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My name is Valerie Heath.
My husband, Matt, and I are tearing down our ugly,
Oh!
And replacing it with a paver patio.
Oh, my gosh.
We felt pretty confident
in our renovation skills...
I tried my giant muscles. Didn't work.
That didn't work?
so this project should be easy.
We can figure out anything we put our minds to.
I don't understand why it hates me.
So I'm sure we'll get this done in no time.
All your weight. Come on.
I'm putting all my weight. Ooh!
( Matt sighing )
MATT: Oh, no.
Oh, wow. What is this, you think?
Uh, I do not know.
VALERIE: This really sucks.
MATT: All right, you ever strip before?
Can't say that I have.
Here we go.
I'm officially a stripper.
( Matt chuckles )
MATT: We bought this house about 6 months ago.
We've been working on it ever since.
Yep.
MATT: We've done a lot to this house.
Basically, every square foot of surface you see has been touched.
VALERIE: We did a lot of indoor projects during the winter,
but now that it's warming up,
we want to get outside and fix that up for our entertaining.
I hate this deck.
This deck just isn't safe.
It's moldy, it's falling apart,
and it really just has to go.
There's a lot of holes, and the railing is very loose and very rickety,
so it's not safe for anybody to be on, really.
I'm pretty sure I could push it over with one finger.
Oh, she's not too strong, so it's--
I'm a powerhouse.
Yeah, she's a powerhouse.
VALERIE: We love to be outside,
so this is just unacceptable.
We need something that's a functional space.
MATT: The plan right now is to remove the old deck,
and we're gonna put in a paver patio.
VALERIE: Yeah, put nice built-in seating
and a little pergola area,
and a place that we can barbecue.
I'm excited to be able to use the outdoors again.
We've been cooped up inside all winter,
so I want to get out here and be able to enjoy the outside.
VALERIE: Our budget for this project is about $5,000,
and we're really hoping to stick to it
because we've got a lot of projects to do,
and we need all the money we can to put towards it.
MATT: Our timeframe for this project is about a week.
We both took off work so we need to get it done in that time.
VALERIE: Hopefully, we can get done in a little bit sooner
so that way we can actually enjoy the patio
instead of just using our vacation days to work.
VALERIE: We've got some DIY experience.
I think that I'm a pretty quick learner,
and Matt's really good at just telling me what to do.
Yep.
That's my role: just to tell her what to do,
even though I don't know what I'm doing.
So...if I can fake my way through it,
we can get through it.
So far it's been working for us.
Right.
VALERIE: Do you want biscuits and gravy?
MATT: Sounds good to me.
Can you put the biscuits on there?
It's the first day of the project.
We're gonna try to get a good breakfast in
before we do all the work.
What's your game plan?
We are going to tear off the deck
and excavate some dirt.
I'm getting kind of nervous but I'm also really excited.
Want to go outside?
Gonna go say goodbye to the deck?
The last day with it?
Good boy.
How long do you think it'll take us to tear the deck off?
I'm gonna guess an hour and a half.
Considering how strong I am,
I think I can just lift it off the house-- so like 5 minutes.
Eat fast 'cause I want to tear the deck off.
All right.
Let's do it.
The plan for today is to first remove the deck,
then we're going to excavate some of the dirt.
We got high hopes, and hopefully we can tackle all that in one day.
I have no idea.
Can I just rip off this front?
You should probably get--
Okay, that side.
Yes.
( indistinct )
You gonna kick it?
You want me to do it? I'm the muscle of this family.
Oh!
We're demoing the deck, it's going pretty smoothly.
Things are just kind of falling off.
It already looks better.
Maybe we should just leave it like this.
We're pretty happy with what we've got so far.
I think we're done. This is nice.
Back to work.
VALERIE: It's gone.
Oh, look, Fawn's found a froggy.
We have a new pet.
Come here.
He's peeing on me. Gross.
I found this little frog, seems a little scared.
He needs to find a new home, I think.
Go ahead, little guy.
So I carried over to our little wooded area and let him free.
( frog croaking )
VALERIE: All right, what next?
So the plan now is we're gonna take that skid loader
and get underneath this dirt.
You want to drive first or you want to watch me?
I want to drive first.
Feels so right.
This was my second calling, I suppose,
other than art teacher-- skid load runner.
That's a job, right? It's a real thing?
That's not real.
All right, so you can turn it on,
lift the bucket up, and start moving.
( engine revving )
Okay.
Oh.
I'm trying to get it to go up.
I'm pushing it.
Are you pushing it back?
Yeah.
It's not lifting.
I don't know how else to push the pedal backward.
There must be something I'm not doing correct.
I don't understand why it hates me.
( engine turns off )
VALERIE: I was really looking forward to driving the skid loader and running it,
but it's just not working for me.
Just want to take over the skid loader?
Yeah, let me.
Am I already having to ditch my skid loader dreams?
I'm pretty bummed.
Guess it's just not gonna happen for me.
All right.
The next step in the project is to use a skid loader to--moving some dirt.
I think I'm gonna be a little better than Valerie, but we'll see.
Oh, no.
Ah.
Oh, my gosh.
Is it supposed to be leaning forward like that?
Well, that was fun.
Not quite sure what I hit in the middle there,
but there's definitely something pretty solid in there.
Let's go take a look.
What is that?
Is there more?
Does it go, like, all the way underneath?
Uh, I do not know.
This is more cement right here, too.
Might actually be an old foundation to an old house.
Do you think it goes all the way through?
Hope not.
That's gonna be a major pain to get out.
I don't know. What do we do?
I'm not sure.
This is a problem.
MATT: We want to try and get this thing out now.
VALERIE: In the corner by the garage,
we have an electrical grounding rod.
And we're just gonna move it a little bit closer to the house.
I'm putting all my weight. Oh.
MATT: The next step in the project is to use a skid loader to start moving some dirt.
Oh, my gosh.
What is that?
Might actually be an old foundation to an old house.
I hope not...
'cause that's gonna be a major pain to get out.
I don't know. What do we do?
I mean, do we just leave it in there?
This is the same brick that's in that wall.
You've got to be kidding me.
We're looking on the ground right now and there's something definitely very solid in there.
I think it might be an old foundation.
This could be a pretty big problem.
If it goes the whole length of the house,
VALERIE: This sucks.
Should we get the dogs out here?
They can dig it.
Well, let's get what we can out of here,
Okay.
Whew.
And then getting this ground pretty level.
It's taking longer than we hoped.
MATT: Yep, I'm pretty sure it's gonna take all night.
VALERIE: Grab your shoes, grab your shovel.
Yes, ma'am.
This morning, I'm feeling pretty good. Ready to do this?
MATT: Last night, we got the concrete out of the yard.
And then the first thing we're gonna do this morning,
just bring in dirt and try to get it level.
VALERIE: Yep.
It's looking good.
MATT: Yep.
Do we need to remove it?
I just want to move it closer to the house so it's not a trip hazard.
In the corner by the garage, we have an electrical grounding rod,
and we're just gonna move it a little bit closer to the house
so it makes our patio building
go a little smoother.
How do you get that out?
Well, it's probably a few feet into the ground.
That's why I was wondering-- do we use a shovel?
Normally, I'd say we could just pull it out,
but this stuff is the stickiest of clay.
So what do you think we do?
We can try to... just pull it out with a...
With my giant muscles?
Yeah.
Not even close.
I tried my giant muscles. Didn't work.
That didn't work?
I probably loosened it a lot.
Well, I'm all out of ideas now.
I'll see if I can just pry up from here.
What are you gonna use to pry it?
This.
You want to step it on that there?
Okay.
All your weight. Come on.
I'm putting all my weight.
Yeah?
I'm like laying on it.
I don't know how else to put more weight into it.
All right, you just--
Ooh!
You come here and hold this.
I can weigh a little more than you do.
Oh, man, that's really in there.
It's not doing anything.
We're trying to get this grounding rod out.
It doesn't want to budge.
Put all your weight into it.
( chuckles )
Come on, all of it.
It's really stuck in there.
I think those 2 x 6s are a little bit longer.
It's worth a try.
Hopefully, this will get it sliding right out.
It's going.
It's moving.
This is our first success in the day.
Good job, babe.
Ta-da.
So what are we doing now?
We need more dirt here and more down there.
Okay.
Right now, back to moving dirt.
You get back to work.
Let me go play in some more dirt.
VALERIE: Look at that sweet mud pit.
MATT: Maybe we should just call it a mud wrestling pit and be done.
All right, where do we start?
I think we can start digging the holes for the pergola.
So the next step now
is to actually start digging the holes for the pergola.
This should be pretty easy.
Man, you're lucky you chose a girl with so many muscles.
( Matt chuckles )
MATT: I think I hit China.
Oh, no.
Oh, wow.
What is this you think?
There's some kind of a clay rock in there.
Oh, my gosh.
Do you think it's gonna be a problem?
Uh.
This really sucks.
VALERIE: Our next step is that we're gonna run the electricity.
All right, you ever strip before?
Can't say that I have.
There we go.
I'm officially a stripper.
My name is Valerie Heath.
My husband, Matt, and I
are in the middle of renovating our back yard.
Oh, my gosh.
But right now, we're tired of playing in the dirt.
MATT: Oh, no.
What is, this you think?
There's a clay rock in there.
Do you think it's gonna be a problem?
( Matt sighs )
This really sucks.
What are we gonna do?
I'm not sure.
This could be a problem.
( sighs )
We're finishing up digging the post holes,
and Matt'*** something pretty solid,
so we have to kind of figure out what it is
and decide if we can continue digging.
...know, I bet this is the piping that goes to the cistern.
I think you're right.
We've decided it's an old pipe
that used to lead to a cistern
that was buried in our backyard.
I say just keep breaking it up.
We do have to keep breaking through that
so that we can dig a little bit further.
So get out of my way, woman. I got more breaking to do.
Carry on.
I think we're about done here.
All four dug. Now what do we do?
Hopefully we can call a lending library
Okay.
MATT: The lending library is a little bit different
than a standard tool rental. We pay a yearly fee,
and we can rent as many tools as we need.
What if they don't have the compactor?
Ask if they will call us when it comes in.
The downside of that side
is we can't reserve anything,
so it's just matter of first-come, first-served.
If the tool's not there, we can't use it.
( phone ringing )
Hi, Jerry. My name is Valerie.
I was just wondering if you guys had your compactor back.
Is there any chance that you would be able to give us a call
when it did come back?
Or do we just have to keep harassing you?
Thank you very much, Jerry.
Bye.
At least they're gonna call us when it's available.
We have other stuff we can do in the meantime,
so it's not that big of a deal.
Okay, sounds good.
Let's get back to work.
Yeah.
VALERIE: Our next step is that we're gonna run the electricity
from the basement up into the kitchen.
That way we'll have a switch inside
that'll work the lights outside.
You want to drill a hole?
Sure.
So we're going to run the wire up through there,
Okay.
MATT: All right, I'm gonna go upstairs.
Just keep pushing.
All right, that's good.
Okay.
So we're gonna strip these wires,
put a switch in here, and wire everything up,
hopefully right the first time.
You just tell me what you need me to do, 'cause...
I need you to wire this up. Go for it.
Done.
Oh, that was fast.
You just bring a stripper in the house?
Not the first time.
( Valerie chuckles )
All right, you ever strip before?
Can't say that I have.
Here you go.
Going to press down like that,
and it'll slide right off.
Fair enough.
And punch yourself in the stomach.
I'm officially a stripper...
of wires.
MATT: Of wires.
All right.
Stripped.
I didn't know how much or how little.
I figured it'd be--
So these wire nuts are going to connect.
Just push that guy back in there.
That's our ( indistinct ) light switch.
Ta-da.
Want to go-- the lending library call again?
Yeah, it's a good idea.
( phone ringing )
Hi, Jerry. This is Valerie.
I hate to bother you.
I was just wondering if somebody had returned
the plate compactor, by chance.
All right. Thanks so much.
No compactor today.
I feel like we're at a standstill
We kind of are.
We'll just wait till tomorrow, fingers crossed?
MATT: Double crossed.
VALERIE: Okay.
VALERIE: What do you think?
MATT: I think we should call the lending library.
Yeah, they're just opening.
( phone ringing )
Hey, Jerry. This is Matt again.
I guess I'm just calling to see
if the plate compactor has come in, by any chance.
Just went out?
Yep.
I-- Okay,
well, that kind of puts us in a little bind.
I thought you were gonna give us a call when it came in.
We're calling the lending library,
and they're telling us the tool just went out to somebody else,
even though we told him to give us a call when it came in.
And I'm not very happy about that.
All right.
That stinks.
Can't believe somebody else got it already.
That is really upsetting.
What are we gonna do?
MATT: I think we should call the lending library
and see if that compactor is ready.
I'm just calling to see
if the plate compactor has come in, by any chance.
Just went out?
Can't believe somebody else got it already.
I can't believe it came in and went back out.
I wish we'd known 'cause we would have been there
first thing this morning.
Why didn't he call us last night
when he said he was gonna call us?
It's kind of ridiculous. We called the lending library several times
and we missed our opportunity
because he didn't give us a call.
It really sucks.
We can't do anything about it.
I feel like we just need to rent one.
All right,
Yeah.
We really needed a compactor this morning
before the hard rain comes in.
So I guess we're gonna gave to break down
and spend some more money on a rental.
You ready to do this?
I guess, kind of have to be.
All right, compacting mud-- seems like a fabulous idea.
We've got the plate compactor.
We're gonna attempt to compact this ground.
I don't know how it's gonna go.
It's been really rainy lately,
so it's really muddy.
Yeah.
I see it's really smoothing it out.
It's looking good.
( laughing )
VALERIE: Yeah, here I go.
I mean, I have no traction.
I can't even push with my feet.
The compactor's not working.
I'm putting all my weight on it.
I can't even get it to move.
Right now, it's not looking good.
Oh, yeah, looks good.
It's not gonna work.
This is just a loss.
All right.
Since we can't compact the dirt,
we're gonna actually pour some ( indistinct ) for a pergola.
So what we're gonna do is we're just gonna cut these here bags open.
Okay.
Yep.
Let's do this.
You look just like the guy on the bag.
Except awesomer.
All righty.
It's looking good.
Fantastic.
Ta-da. Concrete.
All right, so what do you say we clean up and call it a day?
Yeah, I think all we got to do now
is hope this dries out tonight.
MATT: All I want to do now is finish the patio.
( Valerie chuckles )
VALERIE: Omelets?
MATT: Yeah. I like omelets.
Today is the last day we have devoted to this project.
I'm a little nervous.
I think it rained pretty hard last night.
So how bad did it rain last night?
Sounded like a downpour.
I was sleeping like a log.
I kind of glanced out the window
and it wasn't looking good from there.
Yeah?
Omelet is ready.
Ta-da.
How's it taste?
Good.
Mm-hmm.
What do you say?
We got outside and assess the damage?
You want to do that?
All right, let's go.
Maybe there's an area that we can sort of work a little bit
if the mud dried out a little
but we'll just kind of assess the situation as we go.
Huh, this just looks gross.
I didn't know it was gonna get any worse
than it was yesterday.
MATT: This is pretty ridiculous.
We definitely can't get the compactor in here today.
Right.
How many days do you think
it'll take for this to actually dry?
This swampland?
We need at least one good day of...
Yeah.
baking sun a good breeze.
Not only is it soggy, but we've just got
so many pools of standing water. Until this dries out,
there's nothing we can really do.
Oh, it's just awful.
I don't think we're gonna get anything done today.
VALERIE: I don't-- I mean, there's nothing we can physically do in this.
Unless you want to do a Slip 'N Slide.
It's tempting.
Playing in the dirt was much more fun as a child.
Oh, my gosh.
Everything on this project was achieved by my huge muscles.
Do you want me to do it? I'm the muscle of this family.
You can try to just pull it out with...
My giant muscles?
My name is Valerie Heath.
My husband, Matt, and I wanted a new outdoor oasis,
but a mud pit is not exactly what we had in mind.
( chuckles )