All language subtitles for Homestead.Rescue.S12E03.1080p.WEB.h264-FREQUENCY[EZTVx.to]_[English] (SUBRIP)

[Marty] So, the plan
was this cabin

-would be ready before winter?
-[Katherine] Absolutely.

But what is that nailed
to the front door?

-When did that go up?
-Yesterday.

This is actually, you know,
breaking the law,

if I work on it, frankly.

Welcome to Maine.

Everywhere you look,
it's chaos.

When we moved here,
we did not know

how wet this property was.

[Katherine]
Because we're living
in such a moldy environment,

my health has
really been suffering.

Losing this homestead
would be the biggest
devastation of my life.

[Marty] Winter's coming.

You can see your breath.
It's freezing, raining.

It gets way worse here,
40 below.

-[Misty exclaims]
-[Marty] We've gotta do
what we can here.

But right now,
we can't touch the cabin.

I'm hoping we have
some good news
with the stop work order.

[narrator] Marty Raney,
master builder
and stonemason.

[Marty] I don't see problems
on homesteads,

I see challenges.

[narrator] Daughter, Misty,
garden and food
preservation expert.

[Misty] I believe
you can grow food anywhere.

[narrator] And son, Matt,

skilled craftsman
and predator protection.

-[Matt] Wildlife is
a constant threat.
-[dog barking]

[Matt] But I draw the line
between their home

and your homestead.

[narrator] Together, they use
Alaskan knowhow.

-Let's find some power!
-[Misty] Yeah!

[narrator] ...and ingenuity...

-[Marty] It's perfect!
-[man laughs]

[narrator] ...to save
the off-grid dreams

of desperate homesteaders.

[Marty] We work
every second we can,

trying to help
complete strangers.

That's who we are.

Look at these colors.
This place is beautiful.

[Misty] I am super excited
we're in Maine

for the first time ever!

[Matt] We're in Maine,
but it doesn't feel like

we're that far from home.

[Misty] It's supposed to be
freezing right now.

They're having
an unusually warm fall,

but winter is right
around the corner,

and winters in Maine
are quite brutal.

[narrator] The Midcoast region
of Maine is known for lobster,

-lighthouses, harbor towns
and shipyards.
-[ship horn blows]

[narrator] Inland, logging
has been a key industry
since the 1600s,

when it provided
sturdy lumber for ships.

But in some regions,
overlogging, combined
with the wetland environment,

creates thick, muddy bogs
spring through fall.

The winter brings
brutal storms,

with temperatures
dropping to nearly 40 below.

It is in this
tumultuous environment,

that the Yeager family finds
their homestead bogged down.

[Kristin] I'm Kristin.

[Katherine] I'm Katherine.

Our homestead is about
10-and-a-half acres.

[Katherine]
Homesteading, for us,
has always been a dream.

[Kristin]
I have wanted to live
the homestead lifestyle

since I was a little kid.

My dad and my... my mom, too,
being outdoors people,

I got to go hunting
with my dad.

We went fishing all the time,

and I was like, "I don't think
there's anything else
I wanna do ever."

[Katherine] I've always
loved this area.

Whenever we had time off,

we would just take
drives up here.

It's just
absolutely beautiful.

[Kristin]
So, we bought our land

and then put
a platform together

and put our wall tent on it,

and then we moved in.

[Katherine] We didn't know
all of the things

that were gonna come our way.

[Kristin] When we moved here,

we did not know
how wet this property was.

[narrator] Years of logging
created large tracks
from skidder machines

throughout the homestead

that are two
to three feet deep,

causing drainage issues,

and resulting
in an unnatural bog.

The water has been
just such a major issue.

It washes everything away.

We lived in the wall tent
for about five years.

We had to build, like,
berms around the tent

so that the water
wouldn't come

and, like, literally wash
the tent away.

Living in our wall tent,

our first winter
was very scary.

[Katherine] There were
many days that I thought

that the tent
was gonna blow away

'cause, you know,
there was a blizzard.

There was a couple times
where I had to physically use
my body to hold down

the tent in a storm.

The tent got in
pretty bad shape,

so we ended up
getting a camper.

The camper was a blessing
at first.

It was really nice
to have doors and walls
and windows,

but the camper
was in much worse shape
than we realized.

It was taking on water
and getting

moldier and moldier
with every storm.

[Kristin] So, we started
building our cabin.

[Katherine]
But because of the mold
in the camper,

my health has
really been suffering.

My inflammation
is out of control.

So, like, that really affects
my brain and my balance.

I'm the one
doing the building,

so I just have been getting
ground down and ground down,

and doing the finished
work on it

has gotten harder
and harder and harder.

We have definitely had
some health issues
over the past few years.

If we don't get
the help that we need
to make it a little more safe,

we're just not gonna make it
through another winter here.

Raneys, please come help us.

-[Marty] Hello.
-Well, good morning.

-[Matt] Morning.
-[Misty] Good morning.

Is it always this
sunny and beautiful
in the state of Maine?

[Katherine] If only.

-I'm Katherine.
-Katherine.

Yep, and Kristin.

-Katherine and Kristin.
-[Kristin] Yes.

John.

-Big John.
-Big John.

-Actually, it's Little John,
but I'll take it.
-[all laughing]

-Okay, hold on, hold on.
-[laughing]

-Stand up straight.
-[chuckling] Yeah.

Did they call you Little John?

-I'm dead serious, yeah.
-[Kristin and Katherine
laughing]

I'm not sure
I wanna meet Big John.

-[Katherine] Yeah. [laughs]
-[Kristin laughs]

He shows up
when there's a snowstorm,

-he'll come
help us shovel out.
-Yeah.

-And, yeah, he's a good guy.
-Yes.

Well, we're here for a reason.
Why'd you call us here?

Well, we've been
doing our best,

but, man, we have been
having a lot of problems.

We don't like to admit this,
but we... we met online.

-Yeah, we did.
-We met on a dating site.

I feel like the main thing
that was important

was the fact
that we both wanted
the same kind of future.

Uh, we both wanted to farm
and, you know, homestead

and... and live a, like,
a self-sustaining lifestyle.

We were in the same apartment

in Portland, Maine,
for four years,

and we had an opportunity
to take care of a farmhouse

in a town outside of Portland,
and we loved it.

The farmhouse sold,
so it didn't make sense

to try and find
another apartment.

So we figured now is the time.

We might as well
just take the leap.

Just felt right.

And it was... it was
just the right place.

[narrator] But things took
a turn for the worse

when injuries
and health issues
began to pile up.

When Kristin and I met,

I had just gone through
a very traumatic car accident.

Uh, I got a brain injury

and ended up having
to have my spine fused.

The other layer to that is
I have chronic Lyme disease.

So, the car accident
set off major Lyme flare.

[Kristin] She started
losing weight.

She couldn't work at all.

She couldn't even, like,
get up and go get the mail.

[Katherine] And then,
in the process of me
getting my health back,

Kristin has kind of lost hers.

[Kristin] It's been a lot,
and our homestead
is definitely suffering.

[narrator] Adding
to the homesteaders'
health issues

is also a lack
of sanitary conditions
on the property.

[Katherine] The whole time
that we've been here,

we've been using
sawdust bucket toilets.

[Kristin] We want
a composting toilet,

but we haven't really had
a permanent place

in which to set it up.

It needs to be
at least above 50 degrees

all the time in order to work.

And also, the only place
for us to bathe
on our homestead

is inside
the camper in the sink.

[John] Watching Kristin
and Katherine struggle

can be really difficult
sometimes, you know,
you really...

You know, you really
feel for 'em,

and you wanna help them out.

[Katherine] I don't know
if we can continue living here

the way things are,

with it being so wet,
and our living quarters
being moldy,

and the cabin not being done.

There's just so many things
stacked up against us.

[Kristin] Losing this
homestead would be

the biggest devastation
of my life.

It would be
the biggest heartbreak.

This home is...
it's everything to me.

[Marty] That's a pretty solid
start on a cabin.

Did you guys build that?

[Katherine] We sure did.

But what is that
stop work order doing
nailed to the front door?

So apparently, they don't have
our permit information.

We submitted everything
before we started,

but all of a sudden,
we came home to this

-on the... on the cabin.
-[Marty] When did that--

-When did that go up?
-Yesterday.

This... this is actually,
you know, breaking the law,

-if I work on it, frankly.
-Yeah.

[Marty] Here we are, ready
to hit the ground running.

What?

The town has nailed

a stop work order
on the building.

Best day ever is now...

boom! Worst day ever.

In the meantime,
it's not like we can go
jump-start another project.

We've gotta do
what we can here.

When was this built?

[Katherine] We started
in June.

[Marty] You guys started this
about five months ago,

and I'm thinking, obviously,

-the plan was
to get in it before winter.
-[Katherine] Absolutely, yeah.

And be safe, yeah.

In the winters that you spent
on this property,

how cold
did the temperatures get?

I think the coldest
we saw was negative 40.

-Forty below zero?
-[Katherine] Mm-hmm.

-You're kidding me.
-[Katherine] No.

There was supposed
to be snow this morning

-when you guys
showed up, actually.
-For real?

Yeah, we're on borrowed time
here right now.

-[Marty] The winter's here?
-Yep.

Here's an unfinished cabin
that we could finish.
We could help 'em out,

and it is critical
to their success.

But we're not helping anybody
with that stop work order

at the front door.

In fact, they might be
in a tent this coming winter.

And guess what?

The temperature's dropping.

You need to be doing
everything within your power

to get this stop work plaque

-off your front door
so that we can start work.
-[Katherine] Yeah.

-Yeah.
-[Marty] Fair enough?

Fair enough.

[Kristin] All right.

Here is our little
garden space.

-[Misty] Nice!
-It's a little mucky,
watch your feet.

I know. Is it--
Is this why you have
all the boardwalks?

-'Cause of the water?
-Absolutely. Yeah.

I've never really been
to a bog-stead before.

This place has a ton of water.

The problem is,
is it's not usable

for plants, animals or people.

So, how do we deal
with the water?

I have no idea.

But that in itself, um,
we're gonna have
to figure it out.

What are you doing
with all of your livestock?

Well, ducks were gonna be
for meat and egg production.

-[Misty] Okay.
-[Kristin] And we got,
uh, geese

because they are
very, very loud.

-[Misty] Mm-hmm.
-And we thought
they would be helpful,

-kind of guard dogs.
-[Misty] Mm-hmm.

And how many
did you start with?

And how many do you have now?

Right now, we have two ducks.

-We did have
25 to 30 at one point.
-Oh, my goodness.

-Yeah.
-[Misty] And what happened
to them?

-Predators.
-Are you locking 'em away

-in enclosures at night?
-Yes.

They free-range
during the days.

[Misty]
And you're free-ranging 'em

-to get 'em out of this?
-Yes.

-[Misty] Okay.
-[Kristin] Because this is not

a healthy environment
for them.

This is not
a healthy environment

-for any livestock.
-[Kristin] No, exactly.

[Misty] Freestanding water
breeds illness, infection,

and it's just an overall
unhealthy environment

for any animal.

-Who does the majority
of the building and the work?
-[Kristin] Yes.

-Is that her? Is that you?
-[Kristin] The building
stuff is...

that's Katherine's realm.

She's really good
with that kind of thing.

She's...
She's the chainsaw girl.

She's the power tool girl.
She has just a mind
for building things.

I am less handy.

-Are you interested
in learning...
-[Kristin] Yeah. Oh, yeah.

-...some building techniques?
-Yes, absolutely.

I'm still figuring out
the homestead's dynamics

and everyone's role
in the homestead,

and hearing Kristin
is not really contributing

to some
of these bigger builds,

I'd love to be able
to get Kristin to a place

where she's side by side
with Katherine,

swinging a hammer.

Because having one homesteader
work versus two

makes all the difference.

[John] Yeah,
here's the camper.

[Matt] What are the problems
that they're having
living in this trailer?

[John] It's pretty leaky.

The roof has holes in it
that we've patched.

There's a bit of a mold
problem on the inside,

which is not good
for them at all.

Is there a bathroom in here?

[John]
There is not a bathroom,

so they're using, you know,
the five-gallon bucket
humanure system.

Not ideal, but it gets
the job done. [chuckles]

What about showers?
What about baths?

They're just doing
little birdie baths in here.

You know, there's no shower
or running water, so...

-For six years?
-[John] Yeah. Yeah.

Sanitation on a homestead
is a huge thing.

These homesteaders have been
making do with a bucket

for all their bathing
and bathroom needs.

If you're not clean,
you end up getting sick,

that could take
a homesteader out

and bring a homestead down
real quick.

So, kids, everywhere you look,
it's chaos.

Obviously, the best way
we can help them
is to finish that cabin.

But guess what?

We can't touch the cabin

until that stop work order
is taken down.

[Misty] There's a lot
of freestanding water.

I'm sure you've noticed it.

It's not safe for animals,
plants, people.

This isn't a homestead.

This is a bog-stead.

It seems like Kristin
takes kind of the backseat

on the homestead,
and we need to get
Kristin to a place

where she's capable,
and she can work alongside

with Katherine
on these bigger projects,

'cause I think when you
look around this homestead,

it shows that there's just
one that really can swing
a hammer,

and I would like
to change that.

These homesteaders
are living in a trailer

that is creating mold daily,

that is deadly for Katherine's
health problems.

And guess what?

They don't have
any sanitary area

to go to the bathroom
or take a shower.

[narrator] To get the Yeagers
in a suitable shelter

before another brutal winter,

Marty and Katherine
will race to complete

the cabin
with windows, insulation,

a heating system, and a roof.

An impossible task

if they can't get
the stop work order removed.

Misty will give Kristin
an off-grid masterclass

to create a viable solution
to get the livestock

out of the homestead's
disease-ridden bog.

And to address
the sanitation problems,

Matt, Kristin and Little John
will build a bathhouse,

complete with a sauna,
bath and toilet facilities.

[Marty] Hey, guys!

[Kristin] Hey.

[Marty] I wish I had
good news for you,

but I don't.

The homestead has some issues.

This week, I would
love to spend time
with you, Kristin,

and get you to a place where
you're alongside Katherine.

That's awesome.
I love that.

I think the thing
that we need to address
right away is sanitation.

I mean, I don't know
how you've made it this far
in the last six years.

We can't keep doing it the way
that we're doing it now.

Your number one problem is,
you're homeless.

At this point, yeah.

That cabin has
a stop work order
on the front of it.

You need to start
calling people today.

It's that simple.
See you in the morning.

-[Katherine] All right.
Thank you.
-Have a good day.

-Thank you.
-Thanks, guys.

[Marty] So, here we go.

[narrator] With the first
full day of work

on the Yeager's 11-acre
Maine homestead
ready to begin...

the rescue is dead
in the water

until the stop work order
is removed.

Hoping we have some good news.

-Good morning.
-[sighs] Yeah, good morning.

-Good morning.
-Why are you sighing?

Bad news?

[Katherine]
Oh, it was just a...
It was a long evening.

-[Marty] What happened?
-Well, we did our homework,

and we got in touch
with the town office,

they were able to figure out

that it was just
a clerical error,

-and we got permission to take
the stop work order down.
-[sighs]

-That's amazing.
-[Kristin] Yeah.

-What a stress--
-[Marty] Well, how are
we taking it down?

-Let's get rolling.
-Let's just take it down.

-We wanted to wait for you.
-[Kristin] Take
the thing down.

-All right.
-[Misty] Yeah.

-[fanfare]
-Yes!

-[Kristin] Yeah! All right!
-Yay!

Well, now you know
what that means.

It's time
to get to work. [laughs]

[Katherine] I know.

-[Katherine] Love it.
-Okay.

Save this in case
we need to start a fire later.

[both laughing]

[narrator] With work
cleared to begin,

Misty wastes no time
on phase one

of her livestock plan.

See all this
freestanding water?

Let's just see if we can walk
a piece of equipment in here

-without it getting stuck.
-Yes. [laughs]

[Misty]
I'll grab an excavator.
We'll walk it in,

-make higher ground
and see what happens.
-Yeah. Sure, yeah.

-Okay, let's go.
-Sounds good. Good plan.

We're ready to work.

Today is the day where we need
to create higher ground.

We need to build up
a 12 by 12 by four-foot island

so that these animals
have a dry place to go.

It's gonna be bumpy.

[Matt] Whoa!

Misty, Misty!

Get yourself on top
of that thing.

Yeah, I'm trying.

It's so tight in here,
and you're gonna get stuck,

moving the skid,
you're moving the ex.

It's like, I've never had
so much trouble

trying to get on a homestead.

[Matt] Yeah, it's because
it's a bog-stead.

[narrator]
A bog is a freshwater wetland
of soft, spongy ground

consisting mainly
of partially decayed
plant matter called peat.

Unlike other wetlands,
bogs take thousands
of years to develop

and are mainly acidic.

Most bogs are ombrotrophic,

which means they receive

all their water
from precipitation

and have very few nutrients,
making it difficult

for many common plants
to survive.

[Matt] Lift yourself up

and, like, like, pull
yourself forward,
get on that thing.

Lift higher.

Yeah!

Way up.

[Misty] Jeez, Louise!

[Matt] Coming in.

Stay right there.

[chainsaw whirring]

This is the first time
we have ever had

any heavy machinery
on our property.

Yeah!

Yeah, I'm excited to see
what this excavator can do.

Ooh!

Oh, my gosh, we made it.

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

-Yes!
-[Kristin] Yes!

-You did it!
-Good job. Good job.

So, what's really epic
about this...

-[Kristin] Yeah.
-...this is, like,
high ground.

-[Kristin] Yeah.
-Like, we've made it

-to, like,
the little island...
-Right. [laughs]

...on the homestead
of high ground.

I couldn't have done it
without you guys.

[Marty] So, I'm looking
at this building,

-and I see a tarp for a roof.
-[Katherine] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

We wanna do metal.

-[Marty] Metal roof?
-[Katherine] Yeah.

[Marty] Okay.

Do you have
the metal roofing here?

-No, we haven't gotten it yet.
-Okay.

What I'm now looking for
is where are the doors

-and windows at
for that building?
-[Katherine] Sure.

-[Marty] Where are they?
-All the windows are inside.

-[Marty] Let's go.
Show me, show me.
-Okay.

[Marty] Right now,
wind, rain and snow

can howl right through
the cabin.

There's no doors and windows,

so the first step
would be to dry it in.

Meaning, put all
the windows in,
put all the doors in,

and keep it dry
from the elements in Maine.

[Katherine] I'm so excited
to get this cabin dried in

and not have to worry about
the rain coming in any more

and having to vacuum
the water out of the floor.

Not to mention, getting
to live in it, eventually.
[chuckles]

[Marty] What is your
carpentry experience?

Scale of one to ten?

Three.

I've only known you
for one day,

but you seem like
a modest, humble

but very capable person.

So, if you're saying
you're a three,

I'd say you're probably
a five or six.

Our goal is
to get you to a ten...

-Okay.
-...in seven days.

-Can you handle it?
-Yep.

Working with Marty
for this week
is gonna teach me so much.

-Is it gonna fit?
-It fits good.

You know, what I need
to learn to continue

to build other projects
on the property.

-Whoo-hoo!
-Big moment.

I really am that excited.
[laughs]

[Marty] Now,
build one on your own.

You know, I feel like
I have imposter syndrome
through this whole process.

I don't feel
like I could possibly
do anything good enough.

But it sounds like Marty's
happy with what I'm doing

and, you know, how I work.

I hope I can just
kind of keep that up.

[Marty]
Ever heard the old expression

"Dynamite comes in
small packages"?

Hey, I'm working
with a powder keg today.

She's about this tall,
has got blue eyes, blond hair,

and is a force to reckon with.

I'm hoping
that after this week,

she feels inspired

and has more confidence.

I can't even keep up with you!

[narrator]
Across the homestead...

[Matt]
Hey, Kristin, come over here.

...Matt brings Kristin
to the site
of the old tent platform

to lay out his plan

for cleaning up
the homestead sanitation.

-So this is my plan, okay?
-[Kristin] Okay.

-Yep.
-I want to upcycle
all these materials

that are put
into this big platform

and I want to build
a sauna bathhouse,

using all of
this entire platform

for a floor
and walls and roof.

What do you think?

I think you're
my new best friend, Matt.

[narrator]
Using upcycled materials
from the old tent site,

Matt will build
a bathhouse sauna,

complete with a toilet and an
attached heated outdoor tub

so Kristin and Katherine
I can finally bathe

and use facilities in a safe
and sanitary way

on the homestead.

It sounds like

that's something
you desperately need.

Beyond my wildest dreams.

[Matt] A sauna bathhouse
is the perfect thing

to add to a homestead
that doesn't
have any running water

and is a dry cabin.

[narrator] The blueprint
for the modern sauna

originated in Finland
more than 2,000 years ago

as a way to cleanse the body
in a sterile environment.

Known as savu,
Finnish for smoke,

they were initially
embankments
dug into the ground

and eventually were built
above ground with wooden logs.

They became more widespread

upon the invention of the
electric sauna in the 1950s

and today are used as an
energy and water-efficient way

to ease pain, reduce stress,

and improve
cardiovascular health.

[Matt]
Now let's talk about how we're
going to get the walls

-and the roof for this space.
-[Kristin] All right.

-Yes.
-Here. Put a tape measure
on the end of that board

sticking out over there.

The idea of having a sauna
here on this property

is totally unreal to me.

That is nothing that we ever
would have afforded ourselves.

And Katherine is going to
love the sauna, too.

She's got a lot of aches
and pains and joint problems.

So I think it's going to be
really, really helpful.

-Just hold it.
It's okay if it bends around.
-Just holding it.

Okay.

-It is at the edge? Okay.
-Yes.

[Matt] Kristin's experiencing
just building things as you go
firsthand.

Put your foot
on that 8 foot mark.

-[Kristin]
8 foot is right there.
-On the 8 foot.

The thing I like about Kristin
is she is down to work.

Just pull it up high.

-Okay.
-Now, snap.

Hey, works for me.

Yeah!

[Matt] Hey, hold on.

I think there's an easier way
to get over there.

[Misty]
You think this is quicker?

[Matt] Okay, hold on.

[Misty] Oh!

[loud bang]

-How are you doing back there,
sidekick?
-Great.

[narrator] It's day three in
the MidCoast region of Maine,

and the rescue picks up pace

with temperatures expected
to drop in the coming days.

While Marty and Katherine
finish installing
the cabin windows...

All right,
keep up the good work.

-All right. Thank you.
-Bye-bye.

You got something
stuck to your back.

Mmm, Marty keeps
sticking stuff to me.

Okay. I think we're free.

...Matt and Little John
transport
the up-cycled platform

for the new sauna bathhouse.

[Matt] It's working good!

[John] Oh, it's working.

[Matt] Now, we're skiing!

[narrator]
And back at the excavator...

Come on over.
Let's see where we're at.

...Misty gathers Kristin
to start an ambitious project.

So we have the piece of
equipment here,
which is great.

But guess what?
We're still in the bog's den.

So I have a pretty
out-of-the-box idea

I want to run by Kristin
and see what she thinks.

I would love
to bring livestock here.

-Yeah.
-And I am really concerned

about putting a structure
on the ground here.

I want to come up
in a tree a little bit

and create kind of like
a tree house birdhouse.

-Ah!
-And because you
already have birds here,

and there
are some still alive,

I feel like we just need
more variety.

-I love that. That's really--
-Okay.

I mean, that's
what our focus has been.

[narrator] To establish
a safe dry environment

for a supplemental
food source,

Misty will utilize
the high ground

and construct a one of a kind
tree house birdhouse.

Okay, so it's gonna basically
stick out four or five feet

each side of the tree.

And I feel like let's
just make like a square box.

[Kristin] Sure!

I'm gonna have you
measure from here.

Pull to 12 feet.

Give me a little pencil line
and a little straight line.

[Kristin]
Misty is super-handy,

has a lot of experience
with building and tools

and things
that I am not familiar with.

I have a pretty strong desire
to be able to match my wife

and keep up with her.

So I'm going to learn
a lot from Misty,

and hopefully that means

that we can get a lot
more work done around here

if we both have some building
skills under our belts.

-So hand safety trigger.
-Safety trigger.

-And you want to start
your saw off of the wood.
-Yes.

So you'd hold it away an inch,

line it up with your line,

and then just push.

-So I just push in
and then follow through--
-And just push through.

-So now it's all you.
-Okay!

We're using power tools.

I'm gonna start Kristin
on the skill saw,

and I'm just gonna observe her

and just get a feel for
where she's at.

Keep pushing, keep pushing,
keep pushing.

Perfect.

You're pretty good.

Aw, thanks.

It makes such a big difference

just your attitude alone
on a homestead.

And you look at Kristin,
you look at how she reacts

and acts in all situations,
and she's so positive.

And, like, they've had
a rough couple of years

and they still have
a smile on their face.

That type of attitude
goes a long ways.

Do you like the washer?

I love this washer.

This is what we would call
Yankee ingenuity up here.

What is Yankee ingenuity?

-Is it like homestead hack?
-Yankee ingenuity.

Yes, exactly.

Yankee ingenuity.
Ain't that cunning?

Ain't you cunning
for thinking of that?

[Misty laughs]

[truck horn honks]

[whistles] Come on in.

[narrator] At the entrance
of the homestead,

the Raneys receive
a much-welcomed delivery.

What?

Look at that!

We told them about
your five years in a tent...

-[laughs]
-...during the winter
in Maine.

They donated that.

Has anybody ever given you
a $10,000 gift before?

-Definitely not.
-No.

Well, they just did.

[Kristin] This is unreal.
Like, amazing.

I can't believe this is
actually even happening.

It would take us years

to afford
that amount of lumber. Years.

I mean, we had to leverage
all of our credit

-just to build the cabin, so.
-Yeah, really. Truly.

So now
it's time to get to work.

Now we've got the lumber,
so I'm out of here.

-[Kristin] Yeah, whoo!
-Thank you.

Yes, thank you so much!

I like it.

[Misty] A super-exciting day
on the homestead.

The lumber's arrived.

It looks like
there's enough here

to build a second house.

So these homesteaders,
they got to be so pumped.

I'm actually gonna attempt
to drive in on the skid steer.

I don't think I'm gonna be
as successful

as I was with the excavator,

but you don't know
until you try.

I need lumber.

I'm gonna give it a whirl.

[Matt] Hey, hold on.

You're not, uh...

Should we build a bridge
or get stuck forever?

I think there's an easier way
to get over there.

I'm watching Misty trying
to transport this lumber

over a steep cliff bank
on the road.

The ground is super-mushy
and very bumpy.

Push pause
for one second here

and walk with me over there

and just see
what would have to happen.

I am going to get in there
and make sure

that everybody stays safe
and there are no hiccups

once she gets
to the finish line.

Matt, are you kidding me?

You think this is quicker?

[Matt] Hear me out.

[Misty] This is not better.

[Matt] It's not about better.

It's about flatter.

You're moving every single
thing on this homestead.

We cut this off, five minutes,

you have a straight path
right to the excavator.

Your other way
is build a log bridge.

I'll set my stopwatch
to two minutes.

Oh, yeah, okay.

Then you start building
that bridge out of logs.

We'll see who gets done first.

[Matt laughs]

All hands on deck.

We need to move a clear path.

This whole area
needs to be cleared.

[Misty] Matt says
this is the only way.

So here we go.

It's kind of hard to get to
anywhere on this homestead.

Like, it's really challenging.

[grunts] Okay,
Misty's coming through.

This is absolutely gonna work.

I gotta keep on working.

Misty is literally
coming through

and I'm gonna get ran over
if I don't make this work now.

It's gonna work. Trust me.

Here we go.

[Matt] All right.

Keep going straight.

You've got to straddle
these, uh, stumps.

Okay.

Straight.

[Misty] I'm on a stump.

Go back.

Now straight.

[loud thud]

[Misty] Oh!

[Misty] I'm on a stump.

Go back.

Now straight.

-[Misty] Oh!
-[loud thud]

-Oh!
-[Matt] Whoa, stop!

Hold on, hold on.

[chuckles] You okay?

Misty, you were on a stump.

[crying]
So far, your hand signals

have led to
a wheelie in an excavator,

and now I just did like
who knows what on a stump,

almost hit a tree...

[machine beeping]

And now I'm stuck.

I'm a trained certified expert
for hand signals

with heavy equipment.

I got this guy.

I got "Whoa, Misty.
What are you doing?"

What does this mean?

Up a little bit.

Okay. Now,
try to see if you can...

Yeah.

I am going to grab onto
your bucket with my teeth

and just pull you forward.

No!

We don't wanna-- [laughs]

[Matt] Okay.

You hit one bump
and you just are freaking out.

I'm stuck.

-Guess what--
-I'm stuck.

Clint, help me!

I got to right my wrong.

There's no hand signal...
[laughs]

For "holy crap"?

No. There's
no hand signal for--

What is the hand signal for
"Holy crap! I'm about to die"?

[Matt] What's the hand signal
for "Drive better"?

I can give you every hand
signal in the world,

but ultimately,
you're the one in control.

I have one hand signal
that I'd like
to give you right now.

It's this one.

That's good.

All right, hold on.

[loud bang]

[Matt laughing]

Your face!

Oh, my God.

-[laughing]
-She needs to go up.

[Misty] That was insane.

Holy crap.

That made me all stressed out.

-Yay.
-[Matt] High five!

[Misty] Oh, my God.

-All right.
-That was easier?

-Okay...
-Than my way?

Let me tell you--

I hit a tree. I hit a stump.

There was chains.
You ripped me off the stump.

I thought I was gonna die
at some point.

Hey, do you think it was easy
when, you know,

Columbus sailed
the ocean blue?

No, but I do feel like
it felt a lot like that.

[both laughing]

-[Matt] Hoo!
-I'm gonna get a drink
of water real quick.

Sure. Take your time.

[exhales deeply]

[Kristin] Hey, you.

Hey!

-How's it going?
-All right.

-How are you?
-Good.

What ya doin'?

Uh, just kind of doing
some picking up, you know.

-There's a lot going on.
-I know.

It's a lot to keep up
with the Raneys.

-I know.
-Marty is something else,
I'll tell ya.

Yeah, he's obviously
really committed.

-He is very committed.
-And I really appreciate that.

But I'm doing my best
to balance
keeping up with Marty

-and taking care of myself.
-Yeah.

Because, you know,
my hands keep going numb.

[laughing] Yeah, I know.

-But I think you're doing
a good job and when--
-Thank you.

When you need to pause,
pause.

I will.

[Kristin]
So Katherine and Marty are
working super-hard together,

and I do think that they kind
of like energize one another.

And I know that she's hurtin'

and I know
that her body is tired,

but I also
totally trust her that if,

you know, she can't work,

if she needs to stop
that she will.

She'll take a break.

If we can get
through the end of this

and then I can relax
comfortably in the cabin.

I know.
That's gonna be amazing.

I can't wait to
put my feet up in the air.

I know. I'm so excited.

[Katherine] I'm very achy,

I'm having a hard time
walking around,

my legs are really killing me,
and I'm tired,

but, I mean,
I hurt all the time,

so this is
a good reason to hurt.

I know Kristin's having
a hard time.

I can see it
all over her face.

But she's stubborn, too, so.

I'm looking forward to
having some rest time tonight

and cracking at it again
tomorrow.

Hopefully, I can keep up.

-[Marty] Katherine!
-Yeah?

Got that building cleaned out?

Yep. This is the last thing.

-You sure?
-Yep. Come on in.

[narrator] Back at the cabin,

Marty and Katherine
begin the next crucial project

in protecting it against
Maine's brutal winters.

[Marty] Have you ever
insulated a building before?

[Katherine] I haven't.

Okay.
How far apart are these studs?

They're 16 on center.

Very good. Now, look at this.

How wide is the insulation?

15 inches wide.

Okay,
so between 16-inch framing

and it should just
fit perfectly

and go smooth and fast.

And more importantly
than smooth and fast,

it will, uh,
fit in there tight,

which will protect your home
from the cold.

-Follow me.
-All right.

You can start.

-Okay.
-And here's a little ladder.

All right.

There's over a million
residents here in Maine.

All of them live
in some type of structure

that's insulated well

because it gets cold in Maine.

I like what you've done.

See how that insulation,

-that loft is right
to the edge?
-Yeah.

Okay, so I like it.

I like it. I like it.

Right there,

-you pushed it in too far.
-I did.

Well, look at me.

Everybody thinks
that insulation is easy

and anybody can do it,
but it's a science.

It's an art. Right there,

you just gave the cold
a little advantage.

Maine has a record-low
temperature of
50 degrees below zero.

That's cold.

I'm gonna take my time,
make sure it's all the way up.

These homesteaders
need an insulated cabin.

The smartest money
you can put in a structure

if you live in a cold area
is insulation.

I would probably just
come in here

and try to push it up
and just get it in there.

-And you're done.
-Fair enough.

I know how to insulate now.

All right. Get at it, kid.

All right. Thank you.

The weather clearly is taking
a turn for the worse.

Seal the door up, will ya?

Both Katherine and Kristin
have said

their old illnesses
are aggravated by the cold.

-You all right?
-Yeah, I'm fine.

[Marty] I need you.

[Matt]
Let's stand these walls up.

[narrator]
Over by the cabin...

[Matt] Moving right along.

[John] Yeah.

...Matt and John
have made quick work

of raising the
sauna bathhouse structure.

Now they can shift
their focus to the interior.

[Matt] All right.

Looking good.

[John] Yeah, it looks great.

[Matt] So we were able to use
a lot of the decking

-for the walls.
-Yep.

The only thing
we need to do now

is get the floor insulated,
the ceiling insulated,

slap a door on here,
and then we will sheet it.

And then I really want
to pick your brain.

Like, what could we use
to protect
the inside of this sauna

from steam and water,

as far as
the walls and the ceiling go?

[John] I mean, if we're gonna
do like hemlock or pine,

or something on the walls,

you could just do
straight linseed oil, even.

I would love
to do linseed oil.

-I've never done anything
like that on a homestead.
-Okay.

[narrator] Linseed oil,
extracted from flax seed,

is a slow-drying natural oil

that is used as a preservative
for wood and concrete

and an ingredient in paints,
varnishes and stains.

It is also used in soaps, inks

and in the production
of linoleum.

Wood treated with linseed oil

protects against
brown and white rot fungi

as well as
changes in humidity,

making it among the most
popular wood finishes.

Well, that's really cool.
I've always wanted to use it

to seal wood for any reason.

But in here for a sauna,

I think
it'll work really well.

[John] Yeah,
I think that'll be great.

-Okay.
-Sweet. Let's get to work.

Sounds great.

[Matt]
Working with a guy like John,

he knows how to build
the old-school ways,

and he's a big guy
that's tough

and has the strength
of many men.

We're gonna be able
to get a lot done

that will really
help these homesteaders,

and that's really
what this is all about.

[John] We decided on
the tongue and groove pine

because we had
lots of it on hand.

Um, and it's gonna look
really great.

And we're gonna put
a nice natural
linseed oil finish on it.

[Matt] There we go.

It looks good to go.

[Misty] Oh, my gosh,
I'm so excited!

[narrator]
As temperatures drop
ahead of a late-fall storm,

Misty and Kristin race
to complete the next phase

of the tree house birdhouse.

[Misty] This is coming along.

-[Kristin] Yes, it's so good.
-So that's good.

It's gorgeous.

-Do you love it?
-I love it.

-I love it, too.
-Someone yesterday

-called it
a "resort for chickens."
-[chuckles]

The island living
for the birds.

That's right, yeah.

Let's weather
the structure in.

So we're gonna sheet the walls
with some plywood
from the lumber package,

and then I'm trying to salvage
as much of the metal.

-We're gonna have to patch
some holes...
-[Kristin] Yes.

...um, and make sure
we have enough.

But I feel like
I've seen enough here,

so I'm just gonna
commit to it.

Today, you can tell
the weather's changed,

and now it's officially fall
in Maine,

which means we gotta
weather this structure in.

It's time to treat it
with some plywood,

get some metal on it
and get it ready
for some birds.

We're gonna just patch
some holes for a while.

-You ready?
-[Kristin] Yeah. Yeah.

-Kind of like
smear it on there.
-[Kristin] Yeah. Yeah.

That way it's nice
and watertight.

-[Kristin] All right.
-And we don't wanna
miss any.

-But usually, they just run
in a pattern, right?
-[Kristin] Right across.

-Yeah. Yeah.
-But there'll be, like,
one here

and then one here randomly.

Just do a little bit.

-How you been feeling?
Are you feeling good?
-[Kristin] Yeah.

Yesterday, I was having,
like, a flare up.

Usually, when the temperatures
shift a lot,

like, if it suddenly
gets really hot,

like, I get, like, a flare up.

-So I had
a flare up yesterday.
-[Misty] Okay.

It's okay.
Like, just rested and...

[Misty] And what's a flare up?
What does that mean?

[Kristin] So, I myself,
also have Lyme disease,

and, like, all of my muscles
start, like, aching.

I get lots of like, like,
almost like blistery skin
on my cheeks.

-[Kristin] Oh, wow.
-But as long as I stay
out of the sun,

get rest,
drink a lot of water,

-it usually, like,
calms down, yeah.
-[Misty] Passes.

[Kristin] If I had kept
working through the day
yesterday,

that would... I would not
be okay today.

-But because I took the time
I needed, I'm...
-[Misty] Yeah.

-...doing a lot better today.
-[Misty] Yeah.

These are tough women.

You cannot
minimize the fact that they
lived here in a wall tent,

and at the same time,

they have some
serious health concerns,
both of 'em.

They've been through a lot,

and it's so inspiring to see.

[narrator] Lyme disease
currently affects
476,000 Americans a year

and is transmitted to humans

through the bite of infected
black-legged ticks.

Typically, symptoms
include fever,

headache, fatigue,

and a characteristic
skin rash.

If left untreated,

infection can spread
to joints, the heart
and the nervous system.

Early diagnosis and treatment
are vital

and help to prevent
late Lyme disease.

So, you ready to put
our door window in?

I love it. I love that you're
using windows as doors.

[Misty] Okay, so we're gonna
need to modify these windows
a little bit

-to get them to fit.
-[Kristin] All right.

-[Misty] Kind of weird.
-[Kristin] I don't think
I've seen anyone

cut a window, like, in pieces,
so this is cool. [chuckles]

I like it.

So I thought
it was super creative

that Misty decided
to use windows

we already had
on our property as doors
for our birdhouse.

They're gonna serve
as entry and exit
for the birds,

but also for light,

which is super important,
and ventilation.

And also, they can latch
from the outside

'cause we put them
in backwards.

So that's super clever.

[Misty] Okay, so what's
really epic, right?

We've got the window,

-the door.
-[Kristin] Mmm-hmm.

-The handle, the lock
all in one.
-[Kristin] Yep. Whole thing.

We'll screw it off.
Call it a day.

-We have three more
to put in.
-Oh.

-[Misty] Love it. I love it.
-[Kristin] Love it. So good.

I don't have any knee pads.

The sponges work really well.

Ah, it feels so much better.

All right, here we go.

[narrator] Back at the sauna
bath-house build,

Matt has an idea
for another essential fixture
for the Yeager family.

[Matt] Right now,
we're really crushing it
on the sauna aspect

of this sauna bath house.

One of the things
that really makes this
a bathhouse

is the ability
to wash yourself.

But all that water that drips
down onto this floor
has to have a place to drain.

I think the easiest method
is to basically put in
a recessed sink.

And then have the water
go out of the building.

And I'll have a nice fat hole

that we can put
just the drain,

and that's all you need.

It doesn't get simpler
than this.

That piece that we cut out
from the top

to put our tile on
fit in there just right.

We've got our floor drain.

I'll get a hole
through the middle of this

and then I need a stove
in here.

All right.

These homesteaders
have been gathering
lots of materials,

and I need something
to heat up this
bath house sauna.

So I'm gonna see
what Kristin has to say

about something
I got my eye on in her garden.

[Kristin] The stove over there
that we actually used
to use in our tent,

it's an awesome little stove.

Perfect. This looks great.

-This is awesome.
-Yeah. Yeah.

I think we found
our sauna stove.

-All right.
-Should we grab this?

Yeah. Let's do it.

[Matt] Now that I've got
this wood stove
from the sauna,

I gotta deal
with fire and water.

And controlling
both of those things
in a very confined space

can be really tough.

And the real big clincher
is the pipe
that goes through your roof.

So the outside
diameter of the pipe,
7 inches.

We know the clearance
around this pipe
has to be 2 inches bigger

than the outside diameter
of the pipe.

And so, we gotta add
2 inches on one side,

which brings us to nine,
and 2 inches
on the other side.

Take it from me,
a person who, you know,
has seen a little carnage

and what a wood stove
can actually do
to a home or a small cabin.

The wood stove's
gotta be installed correctly.

You have to be so far away
from the pipe

as it goes through
the ceiling.

You have to be so far away
from the wall.

And all those clearances
are really important.

It's gonna work really good.

So I gave myself
more than enough room.

I got a 12-inch hole,

and the thing is
it won't catch on fire

because there's enough
of an air space

and the clearance
from that hot stove pipe.

Come on over, kid.

[narrator] At the cabin,

Marty and Katherine
get to work

finishing the interior
of the home.

-All right, Pick which hand?
-Uh, this one.

-Have you ever seen
one of those before?
-[Katherine chuckles]

No, not like that.

-How about now?
You see two.
-[both laughing]

That has a 2-inch nail in it.

That's three-quarter-inch
material,

and that
is some tough hemlock.

So let's see if these guns
and those nails

will fasten these boards on.

-I'm so excited.
This stuff is beautiful.
-[Marty] Whoo.

Look at that product.

People build very solid homes
out of all types of wood.

And here in Maine,
you'll see a lot of hemlock.

There you go. Next.

It's a durable wood,
a little moisture-resistant.

It's long-lasting.

Doesn't crack as easy
as some other wood.

And this cabin
is clad with hemlock boards,

one of the strongest cabins
I've ever seen ever.

-Wow, this is so fast.
-[Marty] Amazing, huh?

I feel like with the progress
we've made
in the last few days,

it's way better than a tent.

Even if nothing else happened,
it would be way better
than living in a tent.

-[Marty] All right.
So, what do you think?
-It looks beautiful.

-And that went so fast.
-Give it a whiff.

-The place already smells
like a pine cabin.
-Oh.

It's beautiful.

We didn't expect
to get this far.

So this is just...
This is so much more
than we could have expected.

-[sighs] Should we cut
some more boards?
-Yeah, Absolutely.

That's good enough.

-[Marty] Are you all right?
What happened?
-Yeah, I'm fine.

-What happened?
-No. i just got a little pull.

-I'm good.
-What happened? Tell me.

I just had a little bit
of a spasm.

-You all right?
-Yep, I'm fine.

-All right. I need you.
-I'm fine.

-No, I'll be okay.
-Okay. Okay.

-I'll tell you
when I need a break.
-[Marty] All right.

Today with the cooler weather,
I'm actually
a little more achy.

Um, it's hard for me
to stand around,

and once I stop moving
and my muscles cool down,

it's really hard for me
to recover.

I get really achy in it.

You'll see me stand up
like an 80-year-old woman
on days like this,

but I'm doing okay.

[sighs]

So, winter is here

and none of the structures
have roofs on them.

This is going to turn into
a total disaster.

[Marty] All right,
guys, listen.

Everybody in Maine
has been telling us
to enjoy the sunshine

because the bad weather
is coming, and it's here.

It's really cold.

-So cold.
-[Marty] And there's a lot
of rain.

So, winter is here,

and there's no turning back

and none of the structures
have roofs on them.

So, with this
little bit of rain,

this is going to turn into
a total disaster where I'm at.

It's gonna be muddy.

It's gonna be slippery.

We're moving right along,
but we just came
to a screeching halt.

Yeah. I mean, this weather
is not gonna help us out any,

but it gets way worse here.

-They said it gets
to be 40 below.
-Sixty with wind chill.

The temperature's dropping,
and both Katherine and Kristen

have said their old illnesses
are aggravated by the cold
and the damp.

So we do have our work
cut out for us.

I really gotta get a stove
in there,

and I gotta finish the roof

and turn it into something
that can be used year round.
Okay.

Here's where we're at
right this second,

a long ways
from having the cabin livable,

It is not good weather.

[narrator] At the treehouse
birdhouse site,

the shift in weather
forces a pivot
in Misty's game plan.

In real time,
you can see your breath.

-It's freezing. It's raining.
-[Kristin] Oh, yeah.

[Misty] But obviously,
you're not gonna wanna

-cross all these waterways
on foot.
-[laughs]

[Misty] We've got to get up
and out of the water.

So we're gonna put in
all these boardwalks.

We're gonna create access.

Like, this is crazy.

I don't know
how other people do decks

-'cause I'm
Marty Raney's daughter.
-[both laughing]

[Misty] But, um,
this is like the pencil trick.

I don't know if you've ever
seen this.

-You never wanna push boards
together tight, right?
-[Kristin] Right.

-Yes.
-You always have to have
the gap for water.

-[Kristin] Yep.
-[Misty] And the perfect space
for decking is a pencil.

-[Kristin] A carpentry pencil.
-[Misty] Right. And so you're
just gonna be marking it

-the whole way down.
-[Kristin] Perfect.

Everybody is kind of racing
to get their roofs
on their structures

'cause the weather has turned.

But unfortunately,
you cannot get
even over to our structure.

So, it wasn't the plan.

But Kristin and I
have to pull off our build

because we have
to figure out access.

It's unfortunate,
but it's a must,
and here we go.

Also, I'm learning
that, like, Maine

could kinda catch you
off guard a little bit.

In Alaska, it's, like,
the fall colors happen
and then the leaves drop.

Then it's cold for a while.

But here it's like 70 degrees
and then bam!

It's like this temperature?

Like, that's a homestead
that's gonna catch you
off guard if you're not ready.

[vocalizing repetitively]

[Marty] Even though
the weather is getting worse

and the temperature's dropping

and Misty is soaked
from head to toe,

Misty is embracing it.

Because we came here
for two reasons,

Katherine and Kristen.

And that is our Maine mission.

[Kristen] Misty and I
are working on this
boardwalk situation here

that's gonna go from the cabin
all the way to the birdhouse.

And that's gonna make it
so much easier

to get in and out
of the birdhouse every day.

I mean hauling grain
that's a 50-pound bag,

and if you have to slog
through all this mud,

it's just so hard
to get there.

So this is gonna make
everything so much easier.

It's gonna be
a huge time saver.

It's gonna be great.

Our setting doesn't have to be
as hard as you and Katherine

-have been experiencing.
-Yeah. [laughs]

And little things like
adding a boardwalk,

adding easier access
will make all the difference.

-[Kristin] Yeah, this is gonna
be so great.
-[Misty] It's so good.

It'd be a nor'easter blowing.

[narrator] Over at
the sauna bath house

Matt starts work on a crucial
part of the build.

[Matt] All right. We don't
have the roofing material
for our sauna bath house,

but we can't just wait around
and do nothing.

So we're building an addition
onto our sauna bath house,

and we're slapping
the walls up quick.

It's a little bit rainy,

but it ain't gonna stop us.

I gotta get
this building done.

It's a very small,
confined space,

but I don't think
anybody wants to bathe
and bathroom in.

So building an addition
on the platform that we have
plenty of space next door,

is really the best thing
to separate the bathing area
from the bathroom area.

So, the bathroom portion
of this structure
is well along its way.

I'm gonna move inside
and go into sauna mode
and start tiling the floor,

and see it if I can't get this
all ready for that wood stove.

There ain't no homestead
hack going on here.

This is just
good old-fashioned tile.

I just don't want this stuff
to crack,

so I'm going real traditional.

All right. Can you get
kind of under that?

-[narrator] Meanwhile...
-There you go.

...Marty tasked Katherine
and Kristen with digging out
their wood stove from storage.

[Katherine] Today's weather
has been gross.

It's really cold and rainy.

-All right. Ready?
All right. Go.
-[Katherine] Yeah.

I found myself, like,
dragging a wood stove
through the yard

and it slowed us down
getting to and from places,

but everyone still worked
really hard today,

which was... I was really
grateful for that 'cause.

it's a miserable day.

I think we picked a good day
to think about

how we're gonna
heat this cabin,

because right now
the cabin is really cold.

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

That said,
where do you wanna put it?

We were thinking right here.

Kind of in that floorboard
section right there.

[Marty] The wood stove
goes there.

Bring me all the parts
and pieces you have.

The pipes.

All... the flashing
chimney cap.

Anything you have,
let's get it inside.

-We'll start cutting holes.
-Okay?

Kristin and Katherine have
several old-school wood stoves
on this property,

and they've got
all kinds of pipes.

Sure you want the stove
to go there.

Now or never.

They kept bringing me parts
and pieces of chimneys
and pipes.

Hand me all the pipe you got.

Most of it
doesn't fit together
or interact.

Here's the first pipe
coming through.

-[Katherine] All right. Yep.
-You ready?

[Marty] All right.

Feel like it's in there.

[Katherine] Yep,
it looks nice and snug.

[Marty] But we managed
to find enough
of the right pipe,

miraculously,

to install the chimney.

Oh, my goodness,
we're losing daylight.

We have to make
every second count.

We've got a little surprise
for you.

-[Katherine] Whoa.
-[Kristen] Whoa.

Hey, why did you stop working?

We cannot stop moving today.

-[narrator]
The next morning...
-[Katherine] Pretty sweet.

...the rains have passed,
but temperatures remain
just above freezing.

And with only
two days remaining,

the weather change
has taken a toll on Christine.

All right. How you doing?

-[Kristin] Hey.
-How you feeling today?

Today, I'm having a rough day.

-Yeah.
-I think from just being
in the rain.

Yeah, I'm sorry.

But I can spend
a little bit of time with you

-if you wanna
show me anything.
-Okay.

I think it's good
for Kristin to see
on the days

where she's not feeling
that well,

that you can still
have something
to bring to the table.

It doesn't have to be
a hard day for her.

I'll do all the heavy lifting.

I wanted to just share

-something with you
really fast.
-Yes.

I do have, like, an easy job.

Are you good to be
on your feet for a little bit?
Yes. Yes. Yes.

So, um, I wanna
put in some fencing.

-So you're gonna help me
with some strings.
-Okay.

-All right. Cool.
-I'm gonna hop under
this hoop here.

-So, one second.
-Ooh. Okay.
Into the mud you go.

[Misty] Today is the day
for fencing.

We are basically
not wasting a ton of time
putting in corner posts.

-I'm gonna try to reach
around this whole tree.
-[Kristin chuckles]

[Misty] I just wanna build
the circle fence
around the tree.

The tension will be
nice and tight,

and I think for Kristin
it will be easy.

[narrator] To save time
installing fencing,

Misty will call
on a homestead hack

that utilizes
the base of the tree
as a center point

to measure out 8 feet
to each post.

Once the posts
are in the ground,

she'll create tension
with chicken wire,

ensuring the livestock
stays safe inside on dry land.

Okay. There. We did it. Okay.

-So I got my knot.
I got the lasso.
-[Kristin] All right.

-All right. Excellent.
-And I'm coming out. Okay.

So, we're gonna have
a radius of about 8 feet.

-All right, cool.
-So let's mark
from the building.

-Eight feet on our string.
-[Kristin] Okay.

And that is where
the first fence post
is gonna go.

-Sweet.
-[Misty] What do you think?

Yes, I think that will be
a really good amount of space.

-Right there. Right there.
Under it.
-Boom. Boom.

-Have a moment.
-[Kristin] All right.

-Oh, yeah,
it's gonna be easy.
-[laughs]

I so appreciated
that Misty asked me
about my health issues.

All right, so now
we're gonna go
to our next one,

-and they're gonna be
about 8 feet apart too.
-Okay.

It seems like she really wants
to get a good understanding

so she can make sure
that she makes
the best decision she can

about how to make everything
more accessible here for us.

There should literally be,
like, homestead
workout classes

-where you're like,
"Hey, come in at 7:00am...
-I know.

-...and put it in a fence."
-Yes.

-And they can pay.
-Look at you.

-Look at you. Crushing it.
-Nailed it. Okay.

-Nailed it. There we go.
-Yep. Yep.

[Matt] Here we go.

This is the reason why
we picked this stove
in the first place.

Boom.

We've got all
the bathing water
you could possibly ever need.

Whoa. Okay.

Now that we've got
this tank filled,

we only got one last
thing to do.

Fire up this stove
and turn it into a sauna
in here.

I'm taking off a layer.

Yeah, I'm a little warm
in here.

This is getting a little warm.

[laughs]

-Oh, yeah. Whoo.
-That's nice.

You think it's hot enough
for that water to get warm?

Oh, I think so.
Let's check it.

All right. Open that up.

[inhales] Oh, yeah.

Nice.

I think I wanna just, like,
wash up my face a little bit.

Oh! [inhales]

-saved that platform.
-Oh, definitely.

[Matt] We used the stove
they've been using already,

and there's more than
enough room for two people.

Yeah, this is great.

This is gonna be so much
more useful to them

than the platform that's
rotting away
in the swamp back there.

I think this is great.

There's definitely
enough heat in here.

If we stay in here any longer,
I'm gonna have to shed
more layers.

Yeah, well I mean,
let's go then.

[both laughing]

[narrator]
With the sauna complete,

Matt and Little John
bring in the final piece
of the bathroom addition.

-Let's open this thing up.
-Yeah.

-Okay.
-[John] Let's set it up.

We've just unveiled
a much-needed bathroom item.

A composting toilet.

Here we go.

Ah!

Compost toilets
are incredibly useful
for a place like this

where they can't
put in a septic.

They have no running water,
no power.

And they are really effective

at getting rid of odors
and getting rid of waste.

All right, follow me.

We've got a little
surprise for you.

-Ooh! Whoa!
-[Katherine laughs] Oh!

Check it out.

[narrator] Before,
the Yeagers were using

sawdust buckets
for their waste removal.

And could only
bathe themselves

in the sink
of their moldy camper.

Today, they have
a fully-functional
bathhouse sauna,

complete with a compost toilet

and a sauna to relieve
joint and muscle pain

and improve
their overall health.

We're sick of lugging
sawdust buckets,
let me tell you.

[Katherine] This is
a massive upgrade.

[Matt] All that
was music to my ears.

I knew it was something
that you really needed

and my hope was
that it was gonna be

really the answer
to all your bathroom...

-[chuckles] you know, prayers.
-Yes. Yes.

[Matt] I'm really pleased
with how this turned out.

Now we just have to get
a heated tub in place
before we leave.

-...so much.
-Yeah. Thank you
for having me over.

So good. Thank you.

[country music playing]

[Marty] What a good day
to put a roof on.

We'll make it happen.

Yesterday, it was
pouring down rain,

cold, muddy, crazy.

But now, it's stopped raining

and today it's time to pick up
a hammer and a saw

and change the fate
of these homesteaders.

All right, we could
put on the roof
before the sun goes down.

Start tacking.

[upbeat country music playing]

[drill whirring]

Thank you.

[drill whirring]

Excellent. Done.

[narrator] It's the last day
of the Yeager rescue

and it's an all-out scramble
to finish final builds.

With the treehouse birdhouse
nearly complete,

Misty utilizes
another homestead hack.

[Misty] So, we have
to figure out how we're gonna

-keep the roof dry, right?
-Right.

And some type of rubber gasket
for that tree.

-[Kristin] Yes.
-So I'm gonna use an old tire,
if that's okay with you.

-Cool. Love it.
-And we're gonna cut into it,

wrap it around that tree,
get it over the top
of the metal

and once we get it
nice and tight,

that roof's never gonna leak.

[Kristin] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Give it a shot. Yeah.

[saw whirring]

-[Misty] Do you wanna
do me a favor?
-[Kristin] Yeah.

[Misty] You wanna
hold that side?

Put your fingers back there.
There you go.

I'd love to be able
to get Kristin to a place

where she's even
with Katherine.

Imagine what this homestead
could look like,

if they,
Katherine and Kristin,
were working side by side.

They could literally
achieve anything.

[Kristin] Misty is
a very good teacher.

She explains things
really well

and she also does, kind of,
a hands-on approach,

which is really helpful for me
and my style of learning.

[whirring]

[Misty] Ta-da!

-Now you can get the thing
on the tree.
-Yeah.

Kristin's learning a lot more
than just
how to use power tools.

It's just how to get
the job done.

Okay. All right.

[Kristin] So I learned
quite a bit from Misty today.

It seems like a pretty
simple concept, right?

Just the ability to use
what you already have

in, kind of,
an unconventional way

to solve your problem,

without buying anything new.

Basically, with whatever
you have laying around,
you can fix the problem.

There you have it.
We have our tire gasket
around the tree.

Now, the structure
is nice and watertight,
and it'll last forever.

[theme music playing]

[nail gun clicking]

[Marty] Okay.
Here we go. Hit it.

[nail gun clicking]

[narrator] With sunlight
fading on the final day,

Marty and Katherine
race to complete

the most important build
of the rescue.

Thank you.

There comes a time
on every homestead

where I realize
we have to make every...

not minute,
every second count.

And we're at that moment
on this homestead.

Looks like it fits.

This time of year,
it gets dark,
like at 5:30 or 6:00.

It's not like
you can't work in lights,
but guess what?

This place is off the grid
and there's no power.

So, make hay
while the sun's shining.

Okay, pin it!

[nail gun punch]

Okay, shut that door
and see if it has
a nice, tight seal.

-Feel good?
-[Katherine] Nice and tight.

-That's great.
-Okay.

-You like it?
-[Katherine] I do.

All right. Um, is it done?

-Nope, it's not done.
-What does it need?

It needs spray foam
in the gap

and then to be trimmed out.

[pleasant music playing]

[Katherine] Doing this
is gonna go a long way

to keeping us extra warm
and toasty this winter.

It's just incredible
to see like,

that we're doing everything
the right way.

I don't know if we'd
have been able to afford

to do everything
"the right way" on our own.

It's been a long week
and I've had a couple of days

where I wasn't
feeling very good, but...

I think just the fact
that this is the final push,

it's kind of like, uh,
medicine for the pain.
[chuckles]

I'm just really
looking forward to getting us
out of that moldy space.

[Misty] Oh, my gosh.
This is so sweet.

[narrator] With the fencing
complete around
the treehouse birdhouse,

Misty prepares the structure
for the arrival of livestock.

They need some straw.
They need some bedding.

And also there is a method
that's called deep litter.

And what it is [sniffles]

is you don't clean out
your coop that much

when you live in a place
with cold temperatures.

And it, kind of, composts
and warms up
and can act as a heater.

And that method really works.

So, I think I'm gonna go
a little bit extra
on the straw.

This is the Coop Deville
of all coops.

-[car honking]
-[Misty] I got you a present.

-[Kristin] Ah, I can't wait.
-[Misty laughs]

-These came from a local farm
just down the road...
-[Kristin gasps]

-Aw!
-...and they look beautiful.

But let's start with chickens.

-[Kristin] All right.
-You wanna bring 'em over?

-I would love to.
-Okay, you grab one side.

[Kristin] I was a vegetarian
for a long time.
Many, many years.

-[Misty] Okay.
-[Kristin] And I am huge
on eggs. Like huge.

[Misty] Yes,
you gotta have that protein
when you do this kind of work.

-Ladies, go check it out.
-And who's
the bravest chicken?

[gasps] Good job, ladies.

[Misty]
But the greatest thing,
remember about this coop,

-is these are hung backwards.
-[Kristin] Yes, exactly.

So we can just...
We can just lock them in.

[Kristin] Move
your little bum.

[Misty] I really love
this treehouse birdhouse,

seeing it come together.

The space is huge.

Adding the dividers
so we can get
a variety of birds

for multiple uses,
multiple reasons.

Egg production, meat birds.

For me, it's about
leaving these homesteaders

with something
that works for them long term.

I got a surprise for you.

-[Kristin] Oh!
-This is the homestead
alarm system.

Yes.

[Misty] You're gonna be
so pumped with guineas...

-I love guinea.
-[Misty] ...you don't
even know.

I can't wait!

You guys are ready
to get out.
There's enough room for 'em.

-Okay...
-[Misty] This
is really exciting.

-The flock has grown
on the homestead.
-Yes.

-Yes. Yes.
-There's a variety of birds.

-We're missing yours.
-Right.

-So let's go wrangle them
and get them in here.
-Yep.

-Sounds good. Let's do it.
-Okay.

This is amazing.
It's unreal.

I'm just so happy.

I can't wait to get to know
all of our new birds

-and name them
-And name them.

Name all of them,
every single one of them,

and hold them.

Maybe bring one
in the house...

So they're not meat birds,
then?

-[laughs]
-I'm gonna go ahead and guess

-that they're gonna be
egg birds.
-Okay.

-[chirping]
-[Kristin] There you go,
honey.

-[Misty] Oh.
You guys are crushing it.
-[Kristin] Thank you.

-[Misty] Is there only three,
or is there more?
-[Kristin] Only three.

[laughing] Yes! Good job.

-[Katherine] I'll see you
in a little bit.
-[Misty] Okay.

[narrator] Seven days ago,
the Yeager's livestock
was crammed in small pens,

dwelling amongst
the boggy ground

and easily accessible
to predators.

Today, they have
a dry section of land
connected to their cabin

with a boardwalk,

and a one of a kind
treehouse birdhouse,

featuring fortified
holding pens,

a guinea early warning system

and a variety of birds
to produce eggs.

[Misty] Officially
on the homestead,

there's quail, geese, ducks,
chickens and guinea.

-[Kristin] Oh, my goodness.
-[Misty] But check this out.

-[chuckles]
-[gasps] No way!

-We already have an egg!
-[Misty] Well, reach in
and grab it.

[Kristin] Look at you girls.
Good job.

-Isn't that amazing?
-[Kristin] Oh!
It's a pretty egg.

It's beautiful.

You already have food.

You could wake up
in the morning,

and there, literally,
might be a dozen eggs.

-Which would be amazing.
-[laughs] Are you ready
for that?

[Kristin] I'm so ready.
I'm gonna do so much baking...

-Okay.
-...and preserving.

-My work here is done.
-Yeah.

-[Misty] You ready?
-[Kristin] I'm so ready.

You can just be on the ex
holding the other end.

Right to the edge of the roof
that's got a drain!

[narrator] With only
two hours remaining
on the Yeager homestead,

and with the help
of a small build team,

Marty rushes to finish
some final additions
to the cabin.

[Marty] We have the gutters
on the house.

We'll catch
every drop of water
that hits that roof.

All of that water
will come over to this gutter
and one downspout.

From there,
we'll distribute
all of the water,

not to one,
but to two separate tanks

to provide this homestead
with potable water,
drinking water, bathing water.

-[chuckles]
-Come on over here.

Okay, so not one, but two.

Can you guess
how many gallons that is?

[Katherine] I have no idea.

-Okay. You ready?
-[Katherine] Yeah.

Over 1,000, each.

I'm so excited.
This is just energizing.

We're down to about two hours
before we have to leave
this homestead...

-[Katherine] Yeah.
-...so I got
to get back to it.

We've got a lot of work
to get done on this homestead.

Whatever it takes.

We are running out of time.

[theme music playing]

-[Marty] Mist!
-[Misty] Yeah?

[Marty] Come on over
and take a break, please.
Take a break.

Matt and I thought
since we were in Maine,

we would do as Mainers do.

And so right now look at us.

Who are we and what are we?

-Maine-iacs?
-Yes,

but you're not
a Maine-iac until...

[zipper whirs]

until you wear
the red plaid, okay?

My entire life,
I've never, like, seen you
in anything but a white shirt.

-It looks good on you.
-It's the new me.

You bought me something?

-I wonder what it could be.
-[Marty] Not a tie.

Aw! [laughs]

Now that we're Mainer maniacs,
we're wearing plaid.

I don't know if I can take you
seriously with this one.

Out of everybody
standing here,

who's the maniac?

-[laughs]
-What?

Now you have this shirt
to prove it.

[all laughing]

[theme music playing]

[engine roaring]

[Marty] Everybody's wondering
why did you put
the rocks there?

Ooh, ooh, ornate?
Yes.

But also just enough distance
from this building,
the bathhouse,

to take a bath.

Perfect amount of space
for a five-foot tub

with an eight-inch pipe
underneath it.

Put a 90-degree elbow
on one end,

a six-foot chimney
on the other end.

This is where
the fire goes in.

The smoke comes out here.

So you have
a rocket stove bathtub.

This water is gonna be so hot
in a couple of hours

that you can't even get in it.

Why did you stop working?

We... We cannot
stop moving today.
Get over here.

[clanging]

[Marty laughs]

-Nice.
-[clanking]

[engine whirring]

[Marty] I love it.

[upbeat music playing]

-[Marty] You see that sun?
-[Katherine] Yeah.

[Marty] It's going down.

-What do you think
of your rock steps?
-[Katherine] I love 'em.

-[Marty] You do?
-[Katherine] Yeah.
Be nice and dry, clean.

[narrator] With the cabin
complete,

Marty and Katherine prepare
to take in the reward
of a week's hard work.

-Okay. Here we are.
-[knocking]

-Anybody home?
-Not yet.

[Marty] Exactly.
I'll follow you.

Anybody home?

Oh, yeah.
You're home now.

[Katherine] Oh!
It looks so nice, Marty.

Everything I'm looking at
your hands touched,

insulation, vapor barrier,
framing, trim, pine.

You might just wanna
thank yourself

because you did
a lot of work here.

I did. I did.

But we couldn't have
finished it like we have
without your help.

Do you think
that this winter
is gonna be easier?

Oh, my God!
So much easier.

That's not even a question.

I mean, we have solid walls
and a roof.

I can sleep
through a snowstorm.

You know,
when the last time
I slept through a snowstorm?

It's just... It's been...
It's been...

It's been a long six years.

There were nights
where we were freezing cold
in the tent,

and even with the fire going,
couldn't get it warmer, and,

you know, you're worrying
about your animals freezing.

And it's just been
so much work and stress,
and...

-Yes.
-...this is just
such a relief for us.

[softly] Yeah.

And so much work was done
in such a quick amount
of time.

It would have taken us years
to get to this point.

You ever want to take
a five-minute break?

-Climb up that ladder...
-[Katherine] Yeah.

...walk across this loft,

-go out onto a...
-[laughs]

-...huge deck.
-[Katherine] Nice!

I'm looking forward
to my first cup of coffee

-in the cabin...
-[sighs softly]

...and I'm gonna
take it upstairs
and go out on the roof deck...

-Ooh!
-...and just survey
my queendom.

-[laughs]
-It's gonna be great.

-This is great.
-Isn't it cool?

-Now...
-You can see all the birds.

...you can look over
your farm,

enjoy this evening breeze.

It's gonna be beautiful.

[Marty] Katherine
is a selfless person,

but it can't be
all work and no play
on these homesteads.

In fact, we've come up
with a surprise
for Katherine and Kristin

so that they can enjoy
something,

most likely, the very night
after we leave.

Hey, don't go so...
Whoa! Not so fast.

-Where are we going?
-This way.

-Okay.
-So, did you wonder
what was going on here?

-Yeah.
-We had the excavator.
We were moving rocks.

Putting a chimney
right in the ground,

we built you a rocket stove.

-Can you hear it crackling?
-I can. Yeah.

Okay.
So if you look over here,

that's all it takes.

-[Katherine] Oh,
it's right there.
-Yeah.

[Katherine] I thought
that was a bucket
for a second.

[Marty] If you don't mind,

feel free to take off
that little insulator

and see if the water
is getting warm.

Oh, yeah.

-[Marty] Is it?
-Yeah, it is.

-I can feel warmth coming up.
-[Marty] That's all
I wanted to hear.

Okay, so let's put
that little...

Let's put
our little insulated cover
over on it.

Now, if you don't mind
sitting right there...
Okay.

Then if you were in this tub,

the Macy's Parade could go by

-and never know
you're in there.
-[laughs] Yeah.

So you've got some privacy.

These rocks
are doing something far more

than being ornaments
in your front yard.

It's gonna be amazing.

-You like it?
-[laughing] I do like it.

[narrator] Before,
the Yeagers were living
in a cold, moldy camper,

making them sick

and delaying their progress
on building the cabin
on their homestead.

Today, they have a finished,
insulated wooden cabin,

complete with a kitchen,
wood stove, deck,

water catchment tanks,

and a private,
heated rocket tub.

[Katherine] If the Raneys
hadn't showed up

and done all
that they've done,

I really don't know
what we would have done
for the winter this year.

But I so appreciate
that they have come

and saved us from,
you know,

sinking into the swamp.
[chuckles]

That week was a little bit
on the rough side...

-Yeah. [laughs]
-...but it was worth it.

We turned this thing
from bog stead
to island living.

-Come on.
-I know. It's unreal.

It's so good.

-Kristin, I'm gonna miss you.
-I'm gonna miss you, too.

You are like...
You're just so positive,

and you have
such a great smile,

-and you're so sweet.
-Thank you.

It... It, like,
meant the world to me

that we got to do this
together.

So, you've been my sidekick
for the whole week.

-Yeah.
-[Misty] But now,
you're Katherine's sidekick.

-Yeah. Yeah.
-Yes.

-Or maybe she's your sidekick.
-[Katherine laughs]

-Ooh.
-Yeah. I like that.

Usually,
when you leave somebody
high and dry,

it's a bad thing.

-[all laughing]
-Yeah.

What me and John did
was gave you a dry cabins,

bathing solution
and bathroom solution.

I'm really excited
that you'll be having
a really nice spot

-to get clean.
-I know.

It's gonna take
some reimagining...

-Yeah.
-...to see what our future
is going to look like

because we're just not
used to having
all the amenities

that we have now,

and it's just the...
the future is very bright
for us.

Yeah. Yeah,
very, very bright.

Not every homestead
that we show up on

do we find out the homestead
doesn't have a home?

-[Katherine] Hmmm.
-Okay?

Does it have one now?

-It sure does.
-Oh, yeah.

Thank you so much.

I just can't...

[voice shaking]
tell you how much it means
to have a home, finally.

It means a future.

We have a future here,
and we didn't really.

We... We hoped
we had a future,

but we didn't really have one
until all of you guys
showed up

and made our house
dry and warm and beautiful.

-[Kristin] Yeah.
-We have water.
We have bathing facilities.

We... Our birds will be safe,

-finally.
-[Kristin] Amazing.

[Katherine] I don't know
what you saw in us,

but I want to be the person

that deserves
what you guys gave to us.

Thank you.

We learned on this homestead,

and we are taking away
from this homestead

the inspiration
that we witnessed here.

-So thank you.
-[Katherine] Thank you.

Every homestead
has its unique challenges.

Finding homesteaders
that spent the last five years
in a tent,

pretty rough.

I'm hoping
between the water catchment,

a finished cabin,
a birdhouse,

a new bathhouse,

a rocket stove hot tub
to take a bath
after a hard day's work,

that their lives
will be better
from this day forward.

-Thank you.
-[John] Bye.

-Thanks, guys.
-Thank you, guys.
Thank you so much.

Unreal.

So we moved into the cabin
about a week
after the Raneys left.

It's so nice to be
in something warm and dry.

-It's just so nice
to have a wood stove.
-Yeah.

We really, really like
our birdhouse,

and I think our birds,
they love their house.

The coop designs,
the way it is off the ground,

made it a really safe place
for our birds
throughout the winter.

-And we've got eggs
coming out our ears.
- [Katherine] Yep.

-So many eggs.
- [Kristin] So many eggs.

[Kristin]
Here's our little sauna.

We used it
earlier in the day.

The sauna is beautiful.

Between the tiling
and everything,
it's just gorgeous.

We're just so grateful
for this whole process
and experience.

It's been wonderful.

We would not have gotten
into our cabin like we did.

No, we would not.

We have so much gratitude
to be sitting inside my cabin

-and be overall healthier...
- [Kristin] Yeah.

...and happier
and better off.

I just... I feel
incredibly blessed still.

[pleasant music playing]