10x04 - Subarctic S.O.S.

[bunniefuu]

[Marty] These homesteaders
are trying to make it

in one of the toughest places
in Alaska.

[Hannah] I've seen it get down
to, like, 70 below.

I think it's time to get
the Elkins thawed out.

[Misty] Oh, my goodness.

This is a homestead
where there's more
infrastructure here

than anywhere
we've ever visited.

And it's not being utilized.

This is so heartbreaking.

Whoo!

[Matt] Any time that I can use
old-school Alaskan
crazy techniques,

I'm gonna do it.

[Matt] Good!

That's a lot of sawdust.

[Marty] Nice!

One day, if we put animals
inside that paddock...

-where--
-What animals?

This is something
that I've dreamed about.

[Marty] Oh, my gosh.

There they are!

I didn't realize how beautiful
it was going to turn out.

[Marty] It's truly amazing.

I will always be in debt
to each of you.

[Marty] You can see it
in their eyes.

It's a transformation.

This is a homestead
we'll never forget.

[Marty] All right, kids.
Here we are.

Delta Junction.
Highway number two.

You know you live
in a remote state

when your highways
are number one

and number two.

[Misty] When I think
of Delta Junction,

I think of, what are the most
brutal places on the planet?

It's 50 below all winter,

if you're lucky.

This place is gnarly.

[narrator] The Raneys heed
a rescue call
from Delta Junction,

a remote location
in southeast Alaska's
Tanana River valley,

surrounded by mountain ranges
and dense forests.

The winters are long
and brutal,

with less than four hours
of sunlight a day

during the bleakest months.

With the start of winter
only three weeks away,

the Elkins' family homestead
is on the verge
of being frozen out.

I'm Brandon Elkins,
and this is my wife.

I'm Hannah Elkins.

We've been married five years

and just had
our fourth beautiful baby.

[Brandon] We have 293 acres.

[Hannah] I love
living out here,

but we are in over our heads.

[Brandon] In the wintertime,
the wind is really harsh,
really cold.

[Hannah] You walk outside
and it feels like your skin
is burning.

[Brandon] Our outdoor growing
is non-existent.

Our barn houses
between 150, 200 chickens.

There's no heating for them.

Eggs freeze,
and we lose chickens
to cold temperatures.

We're in desperate need.

Our life here is on the line.

Raneys, from one
Alaskan family to another,

we need your help.

[Marty] This is it.

[Misty] Wow, this place
looks like it belongs
in the suburbs.

-[Brandon] That's a big truck.
-[Hannah laughs]

-Hello.
-[Brandon] Hello.

How are you? Marty Raney.

-I'm Hannah.
-Hannah.

Brandon. Good to meet you.
You're most welcome.

We've never ever pulled down
a paved driveway

and saw something
that looked like it belongs

on a cover
of a homebuilding magazine.

I'm not sure I'm convinced
you're struggling.

[Brandon] Marty, I know
it looks like we...

We might have things together
from the end of the driveway,

but there's a lot
underneath going on
that is...

Uh, not what...
What it seems like.

[Misty] You guys,
you have kids?

A four-year-old,
a three-year-old,

a one-year-old
and a two-month-old.

-Four kids under four?
-[Hannah] Yeah.

I always joke,
he farms chickens,
I farm children.

[all laugh]

Where are you guys from?
Are you from
Alaska originally?

So, I was born in New Jersey,
and I've...

I've only lived in Alaska
for ten years now.

-And...
-He's a transplant.

[Misty] Why here? Why Delta?

-'Cause I grew up here
in Delta.
-[Misty] Okay.

-So, this is home.
This is home to you.
-Yeah. Yeah, I...

Born and raised.

[Misty] How long have
you guys been here,
on this homestead?

[Brandon and Hannah]
Three years.

-You've been here
three winters?
-Yes.

[Marty] How have
those winters been?

I mean, Delta has a reputation
for being cold and windy.

Yeah. I mean, it was...

It's been rough,
especially last winter.

So, what are the main reasons
of why you called
the Raneys here?

We're barely
just skimming by.

I've been so blessed
and I'm so grateful for...

for what we have.

But the challenges
that go along
with being out here,

I'm afraid to lose it.
And... And I don't...

I don't want to.

[Brandon] We've been together
five years.

[Hannah] We met in September,
started dating in October,

were officially engaged
in December

and got married in January.

It all happened so quickly.

-It was a--
-It was fast,
but it was great.

-It was a good decision.
-Yes.

We wanted a homestead
where we can rely on ourselves
for our own food.

[Hannah] Also teaching
our children so they can
have self-sufficiency.

[Brandon] So, we found
this property,

and we fell in love
with this the first time
we looked at it.

It was like,
"Yes. This is home."

This property was
owned previously by a...

a Russian family.

They told us that they
did not fully live

the potential of the property,

and that they hoped that we
would be able to make it
reach that potential.

They left us
a lot of the tools.

They left us the buildings.

[Hannah] And I loved
all of the space

that we could
turn into what
we wanted it to be.

But with Brandon working
and me as a full-time mom,

things can go
by the wayside.

[Brandon] I'm in the military

as a military
police officer.

[Hannah] And he then
comes home,
he has to keep going.

I'm often having
many different ideas

and trying to do
everything at once,

and it makes it difficult
to spend the time
that it really needs

to make things happen.

[Hannah] And it's really hard
for me to help

because even though
I grew up here,

I wasn't given all
of those natural skills

that a lot of people have.

[Brandon] Homesteading,
it's always going to be hard,

but everything is much harder
in the winter.

I've seen it get down
to, like, 70 below.

[Brandon] It's brutal.

Our home is mostly heated
through a Toyo stove.

And having to rely on fuel
to be brought in has...

has been kind of
a struggle.

Because we live so far out,
and sometimes, we have
to be without fuel.

It's also very difficult
to grow anything.

My knowledge of gardening
is limited,

so I make a lot of mistakes.

And I have to redo
a lot of things.

And then we also have
200-ish chickens.

They stay in a barn right now

that is uninsulated.

And I really try to do
a lot of work
to try and take care of them

and give them the best type
of environment that they need.

But without any sort
of heating for them,
that's been a struggle.

This is where
they lay their eggs.

We kinda use these
straw bales for them
to act as insulation.

But it's definitely
not perfect,

especially when
it gets so cold.

Even though I love
the military and I love
serving my country,

my ultimate goal

is to be able
to leave my full-time job,

live off the land,
help the community,

grow food for my family
and for our neighbors.

And I feel like if Hannah's
on my side and helping me,

I can accomplish
just about anything,
no matter how hard it is.

But we have
a lot of work to do
before it can become

exactly what we envisioned
in the beginning.

[Misty] What is this
to the right?

[Brandon] This is
the chicken coop
that we started with.

And that eventually got
to a point where we had
too many chickens,

and they were no longer able
to... To stay in here.

[Matt] So, you started
with how many chickens?

Uh, we started
with about 30.

Like, you got chicks
and they all grew up?

-Or how did that--
-[Brandon] Right, from...
From chicks, yeah.

We bought them.

-[Matt] So how many do you
have right now?
-Oh, well...

-About 200-ish.
-[Misty] 200 chickens?

-[Matt] Right now?
-Right now, yeah.

-Where are they?
-They're everywhere.

There's no fences.
They just kind of wander.

[Matt] I see chickens
in the woods.

-I mean, they're not
in the pen. [chuckles]
-[Brandon] No, no.

-[Misty] But why that many?
-Right, yeah. We wanted
to be able to...

to supply not just
for ourselves
but to the local community.

Their main building is
this barn over here.

[Misty] Where's the doors?

Uh, we've never had doors.

We use, uh, tarp
to kinda block the snow

and the wind from getting
to the chickens.

We were trying to build
another facility,
but it just didn't work out.

So, I just threw
these tarps on as a...
as a last-ditch effort to...

-to contain 'em.
-That's gotta be so cold.

This building is huge.

I could think
of a million things

that I would use
this structure for,

but a chicken coop would
not be one of those things.

[Marty] So, how is
this house heated?

[Hannah] We have
the Toyo stove,

and there's a 500-gallon tank
out back that feeds it.

[Marty] Oh, yeah. Ah-ha!

Is there a wood stove
in this house?

There is, but even
with the Toyo going

and with the wood stove,

there's still portions
of the home that don't get
much heat at all.

'Cause the heating
in the house
is super-inefficient.

The house itself
is not meant for Alaska.

The smartest money
that you can throw at a house

if you live
in cold country,

it's insulation.

In that
beautiful-looking home,

they may have
cut a corner.

So, let's talk
about these winters.

-You were born
and raised here?
-[Hannah] Yeah.

-[Marty] You like it here?
-I love it.

I get it, 100%.

But the cold does get to you
after a while.

It does.
A lot of people leave.

Then why haven't you?

'Cause I love this land.

And I'm not afraid
to work hard for it.

So, I'm not gonna
give up on Alaska.

It's not given up
on me yet, so...

[Marty] Well, listen.

You're a young mother
with four kids.

-Right?
-Yeah.

I already know
you're a worker.
So, I believe you.

I can't see myself
taking a sledgehammer

and ripping all the Sheetrock
off the walls

and inspecting
the insulation.

So, we've gotta get
clever and creative

and figure out some other way
to supply this home

with supplemental heat.

All right, thank you.

[Brandon] So, this is
a high tunnel.

It's 30 by about 72 feet long.

[Misty] Oh, my goodness.

What are you growing in here?

-[Brandon] Uh, well...
-[Misty] Grow some dandelions

and some fireweed
and some grass?

Yeah. Um, we were...
we weren't successful

in being able
to grow anything.

-[Misty] Did you try
to grow something?
-[Brandon] Well, I tried.

I started digging around,
I started putting things down.

I tried Weedwacking
everything, but everything
grew back.

Why?

Uh, I... I guess I...

I wasn't sure what
I was doing when it came
to actually planting anything.

This is so heartbreaking.
And you wanna know why?

The amount of food
that you could've grown

from May until now, fall,

would've fed your family
for the entire year.

It's clear to me
that these homesteaders,

they're young,
they mean well,

but obviously, they don't have
the skills to be successful.

This is a homestead where
there's more
infrastructure here

than anywhere
we've ever visited.

And it's not being utilized.

We're in Delta, in Alaska.

Winter's weeks away.

You can't plant anything
in here now.

The window that you had
is gone.

So, now what?

I don't know.

[Misty] This homestead
has so much potential

to allow Brandon
to live off the land

and retire from his
army police officer job.

Question is,
how do we do that?

I think we have our work
cut out for us.

[Marty] All right, so,
we're in a little bit
of a pickle here.

Winter's coming.

We can't completely fix
their heating situation.

But we have
to figure out a way

to supplement
what they already have.

[Misty] Yeah,
here's the deal.

It's like a 911 red alarm.

There's so much
infrastructure,

and it's just not being used.

They got the high tunnel.

You go in there,
there is fireweed,

there's dandelions,
there's grass.

There is so much
opportunity here.

Why aren't they meeting
that potential?

[Matt] So,
this chicken coop.

It's so oversized

that the chickens
can't even help themselves.

I guarantee you,
if we walked
around these woods,

we'd find dozens of eggs.

If I can rein
all these chickens together

and get 'em
in a smaller space,

you could increase
the egg production.

Double, at least.

Brandon wants to give
to his community,

but we need to make
things work here
for these homesteaders

before we start worrying
about anyone else.

[Marty] This place
looks amazing.

However, crack open
the cover,

and page one.

It's obvious
if we don't do something,

this is not gonna be
a happy ending.

[narrator] To rescue
the Elkins'
homesteading ambition,

the Raneys have three
big challenges to overcome.

First, they must determine
a supplemental heat source

for the poorly
insulated house.

Second, help
establish a growing
and food storage operation

and extend the growing season
into winter.

And third, wrangle
the free-range chickens

and build
a weather-proof shelter

capable of withstanding
negative 70-degree
temperatures.

Only then can they teach
Brandon and Hannah

how to better utilize
the resources available
on their homestead.

[Marty] It really comes
down to this.

-Are you guys ready
for change?
-Yes.

Okay. Couple of questions.

Does that tractor run?

-[Brandon] It does not.
-[Marty] What's wrong with it?

Well, uh, the last time
I got it running,
it caught on fire.

So...

-Do I have your permission
to try to get it running?
-Yes.

-Absolutely.
-[Marty] Okay. So,

all this standing around
with a clean white shirt

is all gonna stop tomorrow.
We're gonna start working.

Great.

[Marty] These guys have
made plenty of mistakes.

We're gonna
turn that around.

We're not gonna look
at how they failed,

we're gonna look at how
we can help them succeed.

Get a good night's rest.

-All right, we'll see you.
-[Brandon] Great.

-[Hannah] Okay, see you guys
in the morning.
-[Brandon] Great. Thank you.

[Misty] Hello.
Good morning. Hi.

-[Hannah] Good morning.
-[Marty] Hello.

[Misty] There's
three people now.

-That's right. This is my dad.
-[Hannah] Yeah.

I'm Morris.

There's a lot of work
that needs to happen.

So, we're happy
to have another hand.

-[Morris chuckles]
-[Misty] Where are
you visiting from?

Colorado Springs.

-[Misty] Oh.
-[Matt] Oh, wow.

You got some skills?

-I think I have a few, yeah.
-[Marty] What...

-What do you do?
-[Morris] I'm a safety person.

I... I'm a...
I'm a safety director
for a company.

[Marty] Would you
do me a favor?

-[Morris] I will.
-[Marty] Keep me safe.

-I promise.
-[Marty] Okay.

-[Matt] Wait, will you
do me a favor?
-Yes.

-Listen to him.
-[all laugh]

I like this guy!
I like this guy. [laughs]

Brandon has always been
a good visionary.

But his vision is
more toward the end

and not the steps
you have to take
to get

to make that vision
a reality.

I... I do come to the table
with some skills,

so I think I have something
I can offer that can
help them out.

[Marty] All right,
let's hit it.

-[Misty] I'll follow you,
Brandon.
-[Brandon] All right.

-[Matt] Let's go.
-[Morris] Let's go.

[Matt] All right, Morris.
Let's check
these chickens out.

[Marty] Who put in
all of these raised beds?

Brandon and I built
these beds together
last year.

We grew potatoes
and onions and then...

Obviously, we haven't been
able to do that this year.

And it's kinda gone
by the wayside.

[narrator] Near
the high tunnel,
Marty and Hannah assess

a dormant six-acre patch
of the Elkins' land.

How many potatoes
did you get out of here?

Out of one of these


we got probably
around 200 pounds
of potatoes.

[Marty sighs]

[Marty] The Elkins want
to grow enough food
to feed themselves

and share
with the community.

They're not doing that now.

But they could be doing it

with potatoes.

Okay. Even though
you let grass and weeds
grow back here,

you can see how fertile
this ground is. In fact...

-Yeah.
-This bed isn't
even fertilized, right?

-No.
-Okay, so,

just the nutrients
and, uh, potential for growth
where I'm standing...

That, right there, tells me
it's pretty significant.

-Can you hear that?
-[Hannah] Yeah.

-What is it?
-Geese.

-What are they doing?
-They're leaving us
for warmer weather.

-They're flying south.
-[chuckles] Yeah.

-By the thousands.
-Yeah.

[Marty] What does that mean
to an Alaskan?

[chuckles] That means
winter's coming,

and to bunker down
and get ready.

[Marty] Here's what
I wanna do.

I wanna put a potato field
from those trees

all the way to that building

and cultivate ground
in that high tunnel

and give you
a significant pasture...

-[Hannah] Mmm-hmm.
-...to start developing
part of this 300 acres.

I wanna rip all these block
out of here.

There's no reason
to have a raised bed

with this kind of ground
for potatoes.

Mmm-hmm.

And it will have
the potential of growing



That seems
unreal. [chuckles]

-It's...
-And exciting.

It's extremely real.

You and your husband
wanna grow food
for the community.

-Mmm-hmm.
-Is that true?

Yeah. Because people
are in need,

and around here,
everyone relies
on each other.

So, let's...

Let's concentrate
on you first.

This is more than enough,

but it won't happen
this season.

We'll set you up
for next season.

Yeah, I love it.

I'm shocked at the idea

of growing thousands
of pounds of vegetables,

as Marty says we can.

I'm really excited to see

what other skills
and knowledge
I'll be able to gain

as we move forward
with all the projects.

-Okay. Do you want
to get out here?
-Yes.

Fair enough.
Let's get started.

[Misty] Okay, so I have
some ideas I wanna run by you.

Winter's right
around the corner.

You have this crazy
heating issue

and not a ton of food.

-Right, yeah.
-[Hannah] So, if we
could tackle two

with one structure,
that's what we have to do.

I chose this location
for maximum sunlight.

I want to enclose
this porch area

and create
a solarium-type greenhouse

because you could
feed your family,

and you could get
that passive solar
to help heat your home.

[narrator] Solariums attached
to homes were devised
in England during the 1600s.

Named "conservatories"
because of the heat
they conserved,

these rooms, with pitched,
glazed roofs, were attached
to mansions

to grow exotic flowers,
plants and fruit,

and enable wealthy families
to enjoy supplemental heat
and sunshine

while avoiding cold weather.

We have to create a space

where he is feeding
his family,
he is heating his home

and he does
have food storage.

It's a big undertaking.

But I care about Brandon,
I care about their future here

and I care about this family
surviving this winter.

So, what do you think
about a structure
attached to your house?

I think it's a great idea.

-[Hannah] You like it?
-I... Yeah. I think it's...
It's fantastic.

-I...
-Have you heard...
Have you thought about this?

I have never thought
of anything like that.

Putting a... A green...

A sol... Solarium?

"Solarium"? I think
that's the right...
The right way to say it.

I'm... I wasn't even really,
uh, aware of what
that term even meant.

But I'm excited to be
able to work with her more,

and I wanna do
everything I can

to not put my family
through another winter
like this last one.

[narrator] On the south-facing
side of the house

which receives
the most sunlight
during the winter,

Misty will convert the porch
into a 10x20-foot solarium

constructing raised
garden beds
to plant year-round crops

and a root cellar
for food storage.

With large sloped windows
capturing sunlight,

the solarium should supplement
the home's oil-stove
heating system

with passive solar heat.

[Brandon speaking]

[Misty] My dad brought
the world's largest excavator

with a bucket
that's, like, massive.

So I'm inches away
from their home

with the world's largest
piece of equipment.

So, zero room for error.

"Thanks a lot, Dad.
No pressure, Misty."

Does it look good?

[Misty] And hopefully
by the end of today,

we haven't made
the homestead worse.

[excavator powering down]

-[Misty] How's it look?
-[Brandon] Looks good.

-I didn't hit the house.
Whoo!
-[Brandon laughs]

Okay. Super excited.

We've dug down.

We created the footprint
and the foundation
of the solarium.

In Alaska,
the frost line is deep,
three to four feet,

and if you don't
do things right,

you're gonna have heaving,
you're gonna have
your structure destroyed

so we've gone extra deep.

There's a five-foot hole.

What's completely amazing
about this dig

is we could've
dug down four, five feet
and we could've hit solid clay

and essentially would've
created an underground
swimming pool.

There would've been
zero drainage.

But it's solid sand
and when it comes to draining,
it's gonna be perfect.

And now it's time
to put in the foundation.

[folk music playing]

[Matt] So check this out.

[narrator]
In remote Delta Junction,
Alaska,

Matt and Brandon's dad,
Morris,

investigate one of a handful
of unused structures
on the Elkins' homestead.

What I've been trying
to figure out is how do we get
the chickens into a space

that is smaller?

We're very close
to the Arctic Circle

and in the winter,
it can be negative 40
to negative 70 degrees.

The original chicken coop
is this massive shop

that Brandon turned
into a chicken coop.

-[chickens clucking]
-[Matt] To be able
to help these chickens

survive through the winter...

I think we're gonna
get those chickens
in a nice, insulated,

smaller space
that they can heat themselves
and keep 'em motivated

with some lights year-round
to keep that egg production
at full volume.

I think we have
a really good spot to be able
to put these chickens

if we break this apart
and reimagine what this space
could look like...

[narrator] Matt will convert
the storage shed

into an insulated,
weather-proof chicken coop.

A 20x40 foot addition
with low ceilings
and nesting boxes

will trap in heat
and prevent
the homestead's fowl

from free-ranging
out of control.

And with
the Elkins' main house
only 200 feet away,

they'll be able
to collect eggs easily,

even during
the coldest winter months.

This wall...

has got to go.

[screwdriver whirring]

[Morris] Hey, watch the nails.
They're sticking out.

Yeah, this wall
is leaking something.

[wood creaks]

[Matt laughing] Look at that.

That's definitely a first.
[laughs]

We got more.
It's like I won the lottery.

And my winnings
are just a bunch of sawdust.

This whole...
Oh, my God.

This whole thing
is filled with sawdust.

It was this amazing idea
from the Ghost
of Homesteader's Past

reaching out to me
and showing me this cool,
old way to insulate buildings.

[narrator] Traditionally,
mud and straw had been
repurposed as insulation

with Egyptians and Vikings
using it frequently
in the B.C. age.

But starting
in the early 1900s,

sawdust became popular due
to its wide availability
and low cost.

It was used
to insulate buildings

in the northeastern
United States,

Canada, Sweden
and Australia,

but sharply decreased
in popularity.

When materials,
like vermiculite,
rock wool, and fiberglass

hit the market.

Oh, my...
[laughs]

We're gonna steal this idea
and just go all in on sawdust
used as insulation.

I think that whoever
put this insulation in there
had a good idea

and I don't know
if we need to re-invent
the wheel on this one.

I might just put up
this piece of wood

[chuckles]
and we might just
leave it as is.

I'm good with that.

I know that
it's not state-of-the-art,

but it's not
an air gap either.

[Matt] Yeah, I bet you
this works,

but the only problem...
There's no sawmill
on this property,

there's no sawdust
on this property.

Then maybe we can
bring some in

and maybe we could
use this for insulation
on our addition too.

-Right.
-And go totally old-school
with the insulation.

-What do you think about that?
-I'm good with it.

-You like it?
-I like it.

-I think it will work.
-[Matt] All right.

We got a little bit
more demo to do
so let's get back to work.

Okay.

[folk music playing]

[Marty] Okay, so...

Now that you guys have agreed
to get rid of all these block,

it's gonna require
some serious work.

[narrator]
Near the high tunnel,

Marty and Hannah,
along with family friends,
Jillian and Nate,

embark on the first step
in turning the property's
overgrown field

into a fertile potato patch.

-You... Hey.
You know what the job is?
-Yup.

What is it?

Putting block in.

That's a good man,
get in there quick.

We chose a little place
to clear and make a field
to grow something on,

but they've got hundreds
of 38-pound concrete blocks
in the way.

They were gonna use them
for raised beds.

[Hannah] This is how much
my new-born baby weighs.

[Marty] Guess what?

We need hundreds of blocks
to build the solarium.

It's a win-win.

You know how
to run a skid-steer?

[Hannah] I've never
driven one, no.

-Follow me.
-[Hannah laughs]

Yeah!

Climb in there, please?

Okay.

This is gonna come down.

That's gonna come across.
Those are safety features.

-See those keys up there?
-[Hannah] Yep.

-[skid-steer beeps]
-Okay, turn it on
just like a car.

[ignition starts]

Give it a little throttle.

That's good.

-[skid-steer beeping]
-[Marty] Now go down slowly.

Meet you at the pile.

[nervously] All right.

-[skid-steer beeps]
-Shh.

We're good.

Spin it around and go forward.

Now you can see
where you're going.

You're a pro!

Hannah is learning
valuable skills.

-Mellow! Easy!
-[skid-steer beeping]

Parking brake.

When someone learns
a piece of equipment,

lot of times
they don't get out to help.

They just sit
in that piece of equipment
and wait for you to load it.

But not Hannah.

Jump in your
machine, darlin'.

I'm going.

[Marty] She jumped right out,
loaded it, jumped right
back in, moved it,

jumped right back out,
unloaded it.

Okay. Fire it up,
we'll meet you over there.

[Hannah]
Getting in the skid-steer
for the first time...

It was exciting,
a little nerve-wracking

'cause I was afraid
I was gonna run somebody
or something over,

but I feel like I could
move just about anything
with it now.

[Marty] Good girl.

Here, how about
you hand them to me?
I'll start stacking them.

Make it a little easier.

[Marty] Whew.
Like your style.
Like your style.

-Come on.
-[Hannah chuckles]

[Marty] Waiting on you,
you're the boss!
Let's hit it.

Marty is getting me
to reach a fuller potential.

That's probably a nicer way
to say, "Kicking you out
of your comfort zone."

I have a lot of growth
ahead of me

and hopefully
a lot more experience
ahead of me.

Just be prepared.

If you choose
to work without gloves,
handling stuff like this,

and putting in a field
and developing a homestead,

your hands might look
like this in the next week.

-Are you ready for that?
-Yeah.

[both laugh]

I'm not worried about it.

-[Marty] You're a tough girl.
I like your style.
-[laughs]

Jump in here,
let's get rid
of this last load of blocks.

-Come on.
-[Hannah] All right.

[Marty] Please.

-[Misty] Can I drive out here?
-[Brandon] Yup, go ahead.

[narrator] A half mile away,
on the outskirts
of the homestead,

Misty and Brandon
head to a honey hole
to source the rest

of the critical building
materials needed
for the unique solarium.

It'll help the young family
heat their home and grow food

before and during
the looming winter.

[Misty] This looks
like a suspicious pile.

Is this the lumber
up for grabs?

[Brandon] Yup.

[Misty] The good thing
about 300 acres

is you have a lot of room
to accumulate a lot of stuff.

Brandon got the property
with lumber already here.

He's also acquired stuff
on his own.

All right.
This treated lumber
has a lot of value.

It's gonna last forever.

I mean,
these 4x4 posts...

I mean, all of it
just has such a high value,

so this is a total score
for the solarium.

So let's grab it all.

There is a ton
of lumber here.

There's a new pile
with a bunch
of treated lumber.

There's even old,
rough-sawn lumber.

Look at this.

This is legit, milled lumber.

It's full dimensional,
two by eights.

There's some one by...

-Look, it's still, like,
so solid.
-[Brandon] Yeah.

It's good news
because I'm looking
at enough lumber

to possibly build
an entire solarium.

We're gonna decide
what we construct just based
off of the material we find.

Great.

[Misty] This is like true
Alaska homestead style, so...
I'm getting excited.

I didn't imagine
using the things

that I had lying around
could be put to use.

[Misty] So I think we need
to weight those boards.

Do you wanna
ride in the back?

-Ooh, yeah--
-And sit on 'em?

-Let's do it. [chuckles]
-Okay.

[Brandon] Homesteading
has always been hard for us,

but the idea of utilizing
all these things
on my property,

it's starting to, like,
click in my head
that I can do this.

I'm seeing the path ahead
that I can go on

that's gonna make
these dreams that we have,
a reality.

[country music playing]

[chickens clucking]

[Hannah] All right, Marty,
I'm gonna show you, kind of,

-what Brandon and I
were talking about.
-[Marty] Okay.

[narrator] A new day
and Hannah has a new idea

for Marty for the area
next to the potato field.

If we grow our vegetables
over here, then one day

if we put animals
back inside that paddock,

we would extend the fencing
probably up to
the back of the barn.

-That's why I was... Before--
-What animals?

[sheepishly] We really
want reindeer.

Wha... What? Reindeer?

[Hannah] Yeah,
that's in the future.

Goals for us.

Okay, that's good intel.

[exhales] Um...

Who's idea is it
to get reindeer?

Both of ours.

The original dream
for the homestead

was to become
like an ecosystem

where we can provide
our own food for the animals,

then the animals
provide food for us.

Have you had
reindeer before?

Uh, Brandon's worked
with reindeer a lot
in Fairbanks...

-Hmm.
-...on a ranch up there,

and it's something
that he's wanted to do
for a long time.

And it's a future goal...

-[Marty] Okay.
-...so we don't wanna
cut out future goals.

[Marty] I understand.

Reindeer are high in protein

Hard winters
don't bother them.

In fact, you don't
even water them.

They eat snow all winter.

[narrator] Reindeer
were first introduced
to Alaska in 1892

to provide
a supplemental food source
for Alaska's native people.

The U.S. government
was inspired by the Sami,

the indigenous peoples
of northern Scandinavia

who had successfully
kept reindeer for food
and furs

for hundreds of years.

Reindeer milk
is high in protein
and nutrients

and it can be used
to make cheese.

Reindeer meat
is growing in popularity
as it's ethically sourced,

high in protein
and healthy fatty acids,

low in fat
and incredibly flavorful.

They'll have no trouble
bartering reindeer sausage.

So for the family
and for the community,

reindeer would be
a welcomed asset.

Here's what I do know.

I think that the future plan
of reindeer could
actually happen,

but look over here.

-Is there proper fencing
in for a chicken?
-No.

I mean, are the reindeer
gonna be running
wild like this?

-You see my point.
-I do.

What have you done
to convince me

that the reindeer
are gonna be contained
and safe?

I mean,
I haven't done anything
to convince you of that.

Um...

Let's take care
of what we have,
chickens and food...

-Yeah, of course.
-...you know.

-Yeah.
-That's what I'm thinking.

Yeah.

But now that I know
that information,
I'll log it away.

[upbeat music playing]

[Marty] What's happening
over here?

[narrator] Over at
the new chicken coop site,

Matt and Morris recruit Marty
to aid in a conundrum.

[Matt] So, uh,
we put in this deck,

but, obviously there's a tree
coming through this deck.

It's a really cool idea
to incorporate this
into our build.

-I love it.
-[Matt] As you can see,

-it's literally coming
through the floor.
-Yeah, yeah.

But I don't want it
coming through the roof
and I--

If we cut it down,
we're gonna rip
this fence down

or hit the building
so how the heck

are we gonna get
this tree out of here?

[Marty] We'll figure it out.

[Matt] I built the entire
deck framing
right around a tree

because it's the fastest way
to start building
as soon as possible.

If I cut that tree down
all by myself,

I was gonna waste
a ton of time.

So I decided
to remove the tree later
when I could get some help

and get it out safely.

I have an idea.

We could get
the excavator involved

and I could get in the bucket
and rig it up

and we can somehow support it
from above,

cut it and remove it.

You and me...

-would be doing this.
-[Marty] Okay.

I like it.

[Morris] Matt, are you really
gonna get in the bucket?

I'm just concerned
for your safety.

My background
is I'm a professional
safety executive.

I've been doing safety
for over 30 years

and they had some,
let's just say,
unorthodox methods,

in trying to fell that tree.

You don't put people
in the bucket, I mean,
for crying out loud.

That, like, breaks
every rule in the book.

-What would you do here?
-[excavator rumbling]

-Okay...
-[Marty chuckles]

I'm not thrilled about someone
getting into the bucket

-and using a chainsaw.
-Okay.

I'm thinking
you're gonna extend
the bucket out here,

over the fence.

I'll fall the tree
right on the bucket,

save the fence
and then we'll deal
with the tree

in this method.

I love it.
That's a perfect idea.

-How's that?
-That sounds better.

Let's see what happens.

[Marty] All right,
you're in the machine.

[Matt] Okay.

Boom out.

Okay, everybody ready?

-[chainsaw rumbling]
-[Marty] I get it,

It's a little unorthodox
to use the boom
of an excavator

to catch a tree
to protect the fence.

Is this something
that Morris has ever
seen before?

Probably not.

[Morris] Be careful.
Don't let it kick out
on you, Marty.

[Marty]
Nothing's gonna kick out.

[chainsaw whirring]

[tree creaking]

[Morris] Whoa.

[Marty whistles] Whoo.

Yep.

-That was fricking awesome.
-[Marty] Hey.

Right in the spot,
that was gone.

I'm both relieved and glad
that we had come up
on a method

that was very successful.

[chainsaw whirring]

-[Morris laughing]
-All right, thanks, Dad.

Now, nothing's stopping us

We can put the walls in,
get a roof.

-Oh, no, great team work, man.
-[chuckles] Yeah.

[folk music playing]

[Marty] Okay, here we go.

This is a classic
Farmall tractor.

Brandon said that
three years ago,

this tractor
started and ran.

Then they had some issues,
then he caught it on fire.

Check this out.

How long has it been
since they've run
this tractor.

There's a bird's nest in here.

Oh, this is amazing, look.

I can't believe it.

[chuckles] I've looked
at this tractor for 30 seconds
and I think I see the problem.

I think they had the battery
in backwards and...

yeah, that'll cause a fire.

It would be amazing
if we could just
charge this battery

and not even spend
one dime on this.

It's critical
to get the tractor running

because with a skid-steer
and an excavator,
we could till the land

and get it prepared
so they can plant next spring,

however, I think
it's smarter to teach Hannah

how to till her own land
with their own tractor.

Why?

Because that skid-steer
and that excavator leaves
when I leave,

but this tractor
will be here forever.

I think I already figured out
what's wrong with the tractor.

Come here.

And what did your husband
tell me about it?

That it started on fire.

At what area?

Somewhere in the electrical,
right under here, right?

-That's correct.
-Yeah.

Now what do you know
about batteries?

I know a little.
I can jump a car

'cause you need
that information in Alaska.

Your car can die
when it's negative 50 outside.

Have you ever
looked at the tractor,
you personally?

Uh, not really.

It's kind of
a decorative piece now,
unfortunately. [chuckles]

I would love
to drive it myself.

[Marty] Let's troubleshoot it.

I don't know
that I could troubleshoot it.
[chuckles]

-You... look at me.
Look at me.
-We'll find burnt wires.

You don't know?
Have you tried?

-No, I haven't.
-So walk up
to this motor, please.

Walk up to this motor.

[Hannah] With the battery.

Oh, that's the battery,
very good.

The problem is right there.

-[Hannah] Look how
corroded it is...
-Where--

...and look
at the wires.
They're detaching.

[Marty] Okay.
Now try to put it
on the battery.

[Hannah] Battery's backward,
oh...

They hooked up
the battery wrong
and that'll fry some wires.

We kind of need
to flip the battery around.

Do you want
to fix the tractor?

I think that would be
lots of fun.

[Marty] So let's get
some tools and let's see
if you can fix the tractor.

-[chuckles] By myself?
-Yeah.

Sure.

[Marty] If you fix this,
you will be
the homesteading queen...

[both laughing]

-...of all--
-I don't wear tiaras though.

Uh, I won't do that.
[chuckles]

-I'll wear it for you,
let's go.
-[laughs] Okay.

Hannah's born and raised
in this cold country.

She's gotta have
some mechanical skills.

I'm gonna give Hannah
a chance to fix the tractor.

If she does,
it'll be a confidence booster
and she might be unstoppable.

I'm your assistant.
You're gonna fix this.

-You say half inch?
-[Hannah] Yeah.

Okay.

I probably need
an extender piece.

I like your style, wow.

-Here you go.
-All right.

It's not fully attached
so it shouldn't be a problem.

Now, can you wrestle
that loose?

Yeah, it's coming.

-[Marty] You need help?
-No.

[Marty] Good answer.

I think that should work.

Okay, what's next?

The other side.

I think Marty is
an incredible teacher

and that he doesn't give
you the answers.

That's where the best
learning happens,

when you are pushed to
find answers on your own.

Now, I'll be shocked if that
battery has any charge.

So let's get jumper cables
and I'll bring my truck over.

-All right.
-Okay.

[Hannah] There it is.

Hand me the battery
cables, please.

Thank you.

So where does this go?

-On to the positive.
-Yes.

Yeah, red's positive.
Black's negative.

[Marty] And then this goes
to this.

I'm making sure I do
this right.

Got it hooked up right?

I think so.

[Marty] Jump in there.

Give it a shot.

[engine whirring]

Whoo!

You fixed it.

Yeah.

You fixed it.

I had no clue that I had
that type of potential
to fix a piece of machinery.

And I feel a sense of pride
in myself.

It doesn't purr like a kitten,
but it growls like
a grizzly bear.

Alaska style.

Okay, you know how to
drive this thing?

I'll figure it out.

Then head for the fields.

I'm hoping that Hannah fixing
the tractor on her own

serves as a metaphor
for these homesteaders.

Easy.

If they have problems, if they
have challenges,

they actually already have
the skills

to fix them, to face them,
to move forward.

Amazing.

Hello!

Good morning.

[narrator] Over at the
south-facing solarium site,

Misty enlists all hands
on deck to build the
structure's foundation.

First rule of pouring
concrete,

don't get
that guy upset.

Everything could turn into
a complete cluster.

So for me to have my
family and Brandon and
Hannah helping me is huge.

Hit it. [whistles]

Here it comes.

Here we go.

Look at that.
How cool is that?

[whistling]

[Brandon] Like he's guiding
a sheepdog.

[Matt] He hung out
with them long enough,
so now you know.

Get it full, get it full.
Let's go.

[whistles]

[Misty] It's risky to do
any kind of concrete,
any kind of masonry

freeze at this time in Alaska,
because it can freeze.

But right now, this perfect
cool temperature and the
cooler it is without freezing,

the concrete sets up
slower and becomes
that much stronger.

[Matt] You got to hold it
at an angle.

And always ride the form.

Also, you got that
tool upside-down.

I don't know if it
really matters.

Get aggressive with
your angle. You need to.

See that fast speed back and
forth?

That's the rhythm you
wanna do to get the
rocks pushed down.

I have never laid any
sort of cement.

It was like a really
good learning experience.

Tilt it the other way when
you go the other way.

Oh, no. Don't go in
the middle.

Always ride your...
Always ride the form.

That's looking really good.

I definitely feel like
the Raneys are helping me

focus just on one task
at a time.

Amazing, you're crushing it.

Not doing any other projects,
not getting side tracked.

Just like honing that skill is
much better and more effective
at learning something

than trying to spread
yourself thin.

What I really like about this
whole thing

is that on day one we showed
up and all of this block was
out in a field

under three feet of grass
and fireweed.

You gave us the okay to rip
all that block out

and then we found a use
for it, right here.

We're gonna mortar it
all together.

And this reused, up-cycled,
re-purposed block is going to
actually grow food.

Kinda cool.
Bad news, it's a lot of work,
a lot of labor.

And we don't have a lot
of time.

You guys can stack block,
just so we can get rolling.

[Misty] We'll create this
chain assembly line to where
Hannah can just keep mixing,

keep providing the mud and
pass it in as needed.

[Marty] Am I waiting for mud?

It's coming, right now.

That, that's good.

Thanks, guys.
Right on time.

[Misty] We have
this massive trench.

Right now, we're putting
those cinderblocks around
and in place.

We'll focus on the
root cellar first.

That's where the Elkins will
have a place to store food.

What's that stuff on
your forehead?

Ah, that's sweat.

When's the last time
you sweated this hard
on your homestead?

It's been a little while.

-You like breaking a sweat?
-[Brandon] Absolutely, yeah.

-You like working
on your own place?
-It's great.

[Marty] Those are
great answers, love it.

[Brandon] I mean, I'm learning
so much as I go here.
This is awesome.

Brandon's work ethic, it's
inspiring, it's encouraging.

And when the homesteaders
break a sweat alongside us,

it motivates us to keep
doing more.

Check that, please.

-[Brandon] Looks great.
-[Marty] Next.

-[Misty] Next...
-[Marty] Keep the block
coming, please.

...we're gonna focus
on getting the raised beds in

and they'll have this massive
indoor garden that'll allow
them to grow year-round.

The last course will knock
the center of the blocks out

and then we'll
lay rebar in there,
it's called a bond beam.

Why? 'Cause it bonds
all of these block together
at the top.

Find a cell and pour it
all the way to the top,
please.

Then we'll put in mortar,
just like in the footer

that has rebar and then
we added concrete.

[Brandon] I have never laid
any sort of cement or done
any sort of work like that.

And I know that these skills
that I'm learning,

these are the things I'm
gonna be needing through
the rest of my life.

All right, you tired?

No, I'm ready to go.
Let's go.

Your back doesn't
hurt at all?

I mean, it was. But I think,
all the work's, like, kinked
it out, so it's great.

The good news is, you have a
b*mber foundation, lot of work
but it's done.

So we're gonna backfill this
structure, we're gonna fill
this bed.

We're gonna start framing in
the solarium and tie
everything together. Ready?

I'm ready, let's do it.

[Marty] See any new people?

[Misty] Hey, how's it going?

[Marty] Come on in.

[narrator] With only three
more days until the Raneys

must leave the Elkins'
homestead,

more manpower has arrived.

Introduce this guy for us.

This is my brother.

No way, come on.

Where have you been
for the last few days?

We're outnumbered, Raneys.

Yeah, that's good.

-[Marty] That's
the way we like it.
-[Misty] Yeah.

But it's not us against them.

We're all in this together and
we're in deep,

because these builds are a
little aggressive and the time
to get 'em done is minimal.

So having extra help is
a game changer for us,
so thank you.

You're welcome.

That said, what would this
mean to you if we did in fact

get you started towards
having reindeer?

Whoo.

Yeah, this is something
that I've dreamed about.

As soon as he said
the word "reindeer",

I was just like dumbfounded.

'Cause this is a thing
that I have wanted,

so super excited that
Marty sees that potential
as well with this animal.

Being able to be set up in
the future to have these
animals,

means the world to me.
Thank you.

I'll be honest with you.

We are definitely under
the g*n for these projects
we've started.

To add this with the
couple of days left is
a little aggressive.

Not something I wanna do,
but you guys are just
deserving, I like you guys.

I mean, every day you guys
work hard, you get dirty.

-Let's go.
-[Hannah] All right.

-We're going this way.
-Follow me, Morris.

[Marty] Thank you.

-[Marty] Hey, we should
probably talk.
-[Hannah] Okay.

[narrator] Over at the field,
it's time to put a revitalized
resource to work.

Now that you have a tractor
that runs, do you want it
to do some work?

-Yes.
-You ready?

-Yeah.
-[Marty] All right.

Meet you there.

When the bought this property,
it came with farm equipment.

It came with a cool tractor.

It came with a brush hog
that attached to it.

Be real careful.

Now it's our chance
to take advantage
of all of it.

[Marty whistles]

Shut it off.

After fixing the tractor
all by herself,
what was her reward?

We're going to take
the tractor and actually
cultivate ground.

See all this grass, etcetera,
that's out there?

-This disc is designed
to fluff up the dirt.
-[Hannah] Right.

And cut the roots of all
of this stuff, 'cause we don't
want it to ever grow back.

-You feel confident to
bring this over to the field?
-Sure.

Okay, I'll meet you
there, please.

[Hannah] I have a little bit
of anxiety.

Because I have a flashback
in my mind of when Brandon
first drove this tractor

years ago and the front wheel
was completely flat and it
almost turned over on him.

So that was rolling
in the back of my mind.

[Marty] Yee-haw!

Whoo!

Line it up, darlin'.
Line it up.

Love it.

[Hannah] But, nevertheless,

I moved forward, trying
to keep straight lines.

I'm doing my best having
never plowed a field
before in my life.

[Marty] What do you think?

How does it feel?

[Hannah] I don't think
they're getting
in deep enough.

We need weight on the
back here, so that the discs
can get in the dirt more.

Okay, so since it's
your homestead,
you figure it out.

Cinderblock.

That's the answer.

It's interesting to see,
in just a few days,

how Hannah is growing
in confidence.

There's a surety about her.

[whistles] Jump out there,
young lady.

And she's extremely capable
and possibly the quickest
learner I've ever worked with.

How many you've got
on there?

[Hannah] I have 11.

Okay, so 22 times


Okay, hopefully that does
the job.

You're gonna find out,
it's all you.

[engine starts]

There's a significant
advantage to plowing this
field before winter hits.

Because they can plant
potatoes, have an early crop
in the spring.

Good.

Since the ground is tilled,
it's prepped, it's windrowed
and it's aerated.

Nice.

Nice.

That 1943,
one-wheel-in-the-front
tractor is a work horse.

Cut that corner,
'cause it's getting deep.

Good job! Go, go, go!

Look at this, look at this.

Look at that.

And, Hannah, she figured
out what was wrong with
the tractor, she fixed it.

And for the first
time, probably in the history
of this 300 acres,

a plow was put to
the field with her
at the steering wheel.

[Marty] Whoo!
How does it look?

You happy?

Yeah.

Let's just say you planted
this footprint that
you just prepared.

Mmm-hmm.

Do you have any idea
how much food
this would produce?

Hundreds of pounds.

Thousands.

What I'm going to suggest
to you is that we prepare
this half of the field

for one year and then
alternate to this other half
of the field,

so you can rotate that crop.

-It's the best thing you can
do for your ground.
-Mmm-hmm.

There's only so many
nutrients in the ground.

So it makes sense to rotate
that crop and allow the soil
to replenish the nutrients.

Making it ripe for a year or
two later to plant another
crop and be bountiful.

-So this is kind of
a big day for you?
-It is. It's huge.

And I'm loving
every second of it.

All the things I'll be able
to feed my family.

Well, let me tell you right
now, I'm extremely proud
of you.

Thank you.

When I met you,
I had no idea you
had all these skills.

I had no idea you had
all this talent.

I didn't know either.

Well, now you do,
don't you?

I'm highly impressed.

But guess what?

This is just the beginning.

[Hannah] Yes.

[Brandon] Whoo!

[narrator] At the solarium
build site...

[Brandon] This smells.

[narrator] Misty and Brandon
fill the structure's
raised beds.

Okay, we got the sand in,
the chicken manure.
I'm gonna grab the top soil.

[Brandon] Perfect.

I definitely never thought I'd
be moving the manure

this close to the house
with this smell.

But it's gonna be worth it
once you bury it with
all this top soil.

It's gonna be worth it.

You have the world's deepest
raised bed.

[Brandon] Yeah.

[Misty] This is like 4x15.

So think of the potential
that you have.

This size solarium is
gonna get you started
for an amazing season

and then you're set
for starting whatever produce
you wanna grow.

This is fantastic.

-Decent enough size?
-It's starting to take shape.

It makes me feel
a whole lot better.

Okay, so now we can
start framing.

Now, we're to a place
where we're gonna stretch
some rafters.

We'll take 8-foot rafters,
connect them to the
pre-existing home

and set them right on top
of the raised bed.

[screwdriver whirring]

We've added polycarbonate
on the lid.

That way, there's sunlight
and warmth and protection
for the plants

as well it becoming a solar
collector for the house.

And in those
cold winter months,

the house can in turn heat
the solarium.

So this is overbuilt, right.

And that way,
it'll last forever.

The block was all here,
this structure kind of
blew up

because how much material
you just had laying around.

Yeah, it's great.

[narrator] Over at
the old chicken coop...

[Marty] Come on over, guys.

...Marty meets with Brandon
and brother-in-law Zach

to kickstart plans to get
the homestead reindeer
ready.

[Marty] Brandon, I know you
wanna raise reindeer.

So how do you feel about this?

We'll use this bay
for a reindeer barn.

[Brandon] I think it's
a good idea, yeah.

[narrator] Marty will convert
a portion of the barn into a
12x30 foot indoor pen.

Then surround the side
and back of the barn with
8-foot high fencing

to keep the reindeer in
while also while also giving
them outdoor space to graze.

[engine revving]

[Marty] Hold up, we got
to tap, tap, tap it in.

Okay, I want you guys out
of the way, please.

We're going in.

[thud]

We're hammering these posts
in the ground four feet or so.

-There we go.
-Next!

They're about 20-feet apart
and the fence is 8-feet tall.

-[Marty] Ready?
-[Brandon] Yup.

Okay, clear.

Yeah, run it.

Good.

Give it a feel. Does it look
like it'll hold up a fence?

-Oh, yeah.
-[Marty] Next!

All right.

Next!

It's hard to put up high
tensile wire.

There's a few tricks.

Some specialty tools.

I'm gonna tap into neighbors
Zack and Natalie

and be expedient about getting
up our 8-foot tall game fence.

[Zack] That'll work
right there.

Right now, he's just
stretching the wire this
direction around the corner

and as he stretches it, you'll
see the fence stand up.

[Marty] They call this fencing
material high tensile.

It means that it's
strong and there is
some flex to it.

That's getting tight, partner.
I love it, whoo!

For the last step,
what does every fence
on planet Earth need?

A gate.

And this homestead has
some old gates
on another out-building.

I'm gonna save time
and money,

and we're that far away
to getting a reindeer.

-Okay, you think a reindeer
will fit through there?
-Oh, yes.

Absolutely.

-A reindeer herd! A herd
will fit through there.
-Yeah.

We're set up to be able
to have reindeer.

There's nothing missing
except for the reindeer
themselves.

So I am really excited
for when that happens.

Now, we have to partition
off that stall and make it
a barn.

Let's go, let's get a saw.

[wild geese honking]

I think we got a little
present coming our way.

[narrator] Over at the chicken
coop, Matt and Morris receive
a critical delivery.

Hey, here comes
our insulation.

Here in the wilds of
Alaska, middle of nowhere,

I've sourced
a mountain of sawdust.

It's a free resource that
works really well.

And it's definitely what's
gonna keep these chickens
warm during that winter.

Dump it.

Good.

Oh, my God.

That's a lot
of fricking sawdust.

[Matt] All right, whoo!
Bye-bye.

I definitely think we've
enough insulation

for the floor and
for the walls right here.

I agree. I think it's awesome.

Any time that I get to go
back in time

and just turn into
old-school Alaskan
and use crazy techniques,

I'm gonna do it.

Here we go.
Dumps a-hoy!

[Morris on radio] Little bit
more, little bit more,
little bit more. There you go.

Covered.

Big old scoop.

Feel free to spread out
some of that material.

This is a two-foot level.
We got about half
of the level,


buried in the ground.

-You think it's gonna keep
these chickens warm?
-I think it will.

[Matt] You could use
sawdust by itself
as insulation.

But to get the moisture out,
and to keep the insects out
and all the mold,

you got to add one more
ingredient and that is lime.

One of the many uses
for lime is

keeping this sawdust
from staying moist.

It's gonna keep critters
from going in there and
insects from getting in there.

And it's gonna make it so 10,
20, 30 years down the road,

this entire chicken coop
doesn't just rot out
from the floor.

So, I mean, there's all kinds
of bags of lime, but this is
what you wanna get.

See that word?

"Hydrated lime."

All right.

Sawdust kinda acts
like sand or water.

If there's any holes,

it's gonna pour
right out of this floor.

So we're getting it
all filled up

before we put
that plywood down.

So, filling that insulation
sawdust into the walls

with a five-gallon bucket,
way too slow.

So, I'm making, like,
a dustpan

that I've fabricated
out of some metal I found.

All right, let's try this.

Fill me up.

Fill her up.

All right, here we go.

Do a little tap.

Push it in there.

Yeah, right.
Call the patent office

'cause this thing
is working real good.

[Morris] Easy-peasy.

[Matt] If you have
to buy insulation,

vapor barrier,

all the materials it takes
to insulate that building...

Look at that.

[chuckles]

...you're spending
thousands of dollars.

We've spent zero
by using sawdust.

So, we'll just continue on.
I'll grab a bucket

and we'll get
all these walls filled.

And then, we'll move on
to the next stage,

which is making these chickens
comfortable to lay eggs.

[Morris] Great. Let's do it.

[Matt] I mean,
it already feels warmer
in here.

[Morris chuckles]

Wow, this is so great.

It's so warm in here!

Wow, it is super warm, yeah.

[narrator] With the solarium
structure complete,

Misty teaches Brandon
how to prepare the homestead's
new root cellar.

[Brandon] It looks great.

I would say it's probably
almost 80 degrees up here.

Yeah, it's warm.

It's 40 degrees down there.

Ideal temperature
for a root cellar

is just about freezing
to 40 degrees.

So, let's put
some food in there.

-Yeah.
-Okay.

So, I'm looking
at veggies right now

that have nowhere to go.

Well, a homestead hack.

All you need
is little bit of sand,

shovel...

Hold.

And a wooden box.

I just lined it
with some cardboard,

and why don't you
shovel a couple scoops...

-Sure.
-...right inside
that little box.

Give me a couple inches.

[Misty] Okay, so...

Root cellars are known

to keep the same
geothermal temperature

year round, right?

Just keeping it
just above freezing.

They're also tapping
into the moisture
of the ground,

-creating humidity.
-Huh.

Too much humidity is bad.

So, to control humidity,

you're gonna put
your root veggies

right into the sand.
And that way,

they're protected
from all that moisture

when you put them
in the root cellar.

-All right.
-So, never wash or clean them.

They go in dirty.

And you're just giving them

lots of space
for air to circulate,

and you're stacking them
right in the sand,
just like this.

Couple more scoops.

So, go ahead
and cover that completely.

Now, what's really cool
about this

is when it comes
to any root veggie

that grows vertical,

that's the way
you wanna put it in the sand.

So, you're breaking off
the greens

and you're putting them
upright.

And that's how
they will be buried.

So, this maximizes
the food shelf time

and extends that shelf time

a significant amount.

That's awesome.

-[Misty] Okay, so give me
some sand.
-Okay.

[Brandon] Wow,
that's genius to me.

The ability to store
the food that we need

filled me with a lot of hope
and a huge sense of security

for my family that...
that we were gonna be okay.

-Do you wanna do the honors...
-Yeah.

...and put the first box
in the root cellar?

[Brandon] Let's do this.

[Misty] A root cellar
is kinda that

old style,
homesteady structure

that's never really changed.

Why? Because it works.

Oh, man, I can feel
the temperature
difference already.

[Misty] In a place
like Delta Junction, Alaska,

where your produce,
if it gets too cold,

turns to mush,

a secure, guaranteed place

where your food is safe
year round

is desperately needed.

Does it feel good to put
veggies in the root cellar?

It does! Yeah.

Is this inspiring you
for next year?

[Brandon] Hugely. I know
that we can use that field

-Hannah plowed.
-[Misty] Yeah.

[Brandon] We can grow potatoes

and now I have a place
to store them.

So, this is fantastic.

So, you have the reliable,

never-breaking-down,
forever refrigerator

right here
with the root cellar.

Right. Right outside the door.

Come out 'cause you're letting
all the cold air out.

-[Brandon chuckles]
-[Misty] What do you think?
We live in a barn?

[Morris] Two more shovelfuls
and I'll be out
of your way, gentlemen.

[narrator] With less
than 24 hours remaining
in the rescue,

Morris finishes insulating
the chicken coop's walls
with sawdust

as Matt begins construction
on the laying boxes.

[Matt] Okay, it's time
to build some laying boxes.

And I need about...



We've made
some good progress,

but we need enough
laying boxes in here

to keep them alive and laying
and productive year round.

And we are running
out of time.

If there's not enough
laying boxes,

then we're just
raising chickens as pets.

We're gonna make this
as enticing as we can.

When a chicken
feels comfortable

and has a nice,
little place to hide,

they're gonna pump out eggs.
It's about as simple as,

if you build it,
they will lay.

So, we got
our little dividers in.

And then...

Found this old siding.

You gotta keep...

chickens from resting
and roosting on top

because you don't want
this whole area

to just turn
into chicken poop.

[chuckling] You want
the laying boxes

to stay as clean as possible.

And so, building
an uninhabitable space on top

is key. And it was free.

[chuckles]

Slap this on the front

so no eggs will fall out.

And there we go.

We definitely have
enough laying boxes
built in this coop

for all the chickens
that are gonna live in there.

It's gonna help them survive
and be productive year round,

but it's really the thing
that's gonna make Hannah
and Brandon

able to manage
this amount of chickens

and make it easy
to get eggs

and take care of all
those animals safely.

Okay.

The next thing we need
to build for these chickens

is a place for them
to roost.

All right, Morris.
Come on over.

Okay, sir.

[chainsaw revving]

Take it.

We're making it happen.

That's the top one, Morris.

And then, this one's
the bottom one.

[Morris] Okay.

That's a perfect fit.

A perfect fit.

[Matt] Chickens roost
naturally in the branches
of trees.

So, why not cut down
some trees

and build them
a more natural roost

that they'll be very
comfortable roosting on?

It's gonna save us
time and money,

and it's what's gonna allow us
to actually finish this thing

on time.

[Matt] All right, last screw.

All right.

Okay.

[Matt] Now, all we have to do

is wrangle all these chickens
in here.

[Matt] Okay.

We gotta Bo-Peep
these peepers.

[Misty] Let's get these
in the sun.

Let's get these in the sun.

[narrator]
Over at the solarium...

[Misty] What do you think?

I didn't realize how...

how beautiful
it was going to turn out.

I thought it was gonna be
really rough and cut,

which I'm okay with too,

but all the beautiful
finished touches

is a pleasant surprise.
[chuckles]

Aw, that's really sweet.

[narrator] Seven days ago,

Brandon, Hannah
and their four children

were heading into winter
in need of a supplemental
heat source

and an efficient way to grow
essential produce year round.

Now, with a 10x20
solarium attached
to their house,

the family will have
passive solar warmth,

an extended growing season
through the harsh
Delta Junction winter

and a root cellar
to store crops year round.

[Misty] Look down in here.

You ready?

Oh, wow!

Yes!

Go down.
You're actually not gonna
believe the temperature.

-Okay.
-Okay.

[Brandon] We are gonna grow
produce in Alaska

in the wintertime when it's
negative stupid outside.

Oh, man!
It's so cold down here.

It's unreal, like,
the difference.

And we're gonna store that
in our super cool cellar.

As soon as
springtime hits,

it's on, you know,

like, game on!
Here we go!

It's on like Donkey Kong!
We're gonna...

We're gonna plant
so many things

and I'm so excited
to do it.

And...

You now have a heater,

the solar collector
heating your home

-right now.
-[Hannah] Yeah!

I'm excited.

I'm already plotting out
all the things like

heating in the winter months,

drying in the summer months,

you know, and then,
all my starters

that I can put out
in the high tunnel
and beyond, you know.

Yeah. We had a ton
of hard work,

and look at the payoff.
Was it worth it?

It was definitely worth it,
every bit of it.

-Every second of it.
-Yeah, beyond worth it, yeah.

[Brandon] In more than
one way, you have laid
a foundation for us

and we are gonna
build upon that

and we're gonna
make it better.

So thank you so much.

[Misty] You're welcome.
I love that.

[Marty] After all this work,
what else do we need?

-We need reindeer.
-Yeah.

[Marty] Well,
do you know this lady?

-Oh, my gosh.
-Hey, Brandon.

Jane, how are you?

[muffled] Good. How are you?

My goodness! What have you
gotten yourself into?

[Brandon] Yeah, yeah.

-How you doing?
-Hi, Marty.
I'm Jane Atkinson.

-We talked on the phone.
-Yeah, we did.

My name is Jane Atkinson
and um...

I'm the owner
of Running Reindeer Ranch
in Fairbanks.

I have a small herd
of reindeer.

I sell a few calves
every year.

Brandon's helped me out
at my reindeer farm at times

and he wants
to have reindeer,

but there needs to be
a whole lot of stuff set up

before Brandon gets
his own reindeer.

I consulted her

to make sure that
should you pursue this idea,

that it would meet
her criteria.

Why don't you
walk her around

-and show her
what we did?
-Yeah, yeah. Cool.

I wanna see
what's going on.

So, I brought, uh,
two reindeer out
for you to meet.

[Brandon] Great!
We're gonna see reindeer?

Yeah. We're just gonna see
what they think

-of this space here.
-[Brandon] Cool.

Oh, my gosh! Here they are!

[Jane] So, I brought
down here with me

two of my reindeer,

Heather and Stella Luna,

to meet Brandon and Marty
and check out the enclosure

and watch them
interact with that.

[Jane] Let's go check
this area out, huh?

[Marty] What do you think
of the fence?

[Jane] That's exactly
the kind of fence
that we have.

-So, that's great.
-[Brandon] Yup.

Yeah, tell me
what you think, guys?

Checking out the fireweed.

[Marty] So they like fireweed.

[Jane] They love fireweed.

They love willow,
birch, aspen, dandelion.

Jane, what you're saying,
they'll eat everything
indigenous?

Yeah. Yup, they do. Yup.

I like it.

Overall,
it's a really good design...

They're fantastic animals.

...and it will house
a couple reindeer very nicely

and it's built to be able
to have some expansion ideas.

So, that's really great.

He's on his way.
He's there.

-We have so much
of their food on our property.
-[Jane] Uh-huh.

-Already, naturally growing.
-Yeah, yeah.

[chuckling] It's pretty cool.

[Jane] So, what I'd also do

in a pen like this situation,

put the feed in there,
food and water in there,

and have this
as their grazing area here.

This is what I'd recommend,
is getting two young reindeer

to start with a very
small herd and grow
the herd from there.

Wow, there's nothing missing
except for the reindeer
themselves.

So, come springtime, which is
when reindeer give birth,

we're gonna be ready
for some reindeer.

So I am really excited
for when that happens.

Okay, well, I've got
some work to do.

[Marty] Come on over.

[narrator] With only
three hours remaining
before the Raneys leave,

Marty and Hannah
get to work

on the final, crucial project
left to tackle.

-So, you have
a grass growing...
-Mmm-hmm.

...in this high tunnel.

What can we do about it?

Get rid of it. Probably scoop
off the top layer of it

and get it out of there

so that the seed
doesn't broadcast everywhere.

-You wanna do that?
-Yeah, let's go.

I've got a lawnmower
with your name on it.

[Marty] Come on over.

If you can fix a tractor,

you can figure this out.

See you later.

Bye.

[Marty] While Hannah
is inside the high tunnel

cleaning out all the roots,
the grasses and the weeds.

Outside the high tunnel,
they're surrounded by trees,

brush, stumps.

So I'm gonna create
a nice, clean buffer
all the way around it

to stop Mother Nature
from taking over

the high tunnel.

[sighs] It's going
pretty quick, surprisingly.

We're just trying
to get all the seed out

so we don't have more
weed problems come springtime.

So, you know,
find a good place

so they don't propagate,

cause more problems
for us.

[Marty] Grass, roots, weeds
are the enemy in a garden.

It needs to be gathered up
and taken far away

so it can't get
tracked in by a dog

or an animal or a human,

and we don't want the wind
carrying seeds back inside

the high tunnel.
Look at this right here.

You've just gotten rid of,
I would say, conservatively,

one billion leaves.

Let's look at this wagon,
come here.

I mean, this is a tremendous
amount of work.

You've been working.

Yeah, I enjoy it.

-Okay.
-Digging roots
out of the ground.

[Hannah] Since the Raneys
first arrived,

I have gained a lot
of self-confidence

and a lot of self-worth.

I've been pushed
to acquire new skills.

The whole time
you were pulling these weeds,

what were you thinking?

I was thinking about
what each row of food's
gonna have.

Tomatoes, I want some squash,

I want cucumbers,
I want peppers,

I want beans.

So, you see the potential.

Yeah, it's exciting.

[narrator] One week ago,

the Elkins family
had a high tunnel
in extreme disrepair,

along with
an overgrown field

and broken-down tractor.

Now, by maximizing
their use

of resources
on the property,

the Elkins are set up
for surefire success

come the spring
growing season.

We've sacrificed so much

to have this homestead.

And so the ability
to produce something

that will benefit our family,

it warms my heart to think
that I can feed my children

from things that I was
able to grow right here.

Invested, I love it.

There you again, impressing me
with your work ethic.

[Matt] Okay,
follow me, Brandon.

Awesome door.

Well, we've reached the end.

-[Brandon] Yeah.
-I can't believe we got
this much done.

This is, by far,
the biggest chicken coop

we've built on any homestead.

[narrator] One week ago,

the homestead's chickens
were free-ranging

and kept in a drafty barn,

too large to keep them warm
during the frigid
winter months.

Now, they have
an insulated coop

with nesting boxes
for easy egg-collection

that will allow them to live
comfortably all year round.

Do a little, uh, roosting?

-[Brandon chuckling]
-Roost your butt.

[Matt] We had a building
that was already existing.

-Yeah.
-We just built
a 32x20 addition.

-What do you think?
-I think it's great.

Yeah, this is gonna be good.

I felt such
disappointment in myself

before with not having
the ability

to really take care
of these animals

the way that they should.

And I feel very confident
in Matt's design

and the thermal capacity
of that chicken coop.

It's gonna be
a great way to protect

and have eggs usable
in the wintertime.

I'm gonna be able to make

whatever I need to
to make this work.

And any additional
challenges that come,

I can figure it out, you know.

And I know that having
the chickens in this area

with electricity this winter

is exactly what they need.

It's something that I'm always
gonna reflect on
and think about, like,

I'm not gonna be
that guy anymore.

I'm gonna be able
to provide for my family

and be the type of person
that doesn't depend
on other people.

But be the type of person
that people can depend on

when they need something
and that's what I wanna be,

just like what the Raneys
have been for us.

Oh, thank you.

[Matt] Let's try to get
the chickens in here.

[Marty] This is it.

Man, it was a whirlwind
of a week.

Everybody looks real tired.

[all laugh]

Well, I know why you're tired
because everybody worked
really hard.

These two families together
made a lot of stuff
happen here

and I am so excited

for the future
on this homestead.

[Brandon] Thank you so much.

For me, seeing where
you're at right now,

it's all about where
you wanna take it.

You guys have given me
all the tools I need

to figure it out.
So, thank you so much.

I think for me,
it was more about

gaining self-confidence
and self-worth

that I can do whatever
I put my mind to,

and I had a great time
doing it.

I feel confident
that you'll pick up
where we left off.

You got all the pieces.

You got 300 acres,
it's ready for spring

and it's ready for winter.

I think that the sky
is the limit here, literally.

There's an old, classic
country song,

it might even be
a gospel song,

called "I Saw the Light".

And right now, trust me,
the Elkins are seeing
the light.

I am so grateful
for each one of you.

You are always welcome here

and if you need anything,
please, please, let us know.

I feel like I will always
be in debt to each of you.

High praise. And I might be
in need of ten pounds
of potatoes

-about a year from now.
-[all laughing]

-Oh, no problem.
-You got it,
whatever you need.

[Marty] The future,
the horizon, the vision

of their dream is becoming
brighter and brighter.

You can see it
in their eyes.

It's a transformation.

It's truly amazing.

[Matt] Happy homesteading!

-[Brandon] Thank you.
-[Matt] Bye!

[Brandon] You guys
are awesome.

[Hannah] Since the Raneys
left, winter hit.

[Brandon] But our chicken coop
is keeping my chickens warm.

[Hannah] The solarium,
right now it doesn't help
heat the house,

but in the fall time,
we had our doors open

and it did. And I'm looking
forward to that
come springtime.

[Brandon] I'm so excited
to work in the high tunnel

and to plant some potatoes
in the field.

I met with Jane.

She's gonna let me have
her reindeer when they're
born in the spring.