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[Shalina Luna] We're building
a straw bale house.
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[Ben Griffith]
It's a lofty goal.
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We have never
built a house together.
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[Shalina] It's gonna make
us or break us.
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Straw bales.
Have to keep them dry.
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[Ben] If they get wet,
they're ruined.
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[Shalina] Uh-oh!
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[rain pattering]
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[Shalina] Every time we
start to get somewhere...
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Something happens.
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[Ben speaking]
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[Shalina] I don't know
what to do.
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- [Ben] Push.
- [Shalina] That was crazy.
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[Ben] That was absurd.
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[Shalina] I'm feeling
pretty defeated right now.
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[drilling]
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I almost started a fire.
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[Shalina] It's getting scary.
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This mud has to settle
before it freezes.
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[Ben] We have to be very
resourceful out here
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- to make things happen.
- [Shalina] Pushing my limits.
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[Shalina] It's very frustrating.
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[narrator] Are you ready
to go Off The Grid?
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[drum roll]
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[Ben] Careful.
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One of the really cool things
about this property
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is we are actually on
reservation land.
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So, when we decided
to build out here,
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we wanted to really
use from the Earth.
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And kinda give back to
the history of what was here.
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- A whole lot of cactus.
- [Ben] Let's walk over here.
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- I'm Shalina.
- And I'm Ben.
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[Shalina] And we're building a straw
bale house in South West, Colorado.
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- [Ben] This way.
- [Shalina] Okay.
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[Shalina] We bought this land
about a year and a half ago.
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[Ben] It's very hilly
with arroyos going everywhere
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and very dramatic. Got some
cliffs on parts of it,
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with lots of giant,
sandstone boulders.
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- You need a rock in your living
room? [laughs] - Yeah. Sure.
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[Shalina] The site is located
in Ignacio, Colorado
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which is about 30 minutes
southeast of Durango.
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I really like this spot
right here.
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[Ben] Yeah,
it's already cleared.
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- We wouldn't have to take out any trees. Yeah?
- Kinda flat.
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- I think this is the spot.
- I think it's a good starting spot.
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I think this is good.
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[Shalina] It's just gonna be
a lot of labor.
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When I bought this property,
there was already an existing
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straw bale house that was here.
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But I met Ben and our
families started coming together.
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Currently living in
the house is Ben and I,
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my 18-year-old daughter, Joli,
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my ten-year-old
daughter Norissa.
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And then occasionally we have
his son, Adrian, who is 16,
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who comes and visits as well.
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Okay, get the corn
for the chickens.
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I think it was a big...
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change for all of
the older ones for sure.
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Yeah. No wifi, limited power,
limited water, everything like...
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- AC. [laughs]
- ...that. AC.
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It's like glamping here
all the time. [chuckles]
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[Shalina] Okay, who's
going for eggs?
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I have a lot of animals.
A lot. [laughs]
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Eleven goats, ten chickens,
a rooster, five dogs, a cat.
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- Did I miss anything?
- I think that's it.
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I think that's all right now.
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Well, we had a horny toad
yesterday but I had to let it go.
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- Yeah.
- [chuckles]
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[Shalina] I'm looking for eggs.
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But I'm in a hurry because the
rooster doesn't like when I steal them.
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He's the cranky one
and he will chase you down.
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So, reason for buying
this property was,
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I've always had this
thing for my kids,
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when they turned 18, they were
gonna build their own house
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and they would always have
a home to come to.
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So, my daughter Joli
just turned 18 and we decided
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it's time for us
to build her her home.
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All right, let's do this.
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I'm very excited.
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Because this is gonna be
a house I can call my own,
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and a house I can go to
whenever I need.
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[Shalina] We are building
a straw bale house
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that will be covered
in cob and lime plaster.
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We'll be starting with
a 34x17-foot concrete slab.
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There will be two 12x14-foot
rooms on each side,
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one will be a living room,
and one will be a bedroom.
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In the bedroom,
there will be a loft,
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which is where
Joli's bed is gonna go.
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And in between the two rooms will be
a six-foot wide kitchen and bathroom.
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We're getting all of the materials here
from our own land or right around us.
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[Shalina] For our
off-grid features,
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we're going to have solar
panels for electricity.
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We'll be hauling water in and
have a tank under the kitchen sink
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that will run off
of an electric pump.
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For heat, the straw bales are
gonna do most of the work,
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but in the dead of winter, we do have
solar-friendly ceramic heaters for warmth.
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And my favorite off-grid
feature is going to be
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a cob hot tub powered by
a wood burning stove.
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Our total budget is $10,000.
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And our timeline is four weeks,
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[Ben] It's a lofty goal.
But I think we can do it.
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I'm good at lofty goals.
[chuckles]
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- She is good at lofty goals.
- [chuckling]
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[Shalina] So we got
the foundation in,
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and it was actually
an absolute nightmare.
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One of the things
about living off-grid is...
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Sometimes your machinery
doesn't quiet fit up the drive.
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And so, we had
to park half-way down.
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- And they had to-- Truck it all up.
- Truck it on up.
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That was a lot of work.
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The foundation is in, it's
set. Now we wanna go vertical.
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We are spacing out our studs,
our straw bale's depth,
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and we'll stand these two up
and then do the outside walls.
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[Shalina] Straw bales are here
on site, half of them
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I've been keeping
dry for about eight months.
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The other half
just got here yesterday.
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Have to keep them dry.
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[Ben] If they get wet,
they're ruined.
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Ruined. And there are no
more in this area. This is it
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- [Shalina] until next year.
- [Ben] Last cut of the season.
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Joli...
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Can you help me with
this wall, please?
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- [Shalina] Where are we going with this, before we...
- [Ben] Just up.
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And then
somebody can hold it, up.
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I have got my sister
Amanda here helping
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and she's brought her
four-year-old son, Asher.
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And also my friend,
Mike's here as well.
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I'm gonna do 11, 10 and-a-half.
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We have never
built a house together.
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We're also kind of building the foundation
of our relationship at the same time
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we're building the foundation
of these houses.
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So, it's gonna make us
or break us and I think that
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- we're doing a great job at it.
- It's gonna make us.
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[Shalina] I think it's
gonna go great.
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[Ben] That is money.
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We're all here. I say we put
up these front walls.
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We need the moisture barrier
before we put anything down.
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- We do. We should get that out 'cause we're like there.
- Can't forget that step.
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[Shalina] The moisture
barrier's probably one of the most
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important things when you're
dealing with straw bale,
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because, if you put
your straw bales
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directly down on any
store of ground
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where water is going
to penetrate,
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then your straw bales... That
moisture is gonna get inside
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and they're gonna rot
from the inside out.
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A lot of this
I'm doing on the whim.
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- I guess we just eyeball it.
- Just see if it pokes in, is that what we're doing?
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This piece is honestly my first
time doing it from the ground up.
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[Ben] So, we'll
stand this wall up.
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Boom! In place.
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- On the plastic? All right.
- [Ben] On the plastic.
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Yeah. Wait--Wai--
Too much. There.
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- [Joli] Perfect.
- [Shalina] Right there, perfect.
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[Ben] So we got
this first wall up.
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And now, we install
the second plate.
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And this is gonna get filled with
pea gravel to take up this void.
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And then we'll s-- You
know, stab our bales on this.
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All the way up to the top plate.
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The goal today is to get
at least one room,
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completely framed and up.
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So that we can be ready
to roll tomorrow on
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straw bales and a kitchen.
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Come here, Joli. You're gonna
help me pour this pea gravel in here.
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[Shalina] Okay.
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The house is like a living home.
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So it almost is like it
has to breathe.
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The moisture has to be able to go
through the straw bales and dry out.
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- That looks good. Cool.
- [Joli] Yeah.
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[thunder rumbling]
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[Joli] Look at those
clouds, Mom. Is that rain?
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[Shalina] Uh-oh! Okay.
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[rain pattering]
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[Shalina] I've lived on this
property for a year and a half
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and it's probably rained
a handful of times.
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And of all times, the first day I need
my straw bales dry, we've got rain.
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I'm so sad!
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Every time we start to get
somewhere, something happens.
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[Shalina] Uh-oh! Okay.
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[rain pattering]
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[Shalina] We've been fighting
for so long to keep these
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straw bales from
getting wet and worst case
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that could happen is a downpour.
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And, that's exactly
what happened.
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[raining]
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- [Shalina] That was crazy.
- [Ben] That was absurd.
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[Shalina] You think it's gone?
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[Ben] That looks like
it's going that way.
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[Shalina] Everything
seems to look okay
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but everything is pretty wet.
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We got lucky with the storm.
It was actually pretty quick.
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Miraculously the straw
bales stayed dry.
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There were a few that were wet.
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But being this far off
the grid, we kind of knew
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that we might run into some
issues so we did get some extras.
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However, our pea gravel and
our base of our moisture barrier
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has probably a quarter of
inch of water just sitting in it.
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Soaking wet,
all the way through.
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Look at all
of that water in there.
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That's a "I'm not stacking straw
bales" kind of problem for today.
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So that's a big delay. We were
hoping for straw bales today.
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We cannot put
straw down, like this.
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00:09:05,645 --> 00:09:08,747
Winter is gonna come and we
need warmer temperatures.
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00:09:08,781 --> 00:09:11,883
Especially to do the cob,
the mudding on the outside
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and we gotta get this done.
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We need that southwest sun!
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[Shalina] Tomorrow we can
come back in and
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start full force on the bales.
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[Shalina] It's a new day
today. The sun is shining.
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And the pea gravel's dry. So, it
is time to stack some straw bales.
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So how many do I need?
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[Ben] I think
that's good and uh--
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I think you guys throw them
up and see what we got.
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We gotta get this
flushed with the framing.
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[Shalina]
Yeah, so go back a tiny bit.
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00:09:39,812 --> 00:09:40,979
[Ben] Ready to push?
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00:09:41,013 --> 00:09:42,814
Hey, watch out for
rebar in your hands.
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00:09:42,848 --> 00:09:44,082
[Shalina] Yeah, don't
push your hands.
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Just shimmy it.
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00:09:46,285 --> 00:09:47,919
Oh! We're so close.
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Here it is. There's one.
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[Shalina] This is gonna be so
nice and so sturdy.
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It's a crucial aspect
to have straw bales that
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00:10:00,466 --> 00:10:02,901
are all very taut
and similar in size.
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00:10:02,935 --> 00:10:05,670
I've definitely had straw
bales that were not tight.
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00:10:05,705 --> 00:10:08,773
And when you're making a wall
you need them to be very sturdy.
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00:10:08,808 --> 00:10:10,175
So I lucked down on these.
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00:10:16,315 --> 00:10:17,983
It's almost there.
Okay, that's it.
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- [Ben] Looks like a wall.
- [Shalina laughs]
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00:10:20,353 --> 00:10:24,489
So, we were stacking our bales
and on a roll and very excited
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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.