Bought rocky lot, created megalith home amid boulders
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- Steve Demarest took advantage of the huge boulders covering his land in the Cascade Mountains to build a home that is part cave and part megalith dwelling. The location was originally a cave where his children played, but when they outgrew it, he moved in with his tools and began to craft the rock into a shelter.
After an initial excavation, he found the space too small for a cabin so he built a stone hot tub and then continued to push back into the hillside.
After a month of drilling through an intersection of two boulders at the back of the cave, the rock “finally gave up” and Steve could move into a second chamber that would become the house.
Enclosed by huge boulders for walls, the space just lacked a roof. Demarest devised a spider web of steel I-beams attached to a center column to cover the space. Covered in waterproofing and insulating materials and finally, with dirt, the home is insulated from the region’s extreme winters and summers.
On the property, Demarest has also built a stone and wood cabin with one boulder wall and rock refuse of another. One summer, he and his son built a stream-fed, wood-fired hot tub underneath the shade of a boulder. Demarest admits it would be easier working with dirt or wood, but he feels challenged by the rock and wouldn’t have it any other way.
On *faircompanies faircompanies....
Never change how you make these videos. It's so refreshing to watch a channel without intros, fluff, self-promotion, etc. Keep up the great work. Phenomenal content
amen!
Thanks for that comment.
hard agree
Hear! Hear!
Absolutely agree!
The best part of this cabin-cave is all the memories of his kids growing up and playing there.
Real cavemen.
Truly Beautiful.
Yes, what a childhood!😄
@@markdemell3717 The modern day croods just my kinda living in a few years 🙌🏾🙌🏾
It'll always be a magical place for them
"Nature makes it perfect, I just like to personalize it" That's really cool. You've done a great job.
I was impressed by that also.
I loved that phrase too.
Perfect
Wo
That is a great idea. Thanks for expanding mine.
The patience and perseverance of this man is next level. What an amazing home.
chozen suroundings, try this around many people.
Patience and perseverance are also major traits of erosion!
One of my fondest memories as a child was visiting Robbers Cave here in Oklahoma. I loved exploring the caves and climbing the rocks so much that I never wanted to leave!! Your kids are so fortunate that they get to live their childhoods being able to explore,climb and live among the rocks!!
Hi there, I'm your Arkie neighbor. Used to take my horses to Robbers Cave for competitive trail rides. Beautiful area.
Robbers Cave is a very cool place!
You are the best when it comes to finding beautiful homes around the world. World class Journalist, film maker, and producing great content for viewers. Your success is just beginning. Your filmmaking will be remembered for generations. Sky is the limit😊👍
so true !
His resources alone are amazing. To have all of that at your fingertips ✨
His knowledge and the fact he shared this with his children is awesome!
Baby medical kidnap by hospital. USA is a video. see now. 2022.
Yesterday Idaho Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin appeared on the Stew Peters show and said that she had reached out to Governor Brad Little to intervene in the Baby Cyrus medical kidnapping case, but that he refused. Due to parents not taking the clotshot they took him away from his breastfeeding mother and are trying to give baby to a foster family. Baby healthy and trying to give it away. The hospital in Boise, Idaho doing this. Child trafficking ring. Think for safety of own children.
This Man's imagination is a national treasure.
Just imagining an enclosure, where there's yet no floor, no ceiling, completely arbitrary walls that are awaiting seemingly arbitrary manipulation, yet practical, functional, large- scale reshaping takes form--- very few people have the mental capacity for such vision.
i guess you’ve never played minecraft
This guy is between a rock and a hard place. Wow this is rightious!.
What a mind this man has, let alone the sheer grunt work of moving massive rocks! Bravo, sir, it's a work of beauty! I love the quirky touches. May you keep chiseling as long as you desire. From the Southern Cascades in Oregon - cheers!✌😄
Unbelievable. Truly this man is a genius and an artist of the highest level.
Can't compliment him or the presentation enough.
Nicely done!
Blessed are those with integrity, imagination, and the drive to fulfill their dreams.
He's a millionaire, so by definition not a person of integrity.
Love how the doggies follow him around 🙂
I was thinking the same thing! Sweet puppy dogs!
Cheers!
My cats follow me around like that. My squirrel just rides along lazily on my shoulders or head hehehe. Dogs are easy, in two minutes they would be following me.
I think the dogs are Wiemaraners. When I was a child in the 70s we had 2 of them.
I thought the same! They are at his heels every moment. So sweet. 🐶
I see that the dog doesn't get tired of touring with his owner. Yesterday my wife left her car door open and when she went out to close it our dog was in the passenger seat waiting for her to take him for a ride. He is a big dog so he normally doesn't get many opportunities to go for a ride. He loved it.
What an amazing mind this man has. The kids are so blessed to be raised in this environment.
I so much relate with this guy. I do almost everything myself also and people always ask how I learned how to do stuff… well, you just do it and figure out as you go… but he’s taking it to another level…
I agree. My kid always ask “how do you know how to do this or that”. It’s because it needed to be done at some point so I did it. And if there was a problem I adjusted and fixed it. Definitely something that is lost with a lot of youth these days.
"how did you learn how to do stuff?" by doing stuff
Exactly bro. . I started with trying to never use instructions when putting stuff together.... trial and error and then you just get better and better as your knowledge geows
A lot of us have lost our ability to just do it and learn as we go. I’ve never been encouraged to get my hands dirty because my immigrant parents didn’t want me going into blue collar careers. But my mind is naturally inclined towards problem solving. I’m that annoying person who always has a solution for a problem. But when it comes to physical spaces or very technical topics, I don’t have the mental capacity to troubleshoot. But at least I haven’t lost all of my marbles.
Beautiful, you’re so right this is what nature gave us, I often sit in my house and think how absurd it feels living in a brick house and surrounded by the same houses, even after all these years it still feels unnatural although I do appreciate my home. Your words resonate with me like “ it’s what you do, you don’t golf or go to the beach”, but when you said you can work all day and not see progress, now that passion with a whole pile of determination right there. Great work 💚
One day this place will be an amazing, post-apocalyptic village, love it
That May come sooner than later.
@@MizRuthie or not
@@dinok7630 she didnt say today
Under a fresh fall of boulders, ya.
Named "Fred Flintstone roadside attraction" 😂
I love how much you allow people to storytell. I really get a feel for the places and people you document. You place so much focus on the subjects and allow the video space to breathe. Absolute gem. Thank you
Looking at retirement in the next decade or so... I'm so grateful to have found this channel. Every episode is powerful and inspiring. Not to sound hokey but this is visionary stuff. Incredible.
This is amazing , the kids must have loved growing up in such a beautiful place .
"I'm a worker bee... this is what I do"
I know exactly how this man feels! I love working in my backyard. Some days with progress some days just messing around but it makes me happy.
Sometimes the best thing that can happen to a project is having big limitations. Not having a license to blow stuff up with dynamite is probably what made him listen to the rocks and chip away only the necessary. The result is so organic, amazing work! One of my favorite projects featured here :)
Putting rules in place that you're forced to work around can make for some very unique outcomes! You're forced to pay closer attention, create solutions to problems that would otherwise be menial, and innovate with more immersive planning. Sometimes it even changes the entire course of the work you're doing, resulting in truly wonderful projects:)
Fcuk govt limitations but your point of view spot on!
listen to the rocks
Absolutely incredible, what an amazing life you've made for your family. Definitely one for the books. 🤯
I can't even begin to imagine living in such a beautiful place. What an amazing guy!
I am in love with this place. He is the type of person that would say" hey who cares about the money, lets get it done." Awesome home. Your best dream home is the one you make together with your family. One team.
You are living MY fantasy!! Seriously, I love everything rock! I have always thought what you've done, could be done!! Good for you! Doubt that I'll get to own a slice and be able to create as you are, I'm 55 and still renting😒. You're a way cool guy, thanks for sharing this awesome build!!!! Meg Soldner
Carson, Wa.
Look him up and ask to rent for a month. Or offer free labour. Make it your vacay. I believe it might work as you both love rocks. Try 🙂
He probably could of gave you some land but decided government doesn't have enough already smh
Mary Soldner: Wife is lucky to have a husband like him. Would have loved to have assisted in his building. Fantastic Dad for the kids!
It's just amazing how unique each video, each story. Great work. Kudos to Kirsten, her team, and of course to the main characters of the videos!
Thank you. Feel lucky to find such great protagonists for the videos.
@@kirstendirksen This vid sent me down a rabbit hole looking for an excavated house/project I read about as a kid. No luck, but googling "guy who dug city out of limestone" got me a guy who excavated a 40ft elevator shaft on a hunch he'd find a cave, which he did. He'd built his own house and done a lot of work on the property, too, but they only had pictures of the elevator shaft. It was an Iowa City Press-Citizen article about Don Myers, who was 75 at the time in 2016, so who knows if he's still at it.
You're not 'a worker bee', you're an artistic ninja. Living life with vigour! Really inspiring.
Unlike golfing all day, there is creative-action happening here.
This man is a master Craftsman..I would be so proud to be able to accomplish a feat like this
Gawd, I’ve never seen this channel, amazing. This man must have some kind of knowledge to be able to do this without causing a collapse. What he has done is thrillingly beautiful.
Wow!!! This guy is Hella amazing!!! Frikken brilliant. This has got to be one of the best builds I've seen so far. I'm so inspired and in awe of this man in what he has achieved through his determination,persistence and perseverance. ❤💯
This is both beautiful and terrifying! How very interesting way of living!
Thanks for all you do Kirsten. Another amazing home showcase.
The way he explain how he made this cave turns into a wonderful place is really creative and innovative changes.
ENVY..... HOW AMAZING & how awesome you must feel everytime you BEAT the rock. I hope your kids, grandkids and future family appreciate what y'all did for their entertainment. I hope they keep this in the family for years to come......
BE SAFE!!!!!
Just so amazing engineering and back-breaking labor-wise, with such attention to detail. Quite the feat! That eagle painting is exactly one my friend has hanging above her fireplace. I'll bet those kids' friends are sooo envious!
Thank you for sharing an adventure that is so close to my own. I had a dream of building a house against a cliff and finally found the lot and started a year ago. I chose to build with cob using materials from the site or nearby (sand, clay and horse manure) with no modern or artificial materials or power tools. All by my hands. I began with a simple structure, then a larger one atop the cliff and am now finishing a tiny house @ 120 sq. ft. with earth and boulders for 70 % of its walls and straw bales for structure and insulation as needed. I am in the High Desert of SoCal, part of the Mojave Desert. I have the main house excavated with the foundation all around but may just continue building smaller structures that are permitted under our county code as long as you don't call them a house! I am 73 years old. Steve did something closer to what I have done than anyone else I have seen. Thanks!
Rock on, Bruce! That’s awesome to be independent of society and off grid!
@@dreamyjeannie3385 I'm just now finishing my second house (or outbuilding, according to county code) and have already started the foundation for the third house. Livin' the dream. Since they are all >120 sq. ft. you have to go to another house for some things. The outdoor kitchen has a wood-fired oven and rocket stove plus counters and lots of seating. Each of the houses has at least space for one to sleep.
@@brucejones3308, like camping, but in style, sounds peaceful and quiet, ahhh! Horses too, sounds divine!
The labor put into that is out of this world. I hope his kids will continue to ensure the property stays within the family. Those constructions are literally their dads blood, sweat and tears and his Incredible drive and attitude
I believe he is really happy with his home - he has brilliant solutions. Way to go and thanks for sharing - comments from ontario canada. Very unique and definitely a labour of love. Good thing his family also loves this project.
Brilliant, absolutely Brilliant. Cheers from Michael. Australia.
Wow, huge undertaking with a fascinating result. I kept wondering about this man’s background as he seems to have engineering knowledge to match his tenacity to push his project forward. Leavenworth is a gorgeous area.
Unlike other cave houses in one giant slab of a mountain rock, this property here is composed of numerous pieces of big boulders which just got into position from wherever they fell from above and got wedged over time. I can't help but feel a little bit apprehensive given the earthquakes going on in various parts of the world. He himself said something about falling rocks annually.
I guess I am also coming from having trauma when my own city suffered from a natural disaster where the river ravaged a lot of communities. While that was flood, it traumatized me about natural disasters in general whatever form they may be.
I certainly pray this family will be safe.
I would say he had an unhealthy obsession with rocks if this wasn't so magically cool! I can't even imagine what it must have been like to stand there at the beginning of this and think, "Okay... let's get started"... amazing!
having a passion about creative building means having laser like focus, if you want to have something to show for it at the end of the day.... (and maybe somewhere to live as well, which is becoming an urgent issue for many in these difficult times)
Steve seems to be the type of person who makes it worthwhile to be here, on this earth. Good man!
And the children, whether his or yours, Kirsten, are getting the experience of a lifetime by being involved, directly or indirectly, with this and other projects.
Keep up with the good work, Kirsten!
Love the way you don't depend on commercial conveniences. This is strengthening. U don't fall when civilization as we know it fails. Living off the land is fulfilling in a way most ppl don't think about until too late. I'm glad my grandparents were farming people and we're intimate with the land and the water 💖🔥
That was amazing. Sure would've been easier to build a house on that property, but that's just plain lazy. 😁
This is a work of art that will be there forever.
It's fun not seeing Kirstens films for several months and watching her kids all of a sudden get older and bigger. 😅😂
Thank you once again Kirsten, for taking us to these surprising private worlds that are otherwise inaccessible to us. 🥰 ❤
This is absolutely amazing! I can imagine how many people myself included that wants to go there and see this incredible home first hand! Thank you for sharing this!
Am speechless! Freddie Flintstone, eat your heart out...WOW!
Oh wow! Loved the way he approaches the every day. Such a wonderful life’s legacy for himself and his family.
This is the most amazing thing I ever seen. Wish I had a dad like that. Lucky kids for sure
This looks amazing, can’t imagine how much work was spent on this... really awesome
Machu Picchu feel.
We just spent a week at my friends place in Pender Harbour. The house was built up a rock face. By an architect, and his artist wife. There are stairs between each room, even the bedroom closet. Places like these, have such a spirit to them. The only thing that didn't work, is the granite bathtub. It didn't matter how much hot water we put into it. The rocks, absorbed the heat.
I have seen this before on TH-cam and it is amazing. I agree with the other comments that your style of presenting unique homes is perfect. They are like mini documentaries, no added music needed.
This is a very special family!Thank you all for sharing!
That is sooo cool. Love to see imaginative homes like this! What a great bug out location.
I love unique builds like this....working with nature instead of dominating makes for cool designs.
You always amaze me, the unique people you find to show us. It gives me faith in humanity that there are still creative, productive human beings out there...and you continue to bring them to us. Thank you!
@ham radio jim always were, always will be...that's the great thing!
It reminds me of the cabin and area I grew up visiting in the Sierra Nevadas in California, but on steroids. I always loved the combination of the rocks and trees, it was a kids' paradise.
I get the feeling this guy knows what it’s like to be caught between a rock and a hard place.
If he was stuck , he'd know how remove any rocks in the way.
Love that he listened to the rocks and boulders. Ingenuity at it's best. The best tool is the brain. Continue my friend. Really proud of you! ☮️🙏☯️
Absolutely fascinating! I'm wondering what Steve Demarest's background is that gave him the skills -- and the resources -- to create this amazing series of projects. Very commendable. It's a wonderful legacy for the family, to hopefully pass down through the generations.
Love this idea
@VEE3RDEYE
Nice to see you here hun😍
Hope you're doing well:)
Peace &Love 💜🧡💛💚💙
From, New Orleans🎷🎼🎺
It’s incredible how you find these amazing people.
Thanks for showcasing this awesome location & home. Jesus bless you & your family.
In most of America, people with minds like his, that have no realized purpose, get lost. If only we fostered the application of imagination in all ways. This is inspiring! 🤔
Heavy statement. 💯% truth
I agree.
whoa... i immediately thought about the ancient cave dwellings i have visited, and how, in another couple thousand years, after the rise and fall and rise again of humanity, when all of our flimsy modern artifacts have turned to dust, archeologists might discover this example of the everyday life of us.
This is hands down the best dad and father in the world!!! Hey I don't have any parents ....would you mind adopting me....please.
Lol no really
Kirsten, it amazes me how you find all these places...
Thank you for not having any horrible music on your channel.
Just talking.
So refreshing.
I love this!! I can only imagine all the hard work you’ve put into it. Even what you’ve told about it probably doesn’t really “cover” how much work you’ve really done.
Fantastic content as always, thank you Kirsten Dirksen!
I'll assume my first minute was just that great :) Thanks.
@@stanvanillo9831 One need not watch the entire video, to know it's good content, especially since I have Kirsten's videos on instant notification since I watch them all! Just letting her know her content is excellent as always - positivity! :)
@@kirstendirksen It is! Especially with the drone footage of the area in the Cascades! :)
The drone footage is Nico's (my husband's). Thanks for the comments.
Kirsten, you find the most unusual and interesting people. I was wondering, what is this man's background that he would know how to do this? And is he retired since this seems to take up a lot his time? The amount of time and energy to do what he's done is hard to fathom. Simply herculean.
He was a real estate lawyer so not really related, but he's always loved working with his hands. He also said that these days with the Internet you can learn to do things on your own.
@@kirstendirksen Great insight. Idea you can do something so immense on your own (without dynamite!) doubles down on the creative expression of the project. Thanks for your work highlighting these masters!
incredibly inspiring video, both aesthetically and in spirit
Amazing proJect, great sensitivity to the context and resources available, SMAAAARTEST APPROACH!!!!!!!
If only more of us had this man's innate passion for blending into the earth. His innovative genius, love of hard work and appreciation of nature's beauty are a rare combination indeed.
Leavenworth WA is one of my very favorite places. It is so so so beautiful
Absolutely amazing what he has achieved, I'd love to visit
Great video and respect for your editing skills.
Would be nice to see his "real house" near the river, where he lives with his family.
The shown part is really his "man cave", his playground.
I think it is great that he has both, the energy to work at his project and the money to do it.
Yes, all that and the time
Absolutely amazing and beautiful. This should be featured in the Architectural Digest. Much better than mansions and palaces.
I like your level-headed approach to things. Thanks for being real.
This property tour really rocked
😄
Dewayne Johnson 😆
Oh stop🤭
Fred Flintstone would of think the same thing🤣
😂😂😂
This is really incredible, I would worry about rocks falling from above but it's pretty amazing.
Wonderful property, wonderful home!!! I am obsessed w rocks, legged, mountains, crystals, minerals, of every kind!! I GET IT! Much love and admiration from Vermont!
“I’m a worker bee”….. love it and understand it!! 👍❤️👏
Truly impressive ! A real rock star. 👏
Rock and roll baby 😉✌
I think your planter will flourish if you use insulation or heat to keep the roots above 60 degrees. Nice place.
Geothermal. If im not mistaken Underground temperature stays at around 60 degrees regardless of outside temperature. So it could be a mid summer day of 98 and still be 60 inside there. Same in winter, can be below freezing outside but inside the earth stays at 60.
@@markgrayson7514 I appreciate your response, and maybe you know more than me, as i have forgotten more about both permaculture and geothermal since studying it and helping build/live in a home with geothermal heating, than I remember. But if the whole place stays at 60 degrees by nature, how do the roots suffer the cold. By the yellowing on the leaf it looks to me his irrigation system supplies more water than those plants need or he has incorrect lighting wether it not enough or too much, could be the plant needs indirect lighting or even a dose of micronutrients. Seems less likely to me that most of the veg thrives but the roots would be cold, especially when the ambient air doesn’t drop. But your solution is something to consider as much as soil nutrients, watering, lighting.
I am of a different mind concerning plants. I'll bet the grow lights are most important, even plants considered "shade" plants have to get some sun. Also allot of people don't realize most plants prefer a big drink and then be allowed to dry up a bit. I said most, not all, don't like having wet feet for long!!!! I'll bet you've got this all figured out by now anyway!! Will you build a tree castle? That's another thing I have thought about... Rock on!
A man that makes things happen. A Very cool creation. I love it!!!!
*TRULY STUNNING!*
The rock spoke, he responded with _"YES!"_
.
What a magnificent outcome! I will admit the jealousy of his ability to buy such property and build such an amazing thing!!! Most people are never able to have this outcome. Incredibly awesome life he and family have!!
The giant rock wall in the basement behind the bar is legit one of the coolest decorations I’ve ever seen.
0 days, 0 hours, 18 minutes and 44 seconds...
That... is when this video is going to end.
Lmao when I first saw your comment I was like “is this some kind of weird bot?” Now I just saw it again like a week later and now realize the reference. I’m going to rewatch it soon.
Truly lives by the credo, “We are only limited by our own imagination.”
And by the amount of money in your bank account 😂
@@jj-eh2iz if you can write a business plan you don’t need much money of your own to do anything
Yeah, but there's also the credo of "gravity and erosion makes stuff collapse". I'm not too confident on the long term structural stability of this 'home'. Seems like it could very easily, and very quickly, become a grave at some point.
@@jj-eh2iz that part
@@cicadasmasher8082 if you looking at from a point of ignorant in structural integrity stuff. Technically what you said also applies to your house and i doubt you really know how long yours will stand + whether you know it or not, this guys have spent a good amount of time on studying the structural integrity before they ventured into this
Great job building this home, Bless your home bless your family and continue the great work
Wow ! I'm very impressed.
Lots and lots of hard work has gone into all this and your creativity is astounding.
Excellent and Beautiful !
An amazing accomplishment for one man (and son) . I'm sure I would be living in fear of a mountain slip, and if one boulder slips, they all come down. Or, like the bus-sized rock that fell on the road, may fall on parts of my house or patio/picnic area ! I hope for their sakes none of that happens !
👍🇨🇦✌️
Brings a new meaning to between a rock and a hard place.
Your theme song is 'Life Is a Rock"
My claustrophobia makes this frightening but still very beautiful. I'm guessing (hoping) that this is a geo-stable area.
I'm not sure. Also even if it is, there is still the possibility of a house-sized boulder at the top of mountain getting dislodged by weathering and and then smashing through the roof
Wow! I absolutely love this place. I have always envisioned doing something like this but he took it to the next level! Badass!!!
Very very cool........ 🙏💜🧡 thank you Kirsten... again a perfect spot... wish I meet one of this inspired persons in my life! Thanks to the owners... to share his jewel with us! 🙏
“We call it: The Cave”
-Man who lives in cave
I hope he lives in a tectonically stable region.
If there's rock falls every few years and mountain ranges.... He definitely does not.
No one does..earthquakes in diverse places..there was an earthquake last year in UK..
an old house fell down..
we never have earthquakes in UK
Washington state is tectonically active.
Positive a majority of people in the city of Leavenworth, WA see him as the egotistical Village Idiot. As soon as I read “Cascades” and the word “Cave” I groaned. We are NOT tectonically stable. There is a good reason this region does not have evidence or oral history of ancient cliff dwellings or ancient structures made of stone.
Most People who grow up in the region eventually learn you stay away from rock faces for any amount of time. rock climbing is part of life here but rock climbers don’t live at the bottom of the cliffs. Earthquakes never stop in the state. Rock slides are frequent due to constant subtle earthquakes and daily quick temperatures changes. Tall rock faces are deadly anywhere in the cascades all the way to the ocean all the way to the edge of washington state mountain passes, where he is, and the washington state/Canadian islands where I grew up. Jesus. You can literally watch the tiniest tremors at Western Washington University live as they happen. There is too much data about this to even type about it. He can endanger his life, but leave the kids out of it. I’ve been through multiple earthquakes living in his region And I have been rock climbing within a mile or so of his rock complex. The way he said there was occasionally falling rocks- lol ummmmm yeah daily and I’ll bet they’ve had lots of damage, close calls and injuries from falling rocks.
By the way. Love how he marveled at his creating a “spiderweb” for the roof. Commencement to show He “invented” the same technology used for, Umbrellas, Tiki huts, teepee’s, yurts.....
It most definitely isn't.