Building Alaska - Episode Guide

Hunting and fishing guide Bob May is building a new cabin on a remote island in southern Alaska. But, before he begins construction, he needs to tear down the old, abandoned cabin. Easier said than done! You won't believe how he accomplishes this and - no - you won't find a demolition like this anywhere in the lower 48.

On a nearly deserted island of Alaska, Bob is forced to adapt with inferior lumber, changing weather conditions, and an 11-foot brown bear all causing havoc on the build site. Despite these challenges, Bob and team are able to get the foundation dug in and set.

We learn how things are built differently in a state which experiences 100 earthquakes a day. Though the framing is completed and the rough wiring and plumbing get underway, the grind of the 5-month project starts to wear Bob down.

A sub-contractor fails to show up at the jobsite for weeks pushing Bob further behind schedule. Meanwhile, Bob and his brother Rick contend with some furry troublemakers of the job site that are chewing through hoses, cables, and grocery bags.

When you live this far off the grid, you need to be self-sufficient, whether it is using recycled oil, fishing for dinner, or installing hydro and wind energy systems. The insulation delays continue as Bob waits for a delinquent subcontractor.

It's a sprint to the finish as Bob gets the cabin completed before his first paying customers arrive. Furniture and other items are installed at the last moment. He works 16-hour days, goes over budget, but ends up with the cabin of his dreams.

Three men set out to build three cabins in remote areas of the Alaskan Frontier. They will make preparations in the harsh Alaskan winter and race against time, the bitter cold, and the wilderness to complete their builds. Using their various skills sets and techniques, three different cabins will be constructed that will all need to hold up in some of the most harsh conditions in the world.

As the summer season starts to thaw out in Alaska, the builders get underway. But their pre-planning doesn't make perfect. The Alaskan elements are stubborn at all three build sites, but a little ingenuity goes a long way.

The three builders each face their own forms of adversity. Lee Raymond is struggling to get back on track after losing a month to bad weather and an impassable semi-frozen Quiet Lake. At the Matanuska Glacier, Chuck Gerwig has had perfect weather, but most of his labor is due to leave once fishing season starts in less than a month. And Jim Wagner has finished, numbered, and taken down his cabin in Gustavus, but now begins the arduous 500 mile transport to Chicken that will include two ferry rides, 2 border crossings and hopefully enough supplies to finish the re-build before winter sets in.

While its full-steam ahead for Lee Raymond as he finally gets some much welcomed sun, Jim Wagner and his family begin the long process of starting over; building roads, leveling ground and ultimately trying to get their cabin in Chicken back up. Amidst all the fervor of the other two builds, Chuck Gerwig's site is oddly quiet. Disaster has struck. His righthand man, Ryan Beachy, has been tragically killed in a motorcycle accident. Now his build is suspended and a decision needs to be made, to continue or not.

After battling the tragedy of the loss of his righthand man, Ryan Beachy, Chuck Gerwig is back in the saddle and ready to finish the job that he and Ryan started months earlier. 312 miles northeast in Chicken, Alaska, Jim Wagner and crew are at a near standstill due to a nonstop rain that has turned their man-made road into an impassible swamp. And with a concrete truck due any minute, will they be able to get it fixed before they risk losing any hope of getting the foundation poured? Finally, Lee Raymond has been fighting the same weather since he started and he's still behind. Now he's losing his number one crew to college, so his final push will have to be with a brand new crew that can afford no errors.

Winter is fast approaching and now all three of the builders are finding themselves with less help to finish the massive tasks at hand. In Chicken, Jim Wagner's build now relies heavily on his son Aaron. And as Aaron pushes Jim toward the finish line, both food and building supplies are running low. Chuck Gerwig has lost his remaining crew to college in Texas, so that leaves 17-year old daughter Tiffany and 10-year old son Zac to pull up the slack of finishing his 3000 square foot home. And Lee Raymond just cannot catch a break. The torrential rains have made it impossible to get ahead and now he's had to enlist a brand new crew to take over for his college workers, one of whom is his son Aaron. As the days to the end game get shorter, so do Lee's and Aaron's tempers.

As the days get shorter and colder, and snow is visible on the highest peaks, the builders frantically race to get their homes sealed in. Chuck Gerwig suffered a huge blow earlier in the summer with the loss of his righthand man, and now his ten hour days are up to twelve and its starting to show. Barely keeping in front of his subcontractors, one small mistake could mean not finishing. In Chicken, Jim Wagner's organizational luck has just run out. His flooring is four bundles short. So, with everything shutting down for the winter in a week, he's got to decide whether or not to make the half day journey to the lumberyard, which is no guarantee, or finish the roof before snow flies. Finally, at remote Quiet Lake, Lee Raymond's son "high speed, no grease" Aaron, is scrambling to get the roofing on before the snow. But the constant rain mixed with Aaron's speed has created a very slick situation and Aaron just can't hold on.

Winter has arrived and the race is over. It's time for each of our builders to come to terms with their end games as they pack up and head home for the season. To say this year has been a challenge would be an understatement. From lakes, to glaciers, to areas savaged by fire, nothing was immune from Alaska's hostile nature. Whether that came in the form of brutal weather, extreme fatigue, or even death, it had to be endured and overcome. And although the men, their homes and the sites were vastly different, they all can lay claim to the same victory in surviving Alaska's wrath. Now is the time to shutter in, rest, and take stock in what matters for in just a few short months the season will change again and usher in a new chapter of Building Alaska.

The return of spring in Alaska means the race is on for three builders to begin constructing homes in the remote wilderness before the inevitable return of winter shuts them down. Three builders begin construction on a fishing retreat near Anchorage, a ski hut close to Valdez and a getaway log cabin in the Southeast corner of remote Alaska. Before breaking ground, one builder has to fly to his build site to inspect the piece of land he purchased without ever stepping foot on it, breaking the number one rule of land buying.

The challenges of building homes in remote Alaska continues as Lee orchestrates a massive eighteen-load helicopter drop to deliver the equipment and supplies he'll need to build a two-story cabin on Bulchitna Lake. Elsewhere, Derek handcrafts logs with a scriber and begins the tedious process of cataloging each piece of wood that will eventually be helicoptered over to his build site. Plus, Tony forgets a crucial item back in town that sets him back over a thousand dollars.

Tony Malone's crew outside of Haines, Alaska, get a visit from a hungry bear. Builder Lee Raymond faces challenges when working closely with family. Derek Galbraith reveals the tragic story behind the heli-skiing industry in Valdez, Alaska.

Tony's log cabin getaway is shut down after heavy rains make work too dangerous to continue, while a miscalculation at Lee's two story house on Bulchitna Lake has the crew enraged, and Derek takes his crew fishing on the Copper River basin with the area's only female river guide to reward them for a job well done as their ski hut project continues to thrive.

Challenges persist on the build sites as Lee brings in a pinch hitter they call the Ninja Framer to get his client's project back on schedule. Derek's crew struggles to work on the ski hut through an infestation of mosquitoes, and Tony discovers an expensive mistake that sends him back to the saw yard to cut new logs for his remote cabin getaway.

The builds are growing taller and the work more dangerous as Lee's crew must balance on a second story beam to get work done. Tony attempts to take a day off but stumbles upon a mysterious cabin that could be his next project. Meanwhile, Derek and his crew attempt to clear the site to create the ski hut's foundation pylons in the face of wicked winds, making it dangerous for the helicopter pilot to sling gravel to the guys.

Lee's crew scrambles to correct a mistake after a mighty framing miscalculation at Bulchitna Lake. Tony makes a dangerous call to fix a problem that could destroy his own log cabin and potentially injure his team, and excitement builds for Derek's crew as transport of the ski hut begins, until the helicopter goes missing and sends the crew into an outright panic while they wait for answers.

Lee's crew must push through waves of mosquitoes and fatigue to finish the deck of their Bulchitna Lake build before the floatplane arrives to take them home for a day of rest. In Haines, Tony and his crew wrestle the largest and heaviest pieces of the build into place without any kind of machinery, and Derek pushes the panic button after more bad weather and mechanical problems delay his build once again.

Just as Derek and his band of buddies are about to give up on their dream of a cliffside ski hut, Alaska hands them a miracle that turns a down day into game day. Lee loses one of his hardest working crew members out at Bulchitna Lake just as they have to lift an 800 pound truss into place, and Tony's hideaway cabin is in good enough shape to take a break and fish for halibut on the Lynn Canal.

The drama at Derek's cliffside build near Valdez escalates after rain saturates the region and an accident on the roof almost takes out a crew member. Tony leaves his build in Bobby's hands to tend to another job and returns to find an injury has occurred. Lee discovers the culprit behind a messy footprint while the crew faces sketchy conditions to install the custom windows on their 2500 square foot Bulchitna Lake build.

Lee and his crew install a new woodstove to dry out the drywall mud and tape, and while he's waiting, Lee takes time to enjoy everything Alaska has to offer. Derek and his band of ski buddies race to protect the cabin from bears and construct homegrown countertops from materials on the site. And Tony finally makes it to the roofing stage of his Porcupine Creek build while his build partner Bob takes a new gig felling trees for a local homeowner.

Lee is down to just a crew of three as he races to finish the interior of the cabin before the lake freezes over and prevents their floatplane from landing. Tony's crew discovers a serious miscalculation that will force them to miss their deadline unless a miracle occurs, and Derek and his crew push through the endless rainfall, dangerous conditions and dwindling materials to complete the project.

Extreme building is back in Alaska. Three men risk it all to build a remote hunting cabin, an off the grid bear lodge and an island retreat.

Engine issues stall Tom's build, a welder battles the wind on the boardwalk at Rich's island retreat and Creig brings the heat to his bear lodge.

Rich's island build is literally between a rock and a hard place, Tom gets a lesson in logging and Creig feels the sting of remote building and shoddy materials.

Creig's camp is stunned after a bear attack, high winds wreak havoc and cause delays at Tom's build and Rich goes underwater to save his dock.

Creig's build struggles with the emotional scars of the bear mauling. Tom's surprise from the sky shifts the build into a new gear, while Rich's Hail Mary fix keeps the build on track while he shows off his competitive side.

Rich and his team race to stay ahead of the helicopter drops. Is a new builder on Tom's site a friend or foe? And an eight-point earthquake leaves Creig's build on shaky ground.

Creig's carpenter Jim pays the ultimate price for building alone in remote Alaska, and Rich's crew performs a balancing act to get out of the mud. A worst-case scenario nails Tom's build, and it's old school techniques to the rescue.

Rich's build is down to two workers, which will make it tough to reach their milestones. Nothing but wall-to-wall trouble may cause Tom's build to come tumbling down, and Creig's build is fraught with costly miscalculations and tensions with Jim.

Remote building often means no machines, but that's no problem as Rich's team uses brute strength to muscle up the 800-pound mainframe beam. It's all hands on deck at Tom's build as lumber shortages linger, and Creig finally gets things to line up just as he loses his last helper.

While gale-force winds create danger for Tom's team and rainy conditions threaten Creig's build, Sitka is nothing but sunny, which provides the perfect conditions for Rich to have a whale of a good time.

Sparks fly at Tom's camp as a worker showdown threatens the project. Different sparks at Rich's camp bring power to the people, and bear attacks leave Jodi on edge at Creig's camp.

Impending weather is making crunch time at the builds that much more desperate. Rich is forced to make a crucial building decision he doesn't want to make, Tom is not only worried about weathering-in his hunting lodge, but risks stranding his workers to do it. Although Creig has persevered so far, the Alaskan elements might finally do him in, as he battles freezing temperatures to finish his dream.

The three build teams kick off their builds in unique, remote Alaskan settings. Adam Tschappat and his family begin building a Family Legacy cabin in the Wrangell Mountains. Mike Williams and his family begin building a guest cabin in Eagle Song, near Mt. Susitna. And Steve Box and his builder friends, Dave Bartlett and Hans Moser, begin an Island Getaway on Shelter Island, near Juneau.

Three teams continue their builds in unique, remote Alaskan settings. Adam Tschappat and his family stake out the area for their Family Legacy cabin in the Wrangell Mountains. Mike Williams and his daughter, Meghan, finally make it off Alaska's frozen highway, only to have their build stuck in neutral in Eagle Song. Dave and Hans are able to complete their 20 supply runs and dig holes for the foundation for the Island Getaway build on Shelter Island.

Alaskan builder Adam Tschappat's team is cut in half due to volunteer firefighter duties delaying his Family Legacy cabin build in the Wrangell Mountains. Mike Williams is facing a 100 degree change in temperature that is forcing him to focus on the farm and not the build in Eagle Song. Dave and Hans face rough seas, while some bad math pushes them further behind schedule on the Island Getaway build on Shelter Island.

Builder Adam Tschappat and his brothers deal with record-breaking spring temperatures at their build site in the Wrangell Mountains. Mike Williams is keeping one eye on his crops and the other on his build forcing him to look the other way when it comes to code on his Guest Cabin in Eagle Song. Dave and Hans nearly get stranded due to receding tides at the Island Getaway build on Shelter Island.

Builder Mike Williams is in a mad scramble to save his peonies from dying, sending his crew into high gear in Eagle Song. Dave and Hans's 50 thousand pounds of material make it to shore unharmed at their Island Getaway build on Shelter Island. Builder Adam Tschappat does some precision work from 2 logs to 12 logs high for his Family Legacy cabin in the Wrangell Mountains.

Builder Mike Williams' plans to catch up backfire while preparing the cabin structure for earthquakes in Eagle Song. Dave and Hans start laying the floor while having fun at their client's expense on Shelter Island. Builder Adam Tschappat battles 100 years of brush for his Family Legacy cabin and Adam takes a hit in the Wrangell Mountains.

Builder Mike Williams and his team gain some ground, but can they keep it while laying plywood over the cabin's foundation in Eagle Song? Dave and Hans try and get reacquainted with their build and it reminds them how little time and how much work they have left on Shelter Island. Builder Adam Tschappat comes face to face with his biggest fear for his cabin's success in the Wrangell Mountains.

Builder Mike Williams' son Cody comes up with a fix for their pressure washer problem in order to peel the logs for their cabin build in Eagle Song. Dave and Hans work through extreme weather fluctuations and muscle heavy beams in place for the second floor on their cabin build on Shelter Island. Builder Adam Tschappat is a bag short of cement to complete the foundation for his cabin and his team worries as he is nowhere to be found in the Wrangell Mountains.

Builder Mike Williams gets all 45 of his logs peeled and starts to stack and insulate his cabin in Eagle Song. Builders Dave and Hans deal with dangerous heavy fog on their boat journey to Shelter Island and struggle to lift heavy logs with limited help. Builder Adam Tschappat saves the day with an extra bag of cement, and he and his team prepare the location and materials needed for the cabin's outhouse in the Wrangell Mountains.

Builder Mike Williams falls further behind schedule due to wet weather and unforseen obstacles in Eagle Song. On Shelter Island, builders Dave Bartlett and Hans Moser get a surprise visit and much needed help to finish the cabin, but they still need to make a trip to town in order to complete the build. Builder Adam Tschappat disassembles his cabin at the log yard and begins transporting it to his build site in the Wrangell Mountains.

Builder Mike Williams and his team get the rafters and roofing underway on his cabin but with no lack of challenges in Eagle Song. On Shelter Island, builders Dave Bartlett and Hans Moser are on their own with setting the extremely heavy ridge beam until help arrives. Builder Adam Tschappat successfully transports all of his logs to his build site in the Wrangell Mountains and gets the massive floor to the cabin laid out.

On Shelter Island, Dave Bartlett and Hans Moser have not one, but two 700-hundred pound ridgepoles to set. Over at Eagle Song, running out of weatherproofing, and a last minute design change, forces Mike Williams to forge ahead in dodgy weather. For builder Adam Tschappat, a faster pace comes to a screeching halt when two crucial logs go missing at his build site in McCarthy.

It's do or die time for all of the builders. The tides become the ultimate decider for Dave, Hans, and Steve, and send Steve to the workshop. For builder Adam and his family, the weather can't dampen their excitement as they finish their legacy cabin build. Over at EagleSong, Mike is racing the first snowfall, can the family that builds together, stay together?

A new generation of builders tackles the Alaskan wilds to build off-the-grid cabins. First-time builder Nick faces some harsh realities when he can't use the trees on his build site for lumber. Brannon's team develops a unique foundation system to build on permafrost, but they must fight nature every step of the way. Father and son team Jere and Ben take on a massive 5,000-square-foot floating lodge project, the most challenging and dangerous build ever attempted on Building Alaska!

Reality sets in for first-time extreme cabin builder Nick Blanco in Alaska as he fights the tides trying to retrieve pylons for his foundation and realizes he doesn't have the right equipment to dig postholes. Then Brannon's team gets stuck on the muddy trail bringing in more build materials, but eventually makes good progress on the front porch before an unexpected rainstorm shuts them down. Jere and Ben continue to build the massive aluminum barge one weld at a time, but when signs of fall creep in, the colder temperatures start to cause problems.

Jere, Ben and Tim put the finishing touches on the biggest project they've undertaken: building a 112-foot floating barge. They struggle with figuring out how to get a 40-foot trailer underneath it so they can transport it to the water, and hurricane-force winds change their plans and delay the launch. Nick gets help from his family and friends, but the group struggles trying to install the 27 pilings needed to build his dream fishing lodge and warehouse. In the end they solve the problem using some Alaskan ingenuity. Finally, Brannon's cabin starts taking shape as the crew does some heavy lifting putting up the gable end walls.

Nick experiences firsthand just how dangerous living in Alaska can be while hunting for driftwood to build his fishing lodge and warehouse. Jere and Ben's 112-foot barge starts its half-mile journey to the water, but nobody knows if they will make high tide so the barge can float the 13 miles to its new home at Alaska Sea Otter Sound Lodge. Brannon's team fights the rain and the remote building conditions to finally lift the ridge beam into place, hitting a major milestone in his cabin build.

Rain and a muddy trail continue to slow down Brannon's cabin build, but despite their dampened spirits, the gang is able to haul the windows across the two-mile trail. Nick makes a roof design change, and a family fundraiser collects enough money to provide him with some help. Jere and Ben finally get the barge launched and tugged to its new home in Sea Otter Sound so that work on the second story of the lodge can begin.

Nick races to finish his cabin before his mom visits again. Bears are still a threat, so Nick makes sure the electric fence is working. Nick and Kent design and build a "honey bucket," also known as an Alaskan toilet. Brannon and his team finish the front of the cabin, giving it a unique look, and they haul a heavy wooden stove over the trail to install in the cabin. Jere and Ben's crew struggles to get the roof on the guest rooms and the main lodge.

All the builders are in the home stretch in Alaska as they try to finish their cabins and floating lodge. Jere and Ben install interior and exterior siding, but their progress comes to a halt when they run out of stain and nails. So they switch to Plan B, installing the upstairs stove and chimney. Nick's roof is dried in, so he turns to finishing the sleeping loft, building a bathroom and adding outside trim. Brannon's team finishes the exterior siding and interior insulation and installs lights.

Nick's dad, Paul, returns to help put the finishing touches on the cabin, including a unique find that they polish and hang. Nick's mom and stepdad arrive, and Nick's mom is amazed by the finished cabin. Brannon's team builds countertops and railings for the cabin, and his client, Dick, arrives with his family to admire their newly finished lodge. Jere and Ben put in hard work finishing the new Sea Otter Sound Lodge, and the first guests arrive at the 5,000-square-foot floating lodge.

The three build teams kick off their builds and each faces unique challenges while building in the remote Alaskan wilderness. Bruce Chambers and his crew begin building a cabin on LaTouche Island, while Mark Sams and his team begin building a cabin in Freshwater Bay. Then, Dave Poppert and his family begin building a family home on Point MacKenzie.

Bruce Chambers and his crew run out of supplies, putting their cabin build at a standstill. Mark Sams and his crew are challenged to make their foundation level and square, and Dave Poppert and his family deal with a non-functional milling machine while working on their family home.

The three build teams continue their builds in unique, remote Alaskan settings. At Bruce Chambers' build site on LaTouche Island, their worst nightmare becomes a reality when their backup generator dies. On Mark Sams' build in Freshwater Bay, near Hoonah, one of his crew is missing, and Mark hopes for the best. Dave Poppert is rolling solo despite the risks of building alone off the grid at Point MacKenzie, near Wasilla.

The three build teams continue their builds in unique, remote Alaskan settings. At Bruce Chambers' build on LaTouche Island, getting the log walls up continues to be a nightmare, but Bruce finds the perfect way to let off some steam. On Chichagof Island, Mark Sams and his crew endure pounding rain that makes the build miserable. At Dave Poppert's build, he and his team race against Mother Nature to get the roof up before the snow falls in Point MacKenzie.

The three teams continue their builds in unique, remote Alaskan settings. At Bruce Chambers' build on LaTouche Island, the team wrestles giant glulam beams into place and the situation turns disastrous after a poorly cut beam pushes out an entire wall. At Mark Sams' build on Chichagof Island, things get scary when the guys lose control of a 700-pound ridge beam. At Dave Poppert's build near Point MacKenzie, his lumber mill takes a hit after an order gets cancelled and reduces funds for his dream retirement home.

At Bruce Chambers' build on LaTouche Island, the team comes dangerously close to catastrophe as they install a 1,000 pound ridge beam. At Mark Sam's build on Chichagof Island, the team runs out of critical supplies which sends Mark and Chris on an emergency run to Hoonah to find replacements. At Dave Poppert's build near Point MacKenzie, Dave is making progress with getting support columns into the loft area, getting him closer to having a roof over his build.

At Bruce Chambers' build on LaTouche Island, rain has put everything on hold and the crew struggles to keep things dry. At Mark Sam's build on Chichagof Island, tensions run high on Rich's last day making the team uneasy. At Dave Poppert's build near Point MacKenzie, he and his crew rush to make up for lost time and work to get the trusses up and windows installed.

It's the end of the road for the three builders and their teams of helpful friends, family and handymen. At Point MacKenzie, Dave Poppert fights the cold and snow to finish his home in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Bruce Chambers lucks out when a friend comes to help put the finishing touches his Latouche Island cabin. In Southeast Alaska, Mark Sams and his team scramble to finish their cliff-side cabin on Chichagof Island.

A new season of builders brave the Alaskan elements to construct off-the-grid cabins. Jeff Erickson takes on a challenging cliffside build, Chappie Cook's team struggles to get materials to the site without roads and first-time builder Chris Sewell faces some harsh realities about his foundation.

A SkyCrane helicopter delivers a whopping 17,000 pounds of materials for Chris Sewell's cabin kit, Jeff Erickson fights the pouring rain and cold temperatures to stay on schedule and Chappie Cook's crew struggles to lift 20-foot balloon walls without heavy equipment.

Chappie Cook's team runs into bears and sinking boats while hauling scaffolding materials, Jeff Erickson carefully begins to construct his slippery roof and Chris Sewell works tirelessly to install all the timber walls of his cabin.

Chappie's team struggles to lift 600-pound rafters onto the cabin's roof. Then, Chris works on drying in his cabin while Jeff begins installing his cabin's windows.

Jeff struggles with his front deck, Chappie's team finds a major error while building the exterior insulation and Chris Sewell runs out of building materials.

Chris gets some much needed help from family to work on his interior, a floatplane with engine problems brings Chappie's build site to a standstill and Jeff makes a critical error while building the water tank system for his cabin.

As winter barrels down on Alaska, the builders scramble to complete their heating systems. Chappie must climb an extremely tall ladder to cut a hole in his roof, Jeff and his friend Andy build a hearth and Chris fixes a leak in his chimney so he can complete work indoors.

As the final days of their builds approach, the builders work to complete their cabins. Jeff Erickson helicopters in the remaining furniture for his cabin, Chris Sewell's team works hard through the night to get the interior floors installed at Judd Lake and Chappie's team pushes themselves to finish the cabin's ladders, kitchen and master bedroom at East Butterfly Lake.

Three new build teams arrive to their build sites and begin work on their unique cabins in the remote Alaskan wilderness. Josh Tousignant and his crew make the long trip to Cordova to begin building the foundation for their clients' two-story cabin. John Donkersloot and Heather Rough oversee delivery of two 40-foot shipping containers for their cabin's foundation on a mountain build site in Seward. Finally, float plane pilot Chris Maynard and his crew fly out build materials and install helical piers for his cabin's foundation on Trinity Lake.

At Trinity Lake, Chris and Joe battle an 80-foot spruce that begins to fall too soon before a helicopter delivery almost goes wrong. Next, John and Heather fall behind while building the floor of their cabin due to the rain and need help getting back on schedule on Mt. Ascension. Later, Josh and his team must forklift their materials up the muddy driveway to the build site in Cordova after the semi gets stuck at the bottom. Finally, a complex build plan with too many parts and pieces threatens to shut the site down in order to get organized.

Josh and his team begin work on the interior walls and install the second-story floor joists in their Cordova cabin. At Trinity Lake, Chris must adapt when he runs out of lumber to build a dock and the framers he hired don't show up. Finally, wrong cuts and measurements threaten to put John and Heather further behind than ever on their Mt. Ascension build.

Chris Maynard and team prepare for two intense helicopter deliveries of roof rafters, and Greg precariously scales a raised rake wall to nail it into place. John and Heather are finishing the roof by installing insulation and metal sheeting when the forklift won't shift gears and threatens to knock over their timber frame. Josh and his team work from jagged pallets and rickety ladders late into the night to finish the three gable walls for Keith and Kathleen's cabin.

All three builds are running behind schedule and must rush to get ahead. John and Heather build a water catchment system but discover they aren't getting enough water pressure, Chris Maynard's windows are delivered by helicopter in a dilapidated crate that swings violently in the wind, and Josh comes dangerously close to tipping over his forklift and knocking over a gable wall.

John Donkersloot and Heather Rough's build is put on pause as they try to figure out how to install their drywall without covering their timber frame. A new team member comes to their rescue to help them finish framing their walls, and they get a late delivery of lumber to finally finish the decking system. Chris Maynard's windows spin violently in the air during delivery, Joe and Duane install the metal roofing tin on a steep slope, and the team works on finishing the insulation and tongue and groove walls before Chris runs out of time and money. Between the rain flooding the inside of the cabin and bears eating their supplies on-site, Josh Tousignant and his team also have to contend with breaking tools and winter looming, so Josh hires additional crew to help him finish the roof system, dormers and deck.

Time is running out for the builders to complete their projects. At Trinity Lake, Chris Maynard gets help installing solar panels and sets up cameras to watch for bears while Greg and Ivan work quickly to finish the interior tongue and groove paneling for the cabin's roof. Outside Cordova, Josh Tousignant works on the custom log stairs as Jeremy takes his time to precisely cut and build the cabin's custom windows. On Mt. Ascension, John Donkersloot and Heather Rough's build site is flooded, and they must rebuild the road to their cabin. Later, a window doesn't fit, and too much pressure on freshly built custom concrete countertops causes problems.

The builders are in the final push to finish their cabins before winter strikes and forces them to shut down. Josh Tousignant and his team fight the rain and wind to install the wood stove and finish the roofing tin before clients Keith and Kathleen take over to finish their cabin's interior. Chris Maynard and his wife rush to install the kitchen counters and furniture before their extended family arrives for the first time. John Donkersloot and Heather Rough struggle to finish both the exterior and interior of their cabin before the snow falls and their build season is over.

Three new teams begin their projects; Matt and Amy Hill realize building in snow is complicated; Mike and Dan Owens mill the lumber needed for their build; Jackie Keizer hires a team that struggles to bring out an excavator to dig her foundation.

At Jackie's slippery build site, the team works to finish the subfloor and start raising walls, but rain and mud hinder them at every step. Meanwhile, the Hills are forced to dig their supplies out of three feet of snow, while the Owen family works to overcome missing pieces of their log walls.

The Hills race to finish installing their floor to avoid a delivery delay, which leads to an on-site injury. Meanwhile, Jackie and her team run into problems when their build materials start to fall apart, while the Owens struggle to install flooring before possibly being buried by a snowstorm.

The Hills work on their first floor framing, but work slows to a stop when their tools begin to freeze. The Owens work on installing the second story gables, while Jackie and her team work to finish the cabin's roof structure.

The Owens work to finish the roof, but multiple falling objects and whiteout conditions make the job perilous. Jackie and her team struggle lifting the 250-pound stove from the bay up to the cabin, and The Hills arrive at their build site to find their materials buried under the snow.

Jackie's team delivers French Doors only to find the frame fits incorrectly during installation. A snow machine delivery runs into problems on the melted trail at the Hill's build site. Meanwhile, the Owens team is installing windows when Kyle slips and falls.

Jackie's team hears propane leaking somewhere in their cabin as they install the cabinets and stove. Melting trails makes the delivery of cabinets and appliances dangerous at the Owens' build site, while a chimney installation is not going as planned for the Hills team.

The teams continue to struggle as their build seasons come to a close. Jackie's team hurries to finish the interior of her cabin, while the Owens team is at risk of not finishing their client's cabin on time. Meanwhile, the Hills brave one more journey to their build site to try and finish before their friends arrive.

Three new couples challenge the Alaskan elements. Mike and Kathleen Kondus build atop a windy tundra, first-time builders Mike and Teresa Oldenkamp construct a complex cabin and Paige Drobny and Cody Strathe create a dog-training facility on haunted land.

Mike and Kathleen begin on the foundation, but their nail gun goes on the fritz and the posts aren't level. Dog mushers Paige and Cody run low on supplies. Mike and Teresa work on their foundation with a damaged excavator.

Paige and Cody realize they don't have the correct insulation for their log walls. Kathleen and Mike's team get dangerously high up to install the ridge beam. Mike and Teresa begin work on their floor, but discover the joists are not evenly spaced.

Mike and Teresa begin building their walls, but the winch is more dangerous than they realized. Paige and Cody use a boom truck, forcing the team to work extra cautiously. Mike and Kathleen find a nasty surprise at the bottom of the mountain.

Mike and Kathleen move to interior work, but the remote location is still slow with progress. At Paige and Cody's site, mechanical failures prevent the project from finishing before dog sled season. As Mike and Teresa build higher, it gets more dangerous.

Paige and Cody's build takes a hit after Sterling and Joe leave the site and a trailer full of vital materials breaks down; the foundation is sinking at Mike and Teresa's cabin while Kathleen and Mike Kondus watch part of the cabin begin to crumble.

The Konduses fight the rain and shattered window panes deep in the White Mountains. Mike and Teresa's team gets stuck on slippery scaffolding 19 feet in the air while Paige and Cody's build stalls thanks to a material ordering snafu near the deadline.

It's a race to the finish as Paige and Cody wrap up before dog racing season in Cantwell while Mike and Kathleen lose all their help deep in the White Mountains. Meanwhile, the Oldenkamps struggle with the challenges of working on a grain-bin-style cabin.

Builder Derek Galbraith and his ski buddies construct a backcountry ski hut to give them access to highly sought-after powder snow conditions. The team builds the cabin at a lumberyard and attempts to helicopter the logs to the build site for reassembly.

Father-son duo Jere and Ben Crew set out to construct a 5,000-square-foot floating lodge for clients. They plan to tug it 13 miles across the passage to its new home at Sea Otter Sound Lodge, but their efforts may be threatened by hurricane-force winds.

First-time builder Nick Blanco is eager to construct a fishing lodge entirely out of driftwood he plans to scavenge and mill himself. However, Nick faces harsh realities on Kodiak's rugged shores when he disappears during a storm while searching for wood.

Jeff Erickson takes on a cliffside build off the coast of Seward, AK, and danger arises when he hires a helicopter to transport supplies to his mountainous site. As winter approaches, pouring rain and cold temperatures threaten the cabin construction.

If you think building in Alaska is hard, try doing it as a newbie! Join some of our bravest and most determined first-time builders as they go all-in and figure out how to build their dream cabin, rookie-style!

Retired fighter pilot Mike Oldenkamp is determined to build a grain bin-style cabin that honors his wife Teresa's Midwestern roots. As the Alaskan winter looms, the couple battles to complete their cabin before the weather stops them in their tracks.

First-time builders Amy and Matt Hill brave the frozen landscape as they race to build a cabin in the dead of winter for their snowmobile adventures. They quickly discover that building in freezing temperatures is more challenging than they thought.

Retired math teacher Jackie Keizer takes on wet and muddy southeastern Alaska to build a family legacy cabin with her son, Maxx. Jackie battles constant rain as she attempts to finish her cabin in time for her family to enjoy it in the summer months.

Check out some of the most intense challenges and heart-pounding moments in show history. When Alaska sets limits, the builders confront harrowing commutes and uncompromising weather to reach the end of their projects.

The Owens family works to build a dream log cabin for homeowners Deanne and Marc Hamblen. The team sees no shortage of challenges as they mill logs and transport them with a snowcat, but lightheartedness and humor help them persevere.