About the show
The Faces of "Building Alaska"
See All Photos
Go Behind the Scenes
See All Look
Meet the Builders
Episodes
See Episode GuideNinja Framer
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 End Game
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.
A Helicopter Drop, the Art of Scribing, and a Thousand-Dollar Mistake
The challenges of building homes in remote Alaska continues as Lee orchestrates a massive eighteen-load helicopter drop to deliver the equipment and supplies he'll need to build a two-story cabin on Bulchitna Lake. 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.
The Race Is On: The Builders Set Their Course
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.
Don't Try This At Home
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.
No Quit
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.
Family Legacy
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.
Bump Outs and Burls
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.
Family Legacy
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.
Lofty Goals
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.
Location, Location, Location
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.
Noah's Barge
Jere, Ben and Tim put the finishing touches on the biggest project they've undertaken: building a 112-foot floating barge. They struggle with figuring out how to get a 40-foot trailer underneath it so they can transport it to the water, and hurricane-force winds change their plans and delay the launch. Nick gets help from his family and friends, but the group struggles trying to install the 27 pilings needed to build his dream fishing lodge and warehouse. In the end they solve the problem using some Alaskan ingenuity. Finally, Brannon's cabin starts taking shape as the crew does some heavy lifting putting up the gable end walls.
Building Alaska, the New Generation
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!
Going Vertical
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.
Rain Gear Is Going On
Chappie's team struggles to lift 600-pound rafters onto the cabin's roof. Then, Chris works on drying in his cabin while Jeff begins installing his cabin's windows.
Game Changer
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.
A Toy Set for Big Kids
Chris gets some much needed help from family to work on his interior, a floatplane with engine problems brings Chappie's build site to a standstill and Jeff makes a critical error while building the water tank system for his cabin.
Knock This Thing Out
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.
Sky's the Limit
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.
You Might Also Like …
See All Shows
Building Off the Grid: Alaska
Building Off the Grid
