EXCLUSIVE: ‘Building Outside the Lines’ Star Dives Into ‘Most Stressful Build’ Ever as He ‘Raises the Stakes’ at His Own Property

Magnolia Network star Jared “Cappie” Capp is used to fully immersing himself in the most unusual construction projects for clients on “Building Outside the Lines,” yet the building expert got in over his head during a special build at his South Dakota vacation resort.

The property, known as Shortgrass Resort, sits on 53 acres north of Spearfish, SD, and often serves as the spacious worksite where Capp, 48, and his stepdaughter, Alex “Sprout” Headley, 17, tinker, test, and complete their unorthodox projects.

But beyond being the setting for many “Building Outside the Lines” scenes, Capp’s Shortgrass Resort is also a fully operational public retreat. Since purchasing the property with his wife, Rachel, Capp added a farm-to-table restaurant and eight custom-built bungalows that have been available for guests to rent since 2024.

On the upcoming Season 3 finale of the show, which airs on Feb. 17, Capp dives into yet another upgrade at the resort—a pool—and immediately finds himself in deep water.

In an exclusive clip from the “A Natural Pool Oasis for All Seasons” episode, Capp reveals that while he’s “really excited about the progress” of the pool project, he also feels completely out of his element for the first time in his career.

“I was thinking about it last night,” he starts. “I’ve built huge custom houses. I’ve built things out of shipping containers. I’ve built things underground—this is probably the most stressful build I’ve ever done, and I think it’s because almost every single component of it is foreign to me.”

As Capp reflects on the job while driving in his work truck, he recaps all the ways this build is pushing him out of his comfort zone.

“We’ve done pools before, but never an in-ground pool,” he explains. “We’ve poured concrete. We’ve never done shotcrete.

"I’ve played with plaster and things, but I’ve never built fake boulders. So there’s all these components that are just a little different and new, and it’s been a big challenge. So this one is an exciting adventure for Sprout and I.”

Speaking to Realtor.com® ahead of the big pool reveal, Capp shares how filming a personal project for the series created more pressure than usual.

“Any time you add filming to a construction project, it adds complexity—it just does,” he says. “But when it’s your own project, everything comes back to you. With a client, you’re helping guide decisions.

"With Shortgrass, every decision was ours—financially, emotionally, creatively. And the camera doesn’t let you gloss over the hard parts, which definitely raises the stakes.”

The decision to add a pool to the resort’s growing list of amenities was not made lightly. Capp carefully considered how the addition could enhance the guest experience and further bring to life his vision for the venue.

“Shortgrass is a high-end, design-forward retreat in South Dakota that my wife, Rachel, and I built in the Black Hills around privacy, craftsmanship, and experience,” explains Capp. 

“It’s not a traditional resort, so it was never going to have a traditional pool,” he adds. “From the beginning, the pool was meant to be a gathering space and a visual anchor—something that felt intentional and central to how people experience the property.”

Ultimately, Capp came up with a plan to build an in-ground, heated pool that uses a biofiltration system instead of chemicals. The design of the eco-friendly pool also complements the beautiful natural setting of the nearby Black Hills.

“The biofiltration system is a big part of it, but so are the materials and the geometry,” says Capp. “The pool was designed to feel calm, natural, and truly built for our environment here in South Dakota. It’s not overly mechanical or flashy—it’s meant to belong to the landscape, not compete with it.”

As is the case with many renovations, Capp encountered plenty of challenges throughout the course of the pool build, some directly related to the local environment.

“Everything from weather to logistics to coordinating specialized trades in a rural location, and with a custom project like this, there’s no manual—you’re solving problems in real time, sometimes daily, and there were a lot of problems to solve,” he shares.

To help with the specialized requirements of the pool build, Capp leaned on others rather than troubleshooting issues himself.

“I learned—again—that you hire professionals to do a professional job,” he admits, before elaborating on his collaborative approach to the project. “Trust the experts, but stay involved. The best results come from collaboration, not control. And I’ve learned that good communication solves most small problems before they turn into big ones.”

Capp and his crew took their time to properly work through obstacles, which extended the original renovation timeline, but eventually led to the desired design outcome.

“From construction start to finish, it took a little over six months to complete, largely due to rain delays,” explains Capp. “Like most meaningful projects, it took longer than expected, but what mattered to us was getting it right, not just getting it done.”

Since completing the project, Capp tells Realtor.com he and his family have hosted “quite a few” pool parties.

“We’ve spent a lot of time actually using it—ending long days of filming, having friends over, and just enjoying being out there,” he says. “Whether it’s quiet afternoons or bigger gatherings, the pool does exactly what we hoped it would.”

Having officially crossed off the pool from his list of to-do’s at the resort, Capp is now ready to jump feet first into the next project.

“There’s always something brewing at Shortgrass,” he says.

“Right now, we’re focused on sustainability. The long-term goal is to make the resort completely off-grid through a combination of solar electric and micro-hydro. One of the next big projects is a 50-kilowatt solar array, along with expanding gardens and eventually adding animals to the property.” 

The Season 3 finale of “Building Outside the Lines” airs on Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. on Magnolia Network and streams the next day on discovery+ and HBO Max.