What's goin' on here,
I don't see a homestead.
This is the remnants
of our A-frame cabin.
This is your house?
[Shannon Turo crying]
We went all in. All our
money, all of our effort.
It's shocking
how little usable,
flat land there is here.
[Shannon] There's bears,
mountain lions, wolf packs.
It might be the saddest
homestead I've ever seen.
[Marty Raney] Welcome
to Washington mayhem.
[shouting] Clear!
-[Matt Raney] It's sliding.
-[Jason Turo] Oh.
-[Matt] Oh!
-[Misty Bilodeau]
It keeps sliding!
-Hold on!
-[Marty] Well... Well,
don't lose it!
[Misty] Oh, no.
It's gonna take all of us.
[Marty] Every second counts.
Quick! Quick! Quick!
Wedge it! Wedge it!
[Marty] We definitely
have never done
anything this aggressive.
Now they have a chance...
Nice cut!
...to restart their
homesteading dream.
I can somethin' in my chest.
I realized I'm happy
probably for the first time
on this property.
[Marty] Once upon a time
in a land far, far away
called Washington,
a little girl grew up
on a farm, a homestead.
And then, I grew up two miles
away from that little girl.
We met at a pond,
and the rest,
as they say, is history.
Because had we not met,
you wouldn't be here.
-[chuckling] Was
it a good story?
-I liked it.
This is really pretty
out here. It's pretty rocky.
It's gonna be challenging.
Yeah, big country
here and wild.
[narrator] The Raney's weave
through rugged hills six miles
outside Colville, Washington.
It's a densely forested area
known for its lumber
production, and a variety
of towering trees.
Including cedar,
ponderosa pine,
spruce and Douglas fir,
which provide cover
for the region's dangerous
predators and plentiful game.
The area is hit
by up to four feet
of snow during winter,
heavy rainfall year-round,
and has summer months
hotter on average,
than most of the state.
It is in this
harsh environment,
that a homesteading couple
struggle to survive
in a ravaged ravine.
Hi! We're the Turo's!
[Shannon Turo] My name
is Shannon Turo, and this
is my husband, Jason.
Well, in November of 2020,
we bought our 13-acre parcel
out in the forest.
We were drawn to this property
for the trees, for the creek,
we loved the A-frame
that came with it.
It was the whole appeal of it.
The way the whole
thing looked.
The spiral staircase,
and it just... It really
pulled you in.
It looked like
it could be perfect,
but it went downhill quick.
We had some rot
in the framework,
unlevelness of the house,
itself, and infestation.
Bugs, wood ants, they've taken
over most of the A-frame.
[narrator] Due
to the ravine location
on their 13-acre property
engulfed by a cliff and trees,
the Turo's quickly found
it impossible to farm
on land that funnels
dangerous wildlife
right onto their homestead.
There's all sorts a animals.
There's bears, there's
mountain lions, there's,
uh... Quite a few wolf packs.
It's been very difficult
to clear the land.
The lack of space
has definitely
impacted the garden.
If the Raney's don't show up,
Shannon and Jason won't
make another winter out here.
[Jason] We need the Raney's
to come in here and teach us
the homesteading life.
[Shannon] I don't think we'll
be here much longer...
not without some help.
[Marty] You guys see anything?
[Misty] I see a pile a junk.
[Marty] I don't
see a homestead.
Are we at the right place?
We're the Raney's.
-[Jason] I believe so.
-Okay.
-I... I believe this is...
This is the place.
-And...
-So, uh... Mi--
-Jason.
-Jason.
-Shannon.
-Shannon.
-Mike.
-Mike, nice to meet ya,
Marty Raney.
-Nice to meet ya.
What's goin' on here
because, um... I don't see
a homestead, frankly.
This is the remnants
of our A-frame cabin.
[Marty] You bought this
property with that there?
-Well, it was...
-There was a structure.
It was framed up to be an A.
Time has shown us
it was not fit to last
any longer,
and it pretty much
turned into nothing.
[Marty] This is a new one.
We've never shown up
on a homestead where
it looks like we're too late.
This is your house?
-Yep, this was
a 900- square-foot house.
-It was.
[Misty softly] What?
[Shannon] Jason and I have
been together for almost ten
years and married for two.
Shannon and I's first year
married together
in our Anaheim,
California apartment
was not the greatest.
[narrator] The stressful
hustle and bustle of city life
wasn't the only thing
influencing the Turo's
want for a fresh start.
[Shannon] When I
got sick I was 18.
It started in my back,
but it actually... It kinda
more came on like a flu.
I went from 120 pounds
to 89 pounds,
and I had severe pains.
So, living in the busy city
with bad air quality
and no space,
it went from bad to worse.
So, I wanted to be
outta the city.
The first time I saw the 13
acres it was very exciting,
and there was so much hope.
Looking out at all the trees
in the valley, I knew this is
where I wanted to call home.
My first knee jerk reaction
for Shannon and Jason
when they were
talkin' about this,
I was ecstatic.
With the A-frame, we were
just gonna remove some carpet.
[Shannon] And then,
that's when we found
all the damage.
In the corner
of the A-frame,
it was all rotted out,
and then there was
just damage to the floorboard.
The drywall, the insulation
was just filled with flies,
and so much mold damage
that it came out in pieces.
We found more rot,
and more damage
that just kept
continuing forward more
and more and more.
[narrator] After
months of trying
to salvage the A-frame,
and with the Raney's set
to come help the Turo's,
tragedy struck the homestead.
The house collapsed on itself.
It went
from everything we have,
to we have nothing.
So, Jason, myself,
our dog and two cats
are currently living
in a 16-foot travel trailer.
[Jason] It's the most cramped
thing I've ever been in.
Stir craziness is the most
understated way to explain it.
I've been through cold
temperatures before,
but living through
the winter in the trailer,
it hit negative 15 degrees.
It's a cold I'll never forget.
[Jason] Between
the predators in the area
and limited success
growing some vegetables,
and us being
not prepared enough
to be able to raise livestock,
the situation on the homestead
has gone from bad to worse.
Sorry.
Our main goal was to create
a place for our family,
and to raise
the next generation.
Our homestead
is absolutely not in...
In a place to raise a family.
We put everything into it.
We, ugh... Went all in. All
our money, all of our effort.
We're close to losin' it all.
Not a lotta hope left.
We definitely need help.
We're, uh... We definitely
need some help.
Have you guys been
tryin' to grow food?
Is there livestock here?
The main priority
has been this.
I did start a small garden,
but we didn't
bring any livestock.
There obviously is a lot more
going on on this homestead.
I think at this point,
we pair up with each of you,
and we kind of get a grasp
on this homestead.
[Marty] Describe
to me the first time
you drove up here,
and came around that corner,
what did you see here?
I saw my future.
I saw a house that I could
live in with my wife
and start a family.
I... I saw the homestead.
Um... We were
both excited on that.
[Marty] Now, what do you see?
Nothing, I call this
my ever living nightmare.
As somebody who tries
to say they want
to put forth for their family,
and... And be able
to give, I... I feel like
I don't do that at all.
What are the chances you're
gonna be here a year from now?
I can honestly say that
the minute the first snow
hits the ground,
if we can't have
a structure that isn't
a one season trailer,
we won't be able
to make it this winter.
I'm not really sure if I've
ever seen a homestead
so... helpless.
[sniffling] That's how I feel
all the time right now,
very helpless.
That couldn't have
described it better.
[Misty] There's
not a ton of flat ground
-on this homestead.
-[Mike Walker]
I know, there isn't.
[Misty] Oh, wow! Oh, wow!
-There's things inside!
-Shannon. Yeah,
Shannon's attempt... She's...
That's pretty good.
She's paid attention,
but she needs some things
to kinda make it easier.
There's no flat spot
for her to be able to grow.
-[Misty] Yeah, I noticed.
-[Mike] Right?
And her attempt
at tiered gardening.
-[Misty] This
is her tiered garden?
-[Mike] Yes.
-Between the heat
and the drought, um...
-Growin' some berries, maybe?
-[Mike] Exactly,
she's tryin'--
-This is not even flat.
-I'm, like, on my tippy
toes right now.
-[Mike] Yeah, yeah.
This grade is steep.
So, her tryin' to water these,
you can see what the issue is.
-Yeah, this terrain
is a challenge.
-Yes.
-Huge one.
-Huge.
For 13-acres, it's
shocking how little usable,
flat land there is here.
When you choose
to homestead
in the mountains,
every problem
you're faced with intensifies.
So, for me, it's like,
you don't have 13-acres,
you have, you know,
They bit off a lot right here.
It's pretty much
starting over...
Starting from scratch.
-From scratch.
-Yeah.
[Matt] This
creek is beautiful.
-[Shannon] It's a nice spot.
-[Matt] And as far
as wild animals go,
I guarantee you,
this is the game trail
super highway.
-[Shannon] Oh, yeah.
-Did that thought, er...
Crossed your mind?
-Oh, yeah, that's
why she's sittin' here.
-[dog barking]
-[Matt] Okay, so--
-She's my early
warning system.
I'm always interested
to hear if there's
any predation problems,
like predators?
So, I did see a bear comin'
home from work the other day.
-[Matt] Okay.
-It was a...
It was a black bear.
You saw a black bear?
I was comin' home, and it...
The bushes movin', and I was,
like, oh, what's that?
And it was black, and at first
I thought it... She got out,
and I was, like, oh, no.
-[Matt] Ah.
-But, then it came
the rest a the way out,
and I was like, oh,
that's a bear!
And, then off it went
right up the rest of the way.
This part of Northeastern
Washington has bears,
there's wolves.
-[wolf growling]
-[Matt] This homestead
has a predator and prey,
and that prey could be
a protein source.
What are your thoughts
for, like, providing protein
on the homestead?
We do want livestock,
and being able
to have our own protein
on the homestead.
Have you thought
about, maybe, trapping?
Neither one of us
kind of have that knowledge,
and we haven't necessarily
had the time to go out
and learn that.
This homestead,
it's in a tight, little valley
with a creek at the bottom,
and nothing but trees.
I mean, this is the promised
land for wild animals.
They got everything out here.
But I think it's good
to set sights on the fact
that a ton of animals,
a lotta protein already lives
on this homestead right now.
Thanks for showin'
me around.
All right, Luna, let's go!
[Shannon chuckling]
Of course, she's gonna go.
[Matt laughing]
She's gonna pull
me up that hill.
Welcome to Washington mayhem.
This place
is completely crazy.
And it might be the saddest
homestead I've ever seen.
[exhaling] We need to get
these guys under a roof.
And for that to happen,
I'm gonna need everyone's help
even if they have
to pull people off of projects
to make it happen.
I couldn't imagine focusing
on a greenhouse or livestock,
and not focus
on the big elephant
in the room, for sure.
They need a house,
yeah, it's huge.
But they also need
to use this land,
and use all the resources
that exist on it.
Right now in Washington,
it is trapping season,
it's hunting season,
animals, they're already here.
I would like
to do something for them
as far as food's concerned.
Also, the amount
of trees that are here,
it is the logging community.
This is the place where you
could build anything.
I think we can do it.
We have to do this.
They need a fresh start
with a clean slate.
Nobody's gonna be able
to do it by themselves,
it's gonna take all of us.
[narrator] Taking advantage
of the trees around
the timber lined homestead,
Marty will attempt to build
a wooden structure
from scratch
to get the Turo's
and their pets out
of the unlivable trailer.
To provide the Turo's
with a large, year-round
garden, and maximize sun,
Misty must overcome
the homestead's steep,
heavily wooded,
and heavily shaded slopes.
Then, work out how
to get water up
to the enlarged growing space.
And with the forest teeming
with vicious apex predators,
Matt must determine
whether relying on local game,
or introducing livestock
is the best option.
The Raney's,
along with a small build crew,
have one week
to bring a home back
to this desperate homestead.
[Marty] So, here we go.
Right now
in my peripheral vision,
I see plastic, I see debris,
guess what else I see?
Your dream somewhere
in that rubble, is that true?
Yeah, without a doubt.
We are gonna get you a home.
We definitely have never done
anything this aggressive,
and when we start
working tomorrow morning,
every second counts.
-Yep.
-Absolutely.
-That's it! See you then.
-Perfect!
-[Marty] Good.
-[Misty] See you guys
in the morning.
-See ya!
-Have a wonderful night.
[narrator] In Washington's
rugged wilderness,
as a new fall day dawns
on the Turo family's
13-acre homestead...
[Jason chuckling]
I don't know what
to expect, oh, my God.
...Shannon and Jason
wait by the remains
of their old cabin
as the Raney's arrive
with a vital piece
of equipment.
[Mike] Look
what they got there.
-Oh, man, what...
-Wow.
-Good mornin'.
-[Shannon, Jason and Mike]
Good Morning!
[Jason] I was not expecting
to see a... A sawmill
to say the least.
Only somethin'
I coulda dreamed
of actually getting to use.
There's no way we would
be able to get all
the lumber we need cut
in this short amount a time
we have on this homestead.
[Marty] Start
unhookin' it, please.
So, the fact that my dad
has brought in a sawmill
is really the saving grace.
Darlin', thread
it through, please.
-Sorta like-
-Hey, wait a minute!
Are you good at sewing?
Yes? Okay, sew that
through that. Good job.
Thread the needle.
See if you can
thread that needle.
-What's gonna
hold that in there?
-[Jason] I don't know.
Exactly.
-Now, put it...
No, pull it, kid.
-[Matt] Pull it tight.
-[Marty] Pull it towards ya.
-[Matt] Pull it tight.
-Now, do you trust that?
-Yeah, logic says so.
Let's see if it works!
Up!
-[Shannon shouting] Get
your platform ready, Jason.
-[Marty] Yeah, hold on.
-[Jason] Yep, I'm ready
whenever he goes.
-[Marty] Now, come in.
-Down!
-[Shannon] I mean,
it's heavy, dad.
-[Matt] There we go.
-[Marty] Oh!
This wrench... This
wrench worked. I love it.
[Marty] This
homestead's covered
with one a the best
building components
in all a North America,
the Douglas fir tree.
Why's it so good?
It's strong.
It doesn't shrink,
or split, or check...
Okay, bring it down.
...and if you plant one,
it comes back pretty fast.
[Matt] This is a circle,
but we're gonna
turn it into square
dimensional lumber.
-So, I got ten inches.
-[Jason] Yep!
This right here is gonna be
how many 2x10's we
can get outta this log.
All we gotta do
is start this thing up.
-[Jason] There you go
-[Matt] Whoo!
When you're in the log,
just go real slow,
but then pick up the pace.
[Jason] Seeing my dream
A-frame in a pile of rubble,
is heart crushing,
but now I'm here
with my full 100% effort,
and that's all I can offer
in hopes that maybe
something will be up
by the time they leave.
-Let's see if it's
cutting straight.
-I'm ready.
-As plum as it can be.
-Oh, my gosh!
I don't... I don't think
you could get any
more level than that.
We're doin' really good,
and you're a pro, man.
Thank you, I...
I try my hardest.
All right, stack
that board over there,
we'll cut some more.
[Misty] Your dad mentioned
somethin' pretty interesting
to me, you were from where?
Orange County, California.
-So, you're a long ways
from the ocean right now?
-Oh, yeah.
[Misty] And what made
you move out here?
I got sick.
I have continuous chronic pain
in my hands and my feet.
I have really
bad coughing fits.
All of a sudden I'll
start coughin', and then I'll
start vomiting from 'em.
[Misty] Oh, wow.
So, at 18 years old,
I got sick to the point
where I was hospitalized.
It's a lot like a sharp,
electric kind of burning pain.
They ran tests,
put me through everything.
I said, "Well,
what do I have?"
"We don't know."
So, we moved up here,
and I've just been
kinda goin' since then.
Being more physical,
and the fresh air, and just
the environment up here.
I... Overall, I... I'm doin'
better than I was down there,
so that's another reason
-it's so hard for us
to consider leaving.
-Yeah.
We have a homesteader
who's health fully relies
on this type of lifestyle.
So, I'm tryin'
to wrap my head around
how I can help Shannon.
I'm a firm believer
in food is medicine.
The importance of you
having fresh produce,
is more important than
your average homesteader.
But there's
some definite concerns.
Not a ton a sun, 'cause
there's so many ponderosa
pines that are huge,
and as far as water's
concerned, it's gonna
be a challenge
getting it up the side
a this mountain.
So with your permission,
what I would like to do
is start down
where your driveway is.
If we kinda just cleared out
a little bit more for that sun
southern exposure,
it would help,
and also fix this grade,
that erosion problem...
-[Shannon] Mmm-hmm.
-...to get this
at a better slope,
and then put
in giant terrace beds.
That's what I wanna do.
I love it.
[narrator] To create
a viable garden space,
Misty will clear trees
on the sunny mountain side,
and install terraced
garden beds that will help
provide produce year-round.
I know how important it is
for Shannon's health
to live this type a lifestyle.
I also wanna be able
to give her a good,
clean food source,
but most importantly,
we wanna give
these homesteaders a home.
Thank you for bein' honest.
It does matter to me,
and that's why we're
gonna do it.
-You ready?
-[Shannon] Ready.
-Okay, let's do it.
-All right.
-[Misty] Are you excited?
-[Shannon] I am.
[Marty] This debris has to go.
[narrator] Back
at the rubble pile...
[Marty] The good news
is Matt and Jason
have figured out the sawmill,
we've got logs on it,
they're cutting big timbers
for a new home.
No place to put
that home, why?
A huge pile of debris
from their last home's
in the way, and it's gonna go.
So, here we go.
We start over
for the second time,
in this exact same spot,
and try to put the home
back in homestead.
Would I rather build
a brand new house, or would
I rather remodel a house?
I would rather build a brand
new house. Clean palette,
start from the beginning.
Now, they have a chance
to rebuild and rebuild
their homesteading dream.
Moved everything that
was a headache
out of our way.
They've made it a completely
level spot in what feels like
just a few minutes.
And it's just... It's
nice to see it go.
It's definitely nice
to see the pile go.
[Jason] We have to
take a little toilet
and dump it in town.
That's not sanitary.
Here comes the truck.
[Matt] Oh, my God.
-He's sliding.
-[Matt] Oh, oh.
-[Misty] He's sliding.
-[Jason] Oh, my God.
I'm gonna have to
stop watching.
[Jason] So, we did
have a well drilled.
[narrator] Before he can
embark on the foundation
for the new cabin,
Marty investigates
the homestead's water system.
Do you know how deep it is?
It's 120 feet deep.
And it does produce
up to 15 gallons a minute.
I ran it into the shed here.
There's a pressure tank
inside of here
with some, some insulation
that I just tried to use.
-Let's look at it, please.
-[Jason] Of course.
So, our pressure tank
and connections are all
inside this shed here.
[Marty] When I first rolled
on to this homestead,
I looked around and I thought,
"Wow.
"Did a b*mb go off?"
However...
I see a pressure tank
plumbed and wired.
-You did that by yourself?
-I did do that by myself.
I'm really impressed.
Well, thank you.
I appreciate the compliment.
[Marty] ...he's much more
competent than I thought.
That's good news.
That dude's gonna be
my right-hand man.
I mean, that's
an amazing well.
You should be
the cleanest homesteader
on planet Earth.
-Yeah.
-[Marty] So,
where's your shower?
What are you doing
for a toilet?
As you can see there, it's my
Porta Potty.
We, unfortunately,
have to take
a little three gallon toilet,
take that and dump it into
a 30 gallon reservoir tank
that we can put in the back
of our truck we have.
And we take that to town
and dump those.
[Marty] I'll tell you,
straight up, that's not...
...sanitary.
I need to talk to my kids
and we'll rendezvous
a little bit later.
-Sounds good to me.
-Fair enough?
Of course.
[Matt] All right, Mike.
[narrator] Deep
in the woods...
[Matt] A lot of projects
are up, up,
up and away.
...Matt and Shannon's
father, Mike,
meet with a local
trapping expert
familiar with game
in the area.
-How's it going?
-[Matt] How you doing?
-[chuckles] Hey, man.
-Good.
-So...
-Mike.
-Mike? Hi, Mike.
-This is Mike.
Dustin has lived here
for a long time.
-Yep.
-Born and raised?
Yep, born and raised.
Here we are, and all heck
is breaking loose.
I think I need some help.
I've heard about this guy,
Dustin. He's one of
the better trappers around.
And I think he'd be
an amazing resource
for the Turo family,
and he'd help me out a lot
to figure out what's going on
in this homestead.
Born and raised.
Has an amazing mullet.
[all chuckle]
The Raneys found out
I was kind of an outdoors guy,
and I trapped and I hunted.
So, they invited me
to help these homesteaders
figure out how they can be
more sustainable
and live off this land
that they have.
[Matt] I'm really
interested in protein.
What you can eat
that's walking across
this property--
-Yeah.
-...right now.
So, there's probably gonna be
a lot of rabbits around here.
[narrator] Wild rabbits
originally came from the
southern European mainland.
They were first tamed
in 600 AD by the French,
where they were prized
as a meat source.
Rabbit and hare meat
are excellent sources of iron,
which help make healthy blood
that flows through our bodies
and provides energy.
The act of rabbit trapping
dates back
to medieval times...
-[screeches]
-[narrator] ...where a hawk
or a falcon would be used
to catch a rabbit
as it exited a burrow.
European rabbits were
first documented in
Washington state in 1929,
but are believed to have
been in the US since 1875.
More than half of the world's
rabbit population
now resides in North America.
[Matt] You have some traps,
let's go set 'em up
on the edge of this property.
[Dustin] Yeah, we'll get
a lay of the land.
See what's out here.
-Sounds great.
-All right, cool.
[Dustin] I see we got
a little scat here,
a little sign.
Right up here
by this dead tree,
this might be a good spot
to lay a rabbit trap.
-[Matt] All right, right here?
-[Dustin] Right here.
And here's our trigger,
and here's our pan.
You step on that...
-[snaps]
-[Dustin] Oh.
-Trapped rabbit.
-[Matt] Yeah.
-[chuckles] That's like
a pressure plate.
-[Dustin] Yep.
[Dustin] Okay, so,
we got our lettuce.
Couple of chopped up carrot.
[Matt] The crunchier
the better?
[Dustin] Oh, yeah.
If I was a rabbit,
I would eat it.
Make sure your carrots
aren't rolling
underneath your pan,
-back here.
-[Matt] Yep.
[Dustin] I like to cover
the bottom of this trap
so they don't feel the grates
on their feet.
That's a good tip.
I like that one.
[Dustin] I think we've
set our first trap.
[Matt] Well, that's exciting.
[Dustin] All right. I think
I see us another spot
for our other trap,
right up here.
[Matt] We'll come back
within 24 hours and see
if we caught anything.
See this?
Remember the first two boards
-cut down the middle?
-Yeah.
Now, we're in the process
of pulling them in.
They're gonna serve
as form boards,
and we're gonna
fill all this with concrete.
The smartest thing you can do
on any construction project,
whether it's a doghouse,
chicken coop,
or the Taj Mahal,
is have a solid, square,
flat foundation.
So, the outside is gonna
be, at least,
probably 12 inches deep.
That's what we want here.
Otherwise, we might
end up with...
...the Leaning Turo of Pisa.
The truck's on its way,
and I'm gonna need help.
All right,
before we do anything,
I want you to do something.
See if this foundation,
which is the most
critical part of any home,
is level. Let me know.
[Jason sighs]
-Oh, my gosh.
-This one is...
[Jason] Well, coming from
the last place that was here,
and having known
that it was out of level
as much as it was,
it's nice to see something
that's actually
gonna be balanced
and not have to worry about.
Okay, guys.
You're looking at plastic,
-and you're looking
at bare ground, right?
-Yep.
Why do you think
that plastic is there?
[Jason] I'm gonna say
it's gonna be
a moisture barrier.
[Marty] He's right.
There's a million people
out there, that have
mold along the bottom
of their house,
because they didn't
have a simple
piece of plastic
to create a vapor barrier.
We're gonna
lay in this in here.
This foundation,
it's gonna have
a vapor barrier,
it's gonna have rebar
in the perimeter.
It's going to be strong.
-Good job, good job,
good job.
-[Jason] Perfect.
I like it.
Here comes the truck.
[Marty whistles] Whoo!
Hear that?
All right, so,
the concrete truck,
it's on its way
with about 18 yards of mud.
However, a concrete truck
has never been
to this property.
And this land is not level.
This could be difficult.
-So this truck,
time is money.
-[Jason] Yep.
[Misty] Every second
this truck is here
costs us money.
Nobody stop moving.
Whatever my dad
is shouting at you,
just do it.
-Okay.
-[Misty] And hopefully,
at the end of today,
you'll have
your new foundation.
[Matt] My dad's
gonna go ballistic
from here on out,
but, hey, just don't
take anything personal.
And as long as we keep moving,
my dad's gonna be happy.
Okay, can this concrete truck
get in here?
Is he gonna make
the angle turn right there?
-Yeah.
-Is he gonna slide?
I think he needs
to come in this way.
[Misty] I think my dad's
guiding him.
-[Shannon] I think he is, too.
-It looks tight, though.
He's gotta go forward
another 10 feet.
He needs hand signals.
Dad. Dad! He needs
to go forward 10 more feet.
-[Matt] I mean,
it's still heavy.
-Yeah, we're...
I'm gonna have to
stop watching, 'cause...
He getting himself
into a predicament
he might not be able
to get out of.
Oh, Jesus.
And he started to get
a little, little sideways
and a little more sideways.
This truck is ready
to just flip over
at a moment's notice.
It is like a train wreck
just ready to happen.
It's gonna slide.
It's sliding right now. Watch.
-It's sliding.
-Oh, oh.
-[Misty] He's sliding.
-[Jason] Oh, my God.
-[Matt] No.
-[Misty] Hold on.
No.
[Jason] I think they're stuck.
-That was not good.
-Yeah.
[Misty] Move back
just a little bit.
-[Matt] He's sliding.
-[Jason] Oh, oh.
-[Matt] Oh.
-[Misty] He's sliding.
-[Jason] Oh, my God.
-[Matt] No.
[Misty] Hold on.
[Matt] No.
[Jason] I think they're stuck.
[Matt] Jason's seen
vehicles sliding down
this driveway before.
And this is
their worst nightmare.
-[Misty] Just beware--
-[Marty] I'll do it.
[Matt] That Excavator is big,
but is it big enough
to move that truck?
-Oh, no.
-[Matt] Oh, my God.
[Misty] Watch out, watch out.
-[Matt] Ooh, okay.
-[Jason] Here we go.
There's a lot of things wrong
with what's happening here.
[Misty] Back up,
he's coming right here.
Back up.
Oh, he's got it now.
That was crazy.
God, I'm stressed out now.
I need, like, a drink.
[Marty] Pull it up.
Pull. Good girl.
Pull it, pull it,
pull it, pull it.
-[Jason chuckles]
-[Marty] You got a boot on,
do it. Do it, do it. Good job.
[Matt] Every time concrete
trucks are coming,
my dad usually
just goes insane.
Quick, quick, quick!
Matt, get on the board!
That way, that way,
that way, that way.
Did I hear, while we were
pouring concrete,
both of my kids say, "Yeah,
my dad goes from Dr. Jekyll
to Mr. Concrete
"every time we pour mud?"
Yeah, I heard it.
But what they
don't understand,
when it comes up the driveway,
and it gets dumped
on the ground,
it's just a matter of time
before it turns as hard
as concrete.
Start pulling it,
get it over here.
Don't be shy, don't be shy,
go for it.
Hey, if you pull too much out,
I'll crap more in.
-Let's go.
-[chuckles]
Not joking. Let's go.
[Shannon] It's going good.
-I'm happy to be a part of it.
-You got any mud on ya?
I do.
Let's go.
[Matt] Even though
we all have
different ways of approaching
this concrete pour,
we still all
work well together.
You know, no matter
what my dad says,
it all just means,
"Let's get this thing done
"and get that truck
out of here,
"and not waste any time."
This looks amazing.
-Are you confident?
-[Jason] Yes.
-Then finish it.
-All right.
This is crazy. We just did
the foundation to our house.
Lot of work
but it'll be exciting.
-[Shannon] I'm excited.
-Yeah.
I'm excited to see it
as it cures.
[owl hooting]
-[Marty] Hey, guys?
-[Shannon] Yes.
[narrator] With four days
left in the rescue,
Marty identifies
a health hazard
that requires
an urgent solution.
So, we've been here
a few days.
Let's revisit this.
-[softly] Yeah.
-[fly buzzes]
-Crazy?
-[Jason] Oh, yeah.
That's your life, though.
-[chuckle] Oh, yeah.
-That's our life.
[Marty] What happens
when that thing gets full?
[Shannon] The top pops off,
you take the bottom part,
and we have some septic totes
over there.
Carry it over.
You unscrew it,
and you dump it in the tote.
We hoist it into
the back of the Ranger,
and we take it to town
and dump it.
[exhales] This system
is unsanitary.
We always say, you know
you love the other person
if you handle their,
their crap.
-So...
-You always say that?
[chuckles] We started
saying that.
Okay. Let me know the next
time you're gonna say it.
-[both chuckle]
-Yeah. Exactly.
When I roll on to a homestead,
and I see there's
a lady of the house
that's using an outhouse,
and she has to
handle that poop
before it makes it to
the gas station
drop off point,
it goes on my radar.
How are we going to solve
the number one and
number two problem
on this homestead?
That's a problem
that I wanna fix.
-[exclaims] Nice.
-[laughs]
-[dog barks]
-An actual toilet.
[Marty] Right there. Gentle.
Thank you very much.
[Shannon] The heaviest
part of it.
-[Marty] Thank you.
-[giggles]
[Marty] That's the exact
placement. Here, have a seat.
-Exactly, right?
-[Shannon giggles]
-[Jason] Pop a squat.
-[exclaims]
-[Marty] Oh, wait.
-[Jason chuckles]
-Let me get that for you.
-Well, thank you.
-Have a seat.
-[Jason] Thank you, let me...
You're fine, sit right there.
Buddy. How does it feel?
Like a throne.
-[chuckles]
-Amazing, isn't it?
Exactly.
So, before we got here,
we have permits in place,
engineers in place,
that have designed
a septic system
for this structure.
[sniffs]
[exhales]
[Marty] It's gonna go about
a 100 feet.
It'll be a legal distance
from the well.
It'll be installed by us,
with the oversight
of the engineer,
-per Washington state.
-[Jason chuckles] Yeah.
[Shannon] She's already
trying to drink...
And, um...
-Before we leave here--
-[sniffs]
...you will have
a flushing toilet right there.
-[Jason] Thank you.
-[laughs tearily]
[Jason] Definitely
not taking a,
a single toilet flush
for granted again,
'cause it's...
If this one property
taught us, is that
necessities are not a given.
They're, they're
definitely earned.
Part of this plan is to
hook that well up
to this home.
Gonna get me going again.
Shannon's been struggling
on this homestead now
for too long.
I'm thinking that
she needs a safe haven
to use the bathroom.
It will be healthier.
This home is going
to have water.
[Jason] I'm so excited to
be able to not
have to go outside
when I need
to use the restroom
or, or have to go into a shed
to turn on a faucet
and plug a hose in
every time I want water.
I... I'm just excited
for that potential future.
So, absorb that.
I gotta get to work.
[Shannon sniffling]
-[Misty] All right.
-[narrator] Later that day...
[Misty] Let's cut down
some of these trees.
[narrator] ...Misty
and Shannon begin the work
to make room
for a growing space.
Just go with
all the little stuff,
I'll cut down
the bigger stuff.
But it's all gotta go.
-[Shannon] Okay.
-[Misty] Let's do it.
We're gonna
split up a little bit,
so we're not falling trees
on each other.
Lots of trees have to go,
just so you have
a clear space.
The good news is
what comes down
we can repurpose.
I'm not as good as my dad.
If I fall a tree on you,
don't be surprised.
-Just kidding.
-[Shannon chuckles]
Timber!
[Shannon] It means
the world to me
to think that Misty is willing
to really push
to get me a really good
garden space.
With the way things are going,
moving back to the city
is slipping farther
and farther from our minds.
-[cracking]
-[Misty] Oh, God.
-Oh, no.
-[crashes]
-[cracking]
-[Misty] Oh, God.
-Oh, no.
-[crashes]
[Marty] What's going on?
[Misty] I hit the shed.
-Let's go look at it.
-Yeah.
-Come on, let's go.
-[grunts]
[Marty] Come on down.
Let's look it over, please.
Probably should have let
my dad cut this one.
[Jason] Hey, Marty. I think
she just broke the Starlink.
Yeah. That's unfortunate.
Not happy right now.
[Misty] I'm sorry, Jason!
[Jason] It's missing
a back panel now.
The back panel was surrounding
all the motors, right there.
It's now on the ground.
[Marty] Okay. Let's look
at it. Let's look at it.
[Shannon] When the panel
came off, it just cut off
our only access
to the outside world.
[Jason] We're so far out
that there is no
cell phone service.
So, for us,
the satellite internet
is our lifeline.
If something was
to happen to us,
our only way to call 911
is through that, right there.
So, how do we check and see
if this is working or not?
I'm gonna have to
get a generator going,
and get it plugged in to
-120 volt.
-Let's do that.
And then, I'm gonna try to
get the tree off the shed.
-Okay.
-Here you go.
-Sorry, sorry.
-Thank you. Thank you.
Yeah, um, I'm gonna need
five minutes to myself.
Just to chill.
'Cause... I'm not pleased,
right this second.
[Misty] Holy moly.
I feel really bad, 'cause
I know their emotions
are, like, here.
And then, you know,
a thing, like this...
You just don't wanna, like,
be at that place
with a homesteader.
[Marty] You think
I haven't hit a house,
a car, a shed in my life?
You're crazy.
But, right now, we gotta
get it off the shed.
-[Misty] Okay.
-Ready?
Is that gonna
hit anything else?
-[Misty] No.
-Clear.
Okay.
[sighs]
-[Jason] Listen...
-I'm sorry.
[Jason] Things happen.
Things happen.
We're gonna fix it.
I feel terrible. I'm sorry.
[Jason] We'll see right now.
Should be good. I'm just gonna
tighten these a little bit.
[Misty] Right now, Jason
is checking on the Starlink.
Hopefully it works,
because without it,
they have no contact
to the outside world.
[Jason] The show's online
so I think
it is still working.
I don't think
it damaged anything.
[Misty] This is working.
Why don't you and Shannon
take a break?
-We're probably going to.
-Just take a break.
[grunts]
I often say
no one's made more mistakes
on a homestead than me.
And today,
I hope Misty
learned her lesson.
[grunts]
Falling the tree
on land that is
perfectly level,
perfectly flat, is dangerous.
But falling trees
on steep ground
is more dangerous.
Oh, Misty.
You forgot something.
[Misty chuckles]
I'm moving away from the shed.
It doesn't like me.
[Matt] This is a game trail.
[narrator] 100 feet
from the homestead,
Matt and Shannon
inspect the animal traps
placed the day before.
So is that a big part
about trapping,
is making sure you go back
and check your traps?
You gotta check...
In this state, you have
to check a live trap
every 24 hours,
within 24 hours.
[Shannon] Matt and I
are checking the traps.
I'm hoping to see
something in a trap.
Just something.
[Matt] Something's in there.
-Okay.
-You wanna see
what's in there?
-Yeah, let's go see.
-Okay.
Oh, yeah.
It's a pack rat. Oh, my gosh.
It's actually...
-[Shannon] Oh, wow.
-You see it in there?
[Shannon] He's huge.
Almost looks
like a chinchilla.
The tail's fuzzy, too.
-Yeah.
-Which a lot of them
don't have those, like,
-little, fuzzy tails.
-[Matt chuckles] Yeah.
You seen all
those holes, everywhere?
Like down, I mean,
around your property?
-[Shannon] Yeah.
-[Matt] That's all pack rat.
[Shannon] Okay.
I was hoping for rabbit.
And I got rat. [laughs]
[Shannon] Rabbit
would have been tasty,
but just getting
to see something in it
was pretty neat.
I'm really glad
that we caught something
so you could see
just how useful
a trap like this is.
[Shannon] Well,
it's kind of fun
to get to actually see
-what makes all the holes.
-[Matt] Yeah, right?
This homestead has
all kinds of wildlife on it,
but right now,
we're only able
to trap pack rats.
And last time I checked,
nobody was eating
pack rat burgers.
So, that's not gonna work.
I want you to be able to
have food on the property.
You wanna bring livestock
on the homestead.
Yes, I do.
It's been
one of the main goals,
even before we got out here.
For livestock,
there's quite a few things
I've considered.
I know ostriches
are kind of my main one.
Ostriches, can use
every inch of them.
Their leather
is very expensive,
their meat is delicious.
[Matt] Trapping
is only gonna be
-a supplemental
protein source.
-Mmm-hmm.
I'm gonna build
a future livestock pit.
-Really?
-Yeah.
[Shannon] Thank you.
Sorry, I mean...
It means a lot
you're doing that.
I'm still trying to get back.
[Matt] Shannon is interested
in raising ostriches,
and that changes everything.
Their homestead is
on the side of a mountain.
There's a ton of wild animals,
including predators.
But from what I know
about full-grown ostriches,
they might be hearty enough
to be able to withstand
the predators
and make it out here
on their own.
So I'll build the pen,
and they should bring in
those ostriches.
Look how cute it is.
[Shannon] I was gonna say,
he's pretty cute.
[Matt] This isn't anything
that we need,
so I'll get my buddy Dustin
to release this.
We're gonna let him go.
[Shannon] Sounds good.
[Marty] Clint, up!
Sit them back, please.
[narrator] Later
that afternoon...
-[Matt] Have you guys
done this before?
-[Marty] Thank you.
[narrator] With logs mined
and stripped,
it's time to build.
But there is one big decision
to be made first.
[Marty] Thank you.
Unhook it right there.
Okay.
It takes time
to cut trees down,
log them to the mill,
mill those trees,
and produce lumber
to build a house.
I'm behind schedule,
but it is time
to tell the Turos
what style of cabin
I have in mind.
So once upon a time here,
somebody built an A-frame.
You saw pictures.
You fell in love with it.
We can build you
an A-frame log home.
Perfect, that'll...
-That'll be beautiful.
-A-frame log home?
-That'll be a one of a kind.
-[Shannon] Yeah.
-A-frame log home.
-[Jason] Yeah.
[narrator] Using mostly trees
harvested from the property
as well as some minimal
locally-donated lumber,
Marty will create
a distinctively designed
A-frame log home
on the newly finished
cement foundation.
Do you like A-frames?
I think they're A-okay.
[Matt] "A-okay." No,
she's putting in one-liners.
-That was
actually pretty good.
-[Shannon chuckles]
[Matt] No, that was great.
[narrator] The A-frame style
is popular across the world,
from farmhouses in rural Japan
to the ski chalets
of Switzerland.
Their designs allowed
for heavy snowfalls
to slide off pitched roofs
and provide attic space
for storage.
In 1934, the first known
vacation A-frame homes
in the United States
were built
in Lake Arrowhead, California.
The A-frames of today
are affordable, compact,
thoughtfully designed,
and often zero emission
or off-grid.
[Marty] This couple fell
in love with an A-frame,
only to discover that A-frame
wasn't suitable to live in.
Goal is to leave them
with a solid, structural
A-frame,
one that'll be here
for a long time.
Let's marry it, please.
Looks like we're getting
the "A" set up
for the fabrication
of the house.
So, should be interesting
to see where it goes here
in the next few minutes.
You got it.
Seeing that first "A"
haul up in the air
and get to know
that there's gonna be
a beautiful,
one of a kind A-frame,
that even for us is
gonna be miles ahead.
We're super excited for it.
Does it feel strong and beefy?
-[Misty] Strong and beefy.
-[Shannon] It does.
I think this'll be here
for a couple hundred years.
I'd personally love
to be able to pass this
onto kids one day.
I wanna...
Is there something I missed
that I need to know?
-[Shannon] Yes.
-[Jason] So this was
kind of our, like, holdup
from being able to kind of
start a family
was not having a home
to really start a family.
So we've put
a lot of that on pause,
a lot of our life itself
on pause.
He was very adamant
he did not want me
pregnant in the trailer.
Wow, to actually think
that there's posterity
happening in your minds
right now
is good thought, great thought
for us, motivator.
[Shannon] I'm very hopeful
in the very near future
we'll be having a child,
especially with the progress
and the way things are
moving forward.
I'm definitely looking forward
to having a little mini
Jason around.
He's so cute,
a little tiny version of him.
Mmm, just so cute.
I'm excited for this,
being able to stretch
in my own house...
-Oh, yeah.
-...'cause I don't like having
to go outside to even stretch.
And, uh, how's
your hands, everybody?
-I think we're all
a little, a little dirty.
-How's your resume?
-Not as nice as yours.
-Oh, yeah.
-What happened to you?
-I think we all got a little
bit of something, so...
[Marty] Now if that
doesn't say homesteading,
nothing does, huh?
[wolf howling]
[Shannon] I absolutely
feel terrible.
[narrator] A new day brings
new challenges.
[Shannon crying]
[Misty] These last couple days
on the homestead have been
pretty stressful,
and right now,
we're just about to start
this terraced garden,
but Shannon isn't
doing so well.
[Shannon] I just don't ever
feel I tried hard enough.
This illness can be triggered
by a lot of things.
Stress is number one.
[Jason] Shannon, I think
you need some bedrest.
Shannon over the last
couple days has been
really working so hard.
Trying to put in
as much effort as she is
does take a toll on her.
[Shannon speaking]
[sniffles]
[Misty] When it comes
to Shannon's health,
it's such a huge reminder
for the Raneys
that there's no room
for failure.
We have to make
this type of lifestyle
work for her.
[Marty] Okay, we're going up.
[narrator] There are less
than three days left
in the Turos'
homestead rescue.
[Marty] I love it. Whoo!
[narrator] As Shannon rests,
Marty and Jason accelerate
work on the A-frame cabin.
[Marty] So, to stay
on schedule this afternoon,
it's critical that we get
all of the A-frames up
and start that
interior framing.
Thank you!
Okay.
Hit one in.
Come on back.
Go on the roof.
Go on the roof.
I personally am super excited
that Marty's included me
in the A-frame
and letting me help build it
and being a part of getting
everything put together.
It'll be a nice legacy
to move on with.
[Marty] Okay, so...
The bad side of an A-frame
is head room.
So right now, you come
through the front door.
You walk over,
you can't go to the edge
of the building
because you don't have
the head room.
Unless you do this.
You go to the outside of it
and build a framed wall,
vertical with lots
of head room,
and then run the roof
from the top of this
and go to the very top
of the A's.
So it'll come off
the top of the A's,
go to the top of this.
All kinds of room in here.
[Jason] Marty's vision
for the A-frame cabin
is definitely one
of my favorite things.
He's really worked
on accommodating
for somebody of my size.
I'm a little bit
over six foot tall,
and with the degrees on it,
it makes it hard for me
to walk down into corners,
and he has really worked hard
to make it so that I myself
will be able to utilize
as much space in there
as possible.
We've cut one, two, three,
and now our last
fourth A-frame.
But getting the tops
to marry perfectly
takes a lot of time.
There's a gap
about, oh, three-sixteenths.
That one's about
a half an inch.
So if I just take
this chainsaw
and I run it through this cut,
if I all the way through
hit that board down there,
run it all the way through...
...then I have just cut out
what's restricting
those two tops
to come together,
to marry perfectly.
Watch that gap.
Perfectly together.
One saw cut makes me a hero.
Please, thank you.
Today was good.
We got a lot done.
But there's still
so much to do here.
We've got to keep going.
Okay. It's coming together.
[narrator] Over
at the garden site,
Misty shows
the newly-terraced space
to a rested Shannon.
[Misty] You're looking
at your new terraced
mountainside garden.
-It's so flat now.
-It's so nice, right?
Shannon's feeling
a lot better.
I was able to prep and get
all the dirt work done,
and now we're finally ready
to start putting in
the terraced garden beds.
You have to retain
all this dirt with logs,
at the same time,
creating the raised beds.
So we'll try and get up
as high as we can
on the mountainside.
But for right now,
you're in the sun
all day right here.
The garden design
Misty came up with,
she couldn't have
pulled it out of my head
and threw it on paper better.
We're on a very sloped
property, so your only option
is incorporating them.
I always kinda envisioned
using the slopes
to my advantage.
I know entire cultures
use slopes in gardens.
[narrator] The terraced garden
technique has been in use
for over 12,000 years,
first utilized
as an ancient farming
method in hilly regions.
In the southwestern US,
terracing was key
to the agricultural success
of Native Americans
such as Anasazi
and their descendants,
the Hopi,
who still use
terraced gardens today.
[Misty] We got forks
and we're good to go.
It'd be cool
if I picked up both.
Let's see how weird this gets.
There you go.
Okay, walk me up there.
I can't see my fork.
Tell me when
I'm gonna hit a wedge.
[Shannon] All right,
drop them.
Do me a favor.
Try and wedge it.
Just throw it in there.
Be careful.
Wedge it! Wedge it! Wedge it!
Just muscle it in. Come on.
[Shannon] Whoo, that hopped.
At this rate, if it takes
one bed per day,
that means we need
six days to finish,
and we only have three.
I mean, at this pace,
I just hope I finish one.
Ugh, there's just... [grunts]
There's no good footing.
-We haven't built one.
-We'll get it,
we'll get it done.
[Misty] So I'm gonna push it.
Shannon, grab this other wedge
and put it in when I say.
There you go.
Give me some wedging. [grunts]
Get it in there.
At this pace and at this rate,
I mean, I definitely don't see
how we're gonna finish
this outdoor garden space.
It's not easy.
I'm kinda like,
"Geez Louise." [laughs]
-Oh, well, you know,
Louise is my middle name.
-Is it?
Is your first name "Geez"?
It ought to be
after this property.
We need to get
a little more dialed
-and just, like, keep moving.
-Sounds good.
-Let's move over.
-All right.
-[Matt] Hey, Mike, you ready?
-[Mike] Yeah.
[narrator] Up the hill,
Matt gathers
Shannon's dad, Mike,
for the final critical project
on the homestead.
Okay, the most precious
resource on this property
is flat ground.
Yes, it is.
There's only so much space
on this homestead.
My dad's building
a house on it.
Misty's building a garden
on a slope.
I see a little spot
just above that.
I need to branch off
and see what I can do
with the rest of their land,
because right now,
they have no food source
on their homestead.
-I want us to clear out
some land right here.
-Sounds good.
Let's fire them up.
Okay, so it's time
to take this big one down,
-and we're gonna go uphill.
-All right.
We've got an excavator
backing us up.
-You're gonna be on wedges.
-[Mike] All right.
Wedge, right in the middle.
Don't go all the way in.
Hit it hard.
Keep going.
Okay.
The tree's not gonna wanna
go back this way.
But if you do it too much,
sometimes you can snap
the hinge off.
Clint, you ready to push?
All right.
[Matt] Timber!
Good to go.
We have three logs
that are over 18 feet
that we're gonna get
just from this one tree.
And we do have a sawmill,
and none of this
is going to waste.
It's all building materials
for the homestead.
We've been milling
a lot of our own lumber
to get these projects done.
But we've been very fortunate
to have lumber donated to us.
And because of that fact,
I'm gonna make a space
on our flat area
and build a 10x10 structure.
[narrator] Matt's vision is
a closed-in ostrich paddock
where they can roam freely.
This will include
a 10x10-foot structure
to keep them sheltered
during the winter months.
[Matt] Ostriches are
gonna be a great fit
for this homestead.
A full-grown ostrich is gonna
have no problem surviving
up here in this climate.
They are hearty.
And they're tough enough
to defend themselves
against any predator that is
in the State of Washington.
It's looking good,
and we're making
good progress.
[Misty exclaims] Whoo!
[narrator] With less
than 36 hours to go,
Misty and Shannon race
to make more headway
on the terraced garden.
[Misty] This is
really difficult,
but I love terraced gardens.
Okay, see how we're scribing
and notching them?
So we'll just roll it in place
and we'll stack them
to be able to deal
with this grade.
They're the retaining walls
and the garden.
You're starting to see it...
You're starting to see it
take shape.
-All good?
-I like the two-for-one.
I love it.
[Misty] You've really gotta
hand it to Shannon.
She is the hard worker.
You combine that
with somebody that has
some health concerns,
and it's inspiring.
So much work was done.
It's amazing.
We have four
of the six beds in.
Two more are gonna go
up above.
We'll fill them with topsoil
and we've achieved the goal,
which is terracing,
um, this bank
and using these beds
as retaining walls
and as garden space.
[Shannon] It's starting
to look really good
and come together.
[Marty] Thank goodness
for storms that blow
trees down.
[narrator] In the forest
by the A-frame build site,
Mother Nature provides Marty
with an exciting idea.
We found this cedar tree,
and we're gonna incorporate
that into the A-frame build.
If a tree falls in the forest
and no one's there to hear it,
did it really fall?
I don't care,
because I'm more interested in
that tree's already
on the ground,
and we're gonna repurpose it.
I'd love to set this
right over there.
It's the first cedar log
that we've actually processed
on the property.
This cedar is gonna
probably feel real easy,
but we want
all the hair off of it.
Okay.
It's super exciting to know
that Marty's gonna be
taking advantage
of the trees on our property.
He's gonna be able to use it
to make something beautiful.
The Raneys have really started
throwing out there
and teaching us along the way.
It has been
quite an experience.
I have felt
quite a range of emotions.
But I am the kind of person
that does like to learn
under pressure,
and sometimes
that is the best way.
First of all, there's no way
in 10 lifetimes
I would've done
that good of a job.
-Thank you.
-Dead serious.
It was a lot of hard work.
You don't complain,
and every time
I look over there,
you're working.
You're not taking a break.
You know, you don't have
something else to do.
I really like that.
I got a lot of confidence
back today
knowing that somebody
who's been doing this
and lives a life like this
would compliment the work
of somebody who's...
This is the first time
I've ever had to really dive
into anything like this.
What's next?
Please power-wash that thing.
-Perfect.
-All right, so carry on.
Marty let me kinda see
where I want to go with it,
and honestly,
I'll probably clean it up
just a little bit more.
But I kinda like the way
it looks real raw
going into the base.
-[Marty] You see
the top of those A's?
-[Jason] Yep.
This is gonna be
the ridge pole.
That thing right there
is gonna be going
right through the center
of your house, end to end.
That's gonna be
hanging off this side,
visible to the world.
Why? 'Cause it's
a piece of art.
-Oh, yeah.
-You want it or not?
This'll look beautiful
in there.
We're threading
the needle now.
Hey!
Thread the needle, please!
Drive around
through your neighborhood,
and you'll see that the houses
kinda all look the same.
Not out here.
Not on this homestead.
We're making an A-frame,
and the center beam that
goes down through the roof
holding everything together
will be a full-length tree
right out of the forest
including the roots.
Is it safe, man?
We got enough screws
in this thing?
Two inches!
Yep!
[Jason] There we go.
He's got it now.
That's about center
right there, yeah.
[Marty] Guys, pay attention,
pay attention. Coming through.
Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!
Misty, your dad's crazy.
[Marty] Perfect. Get me a saw.
Marty, so far,
he's really shown
his true colors
of what a craftsman
he can really be
and utilizing all the things
around the property.
How's it look, too weird?
Looks good.
-[Marty chuckles] Really?
-Oh, yeah.
[Marty] Good job. Amazing.
I think that's it.
[Matt] We are ready to go.
Clear!
You guys are tough.
Whoa, whoa, whoa,
don't lose it, don't lose it.
Brace for impact.
We are doing
everything that we can
to turn Jason and Shannon
into actual homesteaders.
We have the form boards
in place.
I milled them
from this property.
Ostriches are big.
They will literally bulldoze
straight through any fence...
that you throw up.
[laughs] So we gotta
build this thing
to be able to allow ostriches
to live here comfortably.
[narrator] The largest bird
in the world, ostriches,
can grow up to 9 feet tall
and weigh up to 320 pounds.
Their legs are
efficiently angled
so they can reach speeds
up to 40 miles per hour.
Great early warning systems
with their loud cries,
ostriches have also been known
to k*ll adult male lions
with one kick from
their powerful legs.
And ostrich's egg
is 6 inches in diameter
and can weigh up to 3 pounds,
which provides the equivalent
of 24 chicken eggs.
[Matt] I want the fence
to be tall.
[laughing]
Okay.
Ground is way too hard.
What I thought was gonna
be an easy...
just pound some posts in
with the skid-steer
is now turning into...
a little bit of a fiasco.
[laughs]
I need to fix this fast.
I think I might have
the solution.
The ground is not cooperating
so we've had to go
a little bit up the hill,
make the pen
a little bit bigger
for those ostriches.
And if everything goes well,
Shannon and Jason might
be in for a big surprise
very soon.
All right, 47 more to go.
[Misty] Our next section,
it needs to be 4'6".
[Shannon] Okay.
[narrator] Back at
the terraced garden...
Misty and Shannon
have four beds complete
and work to get the final
two beds placed.
Nice cut!
Here we go.
I got the little end.
Shannon and I are getting
to a point in this build
where I have this Idea
I need to run by her
that I think
she's gonna love.
Okay, so, this is where
things get fun.
These top two beds
are a little different.
They're gonna be
these massive cold frames,
which is these raised beds
with a glass lid.
So when it comes
to southern exposure
and creating these little,
mini greenhouses,
this is where
all the plants will start
and then they'll move
down the mountain
throughout the summer.
I'm putting this makeshift
staircase together,
which is just these
half-logs in the dirt.
But as long as there's
kind of a stairway
up the side of
this mountainside,
terraced garden,
I think it'd be really
helpful for Shannon.
Come this way. Yeah, great.
I love it.
Dude, I think this is
like amazing.
[Marty] Get working.
[narrator]
With a little over a day
until the Raneys must finish
up on the Turo homestead,
Marty and his build crew
rush to get windows,
insulation and
steel roof panels
installed on the A-frame.
Timber!
Over at the garden site...
It's full and
it's holding water.
So that's good.
...Misty meets with Shannon
to check out
an abandoned water tank
and determine if
it's a good candidate
for the source of
an irrigation system.
How's the water?
Oh-h*, yeah!
I think we're good to go,
which is amazing.
You have water
for the garden now.
But there's no irrigation.
So we'll work on that now.
This is exciting.
We're to a place now
with the garden
where it's almost finished.
And we need to figure out
how are watering
this whole massive garden.
I have a pretty
out-of-the-box idea
I wanna run by Shannon
and see what she thinks.
So, Shannon,
you don't run to the store
every time you need something
on a homestead.
You try and make it.
I have this crazy idea,
which is to take the top
of this cedar tree.
I wanna turn it into
a dripline for the garden
and carve with a chainsaw
this channel down the length
and then drill holes into it
and just turn it into
drip tape.
-Sound good?
-Oh, I love it.
[narrator]
To provide irrigation
to the terraced garden,
Misty will gravity-feed water
from a repurposed water tank
via waterlines to individual
cedar log drip systems
in each garden bed,
which will water the gardens
slowly over time.
So we don't wanna do
and cut our notch
all the way to the end,
because it'll just
drip out the end.
So you wanna start
your notch about here.
Like something...
down the whole length.
What I like about this is
you can't really cut down
any cedar here.
They're protected in
this state.
But this tree was
already down.
And when it comes to it
being rot resistant
and this being a waterline,
it will really matter,
because this thing
will last forever.
So we'll drill some holes,
we'll pull a hose down
and we'll just kind of
test this thing out
and see what
we're dealing with.
Everything Misty has told me
from kind of the placement
to the water...
We're gonna center this
and we're gonna
build little notches
and we'll get this in
nice and level.
...all of the information
she's shared with me,
I definitely do feel like
I'm a lot...
farther ahead than when
she first got here.
You're gonna have the only
stick drip in the world.
Yeah. You're gonna
have to patent it.
[narrator] It's the final day
of the rescue.
Matt and Mike work to finish
the 10x10 foot ostrich pen.
Me and Mike are about to
put the final finishing touch,
which is a fence.
This is the last thing.
I mean,
we literally have hours
before we have to
leave this homestead.
Building the pen with Matt
is overly important out here.
I think Shannon and Jason
can handle just
anything they put
their minds to that can arise.
They're intelligent kids.
[Matt] Things are coming
together now with the pen.
It's been really nice
to see progress.
I think we're getting there.
Timber!
[Misty] We're gonna lean this
down there like this.
Right here on this wood.
Oh, my gosh. Nobody said
it was gonna be easy, right?
Ta-da! I love it.
Here we go.
All right, we're gonna
try and fill...
these last beds up
that have glass,
which is not easy.
Hoo!
These beds are unique.
They're cold frames.
We've added glass to 'em,
which intensifies the sun.
Right now, we read
It is definitely not
I came with a jacket on
this morning.
So they're working.
Pretty exciting stuff.
We have these
cold frames in place,
we have these level
terraced garden beds
and we have water.
Okay, Shannon, look at this.
-[Shannon] Wow.
-Look at this guy.
-Wow.
-You might be able
to take him.
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
I'm definitely feeling much
more like a homesteader
than when
Misty first got here.
I do feel like,
with the garden
and then the ability
to grow my own food,
it will be a much healthier
option for Jason and I.
I'm very excited to see it
come to fruition.
[sighs]
[Misty] I think when it
comes to you and your health
and the future of your family,
um, I just think it was
really important.
So it was like something
we had to push forward
and make happen.
I'm glad we're sitting
in your new garden.
[whispers] Yeah.
I'm a little shocked
there is one.
It's just I love it.
I love it, too.
I do feel like the weight
has been lessened.
The knowledge that I learned
while working on the garden
is just as meaningful as the
actual physical garden itself.
All of that knowledge is
going to definitely benefit me
in the future,
and I'm looking forward to
being able
to apply it on my own.
[narrator] Before, the Turos
had a tiny covered garden
with garden rows on
an uneven mountainside,
with no room for growth
and no watering source.
Today, they have a six-bed
leveled terraced garden,
complete with a series
of wooden stairs,
a gravity-fed
irrigation system
and cold frames to
protect two garden beds
from weather changes
year-round.
[Shannon]
Thank you for everything.
[Misty] You're so welcome
for everything.
I'm pumped for you.
You're gonna be able
to grow some food!
Thank you.
Good girl.
[narrator]
With only five hours until
the Raneys are wheels up
and with the
septic tank installed,
it's an all-hands effort
as Marty hustles to finish up
the Turos' new home
with the help of
a local member
of the Colville community.
This young lady, Crystal,
local girl,
who just told me
you live in an A-frame.
You think these homeowners
are gonna appreciate this?
What's your take on it?
I think they're gonna love it.
Going from a camper
to having a house,
they're gonna be excited.
-[Marty] Do they deserve this?
-Yes, they do.
They're young
and they've worked hard.
We couldn't have done this
in seven days without you
and this local community.
I try my best.
And I tried to bring as many
people as I could bring.
You know, just to help.
'Cause we are a community.
Come in the door.
Look up.
What do you think of
the loft you just built?
-I love it.
-Is it cool?
-It's cool.
-Yeah.
You gonna do my house next?
-[laughs]
-Let's finish this one first.
Come on.
[Shannon] Quick, everybody.
Herd up.
[narrator]
At the top of the hill,
Matt gathers the Turos
for a final reveal
of their newly-completed
livestock area.
It's time to show you
what we built here.
-Oh, my God.
-Wow!
[Matt] Here, I wanna go--
just get right
in the middle of it.
You can put anything in here.
-[Mike] Anything.
-You could raise a pony
in here.
Oh, 100%.
Compared to
what it was before,
I mean, it was just trees
and brush and, I mean,
you cleared a lot
to get it to this point.
I'm really stoked to show
Jason and Shannon
all the hard work me and Mike
did getting this pen done.
But I do have one question.
Can you really call this
an ostrich pen
if you don't have
any ostriches in there?
Open it up.
[exhales]
What?
[Matt chuckling]
[Jason] Oh, man.
Hi.
Hi.
You wanna go in?
-[Shannon] Oh, my God.
-You should go in.
-Hop over.
-Go on.
[chuckling] Hop in.
I don't know if I can
see where I'm going, guys.
There are little baby ones.
They are days old.
[Jason] Oh, my gosh.
[Matt] We've been working
on this really hard.
I've actually had some
like sleepless nights
on like how we were
gonna do this.
Oh, my gosh.
[Matt] These 10 ostriches
are yours.
I don't wanna see you cry
and be so...
This is-- this is happiness.
This is pure happiness.
I'm very excited
to see the ostriches there.
They're eggs are a great
source of protein as well.
And I'm looking forward
to what the future brings
with them.
Hi, little one.
[Jason] It's little.
Are you ready for this?
[crying]
Yeah.
I can't think of anything else
to say but yeah.
This is what we envisioned
a homestead being,
for sure.
[narrator] One week ago,
the Turos had no viable
protein source.
Today, they have a 10x10
ostrich pen
and an enclosed
fenced-in space
that will be safe from
the various predators
that roam nearby.
[Matt] I wanna introduce you
to Michael.
-Hi.
-Hello.
-Congratulations.
-Thank you.
This is your new friend.
-[Michael] Oh, yeah.
-Michael is going to help you.
I'm a phone call away
and I'm gonna set you up
before the end of the day
today.
Thank you. Thank you, both.
Matt's help with the pen
and everything,
it really helped us
get to a point
that would have taken us
a very long time
to get to alone.
[Jason] It is literally
the homestead everything.
-It's a dream starter kit.
-Yes.
So, guys,
we just installed this.
This generates 1,500
to 5,000 watts per hour.
Oh, my God.
When the sun's out,
all that heat is free.
It was actually gifted to you
by Arctica Solar.
That's so cool.
That's so awesome.
[Marty] When we rolled onto
this homestead,
we saw a huge pile of rubble.
However, one
challenging week later,
the Turos have
a brand-new home.
In fact, I wanna believe that
they can pursue,
now with a fresh start,
a homesteading dream,
bright future.
Sky is the limit.
Well, it's your house
and the keys are right there.
-Wanna go in?
-All right.
-Oh, man!
-Hold on, hold on.
Hold on.
You're not looking up.
[Shannon] Oh, wow!
Now I'm looking up.
-[Jason] Oh, my gosh.
-Wow!
[Shannon] I had no idea
the loft was coming.
It was quite a surprise
to see that Marty
had put the loft in.
Oh! I feel like I blinked
and everything changes again.
Marty definitely thought
something up for us
that we would never have
expected in, you know,
such a short period of time.
I'm definitely super-thrilled.
-Oh, my God.
-[crying] Wow.
[Jason]
Finally get a bathroom.
-Oh, my God.
-And there's a place you can
also wash your hands.
So does this help you guys?
More than words could
ever explain.
[Shannon] It feels like
I stepped out of a nightmare
and into a dream.
I can feel something
in my chest
and I realized I'm happy,
probably for the first time
on this property
since we came up here.
And that means--
That right there,
that hits in here.
I don't know if you know
how much you changed our lives
by everything
you guys have done.
-[sniffles]
-Yeah.
Knowing that the septic
and the toilet is in,
it's definitely a miracle,
to say the least.
Enjoy this moment for a minute
and I'll meet you outside.
[Jason] Okay.
Oh, my gosh.
A fireplace.
And actual fireplace
that doesn't leak.
-Yeah.
-A sink for us to actually
wash dishes in.
One that doesn't freeze.
[narrator] Seven days ago,
the Turo family homestead
was in a pile of ruins.
And they were living out of
a moldy seasonal trailer.
Today, they have a sturdy
A-frame cabin,
complete with a loft,
wood stove for heating
and functional sink
and toilet.
[both sigh in relief]
[Shannon]
The house is beautiful.
I love every bit of it.
We're so much farther
than we were.
It's gonna be such
a gorgeous place to live
and make a future.
One wild ride.
This would not have happened
if you two hadn't been
good workers
and invested in your dream.
That's a fact.
We're all tired,
but it's a good tired.
I feel good right now.
I... I'm happy.
Um, we haven't felt this happy
in such a long time.
The Raneys have really
given us that foothold
into being homesteaders.
And where we lost that dream,
they've really re-instilled
that, you know, you can still
make it happen.
Will you worry about your
daughter as much this winter
as last winter?
[laughs] No.
[all laugh]
Not at all.
They're set.
Thank you.
[Shannon] I definitely feel
like I'm closer
to getting my health
back on track
and getting... getting back
to a much better place.
You guys are so deserving.
You can't have people
trying to live their dream
and homeless.
And you guys,
you're the homesteaders
that really deserved this.
[Shannon]
It means the world to me
that the Raneys were able
to see a future for us here,
even when I think, at times,
we couldn't see it
for ourselves.
Did we put the "home"
back in homestead?
-100%
-Absolutely.
Put 'er there.
I can confidently say
we graduated
the homesteading 101 class.
-I want hugs, though.
-I'm going for a double.
[Marty]
We found these homesteaders
basically homeless.
However, together,
we have in fact built them
a brand-new home.
But guess what.
It's up to the Turos
to make it a homestead.
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10x05 - Rubble with a Cause
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City slickers get schooled by awesome hosts on their last chance to succeed off grid & survive off the land... among wildlife predators & natural disasters
City slickers get schooled by awesome hosts on their last chance to succeed off grid & survive off the land... among wildlife predators & natural disasters