plaster and then more plaster. 680 00:33:01,546 --> 00:33:04,614 I am very excited at how these stairs ended up 681 00:33:04,649 --> 00:33:07,217 turning out. We did have issues with the batteries. 682 00:33:07,251 --> 00:33:09,086 But, the next day we were able to come in. 683 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:10,854 They're very sturdy. 684 00:33:10,888 --> 00:33:13,890 I feel really good with Joli being able to come up, 685 00:33:13,925 --> 00:33:16,827 and get to the bed and be where she needs to be. 686 00:33:16,861 --> 00:33:20,130 We've been keeping Joli away from the house for the past week. 687 00:33:20,164 --> 00:33:22,032 So she hasn't seen it since it was mud. 688 00:33:22,066 --> 00:33:25,936 And we really want to just be able to give her the key to the house 689 00:33:25,970 --> 00:33:27,704 and walk in and be surprised. 690 00:33:30,241 --> 00:33:32,843 I have been saying forever that I wanted to build 691 00:33:32,877 --> 00:33:34,911 a wood-fired hot tub. 692 00:33:34,946 --> 00:33:38,315 And, I saw this smoker and I was like "That's perfect." 693 00:33:38,349 --> 00:33:41,051 That's gonna create the heat that we need, 694 00:33:41,085 --> 00:33:43,453 so that we can cook and heat the water. 695 00:33:43,488 --> 00:33:46,256 So, the idea is to run a copper pipe from the hot tub 696 00:33:46,290 --> 00:33:48,825 and to use the heat from the burning fire to warm the water 697 00:33:48,860 --> 00:33:50,727 before returning it to the basin. 698 00:33:50,762 --> 00:33:52,829 And nobody's gonna say no to a hot tub. 699 00:33:52,864 --> 00:33:58,769 What we have is a stock tank. Then we have a vapor barrier 700 00:33:58,803 --> 00:34:01,138 that's gonna help with the condensation. 701 00:34:01,172 --> 00:34:03,874 And then we have our construction waddles. 702 00:34:03,908 --> 00:34:05,642 And that's gonna hold the heat in. 703 00:34:05,676 --> 00:34:07,978 Because the stainless steel tank is very thin, 704 00:34:08,012 --> 00:34:11,014 and the heat would just escape right away. 705 00:34:11,049 --> 00:34:15,385 This is going to cook your food while you're heating your hot tub. 706 00:34:15,420 --> 00:34:16,653 It's all wood fire. 707 00:34:16,687 --> 00:34:18,388 So, everything is happening in 708 00:34:18,423 --> 00:34:20,690 the most eco-friendly way that you can have. 709 00:34:20,725 --> 00:34:22,993 Throw a pizza on, jump in the hot tub. 710 00:34:24,929 --> 00:34:26,797 We're definitely running behind. 711 00:34:26,831 --> 00:34:29,533 We're still plastering outside and 712 00:34:29,567 --> 00:34:33,670 we're still finishing inside details which we need a few more days on. 713 00:34:35,306 --> 00:34:38,041 [Ben] We have about a week to finish this place 714 00:34:38,076 --> 00:34:41,378 'cause it's getting too cold for mud and plaster. 715 00:34:41,412 --> 00:34:45,115 Things aren't curing. So we just have to, have to 716 00:34:45,149 --> 00:34:46,950 get this done within a week. 717 00:34:46,984 --> 00:34:48,452 I really hope it can happen. 718 00:34:57,762 --> 00:34:58,962 [Ben] We built a house! 719 00:34:58,996 --> 00:35:02,199 We had this Herculean task to do and we did it 720 00:35:02,233 --> 00:35:04,668 just in the nick of time. It's supposed to snow tomorrow. 721 00:35:04,702 --> 00:35:07,237 [Shalina sighs] I feel good. I think we have overcome a lot. 722 00:35:08,206 --> 00:35:09,706 We weren't sure how this was gonna go 723 00:35:09,740 --> 00:35:12,409 'cause we're very new and... we were building a house 724 00:35:12,443 --> 00:35:15,045 and our relationship all at the same time. 725 00:35:15,079 --> 00:35:18,348 There were a lot of challenges that tested us to our limits. 726 00:35:18,382 --> 00:35:21,051 But we... We got through it. 727 00:35:21,085 --> 00:35:24,187 I feel pretty amazing right now. 728 00:35:24,222 --> 00:35:28,658 [Ben] Original budget was $10,000 and I think we ended up around 15. 729 00:35:28,693 --> 00:35:32,062 $15,000 for a house is amazing. I'd spend that any day. 730 00:35:33,164 --> 00:35:35,165 Our original timeline was four weeks. 731 00:35:35,233 --> 00:35:37,901 We ended up doing it in a little over seven weeks. 732 00:35:37,935 --> 00:35:39,870 We just had some things that came along. 733 00:35:39,904 --> 00:35:41,638 That's just part of building off the grid. 734 00:35:43,541 --> 00:35:47,744 Today I am going to be presenting the house to Joli. 735 00:35:47,778 --> 00:35:50,046 And also showing our best friend, Liz. 736 00:35:51,082 --> 00:35:54,451 - Wow! Look at how big it is. - Hi! 737 00:35:54,485 --> 00:35:55,919 I love it. 738 00:35:55,953 --> 00:35:58,855 We got the plaster on, it's all water-proof. 739 00:35:58,890 --> 00:36:01,057 - [Joli] Bottle wall. - Bottle walls. 740 00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:04,694 - [Norissa] You like it? - [Joli] I do. 741 00:36:04,729 --> 00:36:07,130 - [Shalina] Solar power tower. - [Joli chuckles] 742 00:36:07,165 --> 00:36:09,266 So, you're completely off the grid. 743 00:36:09,300 --> 00:36:11,468 - [Joli] Wow! Not a bill in my life. - [Liz] That's incredible. 744 00:36:11,502 --> 00:36:13,436 - [Shalina] Not a bill in your life. - [all laughing] 745 00:36:14,772 --> 00:36:15,805 [Shalina] You wanna see the house? 746 00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:17,140 - [Joli] Yeah, can we go in? - Go in. 747 00:36:19,644 --> 00:36:20,310 Wow! 748 00:36:23,447 --> 00:36:25,282 This is really cool. 749 00:36:25,850 --> 00:36:27,484 Look at the stairs! 750 00:36:27,518 --> 00:36:29,252 [Shalina] They're nice and sturdy. 751 00:36:29,287 --> 00:36:30,787 Tall enough for you. 752 00:36:35,793 --> 00:36:37,527 [Joli] I love the comforter. 753 00:36:37,562 --> 00:36:38,228 [Shalina] Yeah? 754 00:36:39,530 --> 00:36:41,464 Wow, Ben. You did a good job with the wood. 755 00:36:41,499 --> 00:36:42,332 [Ben] Thank you. 756 00:36:42,366 --> 00:36:44,201 [Joli] I got a nice view. 757 00:36:44,235 --> 00:36:46,736 [Liz] I am so impressed with you guys. Like, seriously... 758 00:36:47,805 --> 00:36:50,273 The blood and sweat and tears, 759 00:36:50,308 --> 00:36:52,676 you can see it. It's awesome. I love it. 760 00:36:52,710 --> 00:36:55,412 - [Shalina] Thank you. You wanna see the rest of it? - [Joli] Yeah. 761 00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:58,348 [Joli exclaims] Oh wow! 762 00:36:58,382 --> 00:37:01,084 Oh my gosh! 763 00:37:01,118 --> 00:37:02,719 This is the kitchen of my dreams. 764 00:37:09,126 --> 00:37:10,794 [Shalina] Every single thing that's up there, 765 00:37:10,828 --> 00:37:12,195 [Joli] Uh-huh. 766 00:37:12,230 --> 00:37:14,531 [Shalina] I want you to know, you're now the fourth generation. 767 00:37:14,565 --> 00:37:18,435 That was my grandma's, my mom's, mine and now yours. 768 00:37:18,469 --> 00:37:21,104 [Joli] I get the mashed potato maker? 769 00:37:21,138 --> 00:37:23,807 [Shalina laughs] She is so excited for making mashed potato. 770 00:37:23,841 --> 00:37:25,642 [Liz] So what is this... 771 00:37:25,676 --> 00:37:27,944 Like what is this exactly? I'm not really sure. 772 00:37:27,979 --> 00:37:30,981 This is a truth window. So you never forget what it's made of. 773 00:37:31,015 --> 00:37:33,016 - [Liz] Oh! - [Shalina] You'll always see your straw bale. 774 00:37:33,050 --> 00:37:34,351 That's straw? 775 00:37:34,385 --> 00:37:37,921 [Joli] I like seeing the mountains back there. 776 00:37:37,955 --> 00:37:39,789 This is gonna be really pretty during winter time. 777 00:37:39,824 --> 00:37:41,124 [Shalina] You wanna see your little bathroom? 778 00:37:41,158 --> 00:37:43,660 - All right, let's go. - It's not really an "outhouse" 779 00:37:43,694 --> 00:37:46,363 - it's more an "inhouse." - [Ben laughs] 780 00:37:48,733 --> 00:37:51,201 [Liz] Oh my gosh! This is so cute. 781 00:37:51,235 --> 00:37:53,136 This is so cute. 782 00:37:55,139 --> 00:37:57,274 - [Shalina] Well, there you go. - [Liz] You have a water source. 783 00:37:57,308 --> 00:37:58,875 You have a sink. 784 00:37:58,909 --> 00:38:00,210 [Joli] This has hot water, in it? 785 00:38:00,244 --> 00:38:02,479 [Shalina] It has water in it, so you can brush your teeth. 786 00:38:02,513 --> 00:38:05,181 I got you a washboard too. You can wash your clothes. 787 00:38:05,216 --> 00:38:06,650 [all laughing] 788 00:38:07,351 --> 00:38:08,018 Mom-- [laughs] 789 00:38:10,154 --> 00:38:11,688 [Shalina] Go see your study. 790 00:38:11,722 --> 00:38:12,656 [Joli] Oh wow! 791 00:38:13,190 --> 00:38:14,124 Book nooks. 792 00:38:15,726 --> 00:38:17,594 - [Shalina] You have books everywhere. - [Liz] So amazing! 793 00:38:18,562 --> 00:38:20,497 [Liz] You guys elevated the ceilings. 794 00:38:20,531 --> 00:38:22,365 It makes you feel really big and homely. I like it. 795 00:38:22,433 --> 00:38:25,568 [Ben] Yeah, as soon as we put the roof on, it felt a lot bigger. 796 00:38:25,603 --> 00:38:27,170 [Joli] I like that big map. 797 00:38:27,204 --> 00:38:29,973 [Shalina] You have everything you need to explore your mind 798 00:38:30,007 --> 00:38:32,042 so that you know where you wanna go in the world. 799 00:38:32,076 --> 00:38:33,843 - [Ben] Some inspiration. - [Shalina] Yep. 800 00:38:33,878 --> 00:38:35,745 - I still have more. - [Liz gasps] 801 00:38:35,780 --> 00:38:37,714 What does Shalina have up her sleeve? [laughs] 802 00:38:37,748 --> 00:38:40,884 - She has a bunny in her hat. - [Liz laughs] 803 00:38:42,853 --> 00:38:44,020 [Shalina] So now... 804 00:38:44,755 --> 00:38:46,222 - [Joli] Wow! - [Liz] Wow! 805 00:38:46,257 --> 00:38:47,757 - [Shalina] You have a hot tub. - [Joli] Wow! 806 00:38:47,792 --> 00:38:48,792 [Liz exclaiming] 807 00:38:48,826 --> 00:38:51,027 [Shalina] And you can cook your food out here. 808 00:38:51,062 --> 00:38:53,897 And your hot tub's an octopus. 809 00:38:53,931 --> 00:38:57,200 - [Shalina] Feel it. Nice and warm? Yeah. - Oh! Nice and worm. 810 00:39:00,204 --> 00:39:02,105 [Joli] It's not what I expected. I... 811 00:39:02,139 --> 00:39:04,207 didn't expect it to turn out this great... 812 00:39:04,241 --> 00:39:07,110 But it turned out really good beyond my expectations, 813 00:39:07,144 --> 00:39:09,746 and I can't wait to move in. 814 00:39:09,780 --> 00:39:11,981 I am super thankful and appreciative. 815 00:39:12,016 --> 00:39:13,950 So many people came out and helped. 816 00:39:13,984 --> 00:39:16,586 And not many people really can say, 817 00:39:16,620 --> 00:39:21,725 "I moved out at he age of 18, because my mom built me a house." 818 00:39:21,759 --> 00:39:23,426 [Shalina] Feels really good to build 819 00:39:23,461 --> 00:39:25,895 for Joli and to have her be a part of it. 820 00:39:25,930 --> 00:39:29,833 - Ben, do you have a seven? - I don't know about this. 821 00:39:29,867 --> 00:39:32,035 [Shalina] It's the first step to her empowerment in life. 822 00:39:32,069 --> 00:39:33,136 And... 823 00:39:33,170 --> 00:39:35,138 I really hope that... That this did it for her. 824 00:39:35,973 --> 00:39:38,007 Shalina, do you have a jack? 825 00:39:38,042 --> 00:39:41,144 You know I have a jack, I just asked for it. That's not fair. 826 00:39:41,178 --> 00:39:42,479 - That's cheating! - [Shalina laughs] 827 00:39:43,414 --> 00:39:45,215 That's cheating! 828 00:39:45,249 --> 00:39:47,250 [Shalina] I really hope this was a good learning experience 829 00:39:47,284 --> 00:39:49,853 for the girls. I hope that this is something that 830 00:39:49,887 --> 00:39:52,522 not only they got to learn for themselves, 831 00:39:52,556 --> 00:39:56,092 but they can take to the future with their children and just forward. 832 00:39:57,228 --> 00:39:58,661 [Ben] That house is made with love. 833 00:39:58,696 --> 00:39:59,896 It's a beautiful thing.