Building Alaska
In the DIY Network series Building Alaska, viewers follow a cast of characters who set out to construct incredible cabins in rugged and remote areas in the Alaskan wilderness.
Genre: Documentary
Cast:Dan Sheedy , Lee Raymond , Derek Galbraith , Adam Tschappat , Steve Box , Mike Williams , Rich Forst , Tony Malone , Creig Buttler , Bobby Jensen Jr. , Tom Shankster , Tony Summers , Aaron Raymond , Ray Haselip , Dennim Hagwood , Matt Kress , Steve Sheets , Earl Bragg
S1.E1 ∙ A Demolition the Bob May Way
Hunting and fishing guide Bob May is building a new cabin on a remote island in southern Alaska. But, before he begins construction, he needs to tear down the old, abandoned cabin. Easier said than done!
S1.E2 ∙ Framing Is a Bear
The challenges of building in southern Alaska include shoddy lumber, bad weather, and curious bears.
S1.E3 ∙ Roughing It on the Island
Things are built differently in a state which experiences 100 earthquakes a day. Though the framing is completed and the rough wiring and plumbing get underway, the grind of the 5-month project starts to wear Bob May down.
S1.E4 ∙ Getting Squirrelly
A sub-contractor fails to show up for weeks pushing Bob further behind schedule. Meanwhile, Bob and his brother Rick contend with some furry troublemakers of the job site that are chewing through hoses, cables, and grocery bags.
S1.E5 ∙ Self-Sufficient Building
Living this far off the grid, you need to be self-sufficient, whether using recycled oil, or installing hydro and wind energy systems. The insulation delays continue as Bob May waits for a delinquent subcontractor.
S1.E6 ∙ Cast Away
Bob May gets the cabin completed just before his first paying customers arrive. Furniture and other items are installed at the last moment. He works 16-hour days, goes over budget, but ends up with the cabin of his dreams.
S2.E1 ∙ The Race Is On: The Builders Set Their Course
The teams set their course for building cabins in the various areas of the Alaskan Frontier.
S2.E2 ∙ Grip It and Rip It
As the summer season starts to thaw out, the builders get underway, but not without issues.
S2.E3 ∙ Chicken or Bust
Each of the three builders face adversity as the homes take shape.
S2.E4 ∙ Ryan's Song
Chuck Gerwig's site is oddly quiet. Disaster has struck. His righthand man, Ryan Beachy, has been tragically killed in a motorcycle accident. Now his build is suspended and a decision needs to be made, to continue or not.
S2.E5 ∙ A Long Hard Slog
After battling the tragedy of the loss of his righthand man, Ryan Beachy, Chuck Gerwig is back in the saddle and ready to finish the job that he and Ryan started months earlier.
S2.E6 ∙ Tempers Flare
The three builders are finding no reprieve from the task at hand and, at one camp, tempers flare.
S2.E7 ∙ Downward Slide
With winter looming, the three builders find that even the smallest mistakes have big consequences.
S2.E8 ∙ The End Game
Winter has arrived and the race is over. Who survived the ultimate test of Building Alaska.
S3.E1 ∙ Builders Begin Construction on a Fishing Retreat, a Ski Hut and a Getaway Cabin in Remote Alaska
The return of spring in Alaska means the race is on for three builders to begin constructing homes in the remote wilderness before the inevitable return of winter shuts them down.
S3.E2 ∙ A Helicopter Drop, the Art of Scribing, and a Thousand-Dollar Mistake
The challenges of building homes in remote Alaska continues as Lee orchestrates a massive eighteen-load helicopter drop to deliver the equipment and supplies he'll need to build a two-story cabin on Bulchitna Lake.
S3.E3 ∙ Destructive Forces
Alaskan builders face off against the destructive forces of working in the wilderness
S3.E4 ∙ Dangerous Delays
Both Mother Nature and human nature slow progress for our Alaskan Builders.
S3.E5 ∙ Ninja Framer
Lee Raymond brings in a pinch hitter they call the Ninja Framer to get his client's project back on schedule. Derek's crew struggles to work on ski hut through an infestation of mosquitoes, and Tony discovers an expensive mistake.
S3.E6 ∙ Balancing Act
The builds are growing taller and the work more dangerous as Lee's crew must balance on a second story beam to get work done. Tony attempts to take a day off but stumbles upon a mysterious cabin that could be his next project.
S3.E7 ∙ The Missing Helicopter
Lee's crew scrambles to correct a mistake after a mighty framing miscalculation. Tony makes a dangerous call to fix a problem and injure his team. Derek's crew looses the helicopter as transport of the ski hut begins.
S3.E8 ∙ Panic Button
Lee's crew must push through waves of mosquitoes and fatigue to finish the deck of their Bulchitna Lake build before the floatplane arrives to take them home for a day of rest.
S3.E9 ∙ Game Day
Just as Derek and his band of buddies are about to give up on their dream of a cliffside ski hut, Alaska hands them a miracle that turns a down day into game day.
S3.E10 ∙ Heads Up
The drama at Derek's cliffside build near Valdez escalates after rain saturates the region and an accident on the roof almost takes out a crew member. Tony leaves his build in Bobby's hands to tend to another job.
S3.E11 ∙ The Finest Moment
Lee takes a break from the build to prepare for the long Alaskan winter. Derek and his band of ski buddies race to protect the cabin from bears. Tony finally makes it to the roofing stage of his Porcupine Creek build.
S3.E12 ∙ The Final Push
Lee races to finish the interior of the cabin before the lake freezes over. Tony's crew discovers a miscalculation that may force them to miss their deadline, and Derek pushes through dangerous conditions to complete the project.
S4.E1 ∙ We're Back
Extreme building is back in Alaska. Three men risk it all to build a remote hunting cabin, an off the grid bear lodge and an island retreat.
S4.E2 ∙ The Beast Is Dead
Engine issues stall Tom's build, a welder battles the wind on the boardwalk at Rich's island retreat and Creig brings the heat to his bear lodge.
S4.E3 ∙ Rock Around the Build
The builders' challenges include a rock-solid foundation, logging lessons and plywood problems.
S4.E4 ∙ Bear Attack
A bear attack and wild weather shuts down the builds and an underwater fix saves a dock.
S4.E5 ∙ Plan B
The teams deal with an emotional struggle after a bear attack, a cement mixer meltdown and a special sky delivery.
S4.E6 ∙ Independence Day
The crews race to stay ahead of the chopper drops, a builder battle brews and a building is on shaky ground.
S4.E7 ∙ Don't Try This at Home
The danger of working alone in extreme Alaska is no joke and using old-school tricks still works.
S4.E8 ∙ It's Getting Awkward
The crews encounter nothing but wall-to-wall problems at each of their builds.
S4.E9 ∙ Muscle Power
No machines, no problem. It's down to all-muscle power on the remote builds.
S4.E10 ∙ No Quit
While two builders battle gale-force winds and rain, it's a whale of a good time at the third site.
S4.E11 ∙ Sparks Fly
A battle at the builds as sparks fly in camp and some unwelcome bears won't leave well enough alone.
S4.E12 ∙ Crunch Time
It's crunch time as builders race against Mother Nature to finish their cabins.
S5.E1 ∙ Family Legacies
The three teams kick off their builds in remote Alaskan settings. The projects include a family legacy cabin in the Wrangell Mountains, a guest cabin in Eagle Song and an island getaway near Juneau.
S5.E2 ∙ Alaska's Frozen Highway
Three teams continue their builds in unique, remote Alaskan settings. At this stage, they're staking the areas, going on supply runs and digging foundation holes. One team finally makes it off Alaska's frozen highway.
S5.E3 ∙ Bumps Outs and Burls
One Alaskan builder's team loses hands to volunteer firefighter duties and another faces a big change in temperature that changes his focus. Rough seas and some bad math put one build team behind schedule.
S5.E4 ∙ Hello Hoonah
One builder encounters record-breaking spring temps at the build site while another looks the other way when it comes to code on his guest cabin. One team is almost stranded by tides at their island getaway.
S5.E5 ∙ Location, Location, Location
Mike and his crew scramble to save the peonies in Eagle Song, Dave and Hans's 50,000 lbs of material make it to shore unharmed on Shelter Island and Adam does some precision work on his cabin in the Wrangell Mountains.
S5.E6 ∙ Whackin' and Stackin'
Mike's plans to catch up backfire in Eagle Song, Dave and Hans start laying the floor while having fun at their client's expense on Shelter Island and Adam battles 100 years of brush for his family cabin in the Wrangell Mountains.
S5.E7 ∙ Plywood Don't Lie
Mike gains ground, but can he keep it by only laying plywood over the cabin's foundation? Dave and Hans revisit their build and realize they've got a lot of work, but not much time. And Adam faces his biggest fear about the build.
S5.E8 ∙ Cody Save the Day
Mike's son Cody comes up with a fix to peel logs for their cabin build in Eagle Song. Dave and Hans work through extreme weather and muscle heavy beams up to the second floor. And Adam is a bag short of cement for the foundation.
S5.E9 ∙ Lofty Goals
The builders make progress peeling and stacking logs, but heavy fog puts one supply boat journey in jeopardy.
S5.E10 ∙ Alaskan Mobile Home
While one builder falls further behind schedule due to wet weather and unforeseen obstacles, the others work on transporting materials to their build sites.
S5.E11 ∙ The Big Lift
It's time for rafters and roofing for one crew, while another tries to set the extremely heavy ridge beam until help arrives. Another crew transports logs and gets the massive cabin floor laid out.
S5.E12 ∙ Lost in Logs
The build crews set ridgepoles, deal with last-minute design changes and come up short when crucial logs go missing.
S5.E13 ∙ Alaska Bush Approved
It's do or die time for all of the builders as the tides and weather prepare to change.
S6.E1 ∙ Game On
The three teams kick off their builds and face challenges in the wilderness. Bruce, Mark and their teams start cabins on LaTouche Island and Freshwater Bay, while Dave and his family start on a family compound on Point MacKenzie.
S6.E2 ∙ From Here to There
Bruce's team runs out of supplies, putting their build at a standstill. Mark's and his crew are challenged to make their foundation level, while Dave and his family deal with a non-functional milling machine.
S6.E3 ∙ Piece of Pie
One builder's worst nightmare becomes a reality when his backup generator dies. Another crew is missing one of its members, and a builder works solo despite the risks of building alone off the grid in a remote location.
S6.E4 ∙ The Wrong Stuff
One builder finds a way to let off some steam after struggling to get his log walls up, and another crew endures pounding rain on Chichagof Island. One team races against Mother Nature to get the roof up before the snow falls.
S6.E5 ∙ Into the Wild
The three teams continue their builds in unique Alaskan locations and have to deal with poorly cut glulam beams, a 700-pound runaway ridge beam and canceled orders.
S6.E6 ∙ Stormy Weather
Bruce's team runs out of supplies, putting their build at a standstill. Mark's and his crew are challenged to make their foundation level, while Dave and his family deal with a non-functional milling machine.
S6.E7 ∙ Seasonal Squeeze
The three teams continue their builds in unique Alaskan locations and have to deal with poorly cut glulam beams, a 700-pound runaway ridge beam and canceled orders.
S7.E1 ∙ The New Generation
A new generation of builders tackles the Alaskan wilds to build off the grid. A first-time builder faces some harsh realities, a team fights nature every step of the way and a father and son take on a floating lodge project.
S7.E2 ∙ Hard Work Beats Talent
Reality sets in for Nick as he fights the tides trying to retrieve pylons for his foundation, while Brannon's team gets stuck on the muddy trail bringing in more build materials. Jere and Ben continue to build the aluminum barge.
S7.E3 ∙ Noah's Barge
Jere, Ben and Tim put the finishing touches on the biggest project they've undertaken: building a 112-foot floating barge. They struggle with figuring out how to get a 40-foot trailer underneath it so they can transport it to the water, and hurricane-force winds change their plans and delay the launch. Nick gets help from his family and friends, but the group struggles trying to install the 27 pilings needed to build his dream fishing lodge and warehouse. In the end they solve the problem using some Alaskan ingenuity. Finally, Brannon's cabin starts taking shape as the crew does some heavy lifting putting up the gable end walls.
S7.E4 ∙ Stuck in Shelikof
Nick hunts for driftwood to use for building and realizes how dangerous it is to live in Alaska. Jere and Ben's barge begins its journey to the water, and Brannon's team reaches a major milestone in his cabin build.
S7.E5 ∙ Rain, Rain, Go Away
Rain and a muddy trail slow down Brannon's cabin build, but even with dampened spirits, the gang hauls windows across the two-mile trail. Then, Jere and Ben finally get the barge launched so work on the lodge can begin.
S7.E6 ∙ Honey Bucket
Nick and Kent design and build a "honey bucket," also known as an Alaskan toilet. Brannon and his team haul a wooden stove to their finished cabin, and Jere and Ben's crew struggle to get the roof on the guest rooms and lodge.
S7.E7 ∙ Home Stretch
The builders are in the home stretch as they try to finish their cabins and floating lodge. Jere and Ben's progress comes to a halt when they run out of stain and nails, and Nick works to finish the sleeping loft.
S7.E8 ∙ Grand Finale
Nick's family visits and his mom is amazed by the finished cabin. Brannon's client and his family arrive to admire their newly finished lodge, and the first guests arrive at Jere and Ben's 5,000-square-foot floating lodge.
S8.E1 ∙ Keeping Morale Up
A new season of Alaskan builders brave the elements to construct cabins in the Alaskan wilderness.
S8.E2 ∙ Progress Is Messy
The teams have materials flown in, build in freezing temperatures and lift hefty balloon walls.
S8.E3 ∙ Going Vertical
Chappie's team runs into bears and sinking boats while hauling scaffolding materials, Jeff carefully begins to construct his slippery roof and Chris works tirelessly to install all the timber walls of his cabin.
S8.E4 ∙ Rain Gear is Going On
Chappie's team struggles to lift 600-pound rafters onto the cabin's roof. Then, Chris works on drying in his cabin while Jeff begins installing his cabin's windows.
S8.E5 ∙ Game Changer
Jeff struggles with his front deck, Chappie's team finds a major error while building the exterior insulation and Chris runs out of building materials.
S8.E6 ∙ A Toy Set for Big Kids
Chris gets some much needed help from family to work on his interior, a floatplane with engine problems brings Chappie's build site to a standstill and Jeff makes a critical error while building the water system for his cabin.
S8.E7 ∙ Knock This Thing Out
The builders scramble to complete their heating systems before winter barrels down on Alaska. Chappie climbs an extremely tall ladder to cut a hole in his roof, Jeff builds a hearth and Chris fixes a leak in his chimney.
S8.E8 ∙ Sky's the Limit
Jeff Erickson helicopters in the remaining furniture for his cabin, Chris Sewell's team works through the night to get the interior floors installed and Chappie's team pushes to finish the cabin's kitchen and master bedroom.
S9.E1 ∙ Shaky Ground
Three new build teams arrive to their build sites and begin building their unique cabins in the remote Alaskan wilderness. Josh Tousignant and his crew make the long trip from Palmer to Cordova and arrive on site to begin building the slab foundation for their clients' two story cabin. John Donkersloot and Heather Rough drive their 40 foot shipping containers for their cabins foundation up to their mountainside build site in Seward. Chris Maynard and his crew fly out to build materials and install helical piers for his foundation on Trinity Lake.
S9.E2 ∙ Anything Can Go Wrong
At Trinity Lake, Chris and Joe begin to chop down an 80 foot tall spruce tree when it begins to fall to early, and then later have repackage their materials after a helicopter struggles with their first delivery. Over on Mt. Ascension, John and Heather fall behind building the floor system of their cabin because of the rain and will need more help to get back on schedule. In Cordova, Josh and his team must forklift their materials up the muddy driveway to the build site after the semi gets stuck at the bottom, and a complex build plan with tons of parts and pieces threatens to shut the site unless the team gets organized.
S9.E3 ∙ Moving on to Plan X-Ray
This week, Josh and team begin working on the interior walls and installing second story floor joists for their Cordova cabin. Chris Maynard begins to build a dock for his float plane when he runs out of lumber, and has to adapt when the framers he originally hired don't show up on Trinity Lake. John and Heather work with their friends and family to get ahead by building a dormer wall and installing the loft flooring, but will mis-measurements and mis-cuts keep them further behind than ever?
S9.E4 ∙ Up High Without a Net
The build teams are building high in the sky this week. Chris Maynard and team prepare for two intense helicopter deliveries of roof rafters to the second story floor of the cabin, and Greg precariously scales a raised rake wall to nail it into place. John and Heather work on finishing up the roof by installing the insulation and metal sheeting when the forklift won't shift gears and threatens to knock over their timber frame. Josh and his team work from jagged pallets lifted two stories high by their forklift and rickety ladders late into the night to finish the three gable walls for Keith and Kathleen's cabin.
S9.E5 ∙ Playing Catch Up
With all three builds running behind schedule, the teams all rush to get ahead. Heather's daughter Reghan comes out to help with insulating the walls, John and Heather build a water catchment system but discover they aren't getting enough water pressure, and John installs the cabin's ridge caps on the slippery tin roof in the rain. Chris Maynard and team install his new roof rafters using a toy slack line, Chris later becomes an air taxi service in order to fly as much help out to his build site as he can, while Greg and Ivan wait on a delivery of a main deck beam lovingly nicknamed "Big Bertha," and Chris' windows are delivered by helicopter in a dilapidated crate that swings violently in the wind. Josh comes dangerously close to tipping over his forklift and knocking over a gable wall while trying to lift a 600 pound purlins and later discovers that the purlins have been installed incorrectly.
S9.E6 ∙ A Fort in the Woods
John and Heather's build is put on pause as they try to figure out how to install their drywall without covering their timber frame, a new team member comes to their rescue to help them finish framing their walls, and they get a late delivery of lumber to finally finish the decking system. Chris Maynard and team are growing tired. The delivery of Chris' windows spin violently in the air, Joe and Duane work on the steep roof installing the metal roofing tin, and the team works on finishing the insulation and the tongue-and-groove walls before Chris runs out of time and money. Between the rain flooding the inside of the cabin and bears eating their supplies on site, Josh and team also have to contend with his tools breaking and going over schedule as winter looms around the corner. Josh hires additional crew to help him finish the roof system, dormers, and the deck in time.
S9.E7 ∙ Not For Beginners
Time is running out for all builders to complete their projects. At Trinity Lake, Chris Maynard enlists help to install solar panels that will create DC power for his cabin and sets up cameras to watch for bears, while Greg and Ivan work fast trying to finish the interior tongue and groove paneling for the cabin's roof. Outside Cordova, Josh works on the custom log stairs as Jeremy takes his time to precisely cut and build the cabin's custom windows. On Mt. Ascension, John and Heather's build site is flooded and they must rebuild the road to their cabin. Later, a window doesn't fit the cabin, and too much pressure on freshly built custom concrete counter tops causes problems.
S9.E8 ∙ Look What The've Done
The builders are in the final push to finish their cabins before winter strikes. Josh fights rain and wind to install the wood stove and finish the roofing tin, and Chris rushes to install kitchen counters before company arrives.
S10.E1 ∙ A New World of Challenges
Three new teams, three new builds, and countless challenges ahead. Rookie builders Matt and Amy Hill snowmobile their materials across the frozen Safari Lake landscape, and find out building in the snow is more complicated than they planned. Professional builders Dan and Mike Owens mill the lumber needed for their build at their sawmill before working with a snow cat to haul all their materials out to their build site outside Petersville. First-time builder Jackie Keizer hires a team of professionals who struggle to bring out an excavator and help her dig the foundation on steep, muddy terrain inside a rainforest 30 miles from Ketchikan.
S10.E2 ∙ Snowball Effect
At Jackie's slippery build site, the team works to finish the subfloor and start raising walls, but rain and mud hinder the team at every step. The Hills work through freezing Alaskan temperatures to finish installing their foundation, but digging out their supplies and a fallen tree under three feet of snow and a fallen tree stops the builders in their tracks. The Owen family works to overcome missing pieces of their log walls, being a man down, and the ever-painful Alaskan winter weather.
S10.E3 ∙ Family is a Good Thing
The Hills race to finish installing their floor in order to avoid delaying their scheduled wall delivery, which leads to an injury on site. Jackie and her team work through the rain to get as many layered walls done as possible to make up for lost time the week before, but they run into problems when their build materials start to fall apart. At the Owen's build site, the team struggles to install the loft floor joists and tongue and groove flooring before a snowstorm could bury them.
S10.E4 ∙ This is the Sketchy Part
This weekend, the Hills work on their first floor framing and deck so they can meet their goals of sheathing and framing the second story, but work slows to a stop when their tools begin to freeze. Back at the Owens' build site, the team works on installing the second story gables, dormers, and roof rafters, when they accidentally cut through one of the cabin's electrical wires. Jackie and her team work to finish the cabin's roof structure, but mis-measurements and communication errors begin putting team members at risk as they install rafters and corbels high above on makeshift platforms and slippery decks.
S10.E5 ∙ This Was a Rough One
At the Owens buildsite, the team is working to finish the roof, but multiple falling objects, miscutting the metal roofing material, and cold winds and white out conditions make the job perilous. In Moser Bay, Jackie and her team struggle lifting the 250 pound stove from the bay up to the cabin, discover they have the incorrect nails to install their windows, and accidentally install the floorboards of the deck incorrectly. The Hills arrive at their buildisite to their materials buried under the snow, run out of screws in the middle of installing their rafters, and lift their second story deck beam and accidentally warp the metal holding.
S10.E6 ∙ Have Saw, Will Cut
At Jackie Keizer's buildsite in Moser Bay, the team delivers the cabins French Doors to the buildsite, but during installation they find the frame fits incorrectly. Meanwhile, Jackie works high above the ground installing soffiting in the eaves of her roof as she races against the clock, coming closer and closer to building over schedule. At the Hills build site in Denali, spring has come early and the snow is melting fast. A snow machine delivery runs into problems on the melted trail, while Amy find out they are missing a crucial component to the cabin electrical system; jumper cables that connect the inverter to the batteries. At the Owens build site in Petersville, the team is installing windows when Kyle (who has just returned to the site after healing from a car accident) slips and falls on site . Then, snow melting quickly on site creates treacherous takeoff conditions for Marc Hamblen, who needs to fly his plane out of the site or become stuck in Petersville until next winter.
S10.E7 ∙ Gotta Be Efficient
At Jackie Keizer's Moser Bay build site, the team is installing the cabinets, refrigerator and propane stove when they hear propane leaking somewhere in their cabin. At the Owens' build site, the team installs roofing insulation, frames their interior walls, runs electrical, and finishes the tongue and groove walls. But melting trails makes the delivery of interior cabinets and appliances dangerous. At the Hills' build site, their delivery of tongue and groove paneling for the ceiling of the cabin is behind schedule and the installation of the wood stove's chimney is not going to plan.
S10.E8 ∙ The Most Amazing View
The build teams continue to struggle as their build seasons come to a close. Jackie's nail gun breaks while finishing up her built-in banquette seating, she runs low on time when building the loft railing, and it becomes a mad dash to finish up the interior of her cabin before her family arrives to see it. The Owens must chop through ice and snow to build stairs for the front porch and break down some tongue and groove wall paneling in order to install a missed outlet in the bathroom. They are at risk of not finishing their clients' cabin before the snow machine trails melt. The Hills brave one more journey to their buildsite to finish the maple plywood wall panels, their kitchen countertops and appliances, and finish up all the floors and interior designs before their friends arrive.
S11.E1 ∙ My Life Is In Your Hands
This season three new couples challenge the formidable and unforgiving Alaskan elements to construct remote cabins. Mike and Kathleen Kondus build atop the windy White Mountain tundra, first time builders Mike and Teresa Oldenkamp build a complex grain bin style cabin outside Trapper Creek, and Paige Drobny and Cody Strathe work on a haunted site to build a house and dog mushing training facility in the wilds of Cantwell.
S11.E2 ∙ From Temporary to Permanent
Deep in the White Mountains, Mike and Kathleen Kondus begin work on their foundation, their nail gun goes on the fritz and the foundation posts aren't level, putting the team at risk of not getting their walls up. In Cantwell, dog mushers Paige Drobny and Cody Strathe install their internet satellite dish and lay the first floor of their cabin when they begin running low on supplies. The nearest supply store is hours away and the clock is ticking. Near Trapper Creek, Mike and Teresa Oldenkamp work on their foundation using an excavator, but the bucket of the excavator is damaged by a rusty pin snapping slowing their work to a screeching halt.
S11.E3 ∙ A Life of Near Misses
Near Cantwell, sled dog racers Paige and Cody begin stacking the log walls, hit a snag when they realize they don't have the correct insulation. Kathleen and Mike Kondus's team get dangerously high up without specialized equipment so they can install the cumbersome ridge beam. Near Trapper Creek, Mike and Teresa Oldenkamp begin work on their floor but find their floor, but discover their floor joists are not spaced evenly and the insulation is not cut correctly, putting the team behind schedule.
S11.E4 ∙ It's Stressful Right Now
Mike and Teresa Oldenkamp begin building their first floor walls, using an A-Frame winch they designed themselves to lift the second story support beams. However, when the winch begins to lift the beam, it becomes more dangerous than the Oldenkamps first realized. Paige and Cody use a boom truck to stack their log walls, forcing the team to work extra cautiously around the heavy beams swinging above their heads. Mike and Kathleen Kondus find a nasty surprise when they return to the bottom of the mountain for more supplies and the team back at the build site come to a halt waiting for the supplies.
S11.E5 ∙ Overload
Mike and Kathleen Kondus have moved to the interior work, building their barrel sink, installing insulation and vapor barrier, and wiring their electrical system, but the remote location is still slow with progress as hauling materials 2 hours one way continues. At Paige Drobny and Cody Strathe's build, mechanical failures start to prevent the build from finishing before dog sled race season, and Paige must leave the build site for work as a fish biologist, leaving the team down an important member. Mike and Teresa Oldenkamp begin building walls for the second story of their grain bin style cabin, where getting higher and higher becomes more and more dangerous.
S11.E6 ∙ I Need Five Hands
Paige Drobny and Cody Strathe's build takes a hit as Sterling and Joe leave the site to return to work, and Cody's trailer full of vital build materials breaks down in Fairbanks. At Mike and Teresa Oldenkamp's cabin, the foundation has begun sinking, stopping the build. Kathleen and Mike Kondus watch part of their cabin crumble before their eyes.
S11.E7 ∙ Absolutely Insane
Deep in the White Mountains, Mike and Kathleen Kondus fight the rain and shattered window panes. Outside Trapper Creek, Mike and Teresa Oldenkamp work on installing windows in the rain when the team gets stuck on slippery scaffolding, nineteen feet in the air. In Cantwell, Paige Drobny and Cody Strathe only have a week left before their professional sled dog racing season starts, but some of their material orders are wrong, leaving the cabin built in a lurch.
S11.E8 ∙ It's Gonna Be Plush
It's a race to the finish for all three builds. In Cantwell, Paige Drobny and Cody Strathe need to complete their interior shelves, install bathroom fixtures, and hook up their appliances before sled dog racing season begins next week. Deep in the White Mountains, Mike and Kathleen Kondus are losing all of their volunteers and hired professional help, and their exterior siding isn't even done. Outside Trapper Creek, Mike and Teresa Oldenkamp continue to struggle with the challenges that a round grain-bin-style cabin presents. Their interior siding is snapping along the curves of the house, and they risk not completing the cabin before they must stop down for the winter.
