Original subtitles

and may contain mature subject matter.

Viewer discretion is advised.

and may contain Hey, boy, let's get at 'er.

(Randy): This house is about 200 years old.

Ripping up a old house, it's exciting.

(Randy): Aww! Might have to fix that.

Looks good on ya.

Ahh...

Beams are here!

(Paul): Notice anything wrong with 'em?

One is too short, isn't it?

We only got a short time to get it done.

(Randy): Wind is one thing, but snow is another.

This will set me back big time.

(Randy): Man!

(upbeat folk music)

I'm Randy Spracklin,

third generation builder,

proud Newfoundlander.

My team and I are building on one giant cliff

in the Atlantic Ocean.

They don't call it a rock for nothing!

We fight the elements year roud

to get the job done.

It might be tough for some,

but not for us.

Because when this is your view, it's worth it.

(upbeat folk music)

(Randy): Brigus is a beautiful little town

here in Newfoundland.

Over 400 years ago,

this place started as a fishing village.

It's a great little spot

with the landscape,

and you're right on the water.

It's where I grew up.

I know it's all I know,

but it's beautiful here.

Where else would you want to be?

(Randy): My construction compay started with my grandfather,

my father, my uncle,

Now I'm taking it over.

I never thought I would be taking over the company,

building beautiful homes, and renovating them.

I tried different things as I was growing up,

but I kept coming back to this.

(upbeat music)

Our family definitely plays

a big part in the community.

There's a lot of iconic builds

that you can drive by and say,

"The Spracklin family built that house."

It's probably easier to explain the houses that we didn't touch

instead of the ones that we did touch.

Pretty much got the keys to every house here in Brigus.

(laughing)

(upbeat music)

I love the history of these old homes,

and they work that they put into them back in the day.

Our goal is to bring 'em back to life.

Keep the history alive.

It's a beautiful place, and I love building

here in Newfoundland.

But you gotta know your stuff. And we do.

(upbeat folk music)

(Randy): It's fall right now,

but winter is coming, and it's gonna get ugly.

That's why I have an awesome crew.

(Randy): Lord Jesus.

Melting a little bit of ice.

(Randy): Starting with Scott. He's my dad.

I'm more on the straight and narrow.

(Randy): He battled Newfoundland weather

building amazing homes for 30 years.

(Scott): But we do butt heads.

Measure twice, cut once. Huh?

(Scott): The difference between me and Randy...

(Randy): Oops!

Patience.

(upbeat music)

(Randy): We got Paul.

-You got your tape ready? -(Nikki): Tape ready.

(Randy): And he's my right hand man.

(Paul): How does that sit on the roof?

-Good? Bad? Ugly? -It's all good news, man.

(Randy): Paul is all business..

(laughing)

...but he do have a softer side to him.

I rely on him to keep everything on track.

(Paul): Easy! Watch where you're at.

(Randy): And then there's Nikki.

(Nikki): I got this done wrong.

This is rookie totally!

Brush your teeth, now. Come on.

(Randy): She's got two kids, and this is a new career for her.

She's really picking it up, and she's a hard worker.

-Whoa! -Ahh!

-Argh! -Who's the rookie now, huh?

(Nikki): Who's the rookie now?

My crew is gonna get it done no matter what.

Woo-hoo!

(bright music)

(Randy): We always got a lot of jobs on the go,

and managing them can be very challenging,

because we're on an island.

Our supplies come in from the mainland

mainly by boat,

which always gets delayed.

And we got the weather to deal with.

(Nikki): Ah. It's pouring rain!

It's hard building here in Newfoundland.

(upbeat music)

(Randy): It's very exciting to manage all this,

'cause you never know what's gonna be thrown at you.

And right now, there's a lot going on.

I have some finishing touches to do on a home

that we built in Adam's Cove, and then it's done.

And back in Brigus, we're a couple months in

on a huge reno, where we're adding

two new additions.

And I'm about to start a new project

down the road, in the centre of Brigus

for Fred and Pam Earle.

This one really excites me.

It's a 200-year-old house.

It got a few renovations done to it

but nothing like we're gonna do to it.

We're adding 340 square feet to this three bedroom, two bathroom house

by putting a piece on the back with a wraparound deck.

This new add-on will have floor to ceiling windows

to lighten up this old house.

Inside, we're opening everything up.

We're removing the walls, opening the staircase,

adding a large island in the middle.

Perfect for kitchen parties.

Get your rubber boots on,

because a kitchen party can get messy.

(light music)

Thanks for coming out today.

I'm meeting with the homeowner, Fred.

Him and his wife, Pam, have cleared out the house for us to start demo.

I just wanted to make sure everything is good because once we tear it up,

there's no going back.

So the area here, as you can see, it's not very plumb.

Where it's off plumb that's 200-years-old.

You'd be half crooked too. (laughing)

Yeah, true. Yeah, I guess so. I'm crooked at 60.

(Randy): The exciting part about this house

that is almost 200-years-old,

is we're kind of renovating and making it so...

200 years from now, they can sy

Randy and his crew renovated this house.

It might be my young fella.

Well, not in 200 years, but... (laughing)

(Fred): Okay. As you can see,

we're ceiling challenged.

(Randy): Yes.

It's a little challenging having to duck all the time

as you walk around the house.

(Randy): To get the extra height in the ceiling,

we'll need to dig down the floor about a foot.

I didn't realize it, but when I was here talking with your dad,

he said that this used to be an exterior wall to the house.

(Randy): My biggest concern is...

just removing some of the walls and removing the floor.

The way they built them old houses years ago,

like the walls, they were all just one piece.

So once we cut it off,

then the floor almost could come down.

When we remove a wall,

same thing. We don't know what's gonna happen.

(Fred): This room is our main living area,

and it's not really functional.

You can have another couple in,

but once you get more than fou, five people in here...

You can't have a kitchen party, huh?

You can't have a kitchen party.

(Randy): Here in Newfoundland, kitchen parties happen all the time.

That's why we need a lot of space.

But it's gonna take a lot of work,

and we have a budget of $120,000.

It's gonna be a catty build, that's for sure.

(Fred): It's gonna be interesting.

We don't know what we're gonna find

when we start opening it up, so I'm trusting you with this.

Hey. This is not our first rodeo, so...

No, no. That's why... That's why you're here.

(Randy): The Earles' project is a challenge for sure.

There's a lot of moving parts, and before I get moving,

I gotta get the whole team up to speed.

(Randy): Oh, hey! It's Nikki!

(Nikki): Good morning!

(Randy): Strolling in a quarter after again!

-Late again. -(laughing)

I had to drop the kids off to daycare. Did I miss anything?

(Randy): Not really. We're just getting started.

So we got three projects on the go this week.

So we got the Mitchells, the Earles,

and Adam's Cove.

So the first one we'll go at is the Earles' place.

(Paul): You got a good set of plans on this?

Or are you just gonna wing it like always?

(Randy): Funny you should say that.

Fred, the homeowner is trading the wood

from the trees we cut down for the set of plans.

Yeah, it's a barter system.

Sounds like you got a pretty good deal on that set.

(Randy): Well, I don't know who got the best deal.

(laughing)

See how the plans work out.

(Randy): It's gonna be a 200-year-old house

and got only ceilings at six feet high.

So, we're actually gonna tear p all the floor,

and we'll end up with a seven foot high ceiling.

God only knows what we're gonna find.

You never know, you might find a big ol'

bag of old money. Right musty and mothy.

(Randy): Gah! Right to the Bahamas I go!

(Scott): That would be perfect.

Who gets that? (laughing)

If I find it, I'll buy you a coffee.

Oh... Generous.

(Randy): Let's get at 'er. (Scott): Sure.

(Nikki): Let's get 'er done.

(upbeat music)

(Randy): In Brigus, the team is split

across our two biggest jobs.

We're deep into a big renovatin at the Mitchells' house

overlooking the harbour.

And it's our first day of demo at the Earles' house

in the centre of Brigus.

So we gotta take up this whole floor and see what we got.

(Nikki): Do we know what's underneath?

Lovely big boards, I hope, so we can build

something out of. But yeah. It's a surprise!

(Nikki): So if we find any treasures, we'll let you know.

Yeah. Hey, boy. Let's get at 'er.

(Randy): Before we build the piece on the back,

we've got to remove the floor.

Then, to really open it up,

we're gonna take down the wall to the kitchen,

and this will change the place completely.

Any day that we're ripping up a old house, it's exciting.

We're just so excited about what we're gonna find.

'Cause you never know.

Look out overhead.

Ten points if it hits Randy.

(upbeat music)

(Randy): We're finding old boards,

so that's like...

That's a hundred plus year old wood right there.

So, uh, pretty awesome.

The character in that?

That's original stuff there.

Some people refinish the old wood.

It is a nice feature, but in this application,

we're taking it down to give them more ceiling height,

so all this board has gotta come off.

Some board is only good for firewood,

but we'll salvage what we can.

Wicked.

(Scott): Another floor under.

(Randy): More board!

(Randy): This is the 200-year-old floor,

and this is the beams. That's just like round logs

that you went in the woods, cut,

made a flat edge, and that would be your floor joists.

It's just round timber cut down square.

Pretty cool.

And that's an old square nail.

So that was hand forged in the forge down the road.

They go down, pick up a handful.

Made right here.

Oh, right on.

(Randy): Wicked, isn't it?

That's pretty cool, hey? You don't see them no more.

(folk music)

(Randy): Them boards, it's just so much character into them

and we'll make a little bit of furniture, make a table, end table.

We'll use them for something.

This house still got a little bit of history

probably in another home.

I see a table in my future.

(Randy laughing)

Watch out Randy!

Nikki is our apprentice. She's the rookie.

Easy.

(Randy): She's been with us now a year and a half,

and she's doing great. She's learning a lot,

and she's a fun character.

They're up to no good.

I'm telling you now, they're up to no good.

Get your hat and mitts out and get that ready before the bus comes too.

(Nikki): I was a stay-at-home mother

and I decided to go back to work,

and when we had this house built,

that's totally what inspired me

to go into the trades industry.

(Nikki): Love you!

So I said I'll go try carpentry.

Here I am now, two years later, still at it.

When you see everybody go quiet and hide on you, they're up to no good.

Probably go ahead and beat that door down now.

Nikki's always up for a laugh, so...

we love playing jokes with each other

and, you know, why not have a laugh at work?

(Randy): Hey Nikki. Grab me your measuring tape.

You dirty (bleep)!

Oops!

They stuffed something in my build bag!

Some rice. Randy, Randy, Randy.

Your time is coming, bud.

I knew there was something going down.

They're nice and quiet, they're always... you gotta watch your back.

They're always trying to play pranks on you.

Before the day's out, I'll have them some way.

Gotta keep an eye out to my opportunities.

You've got to be quick.

(Randy): I knew Nikki even when we were younger,

so it's kind of like that brother and sister kind of thing.

She likes to throw digs at me, and I like to throw digs at her

all in good sport.

Nikki!

(Nikki): Randy, don't you dare lock me down here!

(laughing)

(upbeat music)

Hey. Want to look at this? Big hole there. Look.

(Randy): Now that's friggin' awesome.

Like, that's wicked, though.

There's some bones under there too.

(Randy): It's a bone! It's a body!

(Al): Hey. Want to look at this? Big hole there. Look.

(Nikki): Wow. It's a deep one.

(Randy): Whoa! (Bleep)! Oh, spider!

(all laughing)

(Randy): We just started the demo on the Earles' propery

and it's a 200-year-old house.

Anything down there?

(Al): A bone. There is a bone. There is a bone in there, yeah.

A bone. Call CSI.

(Nikki laughing)

You never know what you're gonna find in an old house,

but sometimes it's very exciting.

Must have been a dog or something. Look. Teeth.

(Nikki): Cool. That's actual teeth too.

(Al): It is yeah.

(Nikki): Oh, my god!

(Randy): It's just like a piece of the history. You know?

Years ago, they popped a few floor boards off,

and got down here, and picked up their potatoes,

their cabbage, whatever they had in their garden,

and this is where they would store their full winter supply.

The cellar would be a pretty cool feature to keep,

but it's in the middle of the space,

and we had to pour a concrete floor right over it.

(upbeat music)

(Al): Hey, oh.

(whirring)

(Randy): Whoa! (laughing)

Low ceilings suck.

(laughing)

Might have to fix that.

(Nikki): I missed that.

I only hit the ceiling like, for the big...

Money shot. Got the ceiling.

Looks good on ya.

(Randy): Ah, geez.

(Randy): We always have lots of jobs on the go,

so I'm constantly jumping back and forth to get them all done.

On the other side of town on top of the hill,

we've got another renovation on the way.

It's the Mitchells' house.

As much as we love renovating old homes,

we got a 15-year-old home that we need to renovate.

You can almost see every inch of Brigus where this is locate.

It's pretty cool being up on the hill,

but we're dealing with the rai, the wind,

the steepness of the hill.

We got so many challenges. Too many to list off.

(Randy): We're expanding this four bedroom house

by building a piece on the front and the side.

A new entrance will have a mudroom

with large custom tiles,

and the new open concept kitchen is huge,

with high-end appliances throughout.

Everything is custom. We're bringing in

a lot of specialty items from the mainland,

and we got a budget of $450,000.

There's a lot of moving parts.

This is gonna be a hard one.

It's already taken a couple of months to build and frame the additions.

The next step is to reinforce the structures

with load bearing steel beams.

So we're waiting for the beam to show up

so it's a little bit delayed there now.

(Randy): With this new additio, we got a lot of big metal beams

that gotta go in,

and that's the piece of the puzzle

we need to keep building.

(honking)

(Randy): The beams are here!

Let's go give 'er.

(Nikki): Awesome.

Nikki! We'll need the, uh, straps.

(Randy): There's over a half a dozen steel posts and beams.

Because the ground at the top of the hill slopes off,

the posts are all different heights

to keep the floors and the ceiling

straight and level.

These beams are custom made.

You just can't buy them at any store.

They're all built to spec.

(Paul): Go slow. Back up.

(Paul): You're clear.

Too easy. Watch I drops them all.

(Nikki): Hey! You gotta lower your forks.

Good.

That's it. Made it happen.

(Paul): We have good news. Got 'em up here no trouble.

You notice anything wrong with them?

Yeah. I think one is too short, isn't it?

Yeah.

These are the two beams and they're the same length.

One of the two is supposed to e four feet longer.

(Paul): Nothing ever goes easy.

(Randy): We'll have to try to get that figured out ASAP.

This is the height of the foundation.

We had to step down just because this is the ground height,

but then it drops down like four feet,

because we've got kind of like a walk out.

That's where the beam gotta be attached,

so we gotta add from here down.

That's how much we gotta add in.

This will set me back big time.

You notice anything wrong with them?

(Randy): We're at the Mitchells' on the hill,

and we ran into a structural issue with the steel beams.

(Randy): Randy calling. (supplier): Yes, sir.

Beams look awesome.

(supplier): Mm-hmm.

Uh, we got one too short.

(supplier): What?

(Randy): Dave's foundation steps down that four feet,

so one of them was supposed to be four feet longer.

(supplier): Damn.

Yeah. (laughing)

(Randy): We're at a standstill at the Mitchells'

until we get the beams and post installed.

We can't do anything until this happens.

Best case is, when can we have the new one?

Okay.

This will set me back big time.

If they got nothing in stock

to be able to fabricate another one,

we'll have to ship it from the mainland,

so probably a week.

Might be two.

(upbeat music)

(Randy): We're building a piece on the back

and making the main floor open concept

but first, we have to dig down ten inches

to gain more ceiling height.

(Nikki): Demo's fun.

You get knee deep into it, and you get dirty.

It's actually a lot of learning curves

because you're coming across stuff that you don't

know what you're gonna find, and how to go about it.

(Scott): You'll get there.

So we're trying to gain as much head room as we can,

so we're gonna dig this down and gain about ten inches.

We can't bring in any heavy equipment, no excavators,

nothing like that, so the machines is this and our guns.

(laughing)

(upbeat folk music)

(Randy): All the scrabble and rock,

we'll start filling up the old cellar with it.

Easy way to get rid of it, and it'll act as fill.

Winter's around the corner, and there's lots to do.

Otherwise, we're gonna be delayed.

(Randy): It's gonna get dusty.

It's gonna be a big challenge,

but that's why we love to do it.

(Nikki): Whoa! Nice one!

(upbeat folk music)

(Randy): We work all over the place,

and about an hour north of Brigus in Adam's Cove,

we got a couple of things we have to finish up

on a house we built from the ground up.

Nice to see you again. The place is looking really good.

(Sharon 1): Yeah. It feels like we've been in for a day,

but it's been two weeks already. I can't believe it.

(Randy): The homeowners, Sharon and Sharon,

just moved into their new house.

The design is a little different

than what you see normally around the bay.

Normally it's the biscuit box

or the salt box type of housin.

(Sharon 2): Now with the stairs...

(Sharon 2): We had some really good times

designing this place and getting it built.

Well, six of one, half dozen...

It is.

(Sharon 1): I think it speaks to Newfoundland and where we are.

You look outside and it just feels like it's going to fit just fine.

It's 1200 square feet,

two bedroom, open concept

and a huge deck

with a beautiful view of the ocean.

Probably the best in Newfoundland.

It took about eight months to build

and a budget of $250,000.

Now that we're here, we started thinking about all the stuff we've got.

You know, we've got some nice pieces that we want to display.

-And my record player. -And the record player,

um, which will really end up downstairs.

(laughing)

(Sharon 1): We definitely think that something

needs to happen over the fire here, right?

Like a mantel would be great.

I think the idea of like, old wood.

I'd really like to go with that

and we're thinking maybe some shelves

in the alcove.

I think it will look nice. So we'll use some old lumber.

-Oh, perfect. -(Randy): Like old wood,

so we'll be able to take that and create this nice mantel.

Oh, I love that.

(Randy): So we put a fireplace downstairs.

Are you planning on putting a mantel down there as well?

(Sharon 1): I think a mantel would work down there.

You want two of them rustic?

Yeah, for sure.

Okay. I might have enough old lumber

to actually do two.

Oh, make it happen, Randy.

That's what I always say to you.

I can make anything happen.

Exactly.

That's why you hired us.

Exactly.

I'll go back to the shop,

and then I'll be in contact.

Excellent. That's great. Thanks, Randy.

(upbeat folk music)

(Randy): Back in Brigus,

inside the Earle's 200-year-old home,

demo is done and the floor is dug to grade.

We gained ten inches of ceiling height that we needed.

Now it's time to go outside

to clear the trees for the new addition.

I'll use the lift from the Mitchells' job

to reach the treetops.

I just gotta pop her in drive and give 'er!

Driving these big rigs

is like driving a car with bigger wheels!

The new addition at the back will be a new living room

with wall-to-wall glass

with great views of the backyard

and we're adding a wrap-around deck.

So we're going to lift you up to cut the top off.

So how's it going up? With a pallet?

Yeah, we'll get a pallet.

(Randy): Before we can dig the new foundation,

me and my father have to clear a big bunch of trees.

You're good?

(Scott): Yeah, that's gonna be deadly.

We have a lot of work on the go.

So my father kind of steps in sometimes

to try to get us ahead on the projects.

Are you going to tie that piece off when we're cutting it?

(Randy): No. (Scott): No?

You're gonna have to.

Alright.

We'll see what happens.

(revving)

I'm definitely happy to have him

come out and give me a hand.

He'll let me do it my way,

and when it goes wrong,

he'll be like, "I told you so," and then we'll do it his way.

That happens a lot.

You want to bring a rope and haul it that way?

I got no rope.

Mine and Randy's way of working

is quite different and then causes

a little bit of conflict there on times.

You didn't take any rope?

No.

His way of working is new-school.

My way of working is old-school,

and when you try to put the two together,

it don't work sometimes.

Yeah he should have brought a rope. For sure.

Having my father is kind of like...

would you have your father on site?

(upbeat music)

Whoa! (laughing)

When I started working with my father,

it was years ago, and...

I was kind of like the Nikki today.

I was a rookie, and we didn't always see eye to eye,

but we always managed to get it done

and went home without a scar.

(Scott): This here is gonna be the most dangerous one

just because it's gonna fall towards the house.

I think we're gonna have to lay the boom alongside of it

and go past the corner.

Then we'll just pull it down by the side of the boom.

We'll have to tie the rope on.

I'm more like no rope.

I'm more like rope.

(Randy): Yeah, we had to stop.

Them trees there are kinda tipping towards the house

so dad won the battle. He's gone to get some rope.

(Scott): Ooh!

(Randy): Me and my father are cutting down the trees at the Earles'.

Found a rope, but not the big one.

We got rope!

(Randy): We need to make room for the new add-on.

Once we have that done, we can start digging out the foundation.

Damn trees! (laughing)

(Randy): The boom is there so t don't fall in on the house.

Hopefully.

(suspenseful music)

Didn't even need it! (laughing)

Look at that cut!

(Scott): It's better safe than sorry.

Flat out! Give 'er!

He's a little bit more dangerous than me,

more of a cowboy than I am.

But I'm more on the straight and narrow.

(upbeat music)

(Randy): Yeah, it's a good laugh,

me and the old man there working together.

(Randy): We just got all of our trees cut down there now,

so we're gonna chop 'em up.

(Scott): Come back straight a bit.

You're good.

(Randy): So then we're gonna bring it to the neighbour, Glenn.

He's the architect who did up the house plans.

It's part of the barter deal, and the wood is for payment.

Don't go too fast!

Working in Brigus, everybody know everybody,

and we like to help each other out,

so it's kind of like back in the day

when you had something that somebody else wanted,

you kind of traded off.

(Scott): We're gonna lay it right in there, now.

That's good? (Glenn): Perfect.

Thanks guys. Great. Thanks!

Okay. No problem.

The barter system is alive and well

in Newfoundland and Labrador!

This is great.

Do a design and get the wood from the site. Fantastic!

(upbeat music)

(Randy): Whenever possible, I try to carve out time

for myself in the woodshop.

The old boards that we took out of the Earles' reno,

we're gonna bring 'em back to the shop

and turn 'em into something amazing.

Was it the same width?

(Randy): Me and my father, we just don't build homes

and renovate homes,

we do a lot of woodworking here in the woodshop.

It's great to have the opportunity to actually

build something that is going to go into a beautiful house.

So we're gonna be making two mantels,

plus we're having floating shelves for Adam's Cove.

They wanted something rustic.

(Randy): Um I think there is.

(Randy): Working in the shop with my father is great,

because it's kind of one-on-on,

and I can definitely learn a lot of his tricks.

He can think outside the box,

so I guess that's where I get it from.

This one won't be bad on this side either.

Handing the reins over to Randy, I'm very proud.

Not only about the work ethic

in what he do within the company,

I'm proud of him as a son.

(Scott): It's a good feeling.

It's still off a bit.

I'm not gonna lie, the old man

probably got the upper notch

in the woodshop carpenter skills.

To make an old mantel,

this is a wall plank, actually,

as you see the old paper that was stuck to it.

(Randy): So basically we cleand it up, sawed it all down,

cleaned all the old nails out of it,

and this is what we end up with.

So it's a mantel that looks like one piece

but it's a hollow old floorboards

from a 140 probably plus year old house.

As much as I'd love to make two mantels

out of reclaimed lumber,

sometimes you run out, because you can't find the size

or the width,

so I like to improvise and make new lumber look like old.

When I bring 'em down to install 'em,

they'll think they're solid wood and 140 years old,

and that's the name of the game.

Now I'm just gonna...

beat the hell out of it and make it look old!

(upbeat music)

In these custom homes, they're looking for everything custom,

so it's one of a kind in these showstopper homes.

We don't have time, and we don't want to wait

to try to get material in from the mainland,

so we make everything custom.

(upbeat blues music)

I like to burn like, all the little grooves.

It highlights the distress that I got done.

You just don't want to catch it on fire. Then you're in trouble!

(folk music)

(Randy): Back across town on top of the hill,

the Mitchells' job been on hold

because the post beam that supports the main beam

was four feet too short.

Not anymore!

(Randy): Hey, Al!

Make sure it don't swing back at me!

(Randy): We just got our new old beam back.

These steel beams are critical for the structure

on the new kitchen addition.

As you can see,

this is where the old one was,

so they just added on the four-foot piece,

put on the new plate, and we're good to go.

Want to do the small ones first?

We can start with a little one for confidence builder, or we can go...

(Randy): No, man. I like to go for the big one first.

I'd just as soon start today with something I know is gonna work.

Alright. We'll go with the small one, then.

(upbeat music)

We're having a huge open concept

and we need a lot of steel to actually carry all the weigt

that's gonna be above.

Four beams are gonna be the posts,

and then we have four horizontal cross beams

that keep the floors and ceilings solid,

flush, and level.

Without these beams,

we wouldn't be able to have a second storey.

You ready?

(Randy): Getting them in place is gonna be tough.

(Paul): Go up and in!

(Randy): We're using a large lift to get the beams

in very small places.

Plus, we've got to take them around to the front of the houe

right next to a 50-foot drop.

You ready?

(Randy): Paul's our lead hand,

and he definitely knows his stuff.

When we're doing like, any lifts,

like, he got proper hand signals...

which I don't understand. All I understand is up and down.

(laughing)

That's kind of like, get it done? Up. Down.

Lower down a little.

(Randy): Paul's all business,

but he do have a softer side,

and he's no trouble to lend a hand.

Favourite thing about my job

is little to no repetition.

I do a little bit of everything.

It could be from building something in the shop,

to doing something on the job.

Whatever Randy wants, I'll get it done.

I definitely can trust Paul.

I'll know that the job is gonna be done right.

Yeah, it'd be pretty hard without him.

Don't tell him that!

That went mint.

(upbeat music)

-Come down? -Down?

(Randy): You want a hand?

(Paul): You got a big hammer?

Hit it on the steel.

So we'll have to call Louis.

Yeah.

Hey Lou. I'm up here at the Mitchells' there,

and me and Randy's here with the structural steel.

(Paul): The steel's gonna have to be torched out.

Do you have anyone in the garage who could come out

with the torch and burn the holes a little bit bigger

so it'll all fit?

(Lou): How soon would you need it?

Yesterday.

(laughing) Yesterday!

We gotta use the torch,

'cause we gotta make these holes bigger

so they'll fit over the bolts that we got there.

Them beams is everything that gotta be done

to make everything move forward

and problem is we work with wood, not metal,

so we can't really fix any problem

that comes with the metal, so we gotta get people in to fix it.

That's the thing that's throwig us in a loophole there, now.

Putin' a wrench in stuff.

I just want to get them in plae and keep on moving forward.

(Randy): Up at the Mitchells' on the side of the cliff,

it's been one thing after another with these steel beams

for the kitchen addition.

One was too short, and now...

the holes are too small for the anchors.

Hey, hey! We got a torch!

We're gonna get ready now to burn the holes out!

(Randy): It's pretty lucky he was available.

Other than that, we probably would have had to wait

'til next week, so that's awesome.

(Randy): That's the thing we do around here.

If someone needs a hand, we give a favour to him,

he'll do a favour for us. That's kind of our way.

Thanks a lot, Wade.

We'll be able to put them in place now.

Cut it over that way.

(Randy): There's two beams that make the corner posts

for the add-on.

The torching worked. It's awesome, they fit!

We had to take a couple of these beams

to the front of the house,

and there's no easy way to get there!

So, uh, I gotta drive along here,

this is all fresh fill.

As you see, it's kind of like a wash out,

so I don't want to end up down in the bottom.

That's a 50-foot drop!

Okay, Randy, I'll get ya to go up slow.

Watch your beam!

This is the moment we're going to see

if we can get by that cliff and get this beam up.

(Randy): Hopefully we don't fall over!

(Paul): Come out slow.

(Paul): Cut 'er! Cut 'er!

(Randy): I don't think I'm gonna get it.

Damn! You know what?

I'm gonna have to go out and come in straight and do it!

I would've! You were backwards the whole time!

Yeah, but I was hoping to get in there!

Four wheel drive, man!

(Paul): Who offered you your license?

Crackerjack box?

When I'm with Paul, no, I won't admit that I'm wrong!

Plan B.

He's not afraid to tell me when I'm wrong.

Sometimes we're kind of like brothers,

more times we're like angry cousins.

You never know, whatever hits our moods!

(Paul): You're going good!

(crunching)

Oops!

(Paul): Easy! Watch where you're at!

Down!

I smacked the deck with one of the stabilizers,

but, uh, we deal with wood so we can fix it.

(Randy): With the beams in place, we can finally get moving.

We're behind schedule. Hopefully the weather holds

to get the walls and the roof on.

But you never know in Newfoundland!

(Randy): Down the bay in Adam's Cove,

I have the whole crew

at the house that we built from the ground up

for the homeowners, Sharon and Sharon.

What ye all at?

Now we got the shelves made, the mantel made,

you'll be out cutting,

and three of us will be in to put the brackets on,

install the mantels. Sound like a plan, or what?

Excellent. Perfect.

Let's get at it, get 'er done.

I love doing the finish work.

It's a nice little break from the framing

and see the finished product, see how the clients love it

and see how it kind of fits in the space.

(Randy): Every one of these pieces are custom.

We make 'em bigger, and then we cut them on site to fit.

We got Harvey out on the saw so pressure's on him today.

I'm only doing measuring.

(Randy): Our team does it all.

We'll frame, we'll do tiles,

we'll paint, we'll do finish work.

That way I know every job is gonna get done

a little faster.

Pop it up.

It's nice being here, doing all the finishing touches,

especially when you start right from the beginning.

(whirring)

You get to take it right from the concrete right to the end.

Makes it worthwhile in the end for sure when you get to see it.

And we're invited to the housewarming party!

Even better!

I'm gonna install the floating shelves

by cutting one shelf,

and using that as a template to cut all the other ones.

(Paul): The moment of truth.

(Randy): Oh. It's too tight.

(Paul): The moment of truth.

(Randy): So out in Adam's Cove,

I'm installing some floating shelves

for the homeowners, Sharon and Sharon.

Too tight.

And I'm a little stuck!

Needs to have a little bit of a shaving.

Finesse.

This is the golden one!

That's the one right there.

The moment!

(grunting)

I don't know if I'm gonna get it back out, Harv.

(all laughing)

(Nikki): Confidence at its finest.

It's tight in there now.

Mint! No nails required.

(Randy): So now Harv, we'll go to number two!

(upbeat folk music)

(laughing) Now I can't get it out again.

I got ya.

(Paul): Had to bring in the muscle, did ya? The big guns.

(Randy): It's nice to get the whole team together for the finishing touches.

It's what makes a house a home.

Looks good!

(Randy): Looks alright!

(upbeat music)

(Randy): Me and my father are back at the Earles' house in Brigus.

Randy! Maybe I got it on backwards.

I do. Let me, give me it.

(laughing)

I got it on backwards.

Oh, well that's good!

The old man put the chain on backwards!

Rookie move!

(laughing)

(Randy): We cleared the trees to make room for the new addition.

It's gonna be a large living room with a wraparound deck,

which means the old deck has to go,

so we can start digging for the foundation.

All we have to do is cut some holes,

hook the strap up to the lift,

and just haul it away from the house.

Success indeed!

(Randy): We got some digging on the go,

so we're getting ready to put in the foundation.

We're trying to remove the stumps.

Then he's gonna remove the topsoil,

dig out for the foundation,

and get that ready to pour.

Ah!

(laughing)

(Randy): The stumps, we're not gonna reuse 'em,

but back in the day,

where the roots kinda came up and started growing in the tree?

They would actually chop that, and that would be the front of the boat ,

because it's the natural and most-strongest point.

So that would be the actual curve on the front of a boat.

(tractor beeping)

(Randy): The ground here in Newfoundland freezes deep in the winter,

which means we gotta dig four feet deep to beat the frost.

So we'll take the top soil out, they'll screen it,

and they'll probably put it in someone else's yard.

'Cause that's good topsoil, so we'll reuse that.

(Randy): It's raining. We still gotta get it done, we got a schedule to meet.

This is the way Newfoundland weather is,

so we gotta get it going.

Next thing you know, we might have snow!

(Randy): We made great headway with the Earle's today,

but with winter around the corner,

we'll be back to frame up the addition.

Great deed done today,

got our hole all dug out!

All ready for the footings, foundation.

The reason why we've got a big bump right here

is because this is all... all cliff.

As you see, that's one piece and then it comes across,

another piece.

So that's probably like a big cliff

that just runs along.

Cliff doesn't mean just above ground,

it's also below ground.

And Newfoundland is one big cliff.

We don't call it "The Rock" for nothing!

What's the sense of trying to bust it out?

If that moves, the island is sinking!

(upbeat folk music)

(Randy): In the brand new house

that we built in Adam's Cove,

the homeowners, Sharon and Sharon,

have been moved in for about a month.

Now that it's all finished,

me and the crew are going up for a housewarming,

and a good old fashioned kitchen party!

(Sharon 2): Come on in, Randy.

-How are you? -How are you?

So glad you could come up! Yes. It's awesome!

(Randy): Space is looking amazing.

(Sharon 1): I know!

-Such a great space. -It is!

(Sharon 1): We love it.

I just love the shelves.

You guys did a fantastic job on that.

(Sharon 1): The mantel is just...

Like, people talk about it every time they come in

they go, "Oh, my god, that's beautiful. Where did you get it?!"

Awesome. Amazing.

(Sharon 1): It feels so wonderful.

I can't express how great it feels to walk into this place.

Every single day I come in, "Oh, my god it's our place!"

It's wonderful. I love it.

(Randy): You got an ocean 150 feet away.

To be able to build this place,

look at the whales while we're building it,

it ain't gonna get no better than that!

When you're sitting here, and you're watching a storm coming in,

it's absolutely fantastic.

It was like 165 kilometer gusts,

the house did not shimmer.

(Randy): Yeah. We built it from the ground up

keeping that in mind.

We take a lot from...

Well, that lumber was 200 year,

so we want this place to last for 200 years.

(Sharon 1): Exactly! It's something we can pass down, right?

(Randy): Let's have a look downstairs!

(Sharon 1): Yeah. I think you'll like it.

Yeah so this space looks amazing too.

-It is. -Isn't it wonderful?!

This mantel was brand new.

(Randy): We kind of beat it up and burnt it.

We made it look like the old wood.

It works! It doesn't look out of place all.

I think it fits just perfectly.

We're really, really happy with Randy and his team.

They went over the top helping us,

guiding us through the process.

-It was a great experience! -Yeah.

(Nikki): Hello!

(Sharon 1): You guys have arrived. Yay!

-Good to see ya. -Group hug.

(Sharon 2): I think it's probably unusual for a contractor

and the clients to be so... We were like family.

(laughing)

A kitchen party is kinda a place where no matter

what room of the house you start in...

(cheering)

...everybody ends up around the island or around the table,

and it's a pretty happy time.

(folk music)

I figured to bring something for a housewarming...

...so we got an ugly stick.

An ugly stick is a stick with a few stoppers on it.

It's iconic to Newfoundland.

(Nikki): At the end of the day, this is what you look forward to.

When you walk into somebody's home and see the end result,

this is why I come to work.

I know. I gotta... (indistinct chattering)

I know. I'm too soft for this anyway so...

and I'm not even drunk! (all laughing)

I love the location and the style of the house.

I look for someone that's looking for a unique build,

unique space, something that's a little bit of a challenge.

It's gonna be difficult to top this build,

but you never know.

There's always another house over the horizon!

(upbeat folk music)

(Nikki): Woo!

(all cheering)

(Randy): This season on Rock Solid Builds...

(Randy): Flat out giv'er!

(Nikki): Bam! (Randy): Big kitchen!

Big open space!

(Randy): In the next twelve months,

we're gonna renovate

and build some amazing homes.

(Randy): Whoa!

(Nikki): This is all gonna crumble, boys!

(Randy): Just look at it.

All you can do is look at it!

Come hell or high water, that's going on that roof.

(Randy): Easy!

This is the worst snowstorm I've seen in my lifetime.

(Randy): This will set me back big time.

(Randy): Lord Jesus.

Nothing will stop me and my crew

from delivering some fantastic homes.

Hey, Mom. Let's go ahead and look at your new home.

Okay.

(Randy's mom): I loves it.

(tearing up) It's really nice.

(Randy): Pam, Fred. Come in and see

your new old house.

(Pam): Oh, wow! Randy, it looks amazing!

Cheers! Cheers. To happy days and big fish!

(Nikki): Happy days!

(all): Cheers!

Subtitling: difuze