06x04 - Quake Shattered

[bunniefuu]

The entire house
is compromised.

It's a death trap.
What is this?!

Oh, this is
the chimney.

That thing just moved.

That will definitely
k*ll somebody.

You'd better stand back.

I'm scared that the cabin's

Just gonna fall over
[chuckling] one day.

I built a huge greenhouse.

It was destroyed
by an early heavy snow.

Real moose out there.

They ate
everything we had.

It's too much for me
to do all by myself.

You're gone two
and a half months

And then come home
for how long?

Two weeks.

He would have the only

Heavy-duty diesel
mechanic shop.

Are you suggesting

That we build
this guy a shop?

That's what we do --
help people with their future.

Tyler -- I could see
the importance

Of bringing him
back home.

Oh! Aah! Aah!
Aah!

We have water.

[Bleep]
I'm sorry. Forgive me?

Saving that cabin --
how do you do that?

Get creative.

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

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪♪

Okay, guys.

We're on the
kenai peninsula, alaska.

What does kenai mean?

Somebody that really

Has good eyesight.
[ "Keen eye" ]

Wrong.
Misty.

Something to do with fish.

Very good!

Yeah!

Wrong.

kenai means
"flat land."

It's an athabascan
native word.

Welcome
to the flat land.

I mean, the kenai.

♪♪

Narrator:
extending 150 miles south
of anchorage,

The kenai peninsula offers
a natural bounty

Of foraging, hunting,

[ g*nsh*t ]
and fishing that's perfect

For an alaskan homestead.

But the winters are harsh
and the area suffers

Through thousands
of earthquakes a year,

Few bigger than the one
that hit in november 2018.

Trying to carve out
a homestead on the peninsula --

The hartleys.

My name is michelle hartley.

This rookie homesteader
needs your help.

Either I don't have
the knowledge,

The muscle, or the time.

I'm scared that the cabin's

Just gonna fall over
[chuckling] one day.

Raneys, I need your help.

♪♪

Marty:
that's what we like to see --
people out working.

[ Laughs ]

Michelle hartley.
How are you?

This is grandma mary.

Both: grandma mary.
-Yeah.

-Cash.
-Cash?

-Yeah.
-I'm tyler.

Tyler, marty raney.
Nice to meet ya.

Misty:
how long have you
been here?

-January of '18.
-Okay.

Tyler, because he works
away from home, I --

I gotta figure it all
out on my own.

I'm a heavy diesel mechanic.

I have to work
and pay the bills,

But I can't do it from here.

So, welcome to archer acres.

My stepfather tom, he built
the cabin that's here now

And, you know,
when he passed,

It was a really hard hit,

For my mom, especially.

You know, mom was in jeopardy
of losing the cabin

Or having to sell it.

It was a pretty easy decision
for my husband and I to say,

You know, that we would
take over the payments.

Narrator:
michelle quickly discovered

That homesteading
takes more than payments.

What's going on
out here?

Real moose out there.

Moose jumped the fence,
ate just about everything,

And what they didn't eat,
they came back for

Two days later
and finished off.

What alaska's pests didn't take,
alaska's climate did.

I built a huge
greenhouse last summer.

It was destroyed
by an early heavy snow

Before I even got
a chance to use it.

I've had to turn
the living room

Into kind of a nursery.

We don't get
a lot of sun

On this side
of the cabin,

So they're not really
doing very well.

Over the year, michelle's
tasks began to mount.

Just a running list

Of everything that
needs done out here.

And, with tyler away, both the
homestead's structural issues

And everyday tasks
began to bury michelle.

I can't work through
the laundry list.

I'm not there.

It's tough.
It drags me down.

It drags her down,
my wife.

I miss my son, terribly.

When I go home,

He's a different
person every time.

He's taller.
He's huskier.

He's learned new
vocabulary, you know.

It's hard. I mean,

It's hard on my mom
and it's hard on me

Because we all miss him.

Narrator:
divided, the hartleys
are closer

To losing everything
than being self-sufficient.

Michelle:
I don't know that we're gonna
be able to do this much longer.

If we couldn't make this work
and we had to sell the cabin,

It would be devastating.

You're gone two
and a half months.

Michelle: yes.
Misty: oh, my word!

And then come home
for how long?

Tyler:
two weeks.

To us, that's a big deal.

You should know --

I was a tr*mp logger
in prince of wales.

Michelle: oh, my goodness!
Tyler: I'll be damned.

Yeah. exactly

Michelle: [ laughs ]
-like you.

My wife's very first home was
in a floating logging camp

Right down the same bay

-Yeah.
-That you guys lived in.

Nobody's better equipped
than this family

To come here
and relate to your story.

-Yeah.
-I'm telling you.

It's cool to know on day 1

That the raneys and the hartleys
have a connection.

Now, it's time to see what
the problems really are.

Let's go.

Mary:
you are much better-
looking in person.

Are you talking to matt?

[ Laughs ]

[ Birds chirping ]

♪♪

Tell me about this
earthquake damage.

The cabin
has always had

A little bit
of a tilt to it.

It's tilting
a little more now.

Got some rot
going on there.

The damage that I see
in this log

May not be
from an earthquake.

These logs needed more
protection from the earth,

From the moisture.

The entire house
is compromised.

[ Suspenseful music plays ]
what is this?!
-Oh, this is the chimney.

[ Laughs ]

I wouldn't stand too close
to this, cameraman.

I gotta tell ya,
this thing's kinda sketchy.

How'd that thing fare
in the earthquake?

You know,
I can see the outline

Of where it used to be
against the building

Or flush
to the building.

It's moved.

It has moved.

[ Click ]
whoa.
I just tapped it with my hand.

[Chuckling] something fell.
Could it k*ll somebody?

Absolutely!

No homesteader
can survive a winter

Without a proper heat source.

The chimney has
to be fixed, now.

♪♪

[ Chirps ]

Narrator:
across the homestead...

This is good metal right here.
Yep.

...tyler and matt
assess the condition

Of other vital
infrastructure

And determine what, if any,
items are available for upcycle.

This is not a small pile,
so, this is good.

Any materials
that we can source

From right here
on the property,

If it's useful,
we're gonna use it.

Yeah.

Well, how's this dream

Rubbed off on ya,
so far?

-Michelle is into it, wide open.
-Yeah.

And the satisfaction
she gets

Is worth any price
I could pay,

But it's been
a lot of work.

I spend way too much
time away.

What is this?!

Used to be a sawmill.

Dude, let's look
at this thing.

This is a massive
building.

I mean, this thing's
gotta be

Like 40x30 or something.
Yeah.

Tyler wants to be home
with his family

And this homesteading
was really michelle's dream,

But if I can build
a diesel mechanic shop,

We could turn this homestead
into tyler's dream as well.

There's actually
not a lot

Of diesel
mechanics around.

Where do people go?

Two and a half hours.

There's definitely
a market.

Now, I'm starting
to put it all together.

Obviously, our goal is always
to help a homestead,

Rescue it,
make it better than it was,

But, bringing a family
back together full-time,

I mean, what's greater
than that?

I'd hate to say we're
gonna do anything

Until I talk
to my dad and sister,

Figure out what we can
actually do while we're here.

Right.

[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]

Narrator:
back outside the cabin,

Cash gives misty a tour
of the destroyed garden.

Okay. What am I
looking at,

Beside a big pile
of fireweed?

Well, the new
high tunnel,

That first snow,
it collapsed.

What happened here?

The moose.

A moose just came in,

Buffaloed his way through?

We were about to harvest
it, a week before,

And they ate
everything we had.

Oh, man.

What we have here
is fireweed

Or, as I like to call it,

The ticking time b*mb.

See the flowers?

They go all the way up
to the top

And, when they get to the top,
you have six weeks until winter.

So, do we need a greenhouse?

Winter's right
around the corner.

We're gonna try and extend
this growing season, yes.

And what comes before winter is
every single animal in alaska

Eating every single
thing they can,

So we have to protect
this garden,

Or it will be devastated.

♪♪

Well, I just did a walk around
with michelle on the cabin.

It's got issues inside.

It's got issues
outside.

Their garden is like
trampled by a moose

And their greenhouse,
the snow crushed it.

What is tyler saying?

Why did he drag you
down here?

He didn't drag me
down here.

I said, "let's look
at your property,"

And I saw this thing.

♪♪

It's a potential future
diesel shop

Where he can work
from home right here.

Are you standing here,
suggesting

That we build
this guy a shop?

That's what we do --
help people with their futures.

This would be like
the biggest thing

You ever built
in a week.

[ Exhales ]

That might be true.

That said, you have
a foundation already --

You have this slab.
Yeah.

And you have
a roof already.

There was power here, once.

There can be
power here again.

Here's the
worst-case scenario --

"Hey, we're gonna
build you a shop."

Tears of joy!

[ Laughs ]
and then,

In a week from now,
we didn't pull it off.

♪♪

Growing up in my family,
my dad,

He would work out of town
for months at a time

And sometimes we'd see him
for a week or two

And then he'd be gone.

If I can give tyler and cash
more time with each other

By just building a shop
on the homestead,

Then that's what I gotta do.

Narrator:
to save the hartleys'
only livable structure,

Marty will grade the land
around it

To keep water away
from the foundation.

And, to ensure
the unsafe chimney

Won't crush the house
in the next quake,

He will tear it down
and rebuild it.

To secure the family's ability
to grow food through the winter,

Misty will construct
a 10x20-foot a-frame greenhouse

And moose-proof the garden
with 8-foot fencing.

To bring tyler home,
matt will lead the build,

To create an 18x40-foot
enclosed structure

[ Honk-honk ]
that tyler can turn
into a diesel shop.

The raneys have just seven days
to save the hartleys' homestead

Before they have to move on

To the next homestead
in dire need.

So, the cabin,
to preserve tom's legacy,

I say that we address
that water off the roof,

Which means the grade
on that side.

-Mm-hmm.
-And then, I'm not really sure

what is happening
with that fireplace,

But I can't come
to this homestead,

Say I'm gonna help you,
see that danger, and not fix it.

Cash and me,
your guys' garden

And the greenhouse.

Pvc pipe, it's not the best
material for alaska.

For me,
it's tear down

And come up with some
kind of new design.

The thing that could probably
help the homestead the most --

I wanna turn
that building into a shop

That can bring him
home full-time

And that's where
he would work.

That's everything,
is to be home,

And I'm tired
of traveling.

Thirty years of it,
I'm ready to be done.

Marty:
and it helps your dream

Of homesteading
and being a family.

We'll do it.
Let's go to work.

♪♪

Narrator:
on alaska's kenai peninsula,

The raneys are trying to save
the hartleys' homestead.

Things are starting
to fall apart.

With winter around the corner

And their garden
under as*ault...

What's going on
out here?

...misty must protect
the family's food source...

They ate
everything we had.

...while matt must take on
their biggest build, ever,

To bring a father home.

It's a potential
future diesel shop

Where he could work
from home right here.

But the first priority --

Fixing the unfinished chimney
before it comes crashing down.

Whoa.
I just tapped it with my hand.

[Chuckling] something fell.

♪♪

[ Barking ]
you've expressed to me that

That 7.2 earthquake
back in november

May have shifted
and moved this fireplace.

Makes sense to rip it all out,
tear it down, and build it new.

Because of the hard work
tom put into it,

Mom is really attached
to the fireplace,

Even in its dysfunction.

Is there a way that I can
make it safer for now?

-You cannot word it
to me that way.
-"For now"?

We gotta do something
that's good forever.

It's a memory for her.

Well, it's
a death trap to me.

What about this?

How would your mom feel
if we get it

Structurally sound and safe

And then, if all
of the stars align,

We'll clad all of that
concrete with stone.

That's awesome.

Honey, this is
gonna be tough.

I need to get
[chuckling] to work.

Narrator:
marty will pour concrete

To make a pedestal
and provide a flat surface

To lay four courses
of cinderblock

To connect the hanging chimney,
all to make the fireplace

Structurally sound
and functional.

This chimney is another
legacy of tom archer.

What am I gonna do?

♪♪

Rebuild it.

♪♪

Few more batches and this
will be full, right to the top.

We'll smooth it out
and then,

We'll be well on our way
to making this safe.

Because, right now,

All I can say
is don't sneeze.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator:
as the concrete sets...

Hold that right there,
sir. Thank you.

...it's all hands on deck
at the old sawmill

Where marty's
making measurements

For their biggest build, ever.

Sheez.


How big of trucks
do you work on?

[ Laughs ]

Biggest stuff
on the road.

-Is that enough room?
-Yes.

This is the starting point.

I'm thinking you're
gonna probably finish

The whole building someday.
-Right.

[Laughing] so, we don't wanna
leave you with something that

Doesn't leave you
in a good spot to continue.

Narrator:
marty and matt must build
an 18x40-foot structure

With over 13-foot doors

Capable of accommodating
the massive haulers, tugboats,

Loaders, and shovels
that tyler repairs.

When we showed up
at this homestead,

We looked at the workload.

I knew we needed my crew --

Miles raney,

Owen bird,

And clint morehouse.

♪♪

Tyler explains to me the size
of building that we need

To get these massive logging
trucks in the front door,

But the steel is in the way,
so, it has to be cut

Out of the way
to accommodate big doors

That will allow big logging
trucks to come into the shop.

[ Clang ]

This drill steel

Is the perfect material
for this garden fence

Because it's free, [chuckle]
it'll last forever,

And, in this case,
we're trying to keep out moose,

So it needs to be
incredibly tall.

Are these from the coal barn?
-Yes.

I was thinking fence posts.
-[Gasp] perfect.

They're about 10 feet plus,

So, if we go a couple feet
in the ground

And we got 8 feet above ground
and then we put fencing on that,

I think that'll be exactly
where we wanna be.

The next thing I need to do is
get a level piece of land

In order to build
this greenhouse

And I'm gonna try
and browbeat my dad

Into doing it for me.

♪♪

[ Reverse alert beeping ]

You've never looked
better in your life!

Ha-ha!

I need a 10x20 footprint.

♪♪

If missy doesn't shave,
that thing grows in

In just a few hours,
and those eyebrows.

It's hereditary.

-What you think?
-I think it looks amazing.

-It's big.
-It is big.

I was kinda thinking
a-frame-style

And, that way, it'll be able
to shed that snow.

Narrator:
with winter
around the corner,

Misty will construct
a 10x20-foot a-frame greenhouse,

All in the hopes
the hartleys' homegrown food

Will be protected
from seed to harvest.

Getting the fence in
is pretty key,

But what's even
more important is

Extending your growing season,

And the only way you're gonna
do that is with a greenhouse

Because, in alaska, it's such
a short amount of time that,

If you can buy yourself a week,
you buy yourself a week.

I'm so excited.

I'm so
excited to see it.

So thankful.

♪♪

[ Creature squawks ]

♪♪

Look at that dog
right there.

Narrator:
with the cement for the
chimney nearly set,

Marty turns his attention
to the cabin foundation.

Seems happy and overfed.

Don't fat-shame
my dog.

[ Laughs ]
-oh, no.

Forty acres,
and the one place

That dog wants to lay
is right here

Because this soil
is cold and damp.

And why is it?

Because a lot of moisture
comes off that roof.

As a log-home builder,
I've seen rotten logs before.

We can save this bottom log.

Get it dry, get air moving
around it, get the dirt away.

If we can do that, the cabin
will be here 100 years from now.

I'll get the excavator
and we will dig this down

In a fashion where it'll catch
all the water, all the snowmelt.

This is gonna be
fairly invasive.

Are you ready?

I'm ready.

I wanna preserve
what we got

Going on here forever.

Alright.

Narrator:
in order to halt the rot
on the cabin's foundation logs,

Marty will excavate the ground
to slope away from the cabin,

Keeping the water
that comes off the roof

From seeping under the house.

[ Whistles ]

Don't let me forget.

We're gonna have
that pipe going

From the wood burner
to there.

That's huge.

See if we can dig a trench
alongside it

And kinda drop it down.

Okay.

♪♪

So we installed
a boiler last fall.

It runs heated water
in a loop

And so that line
is buried

From our boiler here

All the way
to the house

And we just wanna
make sure

That we don't
damage it.

We'll have water draining
all over the place.

It's a little bit
nerve-wracking.

It's very scary for me to see
the giant excavator

Just inches away from the
cabin that tom built.

It's irreplaceable to me.

[ Suspenseful music plays ]

Whoa!
Ooh!

[ Reverse alert beeping ]

Water right here.

Hey, marty!

Oh!
We have water.

♪♪

[Bleep]

Narrator:
in alaska,

Nearly halfway
through the week,

The raneys' rescue of the
hartleys' collapsing cabin

Is full speed ahead.

All I can say
is don't sneeze.

But, while trying to save
the building's foundation...

This is gonna be
fairly invasive.

...marty hit
a stumbling block.

Whoa!
Hey, marty!

Oh!
We have water.

[Bleep]

[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]

♪♪

Water should stop!
[Grunts] now.

Oh! We're so close.
We were there.

Is there power in this?
-Yes, there is.

There's two power lines
running through here.

We gotta make sure
the power's off.

Yeah. I'll go.

-Okay.
-I wired it.

I'll go pull it.
-Thank you.

It's not a good day
to die.

This mistake,
I own it 100%.

[Laughing] I make mistakes
and today I made a big one.

This is probably the most
careful I've ever been.

And you still
break something.

[ Laughing ]
-yes. I'm sorry.
You forgive me?

-I do.
-Oh.

Ever sleep on one
of these before?

-I have.
-Me too.

So, the issue is this --
I've just broken a water line

That's only 2 feet
below the surface.

If we don't address it,
I know for a fact

That it's going to freeze
come winter.

It needs to be insulated.

If a blue foam sleeping pad

Can insulate a human
on denali at -148 chill factor,

It can insulate this pipe.

It's fixed.
Real simple.

With the help
of that excavator,

We've got this log
totally exposed to the air.

-Awesome.
-And [knock-knock]

We have this ground
sloping away

From this cabin forever.

Most people
would call this good.

Not me.

I saw something
down on your lower property

That we're gonna incorporate.

If you're not resourceful
on a homestead,

You'll never be
a true homesteader.

You guys have any plans
for this?

No.

We had a pole barn
that collapsed

A couple years ago
during the winter.

I've got an idea.

♪♪

Okay.
This is it.

Even though
it's a nice sunny day,

Let's pretend it's raining.

Ready?

Anything going in the house?

-It's going downhill.
-Okay.

-away from the cabin.
-Alright.

-It's fantastic.
-Think it'll work?

Yes.

Are you hot right now?

I am --

Oh, my god.

Oh! Aah! Aah!
Aah!

It's on.

Whoo!

So, two things left --

Put gravel over the metal

and bury that fixed
water line --

And that cabin's good
to go for 100 years.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator:
the next morning,

As work continues on the
potential shop frame...

Marty:
hold on. I got issues.

I just spotted something
that's gonna k*ll somebody.

So we just cut this out
and we cut that out.

That means that entire roof
that you're looking at

Just riding on that one
piece of drill steel.

So, until we build
this wood wall

From this concrete slab
to the top of that roof,

This place is a full-on,


As the wall goes up,
this will serve as a brace

And actually come up
gradually with the wall.

♪♪

One, two, three.

Okay.

-Too short! I'm too short.
-Hold on. Hold on.

I'm too short.
I'm way too short.

[Chuckling]
holy crap.

Okay, stop!
Let me get up here.

I'm cutting this out
with a chain saw.

We're going past it.

Usually, you frame walls
and then stand them up,

But that's in the way,
so we're kinda

Framing around
and within the shop,

So, it's gonna kinda
be slow going.

I like it! Done!

Now, you're looking
at one wall in place,

But are we
[laughing] out of the woods?

No.
Three more walls to go up.

When you frame a wall
and you have a door or a window,

You have to put in
what's called a header,

Something bigger and beefier.

It just takes more weight

Because you're
spanning something

With glass, frankly,
or a doorway.

So, a quick way,
even by yourself,

To set a header and have it
flush with your framing on top

Is to, in advance,
measure the thickness.

Three 2x12s
are 4.5 inches thick.

Whatever it is, measure down
from the top of your wall.

Put in a couple nails.

♪♪

By myself.
You just set it in.

Come on over.

Yep.

Okay?
-Okay.

So what those nails do is
they catch it

And we're flush.

Header hack 101.

Somebody get it
on the line, please.

Agh! Okay.

I'm on the end.

Whoa!

♪♪

[ Clanging ]

Framing, which is supposed
to be the fastest thing

In a build,
is taking forever.

♪♪

Stop!

And there's all these other
needs on the homestead

And I'm worried they're
not gonna be addressed

And, when we drive away,

All we will have done
is built the shop.

[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]

[ Birds chirping ]

[ Growls ]

♪♪

Narrator:
morning, day 5,

Down at the garden.

♪♪

Yesterday, I was at the shop
all day, working,

And today, I'm up here
with just a couple days left

And we've just started
framing the greenhouse.

How's it look?

Looks like
you've got

Less than three days
to finish it.

You have any good
things to say?

You're stressed out
about it a little bit.

Yeah.

This got really behind.

At some point,
you're gonna have

To cut your losses.

I'm telling you
that right now.

I think it's too big

And I think
it's too involved.

This is the eleventh hour
and I need to like

Sheet an entire greenhouse,
bring in some insulation,

Put in some ventilation,
put in a door.

I'm pretty concerned
about that.

Misty is clearly behind the


So,

I'm pulling my crew
off the big shop

And matt is alone.

[ Suspenseful music plays ]

You got
a 18x40-foot-long shop,

With less than three days
to finish it.

This entire day,

I won't be setting
foot down here.

I'm working on the cabin.

You can handle it?

I can handle it.

-Done. [Clap] you got it.
-[Laughs]

We're halfway through
and I lost my dad,

I've lost misty, and there's
a lot of stuff to button up,

And this place
isn't getting any smaller.

What have I got myself
into, here?

♪♪

Narrator:
with less than three
days remaining,

The raneys are racing

To save the hartleys'
alaska homestead.

As work has continued
on the biggest build, ever...

Two, three.

Okay.
I like it! Done!

...the greenhouse
has fallen behind.

Looks like you've got

Less than three days
to finish it.

You have any good
things to say?

And, before marty
can declare the chimney

Safe and functional...

It's a memory for her.

Well, it's
a death trap to me.

...he needs to secure
the structure

Before it crashes the cabin.

All I can say
is don't sneeze.

[ Birds chirping ]

♪♪

Last board.
It's this beautiful wood

That came from tom's
old pole barn,

And it kinda collapsed
and then the family

Salvaged what they could.

It's just one more piece
of material we don't have to buy

And, every time they look
at the greenhouse,

They're gonna be
reminded of tom.

♪♪

Done.

Okay. Now,
we're doing trusses,

Which is [clapping] really
[singsong] exciting!

You will never see
a flat roof in alaska

And, if you do, it's not
gonna be there for very long.

These trusses are perfect
for this greenhouse

Because they're designed,
by hand,

To get that steep a-frame
roof that sheds snow.

♪♪

I need a lot more wood to be
able to finish this greenhouse.

I'm gonna call in
a couple old loggers,

My dad and tyler,

With all of their
know-how and knowledge,

To go get me
the lumber that I need.

You wanna give me
some pointers?

Well, you got a lever
right there.

You're cutting
the lever down

And you got a fulcrum
right there.

So, as the tree falls,

When it hits that,
if it hits it,

It's gonna pull
the log off the stump

And it's gonna
come back.

Tyler and I speak
the same language.

Looking at him
is a incredible flashback

To how I started in alaska.

That's a moneymaker, buddy.
Yeah, it is.

I understand the sacrifice
to bring him back

And make this homestead
complete.

That's why we're here.

♪♪

Narrator:
as misty mills the lumber
from the dropped tree,

Tyler joins matt
to assist at the shop.

Who's helping you?
Do you got a crew?

Yes. I got --
well, you've met cash,

My youngest son;
and then, I got

My oldest.
-All family.

-Yeah.
-Family members.

Yeah, my sons.

I followed
in my dad's footsteps.

I appreciate it.

What do you think
your sons think?

I think they like it.

Honestly, we're
only halfway done,

So, let's keep going.

♪♪

Okay. There we go.

♪♪

Alright!

It's an exciting day
when you actually get

To cut the plates out
and start putting in the doors.

[Laughs]
means all the framing is done!

It'd be nice
to do insulation,

But I don't know if we're
gonna have enough time.

But, right now,
if he just has a dry building

With some doors
that can lock,

Where he can throw
his tools in there,

We can just get him on the
homestead as soon as possible.

Aah.

[ Squeaking ]

♪♪

[Laughing] okay.

Nice!

Let's take a tour
of this thing, man.

What's the floor plan?

The bench
will go in here.

Workbench.
Very cool.

And then, you were
saying something

Like come-along
or something,

We might be able to weld
something up there?

We'll weld a hook to it

That we can put
a come-along on

And be able to lift
small stuff with.

-Like engines or something
like that?
-Yeah.

-That's really cool, man.
-Yeah.

Hearing tyler describe how
he's gonna set up this shop

And what he's gonna do,

I can already see trucks
lined up out the door

And this place really
making a k*lling.

Alright, man.
[Chuckling] almost there.

♪♪

[ Birds chirping ]

♪♪

We're finishing up
this greenhouse.

We've got ventilation.
Ta-da!

Then there's a window
on the other side

And we'll get
that cross-breeze.

Insulation.

So, cut tight, pound in.

♪♪

Protection...

Is this the last bit?

Yeah.
Last bit.

What?!

No moose is gonna be
able to jump over that.

...and we have
heat retention.

Last sheet.

The greenhouse is done.

Everything you need
to be able to grow food.

Narrator:
one week ago, the hartleys
had a collapsed greenhouse

And a garden exposed
to local pests.

Misty constructed
a 10x20-foot a-frame greenhouse

And doubled the height
of their fence to 8 feet,

All for just $250.

Lookit! Right?
-Big cucumber.

Look how beautiful this is!

We moved them out of that
little temporary tent

And the humidity and the warmth,
look at these walls,

Like, the greenhouse
is already working, right?

We've come a long
ways from that

Group house on the ground.

Yeah.
It's amazing.

You guys have helped out
so much around here.

Does it kinda take the load
off you a little bit?

Yeah, it does.

'Cause I knew
she was gonna make me

Help her, one day,
with the greenhouse, so.

Have I made your chore list
a little shorter?

-Yes. Definitely.
-[Laughs]

♪♪

[ Suspenseful music plays ]

Narrator:
back at the cabin,

Marty resumes work
on the chimney

Where the concrete base
has dried.

Marty:
we had an earthquake
last night at 11:00 pm.

Make no mistake about it --
this thing can come down.

As crude as it looks,

It's plenty hard enough
to set these block on.

Here are the ingredients in

The secret
raney mortar recipe --

Sand,

Cement,
[ grunts ]

And lime.

Lime allows this mortar
to stick to the tools,

And I'm thinking this is
the right consistency.

See how that mud
sticks to that block?

Without lime,
that doesn't happen, ever!

What's the most important part
of any fireplace or wood stove?

[ Grunts ]
the chimney.

If we don't address it,

These homesteaders
need a new place to live.

♪♪

That thing just moved.

This just moved.

You see that separation
right there?

Which means
you better stand back.

I'm serious
as a heart attack.

That will definitely
k*ll somebody.

[ Suspenseful chord strikes ]

Narrator:
seven days ago,
the raneys discovered

The hartleys' alaskan
homestead in disarray.

This is gonna be
fairly invasive.

I'm ready.

After a week of work,

Misty has their
homegrown food secure

With a greenhouse
and moose-proof fence,

While matt is closing in
on finishing

A potential diesel shop
to reunite the family

And marty...

This just moved.

...is securing
the problem chimney

To make sure the cabin
survives the next big quake.

That will definitely
k*ll somebody.

I'm serious
as a heart attack.

Just keep an eye
on that thing.

Coming in hot.

Set that right there.

Hopefully, this will give me
a second or two

To get out of the way
before it crushes me, huh?

This chunk of concrete
wants to fall on me.

That said, we need to put
additional supports under it

To hold it in place

Until we make a safe
connection of solid concrete.

Hopefully,
when we're done,

No one will ever know the chaos
that's underneath this.

If I don't get this chimney
finished in time,

They'll have no heat source
and, in alaska,

That's a matter
of life or death.

[ Suspenseful music plays ]

♪♪

♪♪

How's it look?

It looks incredible.

-You sure?
-I am sure.

I found one of tom's
old fly reels.

Many a fish were caught
with this.

I'm gonna pass this
on to you.

Thanks, darling.

♪♪

Could be something like

I could put it
in there sideways.

That is very cool.

Earthquake, weather, snow,

Freeze, thaw, rain --

Bring it.

This thing's gonna be here

longer than the cabin.

I really hope
your mom likes it.

I will get her.

Alright.
I'm standing by.

Narrator:
a week ago, the cabin had
issues from top to bottom,

With the foundation
rotting into the ground

And a chimney threatening
to collapse.

Now, the hartleys
can sleep soundly,

Knowing the cabin is safe
and tom's legacy

Will be preserved
for generations to come,

For just 300 bucks.

[Crying] oh! Honey,
I love that.

Oh!
Tom's reel up there.

Oh, my gosh!

Water's gonna run
off of this

And just look
beautiful.

And, speaking of water
running off,

Come over here.
I wanna show you something.

It's sloping away from
the cabin and downhill..

Tom would love that,
absolutely love it.

It's a privilege to have
you guys here, honey.

When we first showed up
on this homestead,

It was all about tom,
everything he built,

And his legacy.

And, now,
it's about the hartleys.

♪♪

♪♪

[ Birds chirping ]

Narrator:
with the cabin
and greenhouse complete,

There's just one more build
left for marty to assess --

The raneys' biggest, ever.

Hold on.
Just stop right there.

I'm actually really impressed.

Plus, you're trying
to cut in and around

An existing structure.

It's been
interesting.

It looks clean, though.

It's epic.

-Thanks.
-Structural.

I'm serious.
-Yeah, I know.

Every father wants their son
to be better than they are

And today, at that shop,

It happened.

You guys really came through
and I'm really impressed,

So, thanks a lot.

Alright.
Let's go grab the hartleys.

[ Birds chirping ]

Narrator:
with the build complete,

Marty grabs michelle
to show her the work.

Here we go.

Alright, kid.

What?!

Surprise!

Oh, yeah.
[ Laughing ]

How did you do this
in seven days?

It took everybody,
and then some.

Narrator:
seven days ago, the old
sawmill shop sat in disuse

And tyler was 1,000 miles away
at the logging camp.

Now, the hartleys
have the start

Of an enclosed


Where tyler can eventually
work from home,

For just $1,300.

Tom built this place,

But I feel like
this place is building me.

It's hard for me to say
that I deserve it,

But I'm sure glad
it happened.

[ Laughing ]
-well, we will all three say

You deserve it.
You hear me?

This is a very deserving family,
a beautiful family.

When we first showed up
on this homestead,

It was all about
preserving a cabin.

Seven days later,
it's a brand-new day.

The hartleys are set up
for success

And, if there was ever

A homesteading family
that deserved it,

It's the hartleys.

♪♪

Definitely had
some good quakes,

But this chimney
is holding up amazing.

This grade is working
fantastically.

Tomato plants
are getting super tall.

They're almost
up to the ceiling.

The big fence that you guys
helped us make was a big help.

They haven't gotten
anything this year.

We were able
to harvest everything.

Tyler is gonna come home
on friday.

I'm so excited!
[Claps]

Can't even tell you
how grateful I am

For everything
that you guys did. Thanks.