04x02 - High And Dry

[bunniefuu]

Marty: they've perched that home
right on the side of a cliff.

The homesteader has one foot.

Jeff: for god's sake,
I'm a former marine.

I don't want that pity.

You don't have a water source
here on the homestead.

This is insane.

We build him a house.

Did you say "house"?

No, no.
Totally insane.

It's the biggest thing we've
ever done on "homestead rescue."

Here we go!
Get back, get back!

I just want everybody
to come out of this alive.

Is this one big enough
for you?!

Marty: you're gonna
k*ll yourself, son.

In three days, this has to be
finished,

And you can see
we're in big trouble.

There's water!
[ Laughs ]

This is one of the most
important moments

On this homestead.

-Dad, push!
-Just do it!

You've tapped into our dreams,
and you fulfilled it.

--Captions by vitac --
www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪♪

Matt: holy smokes!

There's not much flat land
around here.

I don't see one flat spot
on this whole river.

Wow.
That's got to be rough.

It's got to be rough
if you homestead

In a place this rugged.

Look at this steep canyon
we're headed into.

Narrator: the raneys are heading
into the appalachians

Near the cumberland gap,

Where some 300,000


Trekked from maryland
to the frontier out west.

In tennessee,

Settlers built homesteads
from cedar-rich forests,

Where they farmed tobacco,
a valuable cash crop,

On mountainsides awash
with natural springs.

But the tatsch family is
a new homesteading couple

Living on the edge.

Carol: we need to get
out of this camper

Because it's not safe.

Either some mud is gonna
come down and push us off,

Or some trees are gonna come
down and go through the camper.

This is
pretty steep country.

Misty:
I mean, look up there.

Oh, wow.
That must be their home.

They perched that home
right on the side of a cliff.

Hello!

Anybody home?

-Come on up.
-Hey, guys.

-Hi.
-Jeff -- marty raney.

You guys are literally
on rocky top.

Yes.

Well, definitely got
to watch your step.

Narrator: two years ago, former
marine jeff and wife carol

Moved from their rented house
in statesboro, georgia,

Spending $64,000 on 13 acres of
steep mountainside in tennessee.

It's just the american dream
to own a large piece

Of property.

They parked their rv on the
only accessible piece of land

By the river with hopes
to build a cabin.

Our dream was to be able
to build a self-sustaining

Homestead here,
grow a big vegetable garden,

Having all of our chickens
for egg production.

♪♪

Jeff: holy...

We didn't know we were
in a flood zone.

We had to get the camper
up out of the flood zone.

We wanted to go about


But our cash only got us
about 350 feet up

To where the camper is now.

We had to have a whole driveway
put in.

Just like on a teeny
tiny little ledge

You can barely walk out
the front of your camper on.

We were --
we were not happy.

Then, the amputation
came into play.

Jeff has type 2 diabetes.

He had a blister on the bottom
of his foot that turned septic.

He had gangrene, and they had to
amputate almost all of his foot.

I call it the witch's boot.

That's your prosthetic.

Yes, a prosthetic part.

I have to really watch
where I go.

There's not much level ground
out here.

It frustrates me to no end

Knowing that I'm here
in the camper,

On this little piece
of the 13 acres.

It's so beautiful.

It's frustrating to know
that everything else

Is just out of reach.

With no space to grow food,

Carol is forced to work
to pay their $1,000

A month grocery bill.

I have to leave for work to go
out to make money

To help pay
for the homestead.

It's not what we originally
envisioned.

And with no water,

Carol and jeff
must drive an hour to a spring.

It's about 8
or 10 miles away.

We have to take these giant
dock tanks and fill them up.

It takes a half a day's
worth of work.

If I was here alone,

I doubt I would be able
to retrieve the water myself.

It truly is frustrating.

As a marine, it's not built
into me to fail,

But this is our last-ditch
effort to make the homestead.

If it doesn't, we're gonna have
to move back to the city.

I just pray it doesn't
go to that.

Narrator: to have any chance
of survival,

The tatsches need accessible
land to grow crops.

I don't have a clue
where we would start.

Because the enemy on
the homestead is bedrock.

And you don't have
any room to grow.

That's where we're at right now
is, can feed the chickens,

But then, other than that,
it's all on standstill.

How hard is it for you
to navigate that steep terrain

To get
to the chicken coop?

Very.
I have a rope.

I try to rope myself up there,
but on days like this,

I wouldn't even try.

I don't want to have
that pity.

It's not a pity thing.

Honestly, your limitations
might not be the problem as much

As the area that you guys
have been forced to live,

Which is right here, carved into
the side of this mountain.

Well,
it wasn't plan "a."

We wanted the cabin
at the barn --

Where the barn sits
right now.

So when we talked
to the excavator --

Marty: hold on.
Where's the barn?

The barn is up the hill.

Okay.

Think it's about time
we checked it out.

Yes.

♪♪

Oh, my goodness.
It's a long ways down.

It is.

Narrator:
at the bottom of the hill,

Carol shows misty
a fresh water spring.

Misty: this looks like
a started project.

Yes,
it was a started project.

I could never quite
master it.

Okay.

You're thinking maybe try
and capture this

And then pump
the water uphill.

-Right.
-That's a long ways.

Carol: I know.

We had all these --
all these plans to do together.

I think about just throwing
in the towel

Sometimes
just to move home,

Back to georgia,
where it's flat.

But that's not our dream.

Misty: when you look
at this homestead,

You can see that
there wasn't a plan here.

This spring is in
the worst location.

It's one of the lowest places
on the homestead.

How are we gonna get
the water uphill?

You know, there's pumps,
ram pumps -- whatever.

It only works to a certain
elevation, and it's very far.

♪♪

When's the last time
you walked up here?

It's been, uh, almost --
almost a year.

-Really?
-Yes, sir.

Narrator: 650 feet higher
up the hill,

Jeff shows
marty and matt the old barn.

-Here it is.
-Wow. It's big.

Marty: holy moly.

Jeff: it used to be
a tobacco farm.

Possibly
a hundred years old?

Oh, definitely.

Matt: this barn
is really cool.

I mean,
just looking around,

I mean, what if you had
a chicken coop

Right off the back,
you know?

Garden right here, like,
where there's actual flat space.

You know, like, there's a lot
of room for grazing.

You could have goats.

I mean, this is a really
good place for you.

The dream,
it's not dead yet.

The good news is, your homestead
does have some premium property,

And we're standing on it.

I'm standing
on a 13-acre homestead

That literally only has
one flat spot.

And 80 years ago, that
homesteader built a barn there.

Why?
It's beautiful, it's flat,

There's a creek
that runs part-time,

There's a meadow in front of it,
and it's facing south.

Narrator: the raneys have
just seven days

To save the tatsches' homestead
before moving on

To the next family
in dire need.

Are they ever gonna succeed
on a homestead

On the side of a cliff?

I say no.

Potential
of that barn area.

They got to start all over
from scratch.

We build them a house.

Did you say "house"?

No, no.
Totally insane.

We have a week.

It's not even crazy.

It's not doable.

This homestead is suffering
from poor planning.

And now I'm listening
to your plan --

Starting from nothing?

I -- it's --
it's totally insane.

We've said it before --

"Oh, this is the craziest,
biggest thing we've done,"

And this is.

That's a fact.

Narrator: the raneys plan to
abandon the narrow cliff edge

And the cramped rv

And move the tatsches


To build a new,
accessible cabin for jeff.

Here, jeff and carol can realize
their dream

Of growing crops
and keeping livestock.

Misty's challenge is to find
a reliable water source

Higher up the mountain
to gravity-feed the new cabin.

To cut to the chase,

We're gonna build a house
for you right here.

No way.
[ Chuckles ]

No way.

There's -- there's no way.

That's what I said.

Do you have any money,
materials,

Anything
to throw at this?

A little.
We've got a tax refund.

-Okay.
-It is totally crazy.

It is gonna be
a lot of work.

Oh, I'm ready to work.

I don't know how much
we can get done,

But I'm ready
to do some work.

Let's do it.

Narrator: coming up,
misty attacks the homestead's

Water crisis
with an off-grid spring box.

Showing you a little
marty raney trick --

How to cut a block
with no tools.

You can tap it all the way
around.

Carol: that was awesome.

And marty learns the old barn
isn't going down

Without a fight.

Dad!
I don't like it!

♪♪

Narrator:
in the appalachian mountains,

The raneys have just seven days

To save the tatsch
family homestead,

Trapped on a perilous ledge.

I feel like
I'm a prisoner here.

Narrator: marine vet jeff,
an amputee,

Needs a new, accessible cabin
on flat ground.

We're gonna build a house
for you right here.

No way.

Marty:
this will be a challenge.

Steep terrain,
logistic nightmare,

And a short time span
that would take a miracle

To actually get done.

♪♪

Narrator: first step --
tear down the old barn

And salvage it
for build materials.

Basically, I want the wood
off that barn,

And I want the metal
off that roof.

Am I gonna have me and my kids
climbing around

A 20-foot-high barn
that's 80 years old or older?

No.

There's no tow truck,
there's no winch,

So the plan is to tie a cable
from the barn out 100 feet

To that big oak tree,

We're gonna fall that oak tree
that way,

And pull the barn over --
undamaged, hopefully.

All right, reel me out.

How's it going up there?

Good.
Coming down.

Here's another thing
I want to show you.

How do you cut a cable?

Hand me that axe,
please.

Lay the sharp axe blade up,
lay the cable over it,

And then pound on it
with a hammer.

Matt:
there it goes -- bam.

-How clean is that cut?
-That is awesome.

Put it right through here,
rafter in front of you.

Thank you.

No, I think that's it.

We're good to go.

Narrator: a safety rope
will stop the barn

From falling sideways
into the creek below.

When I fire this saw up,

I'm gonna start cutting,
and you're gonna start pounding.

Pound it, pound it!

Clear!
Go, go, go!

Whoo-ooh!
Yahoo!

Here we go!
Get back, get back!

Matt: there it goes,
there it goes, there it goes.


Going down without a fight.

Matt: dad!

It almost went!

The tree didn't fall in the
direction we wanted it to fall.

Now it's hung up
on other trees.

I can tell you right now,

My dad is determined
to get the barn down,

And now he's not gonna stop
until it's on the ground.

-Hold on, dad.
-Dad!

Dad, I don't like it!

Here we go!

♪♪

Matt: awesome!

That's exactly the way
I planned it.

The barn's down,
and that was the goal.

Eventually, we did it
with manpower.

Plan a, b, or c -- whatever
it takes to get it down.

Exactly.

What do you think we put
the rope here for, by the way?

He thrives on crazy.

And when the first plan
doesn't work,

He's off to another crazier,
more absurd plan.

♪♪

Hand me the flat bar
and the hammer, please.

Let's hit it.

Narrator: the next morning,

Marty, matt, and jeff
salvage the barn.

This stuff looks a little rusty,
but it's usable.

While misty and carol
turn their focus

To the homestead's
water crisis.

We're going
on an adventure.

Their mission --
to locate a freshwater spring.

This is a real good sign.
Yes.

Anytime you see moisture
on the ground,

Moss, extra plants,
there's signs of water, right?

Yep.

Another sign is
animal footprints

Or droppings of any kind.

Because what are they after?

-Water, yeah.
-Water.

So let's follow the green-brick
road, little game trail.

Whew.

This is coming from
somewhere.

Look at this.

Look at that.

This --
this could add up.

Oh, I love it.
Okay.

We need to go up there.

Right here, right here.

We actually found a spring.

It's coming
right out of this.

Tree of life.

That's so good!

Okay.

I love the fact that this spring
is on bedrock.

Limestone
is a natural filter.

I'm gonna pull one rock.

Do you have snakes?
Ohh!

Oh, my gosh.

That's giving me the creeps.

I'm gonna try and clear
all this out.

We have this little
tiny trickle,

But that's just the beginning.

Now we have to find a way
to capture it.

We have to build a holding tank.

Narrator: misty will use
a generations-old system

For capturing spring water.


The old barn site,

She'll build a spring box
formed by concrete blocks.

A pipe will deliver the spring
water into the box

And another will gravity-feed
to the cabin.

Misty: get this cleaned off.

I must say, I've done a lot
of masonry with my dad,

I've put in
a lot of foundations.

Pouring concrete all day,
your back hurts,

You're bleeding,
you're just like, "wow.

That was the worst day ever."

Look.

I put my foundation in today
with a broom.

And done.

♪♪

Marty: [ whistles ]

Stand back!

Narrator:
back down the mountain,

Marty is breaking ground
on the new cabin.

Good news --
it's not bedrock.

Narrator: the plan is to sink
nine cedarwood posts


Into the tennessee clay,

Forming the cabin's foundation.

A 16x16 foot wooden frame

Will provide support
for the barn materials.

Metal from the old roof

Will clad the bottom of the
walls to make them waterproof.

And the old oak planks
will sit above.

They open-plan interior will
be heated with a wood burner

And will have a compost toilet
and an outdoor shower,

Making the whole area
more accessible for jeff.

Marty: look at this.
This is terrible.

Look at that water.

Look at it coming down.

Narrator:
the excavator has uncovered
another natural spring.

It's just a lot of water
running through

These appalachian mountains.

This cedar post will fail.

There's just
too much moisture.

And this is the only flat spot
on 13 acres.

Will I build their house on clay
with a spring underneath it?

Nope.

Narrator: coming up,
misty must find a way

To reinforce her spring box

To withstand
a half-ton load of water.

If we don't tie it in,
it's gonna wash away.

Come on!
Give me a rock!

And marty needs a bold plan
to save the cabin.

I don't know.
It might be too big.

Whoa! Whoa!
Look, look, look!

You're gonna tip
that excavator over

And k*ll yourself, son.
-Dad!

Narrator: on a steep
mountainside in tennessee...

Marty: yeah!

...the raneys are building
a homestead from scratch

For carol and marine veteran
jeff, an amputee.

Jeff: I'm gonna prove to not
only the doctors

But to carol that my mobility
will not be a problem.

Misty's discovered
a lifesaving spring...

Misty:
we actually found water.

That's so good!

Look at this.
This is terrible.

...but marty's hit another that
could wash out the new cabin.

We'll never stop
this water.

There's no way to stop it.

♪♪

Narrator: now, with just
five days left,

Marty has a radical plan.

Actually thinking about
building your house

On top of massive boulders.

We're gonna be plopping down
right on the "x,"

Securing them, right?
Jeff: right.

And build your homestead house
on solid rock.

That is spectacular.

Marty plans to set the cabin's
nine cedar posts

On a solid rock base

So the wood sits above
the waterlogged ground.

It's a free fix but only if matt
can lift nine mega boulders

From the creek


Look at that rock,
dude.

That thing is a beaut.

I don't even know if I could
pick it with this machine.

I don't know.
It might be too big.

Hold on.

I might be able to get it on top
of my blade right here,

Just pinch it
with the whole machine.

I'm gonna try.

All right,
I'm dropping my blade.

♪♪

All right, I got it.

I don't know if this
is ingenuity or insanity,

But if I go slow,

I might actually be able
to carry this thing

All the way up
to the homestead.

♪♪

[ Whirring ]

You hear that?

Is this one big enough
for you?

I only need eight more.

♪♪

♪♪

Yeah, it's sketchy.

Marty: line it up!

Sometimes my dad's plans
are so crazy...

Come on!
Get me a rock!

No, all of his plans
are so crazy...

Whoa!
Whoa!

Dad!

Look, look, look!

You're gonna tip that excavator
over and k*ll yourself, son.

It almost went!

Get rid of this rock
before you end up upside down.

We're gonna drop the rock
off and reposition.

Thank you.

Back up, please.

♪♪

Whoa!

[ Laughs ]

Why is that funny?

It was -- it was cool
to see it roll.

Do me a favor.

Drive down there?
No.

Go get another one.

One more rock!

That's the nicest rock
in tennessee right there.

All the way!

All the way!

Impressive!

Perfection!

Jeff: this is incredible.

I feel rejuvenated.

I'm 51, but I feel like
I'm 25 again.

It just inspires me
more to do more.

Getting these rocks from all
the way down from the river

Was time-consuming
but worth the effort.

We'll come from the foundation
with a post.

We'll anchor the wood structure
to a solid rock foundation.

Oh, yeah.

Held together by three
or four pieces of rebar.

Somebody at a hardware store
is selling you a bracket

To go on here
and charging you money.

While you're at the store
buying all that stuff,

I'm gonna do all these posts
before he gets back.

There we go.

One...

Two...

One done, eight more to go.

Party's over.

♪♪

Narrator: 200 feet up
the steep mountain...

Whew!
Set these down.

...misty begins
constructing her spring box.

When fully charged, 150 gallons
will weigh over half a ton.

Misty:
that's a lot of water.

If this spring box isn't
anchored to this bedrock,

It could wash away.

So we need to drill down
into this bedrock,

And we're gonna set this
rebar inside these cells.

Carol: okay.
And it'll never go anywhere.

It'll be here for
the next homesteader.

You hold way down here.

Okay.

I trust you so much.
[ Laughs ]

[ Both laugh ]

-I think we're at the bottom.
-I think we are.

Yeah.

Carol: she's gonna teach me
some skills

That I can use in the future,

Because you never know
with these tennessee springs.

They can be unpredictable.

I may have to build one
at a later date,

So she's gonna show me
how to do all the masonry.

Okay. This is how we do it
back at home.

Needs to be real sticky.

Grab the block
on your thigh.

-Okay.
-Downward.

Do you want to do
the second one?

Sure.

Get a little bit on,
not too much.

Give it a whack.

So now you can tilt it
at angles, and it's stuck.

Okay.
That was great.

Nice.

Oh, good lord,
it's heavy!

Now do you know
why I'm so strong?

Yes, yes, yes.

Carol,
you're a natural.

Good job.

You have this last little piece
that I need to cut.

Showing you a little
marty raney trick --

How to cut a block
with no tools.

You can tap it
all the way around.

Just keep rotating it
till it breaks.

There you go.

And that's how you cut
a block.

That was awesome.

Perfection.

It is.

Okay, done.

The cracks are filled.

Call it good and let it set
and let it dry.

♪♪

Narrator: with the rock
foundation in place,

The cabin build
can finally begin,

Starting with the floor
made from timber

Bought from the remainder
of jeff and carol's savings.

If that's not cool,
I'll eat my shorts.

Severely behind schedule
with only four days left,

It's all hands on deck.

Good job.

Sweet.

This is an incredible day.

I never thought this would
actually come to fruition.

For the first time
in almost a year,

I'm building my endurance up
a little bit more,

Hammering nails
into my own cabin.

I honestly didn't think I'd be
able to do a lot of the stuff

Because I lost
a lot of muscle.

This is what homesteading's
all about.

I'm starting to see
that dream, and...

It's fantastic.

Narrator: coming up,
it's make-or-break

For misty's spring box.

Misty:
this is the sketchy part.

When you mess with the eye
of the spring too much,

It can actually stop it
from working.

And matt reveals
a cutting-edge hack.

Matt: this metal needs to be cut
right now.

We don't have
the right blade.

All you got to do --
flip it.

You got to be able to think
fast and on your feet.

♪♪

Narrator: in the mountains
of tennessee,

The raneys are battling
to rescue the tatsch homestead.

Marty: they've perched that home
right on the side of that cliff.

Narrator: a disabled veteran
trapped on a cliff edge

With no water
and no room to grow food.

It's almost like a jail cell.

Narrator: a new cabin is
under way on accessible land.

Good news --
it's not bedrock.

Narrator:
but a rogue spring forced

Marty to change
his foundation plans.

We will build the tatsch
homestead on solid rock.

Perfection.

♪♪

♪♪

In three days,
this has to be finished,

And you can see,
we're in big trouble.

Narrator: the frame and roof
of the cabin are up,

But the walls and interior
all still need to be built.

I'm going to develop
a compost toilet right here.

I don't have a clue
how I'm gonna do it.

Maybe a wood stove over here.

We got to heat this place.

And there -- one more time --
only three more days.

What we'll get done between now
and then,

I don't have a clue.

That's a fact.

Narrator: up the mountain,
misty and carol

Are ready to test
their new spring box.

This is cured.

The cement lining has taken


Now it's watertight.

We are gonna try and funnel
this water.

But this is
the sketchy part.

When you mess with the eye
of the spring too much,

It can actually stop it
from working.

It needs to be close without
pushing the spring back down

And into another
exit hole.

Carol:
even if we have to dam it

All the way out to here,
it's fine, right?

Yeah. Let me just see
if any water's coming out.

We have water!
[ Laughs ]

We have water!

Look!
Whoo!

Awesome.

A week ago, carol had to drive


Now their spring box can hold


Which is gravity-fed 200 feet
below to the new cabin,

All for $250 in blocks,
mortar, and piping.

This is one of the most
important moments

On this homestead.

For the first time, they have
running, safe, drinkable water,

And we really, truly got it done
in the nick of time.

Carol: I love that she let me
help and put me to work.

We did it together,
and now I feel like

I could really claim this
as my spring box

That I built, you know,
with misty raney.

Who else can say that?

Let's go down the hill
and spray everyone?

[ Both laugh ]

♪♪

Marty: jeff, check this out.

Narrator: down at the cabin,
matt's using the old tin

Cladding to protect the barn
and has handy saw hack.

This metal needs to be cut right
now, okay?

Okay.

We don't have
the right blade,

We don't have time
to go buy one.

All you got to do
to cut metal

With a wooden blade
is just flip.

And so, boom, flip it.

The teeth all pointing...

Backward.

The trips to the store,
or it's the overplanning --

That's what just
kills jobs,

And you got to be able to think
fast and on your feet.

This is just one of the many
ways to do that.

All right. So we're gonna
trim off this edge,

And I think this is a perfect
part for you to step in

And try
and give this a go.

Okay.

Get that blade spinning
before you do anything.

Just go slow.

Get it right up in here.

Let the saw do all the work.

It's amazing to see jeff
out here, helping out.

Sweet.

I mean, I honestly
really believe

That he's kind of turning
a new page over.

Oh, yeah.

Dude, awesome.

Yeah.
Thank you.

Jeff: it feels good.
My blood's pumping.

I'm up here working.

It's a great feeling to know

I'm helping build
my future, my cabin.

Narrator: solid progress is
being made on the cabin.

But as night falls, a storm
breaks, and the next morning,

The cabin is at risk
of water damage.

Misty: dad!
Hey, dad.

[ Thunder rumbles ]

This scaffolding's a joke.
We're on mud.

Okay, hold on.

Frickin' brutal.

Matt: tennessee has its own
brand of mud.

-Watch your fingers.
-Oh!

Grab it!
Hold it!

Carol: aah!

-Oh.
-Finger.

It's okay.

Don't need any fingers
underneath. Are you okay, carol?

Marty: yeah, it's fine.
Stop everything.

I'll come down.
Come down.

Misty:
this is a total disaster.

It's really slippery, dude.

Narrator: the storm has turned
the homestead into a swamp.

Just slipping everywhere.

And more natural springs
are flooding the site.

Marty: look at the volume
of water

That's running into the road.

I can't even believe that.

Look at that.

That's a lot of volume.

This is really bad.

We need gravel.

♪♪

Narrator: coming up, 24 hours
to complete an entire cabin.

Try not to die.

I worry that it's not gonna
get done in time.

Keep going!
Don't stop!

I've never been involved with
anything this fast-paced before.

This is gonna take a miracle
to actually get done.

Pew!

♪♪

Narrator: seven days ago,
the raneys found

A tennessee homestead
on the precipice...

I think about just throwing
in the towel sometimes.

...with no water
and no space

To grow food
or raise livestock.

My gosh.

Misty solved the water crisis
by building a spring box.

Water!
[ Laughs ]

But heavy rain has delayed
marty's ambitious cabin.

Frickin' brutal.

There's no sanitation
or heating,

And the site has been swamped
by more natural springs.

Marty: we've said
we were gonna build

On any homestead rescue.

The day's gonna come
when we don't fulfill

What we said we're gonna do.

And this just might be the
homestead where that happens.

Matt: make it stop raining
so this frickin' roof

Doesn't take me out.

Narrator: it's the final day.

To stand a chance of making
the cabin

Habitable for jeff and carol,

The raneys must prioritize
the remaining work.

I'm putting in a wood stove.

Watch out below!

With these pipes,
you got to have at least



Because if it's too close,
it can get too hot,

And that's how fires happen.

You in there, dad?
Marty: yep!

What's up?
Check my pipe.

What's that mean, son?

Ha!

Yeah, you're good.

Yippee-ki-yay.

Narrator: misty and carol
must insulate the cabin

To make it livable in winter.

Misty: insulation is the job
where you always call in sick.

You're like, "hey, dad!"

[ Coughs ]
"I'm not feeling very good."

[ Coughs ]

Narrator: on the access road,

A friend of jeff's
has come through.

You wanted rock.

Local farmer melvin daniels

Delivers a truckload of gravel
for the swamped site.

Marty: I thank you more
than you know.

How many tons on there?

Uh, 20-some.


Yeah.

Good.
[ Whistles ]

♪♪

[ Whistles ]

♪♪

A neighbor helping neighbor
is alive and well out here.

I witnessed it today.

And trust me, it's inspiring.

Narrator: with the gravel laid
and site protected...

Here we go.

...it's time for the next
dirty job.

Guess what you're
looking at.

Two black barrels.

Wrong.
Okay.

You're looking
at your toilet.

This barrel in my hands
right now is going to be

Full of number 1
and number 2 and number 3.

Okay.
You ever done number 3?

No.
Neither have i.

Number 3 is wood chips.

It's carbon.

All of those organisms
interact with the carbon,

Thus the word
compost toilet.

That's the short version.

This should friction fit.

Boom.
Pretty much a finished product.

Here we go.

Let's get working.

Narrator: for the final stage,
marty gives jeff the job

Of completing
the entry stairs.

Just did a few cuts
of the deck and stairs.

-How's it coming, jeff?
-Oh, it's coming great.

Carol: good job, jeff.

Steps are good to go.

Jeff: I never thought
I could achieve these projects,

And when you don't know
you can achieve them,

You don't start them.

You just put mud --
you just put mud all in my face.

Narrator: seven days ago,

Injured veteran jeff
and his wife, carol,

Were living on a cliff
with no room to homestead.

Jeff:
it's almost like a jail cell.

This is our last-ditch effort
to make the homestead work.

Narrator: now, on the site
of an 80-year-old barn

Stands a cabin
built on solid rock,

With $5,000 worth of lumber

And clad in recycled
barn materials.

-How's those stairs?
-Good.

Awesome.
Solid.

Marty: all right.
Guess who built them.

Both: we did.

Narrator: fully insulated
with a wood-burning stove,

A compost toilet,
and windows...

Jeff: that is awesome.

...with a view of their new land
to grow crops.

This thing is so cool.

-It is.
-You knocked it out of the park.

Climb out here, guys.

I'm gonna show you
your bathroom install.

All right, guys.
Okay, let's go over.

-Come on down.
-Come on around.

Carol: whoo!

Narrator: now they have
an off-grid shower

And a constant water supply,

Gravity-fed
from misty's spring box.

You have more water
than you could ever need

In a day
on this homestead.

The first time ever having water
on this homestead.

Yeah.

You've tapped into our dreams,
and you fulfilled it.

You've -- you brought to life
what we've always imagined.

And it's remarkable.

Just what you said to us
is the reason we do it.

-Thank you, matt.
-Thank you, matt.

Misty: see you later, carol!

Safe travels.

Carol: okay.
Here we are at the homestead.

We have added chickens.
We have two goats.

Jeff: there's d'artagnan and
then our milking goat, piper.

Tastes exactly like regular milk
from the store.

Been awesome
having our own water.

Nice and warm.

My health is doing good.

I'm trying to build up
my strength.

They gave us a start
for the homestead, and we're

Just gonna keep building
and keep running with it.

[ Laughs ]

Piper's the star
of the show.