06x03 - Cobbers Nightmare

[bunniefuu]

previously on
"homestead rescue"...

How many tires?


Marty: they're not structurally
bound together

Like a normal,
conventional foundation.

Your house is just,
like, catacombs.

I mean,
they can get in anywhere.

[ Thunder crashes ]

Misty: they have water
inside their house.

This is pretty crazy.

This is a problem that should
have been addressed a while ago.

This is totally insane.

What are we gonna do?

The scope of work
on this homestead is immense.

If there was ever a time
to work harder, it's now.

Matt: here's the trail cam.

There's definitely got to be
something on here.

Ooh!

Marty: we got to catch
a lot of water,

And we got to go a long ways.

We're creating a garden
right now!

Holy crap,
this looks so good!

Oh, my gosh!

Oh, my gosh!

It's real simple.
We're not gonna give up.

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

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪♪

Narrator: deep in the heart
of ohio's amish country,

The raneys are 4 days

Into one of their biggest
challenges yet --

To save the broadhead family
homestead

From collapsing in on itself
and being ravaged by predators.

We apparently have built
a high-rise condo

For all the wildlife
in the area, which, of course,

Because we still have a child
at home, is not safe.

Ashton:
when I tell my co-workers
and friends about the house,

A lot of people look at me
like I'm totally crazy.

Narrator: if the raneys can't
rescue this passive solar home,

The broadheads won't be able
to survive the winter.

The environmental
protection agency

Will condemn the house
as a hazardous waste dump,

And it will fine the family

Hundreds of thousands
of dollars.

We just feel
so overwhelmed.

We just feel like
we can't do it ourselves,

Coupled with the fact we've got
a government agency saying,

"Look, you've got
to get done faster."

Marty: you've heard the story
of the three little pigs.

They built out of straw.

No good.

Sticks? Mnh!

Bricks was the only thing that
staved off the big, bad wolf.

I'm wondering if 100 years from
now, that story will change.

They built out of sticks.

They built out of straw.

They built out of rubber tires!

Narrator:
so far, the raneys have plumbed
and bermed the walls,

But matt is struggling
to capture

And relocate
the unwelcome wildlife...

Hold that. All right.
Now you set the trigger.

...while misty just learned
the biggest problem of all.

Wendy just told me that they've
been hauling water

This whole time
they've been here.

They don't really have
a water source at all.

And they're trucking it
in at $400 a pop.

Thousands of dollars.
I get it.

Right now,
they don't have anything.

They don't have
a finished house.

They don't have water.
We've got to change that.

You've been spending
a lot of time with those kids.

I've been in the woods,

Trying
to find all the critters

And all the wasps
and everything.

I'm gonna show you
this video.

Cool.
There's a lot.

The sound of our excavators
has scared

All the wild animals away from
this house and into the woods,

But when they come back,
we need to have traps set up

And capture them
before they become a problem.

There's a lot
of animals here,

And we're kind of
chipping away at it.

Oh...my...gosh.
Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

So we need to get to work.

As if it doesn't get any worse,
in a couple years,

Cam will graduate high school,
and wendy will have to be,

Like,
a full-time stay-at-home mom.

And right now,
she works, you know.

So they won't have that income
in a couple years.

It does kind of boil
down to money, and right now,

Wendy spends a ton of money
on water.

A ton.

So if we can sort just
that one little issue,

Think of how much time that
she'll have to devote to camden

And all of his needs.

She wants
this apothecary business

Where she's making all kinds
of salves

And medicinal medicines
out of these herbs.

I don't care what
the homesteader does.

Apothecary, sell vegetables --
I don't care.

If we can keep them here
on the homestead,

That's what it's all about.

Mm-hmm.
Let's go.

♪♪

This big hill right here

Is where
all of our cisterns are buried.

Narrator:
at the back of the house,

Marty assesses the broadheads'
current water system.

We can actually go stand up
on top there if you want to.

You got snakes here?

Uh, probably,

But nothing poisonous.
All right.

I promise.

So, these caps
are the cisterns right here.

We have five 2,000-gallon
cisterns buried back here.

The idea --
where's the water coming from?

Right now,
it's being trucked in.

The initial idea for this
was to have the gutter system

Direct all the water
back to feed

Into the cisterns
back here.

Off the other side
of the house?

Off the other side
of the house,

Because the house drains
towards the front.

We haven't been able to get
the gutter system up yet,

And we need to figure out
some kind of a filtration system

To filter the water out

Before it actually
goes into the cistern.

The broadheads
have five 2,000-gallon tanks

Designed to catch
all the rainwater off the roof,

But not one drop of water
from that roof

Has made it back to those tanks,

Yet, like everything
on this homestead,

The theory is amazing,
but none of it's working.

So, you've put some thought
in this.

It's really impressive,

But it's also,
at the same time,

Equally overwhelming.
Yeah.

I mean, you've done
so much work,

But there's a lot of work
to be done.

Oh, there's a ton of work
more to be done,

And that's, you know...

We're feeling that
overwhelming feeling, as well.

And it's tough work.
Yeah.

We're down to just a few days
left on this homestead,

And we have not fixed
the water problem,

But I didn't travel thousands
of miles from alaska to ohio

To let anyone down,
especially this family.

Narrator:
on the edge of the homestead,

Wendy shows misty the orchard
she would like to irrigate.

About 3 of them out of about


And not enough water.

How do you see yourself ever
being able to have food

This far away
from your house?

I mean, you don't even
have water, really.

We tried at one point

To hand-dig a well right
under this tree over here.

We got about 15 feet down.

But we hit a gravel layer

That we just couldn't
get through by hand.

You dug 15 feet by hand?

By hand, yeah.

It's hard right now.

There's no getting
around that.

It's been rough,
but homesteading is me.

I grew up on a homestead.

This is
how I was born and bred.

I think it's the weight
as a mother to provide

For a family and to make sure
we not only have shelter,

But we have a home,

Somewhere where everybody
feels comfortable

And where they feel loved
and where they want to be...

To be safe from,
you know,

The outside stresses
of the world.

And we feel like
we're not there yet.

And so, we're sort of
hopping around

And not really getting
anything finished.

Yeah.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: in the front yard,

Marty prepares to start
his water-catchment project.

Okay, what do
you think this is?

Uh, this is
a piece of pvc.

Today, it's gonna be a gutter
to catch all this water

Coming off
that 3,000-square-foot roof.

The broadheads have been in this
rubber tire home for 1 year,

But not one drop of water
has been captured from the roof

And transferred
to the property.

We got to catch a lot of water,
and we got to go a long ways.

The idea is to cut this out,

And it'll go from being
a pipe to a trough.

Narrator:
marty and morgan plan to use

The discarded pvc pipe
as gutters.

Once attached, they will act
as a rain-catchment system,

Sending water to a series
of six existing cisterns

At the back of the home.

The family will use this water
for bathing

And watering
their indoor garden,

But it will not be drinkable.

This is gonna be better than
anything we can find.

Tell me why.
Because of the thin metal

That they have
on those gutters.

It's not nearly
as thick as this.

I don't think
it's as durable as this.

The gutters are an issue for us

Because all of this rain
falls here in ohio.

We get about 45 inches of rain
every year,

And we can't take advantage
of any of it.

[ Saw whirring ]

We don't have the gutters up.

We don't have any kind of
a reclamation system.

Marty: got it?
Got it.

Thank you.
All right.

Water weighs 8 pounds
per gallon.

Broadheads have
a 3,000-square-foot roof.

Put just one inch of water
on it,

And you have over 1,800 gallons.


Times 8 pounds per gallon --


If it just rains an inch.

That's a lot of water.

Good job.
Drill that.

Where's that water going?

It's all going off the edge
of the roof,

Down, and inside the house.



Every time it rains 1 inch.

Tired of losing
all that rainfall.

I'm excited to get this up.

Okay, pin that in, and then
I'll move this one up.

Okay, here we go.

Make it go.

[ Drill whirring ]

♪♪

Morgan:
is this just dirt?

Man: this is sandy clay subsoil
with straw.

Narrator: in the garage,

Marty shifts his focus
to covering the tire bale walls

With an adobe-like substance
called cob.

Morgan: fill in all
those cracks and crannies

Where the plastic is.
We're filling in

All those cracks
and crannies,

And then the straw helps
the lumps stick to each other.

This house gets really hot
in the summer,

But once we clad
all of these tires with cob,

The house
should be cooler.

Woman: whoo.

Yeah, this is good.
This is working.

This is awesome.

So, we're running out of time.

Two days left to finish
the cobbing,

Cool this house down,
make it livable.

Time's running out.


To go.

♪♪

Narrator: coming up...

Wendy discovers
a poisonous intruder.

That kind of, like,
makes my skin crawl

That this is
in your home.

And later...

The raneys
spring a big surprise.

That's the mother lode!

Narrator:
deep in off-grid ohio,

The raneys have 2 days
to turn a house of horror

Into a safe
and viable homestead.

I mean, it's over-infested.
It's insane.

Narrator: marty struggles to cob
the tire bales.


To go.

Whoo!

And misty breaks ground
on an indoor garden

To help feed
the broadhead family.

We have freestanding water
in here.

All right.
So, you want to rake all this

Real quick just this way.

I just need a place to dump
this first load.

Misty: right now, wendy has
this trench full of mud,

Freestanding water, and mold.

We need to actually turn this
into a garden,

What it was designed for.

She can plant herbs for her
apothecary business

And also enough food
to feed her family.

Oh, we've got
a salamander in here.

Where?

Creatures?
Yep.

Oh, my gosh!

Why is he so big?

He's apparently been
very happy for a while.

I'm not sure what he's eating.
Oh...my.

Can I see him?
[ Gasps ]

What?!
Yellow-spotted salamander.

My gosh.

You guys, you have, like,

Amphibians living
in your kitchen.

Yes.
That can't be good.

That kind of, like,
makes my skin crawl

That this is in your home.
Oh, I know.

They have, like, amphibians
living in their kitchen.

The reality of that is not good
because it's gross

And it's not right.

So, while she releases the
salamander back into the wild,

I'm gonna start
dumping gravel.

So, eventually,
you're gonna be

A stay-at-home mom again.
Yes.

Right?
Is that the plan?

That's the plan, yeah.
You're gonna be...

Camden's gonna need me when
he graduates from high school

And isn't in school,
like, all day long.

He's gonna need me to be here
and help him look for work

And, you know,
have a productive life.

Wendy: we moved into the house
before it was really ready

To be livable

Because camden,
who's our youngest,

Was starting high school.

Myself, having moved
every single year

After every high-school year,
it was very hard on me,

And I didn't want him
to have to do that.

Right now, it's very hard
to live here

Because building a house and
living in a construction zone,

There's entirely
too much work to be done.

If things get finished,

That means a more
comfortable life here for us.

Something where we're not
strictly focused on

Just surviving here,

But where we can
actually enjoy it.

With the amount of stress
that's been going on with

Just the constant
day-to-day construction,

We're not there yet.

So, in here,
in this planter area,

Not only are we hoping
to grow some,

You know,
basic food products

That we use a lot --
cucumbers, tomatoes --

But also some of the herbs
that I use in,

Like, the healing salves
and the medicinal remedies

That I make and...

For the business, right?
Yeah, yeah.

So, what I'm trying
to accomplish here

Is to create a business where
people will want to come in.

I do some herbal things,
so it would be a big deal

If we could get kind
of rooted better here.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think
that's really good.

She needs to be growing
her business in this window

That she has before
he's graduated

So there is that cash flow.

It's very crucial
that we get plants in here,

And she starts this garden
immediately.

I mean, this is gonna grow
some food.

-That's gorgeous.
-Whoo!

We're creating a garden
right now!

First load of dirt
into the garden.

Narrator: in the forest,
matt and the broadhead kids

Check the critter trap.

Matt: follow me, kids.

Lots of tracks.

Matt's using
a three-pronged strategy.

He has already captured
the pests

That remained in the walls
during construction.

He has destroyed the homes

The animals created
inside the perimeter.

And now he is hoping
traps placed

In a 50-yard perimeter
around the house

Will catch any animals
that return.

Look at all these tracks.

There's so many,

But unfortunately,

We didn't catch anything.

Nothing in there.
Maybe the bait

Didn't lure them in
like we wanted them to.

Weren't a fan of the tuna.

Okay, so,
here's the trail cam.

There's definitely got
to be something on here.

-Oh, there's a raccoon.
-Ooh!

That's cool.
That's a big raccoon.

That is
a well-fed raccoon.

Yeah. That's, like,
daddy raccoon.

See? That's our trap
right there.

It's going straight for it.

I don't even know if that
raccoon would have fit

In the trap that I made.

Now we really know
what we're dealing with,

And I think we should
build a new trap --

Something that's bigger
and better.

So we'll go back
into trap-making.

♪♪

Hopefully we build this one
a little stronger.

It definitely looks bigger
than the other one.

We want this thing to be
pretty rigid

'Cause those raccoons, I know
they want to flip their way

Out of these things,
tip them over.

At this point, we've removed
all the critters from the house,

But now we have
to close down the path

They're using to get from
the woods to the front door.

My best idea
is kind of weaving it

In and out of these bars
to keep it rigid.

Yeah, I like it.

Ashton: we grew up in nature,
and my parents instilled in us

A respect for nature
and a respect

For outdoor life
and everything,

So I'm not a huge fan
of k*lling them.

It's just kind of
a waste of life.

So if we can draw them out
and trap them with those traps

And then move them
and then doze their home over

And then release them back,
they can go create a home

Somewhere back further
in the woods.

Once we're done,
we'll set these

And, hopefully,
have better success.

All right.

♪♪

Marty: you're safe!

Narrator: marty takes a break
from cobbing

To grade the front yard.

Marty: so, now, with the
homemade gutters in place,

Every time it rains,
hundreds of gallons

Will be captured off
that 3,000-square-foot roof.

The water will be transferred
to the holding tanks.

The family can shower and water
a garden

Any time they want.

Wendy: right now, the house
looks like a big mud pit.

I don't know what the end
product will look like.

I'm trying to envision that,
but just the fact

That the forest isn't right up
to our house, it's a good thing.

Can I borrow
your drinking water?

Absolutely.
Let's give it a test.

Is the water gonna run
into the house,

Or is the water gonna run
away from the house?

I mean, it looks like
it should run that way.

There it goes.

Which way is it going,
darling?

It's going away
from the house.

Okay, so, every raindrop,
every storm,

Every snowflake that melts
for eternity is now going to...

Nice.
...go away from your house,

Instead of directly in and
under your house and...

Perfect. Yeah.
...inside your living room.

For sure.

So, now that we've graded
the front yard

And put the gutters on,
never again will water go

Under that foundation
and into the house,

So no more mold,
nor more bacteria,

No more humidity.

All of those things
are gone forever.

It looks awesome,
marty.

We would like to do
some nature classes

So that the nature lovers can
come in and use this as a venue,

So we were just
kind of thinking, like,

Right in this corner
of the house right here.

I mean, it's just a bonus,

But would totally add

To my business
to have space

For parties
and things like that.

That's actually smart.

I like it.
So...

When were you planning
on doing this?

As soon as possible.

♪♪

[ Engine starts ]

Wendy: marty hasn't really
shared with me

The excavation
that's going on.

I've been banned from an entire
part of my property.

So we'll see what he's got
under his sleeve there.

The broadheads are
an amazing family,

And in just a few days,
we've connected,

So when wendy approaches me
with the question

"What can you do?"

What possibly could I do
to fulfill that dream?

♪♪

Narrator: coming up...

With time running out,

The broadheads call
in reinforcements.

Wendy: put the dogs in the
house, and let's get to work.

And matt's w*r
for critter highway

Claims its first prisoner.

-Hey, guys.
-There it is.

Narrator: in the dense woods
of central ohio,

The raneys are racing the clock
to save the broadhead homestead.

The only problem with cob --

It's labor-intensive.

Narrator:
down to their last day,

Marty has developed a plan
to finish cobbing the walls.

Marty: if we don't finish this
work and complete the house,

The broadheads get fined

Tens of thousands of dollars
by the epa.

The house will be deemed
a hazardous waste site.

Wendy: we've actually called in
some family, some friends,

Some neighbors to come in
and help with cobbing the tires.

I'm glad you're here.

Hopefully, cross our fingers
that we get that done.

Put the dogs in the house,
and let's get to work.

Every square inch of these tires
has to be covered.

It's a lot of work.

It's a lot of cobbing.

It takes a lot of hands
to get it done.

It's 11th hour,
and it will take everyone.

♪♪

-Good job, fam!
-Whoo!

Whoo!
Yeah!

Narrator:
late in the afternoon,

A rainstorm forces
a halt to cobbing,

But puts the new
drainage system to the test.

Marty: 1 inch of rain,


Over 1,800 gallons.

You can see how much water
is coming off the roof.

Hundreds, maybe thousands,
of gallons of water

Just came off that roof.

But I want to point out
this right here.

A deluge came off the roof,
and instead of going back

Under and into the house,
you can see where it's dry.

It's dry all along the edge.

Why?

We have the grade now sloping
from the house downhill.

We just had a pop quiz,

And I think we passed it
with flying colors.

♪♪

♪♪

It got a little muddy
'cause of all that rain.

Narrator: in the forest,
matt and the broadhead kids

Check the critter traps
in the effort

To clear the property
of dangerous animals.

Hey, guys.

We caught ourselves
a possum.

-No.
-There it is.

So we did.

I don't see
anything else.

Camden: hey, buddy.

Now that I've actually caught
something, I'm super-stoked.

Okay,
there's a possum in here.

This one...

I don't think anything
tried to go in this one.

How we doing?

Oh, yeah?

Matt: you're picking out
a name for him, huh?

-Oh, yes.
-We're not keeping it.

This is something
that these kids

Can actually do, like a chore,
and the more they do it,

It's gonna keep
the population

Of these critters down.

No more problems.

We've made traps.

We've modified
professional traps,

But, really,
the good thing about this

Is that you know how
to do this now, right?

This isn't gonna be
the last time

You guys are dealing
with a raccoon or a possum,

And now you know
exactly what to do.

And you could make a trap,
you know, out of scrap,

And not everybody could
do that, you know?

Narrator:
one week ago, the broadhead home

Was overrun by raccoons
and possums,

Bees and wasps,
and other dangerous animals

That made living there
a nightmare.

Now the critters
inside the walls are gone,

And matt has taught the kids
how to use the traps he made,

All for just $200.

Young woman:
being an animal lover,

I do respect the wild animals
at a distance.

They need to stay on their side

So that we can be
safe on our side.

I've got a name for him.
What's that?

Key.
Key?

Yes.
Really?

Like a lock key.

Yeah, I like it.

Matt: the thing that
I'm bringing to the table

Is expanding
their horizon

To -- you know,
going from the suburbs,

Now living in
the wilderness of ohio,

And, you know,
acting accordingly.

Well, we got one possum
to deal with.

Let's get it
out of here.

Come on, guys.

♪♪

Narrator: coming up...

Marty shocks the broadheads

With a surprise build
that has a lot of heart.

No way!

Marty: you guys like it?

I love it!
That is awesome.

Narrator: in central ohio,

The raneys try to lift
a troubled homestead

Out of rain-soaked squalor.

Marty: whoo!

This is gonna grow
some food.

But if the raneys can't give
the broadheads

A head start with
other basic necessities,

The family dream
may fall apart.

What's this?

Oh, that's the elderberry.
Oh.

[ Gasps ] oh!

Surprise!
Oh. Oh, my gosh.

Thank you.
Surprise!

Aren't you trying to start
a business?

At the house, wendy and misty

Start putting plants
in the new garden.

Misty: so, we got you
some medicinal plants.

We got some veggies.
We got some herbs and...

This is amazing.

Misty:
wendy knows how to garden.

She's been doing it
her whole life.

She grew up homesteading.

For whatever reason,
it hasn't happened here yet.

So, there's
all different kinds.

I think there's --
this is a peach tree.

What do you think?

Do you like the thought of
a peach tree going right here?

I do.

There is nothing like growing
your own food,

And I think this is
really exciting for wendy

Because this isn't
just food, you know.

She's feeding her family.

She is feeding her business.

And she's turned what used to be

A very unsanitary, muddy trough

Into this beautiful,
incredible garden space.

Wendy:
these will naturally clean

The air in our house,
too.

It was great to just get
my hands in that planting dirt.

Getting my hands in the soil
is just therapy for me,

So having some place
to actually grow is huge.

Holy crap,
this looks so good!

Move! I want to see!
Oh, my gosh!

Oh, man.
Come in, come in.

-Oh!
-Oh, my gosh.

-What do you guys think?
-That's amazing.

You guys, this thing's cool.
This is so pretty.

Narrator: six days ago, a long
barren trench lined the edge

Of the broadheads'
living room,

A breeding ground for bacteria,
mold, and toxic critters.

Now, for just $200,
some garden soil,

And a lot of elbow grease,

The family has a brand-new
off-grid greenhouse

Where they can not
only grow their own food,

But also cultivate products
for wendy's budding business.

I'm ready to eat.
You're ready to eat?

Yeah.
Okay.

You get the first one.

-Oh.
-Ooh, cool!

-Yay!
-Thank you.

He loves tomatoes.

How is it?
Ahh!

-How was it?
-He's stronger.

Yeah.
It made him stronger.

-Was it good?
-Oh, yeah.

Wendy: we've still got bigger
gardens to forge in the future,

But knowing that at least
some of our food

Is being grown
by our own hands is a joy.

Good job, wendy.

♪♪

Narrator: while family and
friends race to finish cobbing,

Marty has a big surprise
for the broadheads

On the side of the house.

Follow misty and matt.

How can I make it easy
on the homestead?

Obvious -- an indoor toilet.

Come on.

[ Laughs ]

-Oh, my gosh.
-Yeah, I can't see!

Where's morgan?
Oh, my gosh!

[ Laughter ]

Tessa: oh, my gosh.

That's a septic tank,
okay?

The best septic tank that we can
provide for this homestead

Is one made out of concrete.

The broadheads deserve it.

Why?

Five people are using
an outhouse every day.

They need it.

It was overwhelming to see that
tank and realize

What that was for.

Thank you.

We don't have flushing toilets,

So we're using an outhouse.

It's not great when you have
to get up

In the middle of the night,

And it's definitely not fun

When it was negative-40 degrees
in the wintertime.

[ Whistles ]

Morgan:
I'm beyond words right now.

Now we can get a toilet in.

We can get all of our indoor
plumbing in, our showers,

Everything, to go out there
and drain into that septic tank.

It's just such a relief.

Let's get back to work.

♪♪

Okay, guys.
What do you think?

It's not exactly finished,
but they'll get the idea, huh?

Yeah.
[ Whistles ]

Broadheads!

Narrator:
later that afternoon,

Marty unveils another secret
project to the broadhead clan.

Morgan:
we finally get to see this?

I'm nervous that you
may not like it.

You go figure out

All right. Let's see it.
...how it is unique.

-Oh, my gosh.
-You guys want

To walk up on the rock
and tell me what you see?

Morgan: well, these stairs

Are pretty cool.
-The stairs, yeah.

Morgan: no way!
This is cool.

These are the coolest stairs.
-Oh, my gosh!

-You guys like it?
-That is awesome.

It's heart-shaped.
It's shaped in a heart.

That's awesome.

When you drive around ohio,
you see a lot of ponds,

And all of them have
the same shape, like this.

I decided to alter that shape
and make something like this.

You guys like it?
I love it!

That is awesome!

We've never had a pond before,

So I'm trying to process
all these emotions.

This is a place where I am
excited to come home to now.

This is really cool.
You like it?

This is amazing.
For real?

This is really awesome.
Yeah, for real.

This is really cool.

Narrator: a week ago, a rugged,
uneven landscape threatened

The broadheads'
homesteading ambitions

With bad drainage
plaguing the house.

Now, with grading and gutters

That cost less
than $150 in parts,

The raneys have developed
a water-management plan

That funnels storm runoff
into a heart-shaped pond.

You know
what this place needs?

It needs a rope swing.

-Yes.
-Yes.

-Or a zip line going across it.
-Right into the pond.

Marty: I'm confident that this
heart-shaped pond

Is gonna fill up
with rainwater,

But it's not the best
drinking water.

Where are they gonna get
the best drinking water?

In yet the third,
and last, surprise

On this homestead --
over there.

Listen very carefully
right now.

Listen. What do you hear?
[ Vehicle approaching ]

Sounds like a truck.

♪♪

No way.
Oh, my gosh!

Morgan: a well truck.
Well drilling.

-Oh, my god.
-Oh, my gosh!

A well!

Narrator: marty has contacted
a local well-drilling company

To locate a reliable source of
drinking water on the property.

One of our primary concerns
has always been,

"Where is water
coming from?"

I'm simply overwhelmed.

Meet kenneth.

This is
your neighbor.

This guy donated
this whole thing.

Can I hug you now, too?

Wendy:
to see that great big truck
and realize what that was for,

I have no words for it.

Marty: how deep
have you drilled wells before?



-Oh, my gosh.
-Wow.

Most of the wells I've drilled
around here, 50 feet.

Okay, that's not bad.

So, let's get this derrick up
and start drilling.

-Yeah!
-Whoo!

Marty: what's the most
significant thing

That can happen
to a homestead?

It's water.

The day, the day,

You can turn a tap on
inside your cabin or house

Or tire home

And water comes out
is a day that changes your life.

♪♪

Woman: ooh.

♪♪

It's gonna dig down
into the ground, buddy.

Where?
Right there.

♪♪

Narrator:
the plan is to drill down

Beneath the topsoil
and groundwater,

Past layers of clay,
sand, and gravel,

Into deep bedrock in an effort
to locate an aquifer --

A layer of permeable rock from
which water can be extracted.

Wendy: clean drinking water
is important

Because the amount of water
we would need to buy

Is extremely expensive,

So we're really excited about
the possibility of this well.

Morgan:
keeping our fingers crossed.

♪♪

Narrator: coming up...

With less than 12 hours to go,

Marty oversees the cobbing
of the remaining walls.

Marty: take it
from some epa nightmare to...

A finished home.

And the desperate search
for drinking water.

Ever drilled a well
at night?

♪♪

The raneys help a family
on the verge of failure.

Whoo-hoo-hoo!
First project done.

Misty has revitalized
the garden.

Morgan: oh, my gosh!

And marty has given them
a new income stream.

This is really cool.
You like it?

But without a source
of drinking water,

The broadheads will be
left high and dry.

♪♪

♪♪

We're gonna be here
awhile.

♪♪

Hey!
How deep are you?!

That's more than twice
what you guys expected.


The distance you thought.

I said, "50-plus."

It's 50-foot-plus.

Ever drilled a well
at night?

This might be
another time.

♪♪

I'm gonna start worrying.

We are a lot deeper
than I thought we would need

To go, and no water yet.

So, I don't know much
about the drilling process,

But that doesn't sound good.

That's making us
a little bit nervous.

♪♪

Man: we got water!

[ Group cheering ]

-Thank you!
-Yee-haw!

That's the mother lode!

-Nice.
-What do you think?

How many gallons a minute?

-Probably 50 gallons a minute.
-50 Gallons an hour?



A minute?!

Wendy: whoo!

What's an average number
of gallons per minute?

Average well is 8 to


-Hey!
-8 To 10?

Get over here!
It's your water!

Come on!

Mmm. Smells great!

Yes! We got water!

That's amazing!

[ Laughs ]

Oh, my gosh!
That's cold!

I know!



I could not even fathom
what that means for us.

That's just a ton of water.

Getting water --
that's a life-changer.

Marty: yeah! Whoo!

On a homestead,
that's better than oil!

Wendy: yeah, it is!

I was starting to get nervous
around 100 feet

That we weren't actually
gonna find anything,

But to see that clear water
coming up out of the ground,

That was incredible.

This means normal life for us,

So it's beyond
anything we dreamed

Would happen this week.

Need your w*r stripes.
[ Laughs ]

Yeah, go ahead.

Great.

Narrator: now it's an all-out
sprint by the entire community

To finish covering
the tire bale walls

Before day's end.

Misty: what a cool thing.

You just take some mud,
some straw, and some water

And create a little cob,
and...

Marty: take it
from some epa nightmare to...

A finished home.

♪♪

Four days ago,
the 30,000 used tires

That comprised the walls of the
broadhead home were unfinished,

Full of trash
that attracted animals,

And exposed to the elements.

Now, for just $350,

Marty has bermed
the back of the house,

And the community has cobbed
the rest of it,

Protecting and insulating
the walls

And securing the house
from storms for the first time.

So, this is
a thermal imaging camera.

Mm-hmm.

And right now, if I just
sh**t the bare tire...

Yeah, the ones that have not
been covered yet.

Those are bright.
Yeah. And bright means?

Hot.
Exactly.

It's about


And then, look.

Purple.
Cool, comparatively.

That translates to about


That's a huge swing
in temperature.

Marty: I know that morgan and
wendy are going to be surprised

When they find that, year-round,
that cobbing is going to help

A comfortable living temperature
to exist in this homestead.

I mean, you can see it.
That's cool.

That camera
is not lying.

♪♪

This is
such a bittersweet moment,

And I'm so sad
to say goodbye,

But I know this is truly just
the beginning for you.

Truly.
Thank you.

I have my vision back now.

You guys have helped me be able
to start to see

What this house
is supposed to look like.

Before the raneys,
we were drained.

Now this whole experience
of what we've been through

Has rejuvenated,
I think, all of us.

We see that everything that
we wanted to do is possible.

-Okay.
-Okay.

♪♪

Oh.

♪♪

-Oh. What a...
-Oh.

Okay,
now everybody's crying.

-Oh, my god.
-Got misty, too.

Come.

[ Voice breaking ] my parents
have gone through so much

Over the last couple of years
just with the house,

And, I mean, I've seen
how stressed out they are.

And it's nice to be able to see
them work so hard together.

They haven't been so happy
in such a long time.

See you later.
Misty: love you, guys!

-Thank you!
-Thank you!

[ Engine starts ]

♪♪

Hey, "homestead rescue"!

It's all of us.

Wendy: our garden
is going really well.

You can see some of
the red tomatoes.

I've made
some herbal-infused soap.

We've got plenty of drainage.

All the berming is done.

Should be a much more
comfortable winter

For us out here this year,
so we're very grateful for that.

Wendy: the rainwater has done
a beautiful job

In filling the pond up.

It is so amazing.

Together: thanks, guys!