04x07 - Killzone

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

We were totally unprepared
for the weather out here.

I can't count how many animals
she's told me she's lost.

Man, this is like a shantytown
for livestock.

At this point,
you're gonna go bankrupt.

It's too much.

If things don't change
by winter,

I'll have to
let go of it all.

I tattooed for 30 years.
I don't know how to build a box.

In his eyes, I see desperation.
Mike needs to learn some skills.

We came prepared.

This will be your new
underground garden.

Got some bad wind kicking up.

Get out of the way, mike!

Slow down!
Slow down!

Misty, brake!

Whoo!

It's totally epic
what's happened here.

This is about people
and not buildings.

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

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪♪

♪♪

Marty: when I'm visiting
a homestead in oregon,

I always think
of the oregon trail

Where all the homesteaders
went west.

Matt: people were trying
to strike out a new claim.

There was gold.
There was freedom.

I mean, this was
the new frontier.

I feel like this is gonna be
a pretty rough homestead

Just by this landscape.

It's hot out there.

I just saw a coyote
chasing a jackrabbit,

And they were both walking.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: the raneys
are heading into

Southern oregon's high country


Of the cascade mountains,

Answering an s.o.s.

From a homestead
in desperate need.

♪♪

At 4,200 feet elevation,

This parched landscape
has a climate of extremes.

♪♪


Gives way to freezing nights,

Reducing the growing season

To a measly 90 frost-free nights
a year.

♪♪

The prospect of another winter

Leaves the kondash family
on the brink.

We need your help.

We put it all into
this homestead

So that it would
provide for us,

And if it doesn't,

I don't know what
we're gonna do.

I love my husband, but he's
definitely not a builder.

Not as simple as I thought
it would be.

♪♪

♪♪

Man, this is like a shantytown
for livestock.

Misty: how is this keeping
the animals in?

Marty: it doesn't.
It looks like they breached

Some of those fences
over there already.

Mike: welcome to
the brown leaf ranch.

How are you?
I'm mike.

Mike, nice to meet you.

-How are you?
-I'm mark.

-Mark.
-April.

-April.
-Chris.

Chris.
Nice to meet you guys.

So you have two sons.

You guys live here?

No, we don't.
We live in salem, oregon.

What are you doing
while you're visiting?

Helping him out with whatever
he needs help with.

Okay. How long have you guys
lived here?

A couple of winters
now we've been here.

Not a couple of summers?

Winter is what matters,
mostly.

The first winter,
I'd never felt anything so cold.

It got 17 below, and summers,
it's unpredictable.

I've had it snow in june.

Is it so tough, you'd quit?

Getting pretty close
with the animals.

We lost some from cold
and some from predators.

Yeah.

Narrator: two years ago, april
and mike kondash left their home

In salem, oregon,
and said goodbye to their sons

To pursue
april's off-grid dream.

Chris: my mom was
super stressed out here.

You know, being in the city life
for so long,

She wanted to get away.

I would definitely say
this is more my mom's dream

Than my dad's.

My dad, he'll do anything
for my mom.

He went from tattoo artist,
motorcycle rider,

To homesteading
out in the sticks.

I mean, he changed
his whole entire life

And came out here with me.

A $35,000 loan
from april's family

Paid for a 900-square-foot
log cabin

Set in five acres of farmland.

I just love the peace,
the quiet.

The big dream was to become
fully self-sufficient.

To grow our own food,
grow animals.

I love my animals
very much.

[ Barking ]

Narrator: mike built all the
livestock shelters from scratch.

Mike: we had little baby pig
and chickens and ducks.

We rolled out here,
and here we are.

♪♪

♪♪

But their dream
didn't last long.

April: I wasn't prepared
for this type of climate.

It was june, 80 degrees,
and the next day, it snowed,

And I had -- all my plants
were about this high,

And then it wiped it out.

Narrator: before long,

The homestead's
other food source

Was also disappearing.

As far as predators go
on the homestead,

Something's getting the birds.

I had a beautiful flock
of chickens

When I first started
and ducks and turkeys.

I believe the enclosures
aren't good enough.

That's why the predators,
they are getting in.

Narrator:
mike's lack of building skills

Was exposed all over again
when winter hit.

♪♪

We ended up losing
several of our livestock.

Mike:
I'm frustrated and feel guilty.

I think right now, what's
holding me back

Is not knowing
how to build things.

Mike even went online
to purchase a barn,

But it's still just
a pile of metal pieces.

My dad tries and tries to
fix stuff, but he's not really

The best with stuff like that.

He has made shelters
that are failing.

His attempts are golden,
but he doesn't have the skills.

This is everything to my mom.
She's banking it all on this.

We took all our money we had,
invested in this property.

We have to make it work.

We're bleeding.
We're bleeding money.

Money we don't have.

Narrator:
dead crops and livestock

Have turned this homestead
into a killzone,

And the couple are down
to their last thousand bucks.

If things don't change
by winter,

I will have failed
at my dream.

I'll have to let go
of it all.

♪♪

Marty, along with matt and mike,

Head straight to
the self-built livestock pens.

Mike: this was the first thing
I put up was a pig pen.

Wintertime, we had one of these
metal pieces over it,

And since then, they've
deteriorated and fell down.

♪♪

Metal roofing, string,
barbed wire.

That thing looks pretty sad,
man to man.

Well, to me,
it was all I could do.

You basically used everything
and the kitchen sink.

I tattooed for 30 years.

I don't know how
to build a box.

I've never been trained for
any of that kind of thing.

What is this pile of metal?

This was intended to be
a barn.

We found it on craigslist.

How come this building
hasn't been already erected?

It just overwhelms me
when I look at it.

I didn't think I could
really figure it out.

How long ago was that?

It's been a year
or so ago.

It's been sitting there
over a year?

♪♪

So, I have to ask.

How did you go from being
a city guy, a tattoo artist,

To a country guy,

A homesteader
with a lot of livestock?

My wife, april.
She wanted it,

And that's what's
gonna make her happy.

I could do nothing but follow
her and help her be happy.

Mike seems like a nice guy,
but in his eyes,

I see desperation.

This homestead needs shelters
for the animals,

But equally as important
is the need

To teach mike building skills.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: wife april struggles
to grow any crops,

And their growing season
is over in just six weeks.

At this point, it's almost like
you should just rip it out.

-I know.
-If it's not gonna produce.

Here, there's three seasons.

There's snow, mud, and dust.

So the weather is not reliable,
super sporadic.

If you're on the top
of the mountain,

You're gonna see
some cold temps.

How much do you spend,
do you think, in the spring,

On seeds or soil,
fertilizers?

-A lot.
-Hundreds of dollars?

Yeah.

And then what are you
receiving back?

Maybe 3%
of what I'm putting in.

At this point,
you're gonna go bankrupt.

It's too much.

♪♪

We're already halfway
through this growing season.

Most plants need 90 days,
and we don't even have 90 days.

Come fall,
she is gonna be lucky

If she has a few potatoes
and a few peas.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: matt leads april's
sons, christian and mark,

Up the mountain
searching for clues

Left by the homestead's
mystery stalker.

Matt: check this out.

This is definitely
a k*ll site.

This might be a rooster
right here.

Could have been a coyote.

This is totally prime
cat territory.

♪♪

Ah, yeah.

This is some old scat
right here.

This is a game trail,
without a doubt.

Chris: I've been super nervous
about them this whole time.

I can't count how many animals
she told me she's lost,

And that's probably not even
as many as she's actually had.

Matt: there's a ton of kills.

Right now, that homestead,
it's supplying the food chain,

And a homestead should not
be part of the food chain.

Without a doubt, this is one
of the worst predator problems

I've seen.

♪♪

Narrator: the raneys, along with
a small build team,

Have just seven days to
transform this failing homestead

Before moving on
to their next rescue.

Hey, guys.

We have a mystery already
that's started on the homestead.

I'm gonna tell you that
it's my number-one goal

To find out what's threatening
this homestead

And how I can
help you guys break

That vicious cycle
of predation.

And for me,
it's all about timing.

How do I take this garden
and turn it into something

That benefits you this year?

And what I'm thinking is
you might be standing

In your new, subterranean,
underground garden.

-Wow.
-Like, underground underground?

Like, underground
underground.

Wow.

Winter's gonna come
in just a few months.

We're gonna build you a barn,

And we're gonna build it out of
that steel building down there.

Wow.
I'm excited to have a building.

[ Laughs ] to put 'em in.

Narrator: marty's plan --
fell juniper trees

And use them
as a foundation.

Then resurrect mike's
heap of secondhand metal

And build a barn,
protecting the livestock

From the unforgiving
oregon climate.

Misty will dig
a subterranean garden

Six feet down for a more
consistent soil temperature.

The supporting boulder walls
will absorb daytime heat,

Radiating it back at night,

Stopping the crops
from freezing.

Matt must solve
the homestead's predator problem

To stop the kondash's livestock
being picked off at will.

♪♪

You have an amazing tree
out here,

And it's called the juniper.

Where can we cut some juniper
trees down on your property?

There's two big ones
right there.

I'm scared to cut 'em
down myself.

Western juniper
is resistant to rot and disease.

As the barn's foundation,

It will last decades
completely untreated.

Those two trees are gonna be
on the ground one hour from now.

-Coming up...
-[ Chuckles ] whoo!

Marty takes a trip
down memory lane.

Get that choker on that log,
tom!

Narrator: and misty's attempt
to dig an underground garden

Hits rock bottom.

We're gonna be here
till next week.

Narrator: in the high plains
of southern oregon,

The raneys are saving
the kondash family

Whose homestead
is a k*ll zone

Threatened by
the unpredictable climate...

It's brutally cold,
and the animals struggle.

...and mystery predators.

Matt: there's a ton of kills.

Narrator: mike's lack
of homesteading skills

Leave him powerless to save
his wife april's off-grid dream.

Mike: I'm frustrated and feel
guilty that I can't do

What I need to do around here
to keep the place going.

[ Grunts ]

♪♪

Narrator: now marty plans
to fell a juniper tree

For the foundation
of a livestock barn.

♪♪

Got some bad wind kicking up!

The wind is blowing
directly towards the house.

♪♪

Get a wedge in there!
Get a wedge in there!

Jamming a wedge in the tree

Narrator: will help force it
away from the cabin --

A classic logging trick.

Matt: it's going!
It's going!

It's going!

♪♪

Whoo! [ Chuckles ]

Look at the beautiful size
of that juniper tree.

Mike: yeah.

That's the foundation
to the barn right there.

Tomorrow, as that sun rises,
we'll be at a saw mill,

Milling the trees
from this homestead.

[ Whistles ] hey!

[ Whistles ]

♪♪

This is homestead gold.

Narrator: marty calls in
local saw miller chris cook

To load the juniper logs.

-Let's go!
-And take them to be milled.

[ Engine starts ]

Meanwhile, misty clears
the site for her garden.

Take this tarp, cinder block,
t-post, everything back.

Sons mark and christian,
here for just three days,

Help with the teardown.

I raised good boys.

Misty:
I'll take that ladder.

Mark: the only reason
why I'm here is my mom.

That I could show her
that she is appreciated,

But I didn't imagine
to be working this hard.

I don't want to cut my hand.

My mom's always been there
for me.

She's been my best friend.

I feel like this is
an extreme way

That I could at least try
to help paying her back.

[ Wood clatters ]

♪♪

Narrator:
at the nearby saw mill,

Logs are a nostalgic memory
for marty.

I logged these things.


When I was a logger.

Get that choker
on that log, tom!

What are you doing, bob?!

You can move faster than that!

Whoo!

That was me once.

Now I've mellowed out.

-[ Laughs ]
-holy [bleep]

Cook: let's see if we can
get milling on something.

Narrator: milling these logs
would usually cost $1,200,

But today, chris is
running his mill for free.

Oh...my...saw.

This is the world's
largest saw of this make.

♪♪

Narrator:
this saw mill comes armed with



Primed for carving through logs



Keep in mind,
I'm looking for a log

That thick
for a foundation, right?

But to get to that log,
we'll make one-inch boards

That we'll use
on the homestead.

Look at that.

Oh, my goodness.

♪♪

The kondashes' juniper trees
have given marty


Of prime lumber.

But mill owner chris
has loaded up a surprise.

Cook: we have the opportunity
to help the family out.

There you go.



I figured they could
probably use that.

I'm -- I'm speechless.
I really don't know what to say

'Cause you just
gave somebody

$4,000 Or $5,000 worth
of lumber,

And you've never met 'em.

That's right.

Why?

[ Voice breaking ]
when I was a kid,

I grew up pretty much
on a homestead,

And it was --
it was really hard.

We never had enough money
for anything,

And god has really
blessed us.

And I want to give back

And help somebody
that really --

That needs help.

Well, these people do.

-Let's get out there.
-Okay.

Thanks, bud.

♪♪

Back on the homestead...

I got my excavator
glasses on.

The site is cleared for
misty's underground garden.

Misty: first thing you're
gonna do, massive hole,



You have this crazy,
mountainous weather pattern,

Which is inconsistent
and not reliable, right?

Yeah.

So I'm thinking,
go down into the earth,

Steal the warmth
from the actual earth,

And that temperature,
it stays the same year-round.

I just think it's crazy.

Misty's borrowing a method

Invented by farmers
in the south american andes.

The walls will be retained
by dry stacking boulders

And juniper logs

And raised beds will push
the plants closer to the light.

Finally, the entire garden
will be covered

With a durable plastic roof
for maximum sunlight,

Extending the growing season,

And saving the kondashes
thousands.

♪♪

This is kind of the exciting
part because you don't know

What's underground
until you start digging.

Looks like topsoil.

♪♪

I think I've hit a total snag,
and it is bedrock.

Misty:
it's about 3 1/2 feet down,

And we want to be
around 6 feet down.

They have a 2-foot frost line.

We want to be 4 feet below that

And really be able to tap
into the earth's warmth.

We have to go deep.

I've put aside one day
to dig a hole.

We're gonna be here
till next week.

♪♪

-Coming up...
-Okay, mike.

-You ready to do something?
-Yeah.

Narrator: marty passes on
an off-grid squaring up trick.

That's a right angle.

Amen, brother.
You have a square building.

And tragedy strikes
the homestead.

The rooster is missing.
Bad news.

♪♪

Narrator:
in the wilds of southern oregon,

The raneys are rescuing
the inexperienced kondash family

From an unknown predator
and the extreme desert climate.

-Holy!
-Whoo!

Marty is building a huge barn

To keep the homestead's
animals safe

And teach rookie builder mike

How to save his wife's
off-grid dream.

In his eyes, I see desperation,
and this homestead needs help.

Narrator:
matt faces a predator problem,

But has yet to determine what
has been k*lling the livestock.

Matt: this is a game trail,
without a doubt.

Narrator: and misty's
underground garden build

Is on the rocks.

We're gonna be here
till next week.

♪♪

♪♪

Now, with over ten tons
of bedrock to be broken,

Matt has a final
throw of the dice.

We came prepared.
[ Chuckles ]

All right.
Here we go.

Jackhammer conquers bedrock.

We hit bedrock,
which is real bad,

And it's gonna be very slow
going to punch through it.

♪♪

♪♪

Marty's back from the mill

With the $5,000 worth
of donated lumber...

[ Whistles ]
coming right there.

Narrator:
...and the milled juniper logs
he sourced from the homestead...

[ Whistles ]
watch out!

Narrator: now he lays
the barn's foundation.

This is crazy.

This is what homesteading
is all about.

Knocked down a couple trees,
mill 'em, build a barn.

Marty plans to build
a large barn

From the parts lying
near the homestead garden.

He'll use three milled
juniper logs

From the homestead
for the foundation,

Then piece together
the metal arches

And devise a plan
to raise them in place

Before using the donated lumber
for animal pens

And cladding, protecting
the kondashes' livestock

From predators
and the harsh oregon climate.

Okay, mike.
You ready to do something?

Yeah.

Narrator: with mike's
lack of homestead smarts,

Marty seizes an opportunity
to teach him

How to level
the perfect corner.

You want a barn
that's square?

Here's the fastest way
I know.

That's the corner of
your building, yeah?

-Mm-hmm.
-Yes or no?

-Yes.
-Okay.

So you come from that corner
out three feet.

Okay.

Come from that center, and you
can feel free to hold me, buddy.

Come from your corner
of your building

And go four feet, okay?

What was the first
measurement?

Three feet.

What was the second one?

Four feet.

Now, what's the next number
you think I'm gonna say?

Five feet.
Yeah.

Put the tape now on
the three-foot measurement.

-All right, got it.
-Can you see this?

It's about
a quarter-inch off.

Now watch what I do.

I kick this board over to where
it hits five feet.

That's the right angle.

Amen, brother.
You have a square building.

April: mike is trying to absorb
everything marty's teaching him.

I think you gain confidence
with the more you do.

I think this is going to do
a world of good here.

♪♪

-Okay.
-Okay, here you go.

Narrator: matt's been
battling bedrock for hours.

So pulls in some extra muscle
from sons chris and mark.

Misty:
you ever used this before?

-Negative.
-Would you like to?

I -- yeah.

It's gonna just rattle
your whole entire body.

So I need to give it
a little bit of give?

Yeah, but if this thing stops,
we're losing time.

Usually you give someone,
like, a drill,

And that's
the first tool they use.

Not us.
We give someone a jackhammer.

♪♪

It felt super intense
to operate a tool that
was that much power.


Between your legs.

[ Laughs ]

[ Laughs ]

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: the next morning,
tragedy strikes the homestead.

♪♪

-The rooster's missing.
-That's crazy.

-Wow.
-Bad news.

Pile of feathers
over the fence there.

I don't really know
what's eating them for sure.

You're past the point
it's a problem.

You've lost a lot of birds.

That is a bold beast

That's not afraid
to be on this homestead,

And I need to know
what it is asap.

♪♪

-Ready for this?
-Yes, I am.

Narrator: now marty
and mike must deal with

Hundreds of metal barn parts

By painstakingly
putting them together.

Wow.
A lot of pieces.

And without the instructions,
I'm thinking that --

That I've never liked puzzles.

Ow! It's hot!

How come that one's not hot?

Must have been
in the shade.

Okay.

Where do you think
that piece goes?

Inside or outside?

Outside.

Coming together.

Marty's a great teacher,

And I hope I can learn
a lot from him.

Be able to use it all for april.

Everything I'm doing here
is for her.

You're building the building,
and I'm just your assistant.

Good man.

♪♪

Narrator: with the predator
still a mystery,

Matt tracks down a local trapper

Who has lived on these plains
for over two decades.

-Hi.
-Are you jay?

-I'm jay.
-Hey. My name's matt raney.

-Nice to meet you.
-Good to meet you.

Wow, I'm gonna
cut to the chase.

I'm from alaska,
and I've been around --

I've been around the pacific
northwest, but you know,

Southern oregon to me,

I think there's some mysteries

That you might be able
to help me with.

What might be, you know,

A main source
of predation problems

For homesteads
in this area?

Well, I can tell you, there
is a lot of stuff around here

That eats chickens,
you know?

Mostly bobcat.

A cat will just come in,
take it,

And maybe go out 50 yards

Where he feels safe
and eat it right there.

And they can hear
the birds crowing,

And his curiosity alone
makes him feel like, man,

Somebody opened
a deli down there.

You know, as a trapper,

I can say that if you caught
one once and turned it loose,

You're probably not gonna
catch him again.

[ Hisses ]

Bobcats.

I need to get to work and try
and solve this problem asap.

♪♪

Narrator: coming up, it's all
hands on deck as marty attempts

The most dangerous stage
of the barn build.

Easy. Hold on,
'cause it'll slam down.

♪♪

And matt creates
the ultimate cat catcher.

Matt: boom.

Narrator:
in the cascades of oregon,

The raneys are helping
newbie homesteader mike

Save his wife's off-grid dream.

Everything I'm doing here
is for her.

With massacred livestock
and dying crops,

They won't survive
another winter.

At this point,
you're gonna go bankrupt.

Misty's delayed subterranean
garden remains a dirt pit.

If this thing stops,
we're losing time.

Marty and mike
are constructing a metal barn

To protect the animals.

You're building the building,
and I'm just your assistant.

And matt's unmasked
the mystery predator.

Bobcats.

♪♪

You're doing really good.

Narrator:
now with just three days to go,

Christian and mark have broken
through three feet of bedrock,

But are now due to leave
their mom's homestead.

-Thank you guys.
-Thanks for all your work.

Mark: the only reason
why we're leaving

Is 'cause we got bills to pay
back in salem.

We've both got jobs.
We work 40 hours a week.

I'm definitely thankful for
the raneys coming out here

And helping my mom do this.

-All right, guys.
-Thank you.

Misty: losing these boys,
it's just bad.

We're gonna run out of time.

Narrator: across the homestead,
marty puts all jobs on hold.

The new livestock barn
is ready to be raised.

It's a crucial part
of the build,

But with no crane on site,

It'll be done
completely by hand.

You gotta lift something heavy
up, and you don't have a jack?

Grab the top and just rely
on simple leverage

To let the building
raise itself.

Marty takes inspiration

From an ancient egyptian
counterweight technique.

There you go, misty.

Let's go about 2 feet up
right now.

Slow, matt!

A pulling team
will raise the barn.

Easy!

Hold on.

Okay, keep going!

Mike! [ Whistles ]
grab a post!

-Get it in there!
-Got it!

Go put a brake
on this thing now!

Narrator:
misty controls a brake strap
to counter the opposing force

And stop the arches toppling
toward the pulling team.

I'm ready when you are!

-Ready?
-Hold on.

Marty: matt!
No one can let go at all!

Narrator: one false move could
collapse the entire structure.

-Okay!
-Here we go!

Marty: get out of the way, mike!
Slow down!

Slow down!
Misty, brake!

Let go of it!
Let go!

We almost got it!

Matt, hold tight!

Misty, a little slack.

Let it come down.

Brake all the way off.

Let go!

[ Laughs ]

April: this barn is everything
to the homestead.

This is the heart
of the homestead.

Look how tall it is.

This is going to make it
prosper, keep it going.

That'll be amazing
if it gets finished.

Whoo!

♪♪

Narrator: the rest of the barn
is assembled.

♪♪

Across the homestead,
matt and misty

Can now continue
with the subterranean garden.

We have our hole dug.
But it'll collapse in on itself.

Misty uses large boulders
to dry stack and backfill,

Retaining the dirt walls.

Misty: look at this puzzle
that's already coming together.

This has a notch to it.

Look at the perfect piece
to fit right inside there.

This is tougher than concrete.

Narrator:
matt carefully selects rocks

That fit together
and self-support,

Filling the gaps
behind with soil.

Misty: without backfill,

You don't really have
any kind of binder.

You need the backfill
to create a solid wall.

Hey, humpty dumpy!
Try not to fall!

I hope that's one nickname
that doesn't stick.

I take it back.

Last rock.

Perfect, man!
Looks really good!

[ Sighs ]
I'm done.

Narrator: with the retaining
wall complete...

♪♪

♪♪

Matt's focus
is protecting the livestock...

This is what our trap
is gonna be.

...by building a bobcat trap.

I made this thing strong enough
to hold a mountain lion.

Boom!

Matt's humane, zero-cost live
trap has a secret ingredient.

Bobcat urine.

I don't want to be the lucky guy
that collects this,

But this is
the number-one thing

That will bring in
a bobcat.

The scent of another cat
will lure

The naturally territorial
bobcat to matt's trap.

And our actual bait
is just a wisping feather.

And then wham, he's trapped.

He learns his lesson.

We let him go.

He never comes back.

♪♪

♪♪

The next morning, misty
has upcycled

Some leftover metal scraps
as walls for raised beds

And to give the crops
a heat-giving kicker.

Misty: look at all of the light
that's reflecting.

Narrator:
april paints the garden's
rocks for heat retention.

Misty: black absorbs heat.

Take those high temperatures.

Charge these black rocks all day
long and release that warmth,

Release that energy back
into the garden all night long.

♪♪

Narrator: over at the barn,
rookie homesteader mike

Works on the wooden frontage.

Marty: did you ever think that
you'd be cutting juniper trees

Off your own property

And putting a barn front
on the arched building?

No, never --
never crossed my mind.

But then I see
how much work you've done.

I mean, you must love
this lifestyle.

This whole thing's
for april.

You have an immense love
for that girl.

Yep. Yep.

That's pretty cool.

I need a screw here.

Put some screws in.

[ Screwdriver whirring ]

Sometimes you have to stop
and look at really

What's happening on a homestead.

Beyond the barn,

I can share skills that,

Long after I'm gone
from this place,

He'll continue to practice.

This is about people
and not buildings.

♪♪

-Coming up...
-Here, keep it down. Pull down.

Narrator: ...misty puts
the garden on lockdown...

Let's try and get it tacked
down before it blows away.

...as the raneys race
to save the homestead.

Marty: I need a crew
that can finish this barn

In the next eight hours.

Time is up.

♪♪

Narrator: seven days ago,

The raneys arrived at an oregon
homestead on the brink.

I tattooed for 30 years.
I don't know how to build a box.

Their homestead killzone,

Compounded by mike's lack
of building know-how...

That thing looks pretty sad,
man to man.

...had left wife april's
off-grid dreams in ruins.

April: if things don't change
by winter,

I will have failed at my dream.

How you doing?

-With just one day left...
-Here we go!

Narrator: ...misty is
locking the steel trusses

Ready for the garden roof.

At the barn, marty, mike,
and the build team

Work on the internal
livestock pens.

Okay.
I've set the trap.

And matt is ready to reveal

The homestead's first line
of defense against the bobcat.

Check this out.

Done.

Caught cat.

-[ Chuckles ]
-happy?

I'll be thrilled when
I see something in there.

I fully expect them,
you know, to send me a picture

With that trap with
the bobcat in it,

You know,
in the next month.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: over at the garden...

Here, keep it down.
Pull down.

...the plastic retaining roof
is laid in.

Okay, the roof's on.

Let's try and get it tacked down
before it blows away.

Misty uses wire
to lock the roof down,

Keeping the plastic
tear-free.

Watch your eyeballs.

This is really
an exciting moment.

In the beginning, you were
wondering what was going on.

-Now I see, yeah.
-Now it makes sense, right?

It's gonna help a lot.

For two years, the kondashes
spent thousands on crops

That succumbed
to the extreme summer heat

And frostbitten nights.

Now, they have
a subterranean garden

With earth-regulated
temperature,

Raised reflective
and upcycled beds,

Complete with
a durable greenhouse roof.

For just $1,600, the garden
will supply season-round crops,

Paying for itself
in under a year.

I can't believe
I'm saying this,

But I'm actually
looking forward to winter.

Just so I can grow.
[ Laughs ]

Misty: it's totally epic
what's happened here.

Not only are they gonna survive
this next winter,

But they're gonna
survive 30 winters.

Come wintertime.
[ Laughs ]

Narrator: across the homestead,

Work on the barn
finally comes to an end.

Is that gate working out?

It does.

Cool.

Mike said on day one
he wanted to learn,

And I taught him
everything I could.

There's no doubt in my mind
that dude got an education.

You know what's
going on, right?

-Yes.
-Okay, cool.

A week ago, mike's lack
of homesteading skills

Were laid bare.

His livestock
kept in ramshackle pens

Exposed to predators
and the elements.

Now mike has an entire barn
made from donated juniper

And the metal arches
he purchased online.

Inside, secure pens will keep
the kondashes' livestock safe

From predators
and the elements.

Oh, my gosh.
It's a posse.

Right away, all the animals
absolutely love this place.

Dad, this is awesome.

Just for the record, april.

I didn't finish it, and your
husband's gonna have to.

I don't even have a door
right there,

But I'm confident that
that thing will be sealed up,

And your husband
will build it.

Uh-huh.

Every time I ask him
why he's here,

He says he does it
for you.

My guess is,
whatever you want,

This guy's gonna build it.

Yeah, prep it for winter.
Get it all ready.

All I gotta say is this
homestead has been set up

For success.

Your animals are gonna be safe.

I'm thrilled that you guys
come out and do this for people.

And I'm thrilled
I was one of 'em.

You can see,
she's happy.

I'm happy.
The homestead'll be happy.

-Thank you.
-You're welcome.

I'm doing double hug.
I'll miss you guys.

As far as I'm concerned,
we're gonna live life

Hanging out on our homestead,
just doing whatever we want.

Have a safe trip!
Thank you.

This homestead has
a really bright future.

This is gonna make
all the difference.

Marty: I don't care
what task or chore

They want to do
on this homestead,

Mike can handle it.

I'm never coming back.

♪♪

Narrator: the homestead
has lost no more livestock.

The bobcat has not returned.

Mike: I think if we do catch
a live bobcat in there,

I'm pretty confident
it's gonna work.

Mike has been nonstop
since the raneys left.

He's put on
dutch doors to the barn.

Yay!

Got things growing
in the greenhouse.

There's the pepper plants.

They are still producing.

I gotta say,
it inspired us again,

And probably for years to come,
'cause we will be here.

She says, "I love my new home.
Thank you, raneys."