Building with the Brothers | Life Below Zero

♪ CHIP: You're creating things, it's so much fun. When you stop creating things, I think life just gets dull. ♪ ♪ ♪

(puppy barking)

WILLIE: This is the last load, huh?

CHIP: Yeah. So, we got the door. We got the insulation. We got plastic, but the whole idea is just to, like, get the door in, get that door in, get all this stuff ready for winter.

WILLIE: Cool.

CHIP: So, I built the shop this summer. The shop is an idea that I have towards making a factory that would make ulus. As I get older and maybe hunt less and have more time on my hands, I'll want to be able to establish a business that's lucrative, and that's something I'm interested in. It's like making myself a job. I'm in my mid 50s. So, you know, in 20 years, I'll be in my mid 70s, and I should have a place to work. A good place to work. 'Cause I'm gonna keep working till I die.

In the meantime, I'll use it for all kinds of stuff to make money to finish the factory. Well, my main idea is if we take care of the insulation, the boards, get the ramp done and the door on, we're ready for winter, and hopefully we'll have beaten it. Because the fact is right now, it's like 30, 31 degrees. It really warmed up, and this is the time to get 'er done, 'cause when we get down to 20, we start splitting chunks off of wood.

It got really cold for a couple weeks. I mean really cold, below zero. And when it's below zero, you can't really drive nails through wood, because things just fly apart. But this for now will be able to get me through the winter if we do something like tarp this up to keep the heat curbed in. We get a good door onto here, I think it'll be just fine.

WILLIE: Yeah, yeah. That sounds good.

CHIP: And if you know anything better, let me know. Tell me. My brother Will, he's visiting. And while he's around, he's helping me out. My brother brought, um, previous carpenter knowledge with him. My brother is not like, um, you know, a general contractor or anything, but he's definitely got his brains together when it comes to installing doors, fixing roofs, lifting, leveling, all that other stuff.

And you don't have to go to a school. You know, he went to the school of life. And, uh, he knows a lot.

WILLIE: So first I'll get the measurement, then we'll cut it, and then I'll stick it up.

CHIP: Alright.

WILLIE: Yeah. How's that sound?

CHIP: I'll do the cutting, you do the measuring and sticking.

WILLIE: I'm not sure about your cutting abilities. (laughs) No. I was just down in Anchorage and came up here to help Chip get his shop together. Here, here's a razor blade. And you just set this across it.

CHIP: I saw what you did.

WILLIE: Yeah.

CHIP: I got it.

WILLIE: Alright. Me and Chip, we have a good relationship. I guess it's a trust relationship that me and Chip would probably have, because if he tells me something, I usually pretty much do it. And vice versa with him. That's how brothers are supposed to be. You're supposed to help each other out.

So, it's 47.

CHIP: 47. 47. Growing up, that was the only brother I had around. So, that's my bro. And then when he was about 16 or so, he moved to Alaska. And then after a while when I got older, I came up here to visit him. (chuckles) And I stayed. That was 1988. Pretty much I'm here because of my brother. He was the reason why I came up, because I wanted to see him.

(stapling)

WILLIE: Alright. This is the last one?

CHIP: Last piece of insulation for this part of the roof.

WILLIE: Heck yeah.

CHIP: Yeah, we get some plastic and some wood up there, and then we'll be able to put the tracks for the door.

WILLIE: My stapling job is not that, uh, professional, but it's, it'll work. (laughs) Okay. I'm calling it good.

CHIP: Alright. That's good. Thank you. So now that this is done, we can move to the next thing. It's all chugging right along. ♪