04x04 - Fire & Ice

[bunniefuu]

Alaska is the land of extremes.

Woman: this winter,
we had 8 feet of snow.

My worst fear
is the roof caving in.

Man: well, they don't know
what it takes to survive

In the heart of alaska.

Kim found a pile of feathers.

It could've been a wolf.

We're both firefighters.

That might be smoke
over the horizon.

It's getting bigger.

You got to go fight a fire.

We're going to be gone up
to 3 weeks to a month at a time.

I don't even know where
to begin with that.

We have to make this homestead
run when you aren't here.

Automated homestead.

One, two, three, go!

Ugh!
No swinging!

Step back.

Hurry it up!
It ain't going to be pretty!

Ow!
The hail hurts!

How can a homestead run itself
in alaska

When they're going to be
hauled away to fight fires?

--Captions by vitac --
www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪♪

Woman: there's our buddy!

There's the lady and the gent!

There's our buddy!

Know that person.

We know that person.

We're in alaska!

We're going to visit one
of these homesteaders

That has chosen
the hardest place in america.

They've called us here for help,
and they're desperate.

Fairbanks has had
recorded temperatures

Of 66 below 0
right here where we are.

You got to be tough, way tough.

That's why we don't live here.

Narrator: only 100 miles
from the arctic circle,

This is the final frontier
of human civilization,

A never-ending wilderness
dominated

By wildlife
and apex predators.

An abundant growing season makes
alaska the promised land

For those tough
enough to survive here.

Subzero winters are
plunged into darkness,

And summers
are ravaged by wildfires.

One homestead in this land
of extremes

Is losing
the fight for survival.

I don't know if we can
do this much longer.

Hate to see our dreams crumble.

We need some help.

Hello.

Nice to meet you, kim.

Very nice to meet you.

You're both firefighters,
both of you?

For sure.

How long have you guys
lived here?

Two winters we call it.

How's it been going?
Not good.

Our first winter here
was pretty brutal.

Month of march, it didn't get
much above negative 30

For the entire month.

Oh, my.

Watch out.
Ready?

Oh!
[Bleep].

Well, that was a little
too much gas.

Narrator: two years ago,
firefighters casey and kim

Had a burning desire
to start a homestead.

I was on a fire out here
in 2015,

And I just fell in love
with alaska.

Narrator: they spent $30,000

On a 5-acre alaskan mountaintop

With a half-built cabin
and a storage shed.

We just had a frame of a cabin,
no windows,

No doors,
completely open,

So we had to do a lot of work
just to make it livable.

Our grand plan is to be
self-sufficient out here.

We would really love
to have kids,

Have the kids live up
in the loft.

Narrator:
they patched up their cabin

And brought in livestock,

But soon their alaskan dream

Became a freezing nightmare.

This winter,
we had 8 feet of snow.

The winds were just howling
the entire time,

Making the windchill
just unbearable.

So last night, about 30 below,

Generator decided
it wanted to stop,

Leaking fuel all over the place.

So the latch to keep the bears
out is frozen.

Narrator: and local predators

Began picking off
their livestock.

We did have chickens.

Built a chicken coop,
but the chickens didn't make it.

Being so close to the woods,

We had predators start a feeding
frenzy on the chickens.

Narrator: they thought things
couldn't get worse.

Then the spring thaw hit,

Melting 6 months of snow
in just a week.

And then the roof
started to leak.

Everything is just soaked.

This place is just a total mess.

Casey:
look like a b*mb went off.

It's like a scene out of some
sort of horror movie.

It was terrible.

Kim: my worst fear
is the roof caving in.

Narrator: not only is the roof
a constant danger,

But it's also crushing kim and
casey's plans to start a family.

Casey: not enough room,
I don't think,

In the cabin right now for kids,

Hoping to go up
and add some space there.

Know we need a roof.

I don't know how I'm going
to do the roof.

Time is definitely
our biggest problem here.

Me and kim can both be away
for long periods of time

Fighting fire either in alaska
or down in the lower 48.

It's kind of ironic
that we're out

Saving other people's homesteads

When we don't have the time
to even save our own.

We really, really need help.

Marty: I saw desperation
on kim's face.

I'm thinking they're never going
to make it another winter.

I'm just going on record
right now.

Narrator: marty's first priority
is to find out

Why kim and casey's roof
is caving in.

Who built this ladder?

A guy named abe.

Was it abe lincoln?

Yep.

See this?

Unbelievable.

This is a terrible sign.

This roof is never going to
make it another winter.

What exactly was your plan

As far as you were concerned
to fix this roof?

We got most of the materials
right there.

Where?
Underneath the tarp there.

That pile of lumber?

Well, I mean, that's good news.

We hadn't really planned out
exactly how to build it.

No self-respecting alaskan
ever plans to build a flat roof.

That's a ticking time b*mb
for mold and rotting lumber.

Your house is literally
going to rot.

It will k*ll you.

♪♪

Narrator:
across the homestead,

Misty is checking out
kim's attempt to grow crops.

Kim: I had peppers and lettuce
and then green beans.

The green beans were doing good,
and then they all died.

The only way to do it
is a greenhouse.

But being firefighters,
if we get a fire call tomorrow,

We're gone for months at a time.

[ Sighs ]

I don't even know where to begin
with that

Because a homestead takes a lot
of love and a lot of nurture,

And if you're not here
for the most important time

Of the year...
Right.

That schedule is going to be

What kind of sinks
this whole ship.

Kim:
misty really brought it home,

The fact that we're
not here all summer.

Maybe we can't do this dream.

♪♪

Narrator:
as well as having no crops,

Kim and casey's entire livestock
has been wiped out.

How many chickens did you guys
have to start with?

We start off with seven,
and then we ended up with none.

Oh, man.

Something had gotten
into the cage.

Kim found a pile of feathers
right there.

We were both gone on fires,
and we had set it up

So they could survive
while we were gone

For a couple weeks but...

Has this always been like this?

That's -- no.
That's our...

Whatever got in there
ripped this off of here and...

And then just
went in and gone?

The chicken wire,
it's just not tough enough.

There's still a piece of fur
on here.

Just looking at this,
could've been coyote.

It could've been wolf.

All the animals that are going
to come here

Are going to come
at the tree line.

You put it in the worst
possible spot.

The chicken coop feels
like a failure.

It's a different world up here.

It's just not built for alaska,
for sure.

♪♪

Narrator: with no livestock,
no food, a cabin caving in,

And no homesteaders
during the summer months,

This homestead
is on the brink of extinction.

There's no way they're going
to be here a year from now.

They're never going to make it.

Get them prepared
for this coming winter.

Every alaskan knows that

If you're going to get
anything done,

It has to be done
during the summer.

They fight fires.

They're gone the entire summer.

Yeah. I didn't know that.
Yeah.

You know, if the garden is going
to be unattended,

If the livestock is going
to be unattended,

Then we have to set up some
form of automatic something.

A automated homestead,

Is that what you're saying?

Man.

Marty: how can a homestead
run itself

Without a homesteader?

You have to get creative
under the banner of automation.

Let's start with this:
we're going to fix that roof.

You've got materials
and metal here already.

When we leave here,
that's going to be fixed.

We have to make this homestead
run when you guys aren't here.

And it's literally going to make
or break

Whether you guys last here.

Narrator: using lumber from
the homestead,

Marty plans to build
a pitched roof

With 18 load-bearing trusses
and tough metal sheeting

To withstand the heavy
alaskan snowfall.

Misty must build
a greenhouse for crops,

Making it fully automated

So that plants can survive
for up to a month unattended.

And matt will tackle
the predator problem,

Making a secure, automated coop

So that kim and casey
can reintroduce livestock.

The raneys,
along with a small build team,

Have just 7 days
to save the homestead

Before moving on
to the next family in need.

Pretty amazing.
We're so happy you're here.

The work starts now,

And we're not going to be
able to accomplish it

Unless you're all-in.

Thank you so much.

Well, don't thank me yet.

Let's get to work.

Hopefully, one of us doesn't get
called away to a fire

And have to drop everything.

Narrator: coming up...

I'm stuck!

...the raneys are cut off
from the homestead...

Cannot get materials in,
and no one is getting out.

Look out!
I'm going to roll the bucket!

Narrator: ...and use all their
local know-how...

Pull!
Pull!

These hoops can hold
couple hundred pounds.

Narrator: to build their
first-ever automated homestead.

Hurry it up.
It ain't going to be pretty.

Alaska is the land of extremes.

Ow!
The hail hurts!

This place is tough.

♪♪

Narrator: the raneys are in
the far north of alaska

To save newbie homesteaders
in despair...

Kim:
this place is just a total mess.

Narrator: battling the harsh
alaskan winters...

Kim: so the latch to keep
the bears out is frozen.

Narrator: and absent in
the vital summer months

Fighting fires.

Kim:
if we get a fire call tomorrow,

We're gone for months at a time.

Narrator:
the raneys are on a mission

To alaska-proof their cabin

And fully automate
their homestead.

We have to make this be able to
run when you guys aren't here.

♪♪

Hey, misty, are you on there?

I'm here.

Narrator: the next morning,

The raneys are
headed back to the homestead

With two trucks of local
spruce lumber and tools.

Marty: just be careful.

You got a heavy load,
and we've got some mud.

Uh-oh.

Gas it! Gas it!

♪♪

I'm stuck!

Whoa!
You're done!

You're done!
Shut that door.

Move the sticks out of the way.
I'm going to try to squeak by.

I'm going to try to get around
that truck with my truck,

So here we go.

Misty: you're just
going to get stuck!

Watch out.

A real alaskan never gets stuck.

Out of my way!

♪♪

That's it!

We're done!

We cannot get materials in,
and no one is getting out.

Yeah.
We thrive on challenges.

I'll be back with something.

♪♪

Narrator: hours later,
marty still hasn't returned,

And the raneys' projects
are sinking

Before they've even started.

We have two trucks stuck.

It's just a disaster.

And now it's our disaster
that we have to somehow fix.

Narrator: but then it's
yellow iron to the rescue...

Marty: watch this.

Narrator: courtesy of one
of marty's suppliers.

After traveling from alaska
through canada

And many of the united states,

We've gotten to the point
where equipment companies

Are willing
to help out homesteaders

With a specific piece
of equipment that we need,

And that's the homestead way.

What do you think?
I love it.

Let's get it out of there.

Hook it up!

We're all going in together.

Is this the best idea?

Probably not.

Fire it up!

Narrator:
using the 30-ton excavator...

Misty: oh, lord.

Narrator: ...he's planning on
pulling the flatbed,

Which, in turn,
should pull the pickup.

Marty: it's working.

Misty: we made it!
The materials are here!

Shocker!

I've never been stuck
in my life!

It's fine as long
as the homeowners

Don't see what you're doing.

Hi, guys.

[ Laughter ]

Towing two trucks with an
excavator, that's something new.

I've never seen that.

Raney style.

Narrator: now, with the
additional materials on-site,

Marty can lay out his plan

For kim and casey's
new pitched roof.

Marty:
main thing for me is how strong

We can make these homemade
homestead trusses.

Narrator: to withstand 70 pounds
per square foot of alaskan snow,

Marty's 18 load-bearing trusses

Will be strengthened
by a king post,

Two webs, and a solid
bottom cord of douglas fir

To brace the entire structure.

We'll nail these gussets on.

Once you add this to it,
you're transferring that weak


Boards to this entire surface.

This is what makes it
a strong truss.

Without that,
you're peeing up a rope.

Yeah, think
that'll hold some snow.

Yeah.
We should be fine.

Okay.
Let's build another one quick.

Seventeen more to go, right?

Seventeen to go.
Take one down.

Pass it around.

Seventeen more trusses to build,
you know.

Hit it!
[ Whistles sharply ]

Ha!

Casey: I feel that marty is
going to teach us

The alaska way to make this
homestead survive,

What you think you got to do
and then multiply it

And make it even
bigger and better.

♪♪

Narrator:
across the homestead...

What we have here is going
to blow your mind.

...misty is using strips
of local spruce

As a flexible component,

Forming hoops to construct
an automated greenhouse.

The amount of weight that
each of these hoops can hold

Is probably
a couple hundred pounds.

This?
This.

Do you think a pvc pipe
can do that?

No.

There's still moisture in them,
which means we can bend them.

Narrator: with materials
from the homestead,

Misty is using a prebuilt jig,
molding six thin spruce planks

Laminated into a series
of sturdy hoops.

She'll then sheath them
in durable plastic

To form
a 200-square-foot greenhouse.

Inside, misty must devise

A large self-irrigating
planting bed

To give kim and casey
their first homegrown veggies.

Misty: this is just some good,
old-fashioned wood glue.

We'll glue them six at a time.

Grab your end.

Come over here.

This is a jig, which is plywood
with scrap pieces of wood.

Screw down whatever mold
you're trying

To create,
and that's it.

We'll clamp them into place.

Okay.
Pull.

Bend.

Pull and bend.

There we go.

Now we're getting somewhere.

Hold on. Pull.
Pull.

Pull.
Push.

Push down.

There we go.

It's a really cool concept.

It's nuts.

Mind blown.

Narrator:
over on the cabin roof...

Whoa!
Sorry about that.

Narrator: the trusses are
put to the test.

Think about it, 70-pound snow
load, right, per square foot.

Well, here is 225 pounds
per square foot right there.

Narrator:
but it's not the snow load

Marty has to worry about.

Hey, that might be smoke over
on the horizon over there.

Where?
You see that?

Right there, yeah.
No, I see the hazy thing.

Hey, kim.
You want to grab binoculars?

See some smoke over there.

Forest fire.
It's getting bigger.

Kim: it's getting into
some heavy fields now, see,

Because we had that lightning.

[ Telephone ringing ]

Hey, brooke.
How you doing?

Is it on our protection,
or is it on state?

Marty: when these firefighters
asked us to come to a homestead

Where they have
to leave, moment's notice,

To go fight a fire,
it might happen right now.

Do you have to go on it?

Yep.
You get the call.

[ Sighs ]

So we're right at the critical
point of putting a roof on,

Have to drop everything.

Marty:
there really isn't any good news

Because it's all bad news
because I need them.

Move forward and progress
with or without casey,

So not sure how it's all
going to play out,

But that forest fire
is getting bigger.

Step back just in case.

Narrator: matt gives the chicken
coop a lift to safety.

Matt: got one shot.

And over the rainbow.

Narrator: misty continues her
ingenious automated greenhouse.

Hey, dad, we need
to talk about this roof!

Narrator: and kim's revelation
leaves marty's plans in ruins.

What does that mean to me?

A huge problem.

Be easy to say no.
[ Sighs ]

Narrator:
in the wilds of alaska,

The raneys are saving
a firefighting couple

Whose homestead is
under siege in the winter

And neglected in the summer.

They're gone the entire summer.

We really, really need help.

Narrator: they plan to automate
the homestead

With a greenhouse...

It's awesome.

...and protect the cabin
with an alaskan pitched roof.

Marty: these homemade trusses
will hold the weight.

Narrator:
but a local wildfire...

Smoke over on the horizon
over there.

Do you have to go?
Yep.

...means marty's project
is now a man down.

Marty: I need to move forward
and progress,

With or without casey.

♪♪

Narrator: the next day, marty is
working solo on the roof.

Fifteen trusses to go, so...

Maybe 14.

Narrator: misty and kim have
framed the greenhouse

With spruce hoops...

Here we go,
up and over the rainbow.

...and are now adding
the protective,

Durable covering
that misty sourced for $300.

This is the perfect plastic.

See all these little cells?

It really helps distribute heat
evenly to all your plants.

It's amazing.
This is really tough.

It looks b*mb-proof.

♪♪

Narrator:
across the homestead...

All right.
Step back.

...matt's priority is to move
the chicken coop away

From the predator tree line.

Matt: we're in the interior
of alaska.

This place is wild, and there's
a ton of wild animals out here

Looking for an easy meal.

All right.
I'm ready to lift.

♪♪

I'm halfway there!

I'm going to turn a little bit.

Step back.

You got one shot.

It's on there.

Over the block.

It's in a way better spot.

Now we got to make sure
it's predator-proof.

We got to make sure the chickens
have some automation

And feeding and watering,

And really make this thing cool
and alaska-sized.

♪♪

Narrator: having safeguarded
the chicken coop...

You want to take a little hike?
Yeah, I'd love to.

...matt wants to show kim
how to identify

What predators
are beyond the tree line.

You got 10 times
more predator animals here.

It can be a coyote,
a fox, a wolf.

The list goes on and on
and on of the animals

That can threaten
your livestock.

This is a good spot to see if
there's any tracks in the mud.

Oh, yeah.

This could be wolf right here.

That makes me very nervous.

We're living in a really
crazy place.

Like, you know, I'm married now,
and I have a 10-week-old

Baby boy, and, you know,
it really starts to,

Like, sink in,
you know, those dangers.

It's in the works.
Yeah.

Have a baby, we're hoping
to within the next couple years.

I mean, if you're going to start
a family,

I mean, where were you planning

On putting the kids
in your guys' home?

We're hoping to put them up
in the attic.

Wait.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.

I know, matt.
It's short.

It's, like, 4 feet tall.

But why is it that we're getting
to the point right now

Where you're, like,
saying you're getting worried?

This is just stuff
that we've talked...

It was in our head.
It was in your head?

So you're just telling me now
that we need

To actually be thinking
about not just building a place

For you and casey,
but, like, a couple kids?

Is it too much to ask
at this point?

They're so far along.

I say, let's go talk to my dad
and, you know,

Maybe alter
the plan on this build.

Hey, dad, we need
to talk about this roof!

Something good
or something bad?

I'll climb up.
All right.

Marty...

Well, what's up?

Just looking at this roof,
it looks great,

But we're planning
on having kids,

And we're kind of hoping
that we could have this

As livable space.

♪♪

It means a lot to us.

I appreciate the honesty.

It's just about the time,
you know?

There's only so much time
they can do this roof.

To make modifications here
for a bedroom or kids

Is a whole nother animal.

I'm not a magician, but we're
going to give it our best shot.

Thank you, marty.

I honestly felt like
I was going to throw up.

I was so nervous.

Hopefully, everything turns out
how I'm picturing it in my mind.

Marty: I just found out these
guys want to have a family,

Meaning they need more space.

This roof system just hit
a road block, a roof block.

What does that mean to me?

A huge problem.

Be easy to say no.

[ Sighs ]

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: the next morning,

The wildfire
has been contained,

And firefighter casey is back,

Only to find marty on
a half-built tin roof.

Kim threw kind of the bombshell,

The curveball at him
about having more living space.

Hey, guys.

Got a plan for the roof?

It's a big, big, big change.

To give you the proper amount
of room for what you guys want

For the big picture
of this homestead dream,

We'll build four walls


A full second story.

Wow.

We'll go back 20 feet
and of course 24 foot wide.

What do you think?
That's amazing.

Yeah.
I like it.

That sounds great.
Yeah, we can set up a bunkhouse,

And we'll just have
the whole herd that he wanted.

You want a herd?

Mm-hmm.

Got to be able to take care
of the homestead, right?

Narrator: marty's new plan --

Strip back
the newly built trusses,

Construct four new


And add another pitched roof

To create a full second-story
living space.

Now marty must tear down
his handiwork...

Hand me the sledge, please.

...to make way for his new
external walls,

But there's more trouble
on the horizon.

Five minutes ago literally,
the sun was baking,

But the temperature
just dropped 5 or 10 degrees,

And look what's happened.

Look at what's coming
right there.

In fact, it's coming
right this way.

Be prepared for hail
or rain here any second.

Hurry it up!
It ain't going to be pretty!

[ Thunder rumbling ]

Next sheet! Next sheet!
Next sheet! Saw!

Narrator: with only one-third of
the roof watertight,

Marty and the crew must erect
the wall

And cover the roof before
the storm causes more damage.

The hail hurts!

Woo!
Ow! Son of a...

Stand this wall quick
and put the rubber on the roof!

It's leaking!

Cover the roof.
Cover the roof, please.

Stretch it. Stretch it.
Tape it over.

It's over, done.

Let's go!

Before the lightning starts!

♪♪

Narrator: coming up,
misty and matt get automated.

I'm going to introduce
a watering system for people

That cannot water their beds
every other day.

One, two, three.

Narrator: and marty levels up.

Look out!
I'm going to roll the bucket!

♪♪

Narrator:
in the far north of alaska...

All right.
Step back.

Narrator: the raneys are on
a mission

To automate a homestead

For a firefighting couple
in despair...

Casey: hate to see
our dreams crumble.

Narrator: battered by cruel
alaskan winters

And no time to grow crops
in the summer

Due to fighting fires.

If we get a fire call tomorrow,

We're gone up to 3 weeks
to a month.

Hurry it up!
It ain't going to be pretty!

Narrator:
marty's alaska-proofed roof...

One, two, three!

...has now become
a second-story extension

For kim and casey
to start a family.

Ow!
The hail hurts!

Narrator:
but he's way behind schedule.

Marty: this place is tough.

Alaska is the land of extremes.

[ Thunder crashing ]

Marty: all right.

Narrator: the storm has passed.

Just stay there, misty.

Now it's all hands on deck
to finish the exterior walls.

I never knew how
to build a wall.

Learning a lot right now.

Don't be shy.
Keep coming.

Okay.

One, two, three!
Go!

Ugh!
Not over the edge.

Not over the edge, every...
Keep going!

Don't be shy down there.

Pull it in tight.

Got it.

Done.

How's the view, darling?

It's beautiful.

Nice.

Guys happy?

Are we happy?
Yeah, we're happy.

We done be happy.

Feels good.

When that window and that wall
came up,

Really tied it together,

And it's pretty amazing
just looking through the box

And seeing what our view
is going to be.

♪♪

Narrator:
over at the greenhouse,

Misty is turning her attention
to automation

For the summer months.

This little contraption
right here,

This goes in your window.

This cylinder is full of liquid.

When it heats up, it expands,

Forces the arm open,
creates ventilation,

And as it cools,
it closes the vent.

So let's install it.

So we'll have two windows
that open one on each end

To create that air flow,

And it'll regulate the
temperature all summer long.

Narrator: but it's not just
ventilation that is needed

In this automated greenhouse.

Misty must come up with a method
of watering crops

While kim and casey
are away fighting fires.

What is this?
This is actually a wicking bed.

So got this gross cup of water
and some tissue.

Look at how far the water
has traveled up the tissue.

That's when you get wicking,

Which is what's going to happen
in this bed,

And you are going to have
a self-watering system,

Which is automatic.

How long does the water last,
a week?

So the water will last
about a week,

And I know you guys are gone
for 3 weeks,

So we're not quite there yet.

The wicking bed only gives them
water for 1 week.

Kim and casey need water
for up to 3 weeks.

I'm not sure
how to achieve that,

But the wicking bed
is not good enough.

Narrator: while misty tries to
figure out

How to enhance her
wicking bed...

Direction?

...matt is racing
to finish improvements

To the chicken coop...

Matt: the fact that we don't
have, like,

All the foam in the world,

And I'm basically scrounging it
out of the woods

And all over the place.

Narrator: starting with fitting
upcycled 4-inch insulation.

Igloo keeps the heat in.

This'll be our egg-loo.

Narrator: now protected from
the harsh alaskan elements,

Matt panels the interior

And starts making
the coop fully automated.

Matt: it's totally automated,
and it's in a way better spot.

I think that this thing will be
totally alaska-proof.

Narrator:
when the raneys arrived,

The coop was a memorial to
casey and kim's chickens

Massacred by predators.

That where they got in.

They ripped this whole cage out.

Narrator: now the chickens can
roam safely in their new

Run beneath the coop,

Protected from predators
by iron fencing.

The hut's new insulation

Will keep them warm
throughout the harsh

Alaskan winter,

And when the firefighters
are called away on duty,

Automated gravity feeders
and rain catchment water

Will ensure the chickens
can be self-sufficient

For up to a month,

All for a cost of just
$200 on materials.

What do you see?

The heavy-gauge wire.

They use that for cattle.

You know, if it can stop cattle,
it can definitely stop a wolf.

Think this is going to change
our lives big time.

That's awesome, matt.

♪♪

Narrator: it's the penultimate
day on the homestead,

And marty's new roof
is far from finished...

The next rally of trusses
are all the way on the ground.

Narrator:
...with over a ton of trusses

Still needed up at roof level.

One, two, three.

Narrator: there are 10 trusses.

Each truss weighs 300 pounds,

And they all need
to be hoisted up by hand.

All right. Let's go.
Nine more!

Nine more!

Fish it out, misty, if you can.

Good job.
Ugh.

Let it rest.
Let it rest.

Narrator: lifting each truss
by hand

Is not only backbreaking work...

Watch your foot.

...but it's time marty
and his build team don't have.

Marty: every second counts,

And if you can shave 1 minute,


An hour a day off of a project,
that's gold.

This plan might fail.

Lord, I hope this works.

Narrator:
with time running out,

Marty is hoping to lift
all five remaining trusses,

Weighing 1,500 pounds,
to the top of the second story.

Are we good to go?
Let's see how high he can get.

It's busting those gussets,
but it's fine.

Don't panic. We'll fix it.
You guys happy or sad?

No swinging!

It's swinging!
It's spinning!

Okay!
Look out!

I'm going to roll the bucket!

Come forward!

Swing right!

Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Stop!

Let it down!

Okay.
Whoa!

Okay.
Whoa!

Now what should we do?

Should we tip them that way?

Narrator: the trusses are safely
on the roof,

But time is still against
marty and his crew.

Could I look you in the eye
and promise

That this is going to get done,
all the things we told him?

No.

♪♪

Narrator: coming up...

Enter the toilet.

...misty flushes out
her irrigation problem.

-Water coming!
-That's awesome.

Narrator: and it's the final
push to finish the cabin.

This is the way you do it
in alaska.

Don't try this at home.

Narrator: seven days ago,
the raneys arrive to find

A homesteading couple,
kim and casey,

Who had barely survived
the last winter.

So last night, about 30 below,

Generator decided
it wanted to stop.

Narrator: their livestock
had been savaged,

And their risky job
as firefighters

Means they missed out
on the summer growing season.

Kim: if we don't find a way to
grow crops year-round,

I don't know if we're
going to make it.

Narrator: now with 1 day left...

Marty: time is money now.

Narrator: the race is on

To finish
the second-story extension

And install a guttering system.

Marty: we've got the day right
now to finish this roof system.

We got to set all these windows.

Narrator:
and with rain on the horizon...

Right here on the corner,
please.

...marty is not wasting a drop.

It'll fill that 300-gallon
container,

And then it'll gravity-feed
down to that garden.

Bring on the rain.

Here we go!

Narrator: misty has found a prop
to tap into the water tank...

Misty: enter the toilet.

Narrator: ...which gives her
the solution

To irrigate crops
for weeks at a time.

I had this idea to use a float
from a toilet

To create
a subirrigation system,

Which allows water to be on
a timer with this toilet float.

This is an automatic
watering system.

This is the moment of truth.

Let's see if it works.

Okay.

Water coming! Yes!

Narrator: the flow from
the water tank is regulated

By the toilet chamber
and float valve.

Kim: that's awesome.

Narrator: this feeds into
a perforated bucket

That automatically releases
water to the wicking bed.

Misty:
this float is going to keep

The water line at 6 inches,

So look at this.

The water is wicking, and then
you're going to have the roots

From the top reach down
and just touch that waterline.

I mean, this place is amazing.

Narrator:
when the raneys arrived,

Kim's cupboard greenhouse
was barren,

And with their firefighting jobs

Taking them away
from the homestead,

There was no hope of ever
being able to grow crops.

Now they have a 200-square-foot
spruce arched greenhouse

Sturdy enough to withstand
the heavy

Alaskan snowfall in winter
and automatically ventilated

And irrigated throughout
the summer growing season,

An inexpensive,
automated solution

For a never-ending
supply of vegetables.

Thank you so, so much.
You're welcome.

This is really going to help us.

You're welcome.
You're welcome!

Misty's idea for the greenhouse
is amazing.

I would've never thought
that was even an option.

I finally feel like I can have
the potential

To grow things instead of
just k*ll everything I touch.

Marty: ready?

-Narrator: over at the cabin...
-Here I come!

Narrator: the final job
is to install

The second-story windows.

Got a $0.25 million piece
of equipment

That can lift a window,
you use it.

This is the way you do it
in alaska, in fox.

Don't try this at home.

Okay.

[ Drill whirring ]

Call it good.
Done.

Kim: I've never seen a window
put in like this.

All this open space,
it's amazing.

Casey:
can't be more excited.

Narrator: last winter, casey
and kim almost froze to death

As their second-rate
flat-roof cabin

Collapsed under an avalanche
of snow and ice.

Kim: what a mess.

I don't really know
what to do right now.

Casey: it's us against alaska,

And I think alaska is winning.

Narrator: using lumber from
the homestead

And extra materials,

They now have an alaskan-style
pitched roof

To withstand heavy snow...

After you.
Let's look it over.

Wow.

Narrator: and a second story
with 480 square feet

Of living space
to start a family.

We could've never done this
without you.

I mean, we would've never
got this done.

I'm kind of blown away.

We are, too.
We are, too.

I can't put into words
how much I appreciate it.

It was really inspiring for us

Three to just watch you guys
be invested

In the work
and the dream.

And now it's a family dream.

Don't make me cry.
No, honey. I...

Actually, I'm not
much of a hugger,

But you I will hug because
you were such a hard worker.

Thank you.

You are so welcome.
Keep in touch.

See you.
Thank you.

For sure.

Kim: in the past,
we were wondering

If we could even stick it out

And do this homesteading
up here in alaska,

But now that the raneys
spent time up here,

I feel like our dreams
are coming true because of them.

Marty: we've breathed life
into this homestead,

And now it's all up to them.

♪♪

Kim and myself have been pretty
busy this summer on fires.

She's still out.

Put on the arctic entryway
in there.

Still cannot believe we got
a roof that doesn't leak.

We have five to six fresh
chicken eggs for breakfast.

Haven't had to worry
with any predators

Or any animals
getting into the chickens.

As you can see,
plants are growing great.

We can be gone
for weeks and weeks

And don't have to maintain it
or anything.

Look at this, the most
amazing vegetables.

Thanks again.
[ Thunder rumbling ]