Building Off the Grid

John Beal is ready to leave the city behind and embrace a life off the grid in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. He hires Richart Sowa and his son Eden to build an eco-friendly private floating island made from recycled plastic bottles. Despite facing many challenges, Richart, Eden and the crew work to make John's dream a reality.

Off-the-grid contractor Gregg Smith battles the elements to build a cliffside retreat for a family wanting to reconnect in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. But for Gregg and his team, erecting this functional build in the middle of nowhere comes with its fair share of challenges. Will the harsh weather and terrain push Gregg and his team to the limits?

A realtor and his three children set out to build their dream home together on a wooded ridge top in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma. But they aren't building a conventional house. They plan to convert three shipping containers into an off-grid paradise. Follow the journey as they navigate the hardships of their remote setting and unorthodox construction project. Surrounded by stunning views and with a little help from friends, they'll build it all by hand completely off the grid.

A snowmobile guide and his wife build an off-the-grid cabin by the rivers and mountain ranges of their beautiful home state of Wyoming. The build includes a 272-square-foot cabin with a small shop and garage that are all constructed with zero fossil fuels, meaning no gas generators or grid power will be used and all of the heavy lifting will have to be done by hand. The team faces many challenges, including snowdrifts and visits from four-legged neighbors, but the five-week project will prove to be just as grand as the scenery that surrounds it.

Deep in the backwoods of Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota's premier off-grid builder Jared Capp sets out to turn four shipping containers into a stunning two-story mountain hideaway. The five bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms property will have a well for water, a living roof, solar panels and other high-end amenities. Getting the containers to the remote location will be challenging, however, and will require Jared to cut a road through the forest first.

With help from a team of friends, an avid outdoorsman takes on the challenge of building a cabin in the remote White Mountains region of Alaska. The crew must work through snow, wind and a whole lot of mud to haul materials and build the perfect cabin in just seven days.

After witnessing the demise of Casco Bay's Halfway Rock Lighthouse, history-lover and Maine native Ford Reiche now has the chance to return this American icon to its former glory. It will take barges full of scaffolding, brave masons and the cooperation of Mother Nature to pull it off, but there's nothing worth doing 'halfway' when it comes to Halfway Rock!

A young couple is leaving their Air Force to build a log cabin together and start a new life in the last frontier of Alaska. With only three weeks to make it ready before the winter, they’ll need all the family, friends and determination they can muster to get it done. Follow their journey as they endure the elements and long northern days to handcraft their new home from the ground up and completely off the grid.

A couple builds an earthen home in a remote canyon in Montana.