Building Off the Grid

Laura Williams is on a mission to build an off-the-grid home in the desert outside of Tucson, Arizona. Together with a group of volunteers, she'll build an earthen three-dome home completely by hand. The team battles a steep learning curve and Mother Nature in a race to finish before the scorching Arizona summer arrives.

A young cabin builder creates a one-of-a-kind cabin in upstate New York during the harsh winter months. Because of the new and complicated design, the crew must adapt to the environment, work efficiently and leave no room for mistakes. The end result is the ultimate off-the-grid cathedral in the Catskills.

A couple builds their off-grid dream home on a remote mountaintop overlooking the Southwest Montana backcountry. Together they've dreamed up a mountain base camp that's high tech and suits their outdoor lifestyle, but in this far-flung location where mother nature rules, they will be pushed to the edge and beyond.

Beau Dunavant bought a piece of land in Tres Piedras, New Mexico, as a gift for his girlfriend, Samantha Inman, where they can build a home made of mostly recycled materials and dirt. They plan to construct a modest, self-sufficient structure, but with blowing dirt, blistering sun and freezing temperatures, they may have underestimated the power of the desert.

A creative family builds a custom home where the mountains and desert collide in Colorado's last frontier. The dream project quickly turns into a job when the harsh terrain combines with the demanding pace they've set for themselves.

Adventure seeker Joey Caiafa sets out to build a mountaintop hideout outside of Leadville, Colorado. He enlists the help of his friends and an architectural designer to trick out the solar-powered space, but missed deadlines, brutal weather and multiple injuries could bring the build to a halt.

A Colorado couple attempts to build one of the most energy-efficient homesteads in the state. Mother Nature and bleeding edge technologies give them a run for their money as they race to complete their high-end alpine lodge before winter hits.

New York newlyweds escape the city to build their first home upstate in a secluded part of the Hudson Valley. Utilizing timber felled from their own property, they plan to craft their own tiny house completely off the grid, but the persistent weather, demanding pace and unexpected setbacks threaten to derail their honeymoon project.

Innovative designer and builder Graham Hill sets out to transform a steep Maui jungle plot into a 600-square-foot, hi-tech dream home with multiple moving walls and other space-maximizing features.