EXCLUSIVE: ‘Building Outside the Lines’ Star Finds Very Quirky Solution to DIY Dilemma Hidden in Plain Sight in His Backyard

Most renovators make a run to the hardware store to purchase the right supplies for a project, but for “Building Outside the Lines” star Jared “Cappie” Capp, sometimes the most rock-solid building materials are found hidden in plain sight at his expansive family property in South Dakota.

Capp, 48, alongside his stepdaughter, Alex “Sprout” Headley, 17, take on all manner of unorthodox building projects in and around their hometown of Spearfish, SD, on their hit Magnolia Network series.

So far on Season 3, which debuted Dec. 30, the innovative father-daughter construction team has turned a 120-year-old granary into a retail store for goat milk-based products and created a scenic dock surrounding a grounded sailboat—all in the middle of the landlocked Mount Rushmore State. 

Of course, thinking outside the box is par for the course for the “Building Outside the Lines” pair, though Capp and Headley become stuck on a particularly hard design challenge on the upcoming episode of the Children’s & Family Emmy Award-nominated show.

In an exclusive clip from the upcoming episode, titled “Floating Island Oasis,” Capp sheds light on his problem-solving process during a trip to Granny Flats, the 3-acre property that’s been in his family for three generations. 

In addition to housing three separate unique structures that are available to the public as short-term rentals, Capp’s personal property is also home to his special collection of raw materials that naturally blends in with the landscape.

Capp arrives on scene carting a dolly, hopeful for a solution to the latest construction conundrum.

“The storm has blown over, and it’s another beautiful day here in Spearfish,” narrates Capp. “I’m starting the day at Granny Flats in search of something that will keep this build from drifting off course.”

The custom project Capp and Headley are working on is a large floating platform that can be launched—and easily retrieved—from a lake. 

The clients who made the request are a brother-sister duo who envision a buoyant structure that’s big enough to accommodate their entire extended family so they can hang out in the sun, go fishing, and have a place to rest in between swims in Iron Creek Lake.

Capp and Headley plan to make a 20-by-20-foot raftlike structure that includes ample seating, a fishing nook, fire pit, and mechanism for shade, but are initially unsure how to keep the floating island retreat from drifting away.

“So Sprout and I decided we want this island to stay put,” says Capp. “We thought about a couple different things.”

Among the ideas was a traditional metal anchor that Capp sourced on the Internet before his creativity kicked back into gear, and he realized the best solution was just a stone’s throw away.

“I looked at some anchors online and ultimately decided that wasn’t much fun, so I’m going to use a big rock,” shares Capp.

With that revelation, Capp heads to an enormous collection of rocks piled atop the property’s spacious grass area. Located between a smattering of mature trees, the rocks appear to be part of the natural terrain, yet Capp reveals he’s been curating the special stones for more than a decade.

“This is a rock pile I’ve had for 15 years, and every time I pull a stone out I just keep adding it to the pile,” he explains before detailing how he’ll engineer one of his prized stones to hold the retractable lake retreat in place.

“The idea is to take one of these larger rocks that’s big enough to keep the island in place and drill a hole in it so we can epoxy a stainless steel eye bolt into it,” he says. 

“We’ll tie that off to a rope, and that’s what they’ll use to drop overboard and tie off to the island.”

With the mechanics all worked out, Capp admits he must now just “find the perfect rock.” 

As he sorts through dozens of beige-colored stones, he seems pleased with the options.

“So like if you cut the bottom off of that so it was flat, that’d be a fun one,” he says. “This is a good one.”  

Yet, aesthetics aren’t the only consideration. There are structural elements that Capp must also factor in to his selections.

“The challenge with rocks, you never know when you get halfway through drilling this, you could hit a fissure, and it could just bust in half,” he explains. “So I’m going to pick a couple of options, and then I’ll just take them back all back to the table and we’ll start cutting on them and see what we can come up with.”

Having left no stone unturned, Capp is seemingly satisfied with his haul and is ready to tackle whatever construction rockiness lies ahead.

“Building Outside the Lines” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Magnolia Network and streams the next day on discovery+ and HBO Max.