Victor Justin Rhodes and a crew including Nate from The Kramer Life build a pole barn in one day, installing retainer walls, 6x6 posts with wedge anchors, cross-beams, and a feeding trough. They race against daylight, improvise with a tractor bucket to lift heavy poles, and finish most of the structure before dark.
Today is the day. The lumber is here. We're gonna do our pole barn configurations. All— well, we don't have the gates in the front yet, but we have everything else. So it's quite possible we could get the animals in very soon. These front gates, I think, could come later. Look who's here! We got Nate from the Kramer Life. How's the Kramer Life going, buddy?
We're doing great.
Okay. Yeah, I'm loving it. What What were you going to do today before I texted you an hour and a half ago?
Uh, I was insulating my RV for the polar vortex.
Okay, well, you're going to be happy to get out of that and get out here, right? Yeah, you know, polar vortex is— it's the weather drama. Yeah, for a cold front.
Okay.
Yeah, that's all this. All right, well, it just sounds way more scary, gets more views on the Weather Channel. Yeah. Okay, buddy, we're gonna start mounting our Retainer wall. Quick, everybody look busy! The inspector's here. Yep. Hey, you feeling better?
Yeah, actually I am.
Okay, you're walking.
Yeah, I am.
That's good. Kind of wobbling. Walking's a strong word.
Walking's a strong word.
You're funny. Okay, so how does it look?
It looks really good.
Look how close that is.
I'm very excited.
Good job.
Yeah, I'm very excited.
You haven't seen the hay rack yet.
I know, I just watched yesterday's vlog. I, I—
so you're caught up? You're caught up on the happenings around here?
Caught up on what you've been doing. Okay, thanks. No, I watched you. I, I looked out the window a couple times yesterday while you were working.
All right, but this is great. It's coming along super fast.
Yeah, it is.
Look who else is here— Jason from Sotherland. What are you sewing on the land these days? Nothing much right now. Oh, okay. Pole barns. Pole barns. Okay. I'm cutting wood. All right, good. You're in charge of getting us a— look, he's got us a nice corner shim right there.
He's Big Daddy.
Yeah, we got a pro carpenter.
We got Big Daddy here. We got Big Daddy's replacement.
Big Daddy's coming a little bit for the ultimate inspection.
So yeah, yeah, you think I'm an inspector?
We got 3 inspectors, 4, 4, 3 workers. Sounds about right. Oh, look who's here, the big time inspector. 3-inch screws. Thank you. And what do you call them? They're Tapcons? No, no, they're not Tapcons.
These are Uh, oh, there's green ones.
Oh, okay. What are they called? I got you 5. Those are wedge anchors. Sleeve off? Yeah, but it's sleeve anchor. That may be a little bit different than the ones I had, but it'll work. Yeah, it'll work. All right, good deal. These are plates for the bottom of our 6x6s. We're gonna put them in between to help hold this container wall to support the building. It's overall a good thing. Hard to drill through that, huh? Yeah. Jason's got our first plate in now. Jason, all 5 of them can't take an hour and a half now. I know, the first one needs to be the longest. What? Okay, we're gonna hope for the best. We weren't able to You know, it was hard to get that middle one in. Now we're gonna pick up the 6x6. Thanks for the workout. That was a good practice. But if you cut it short enough to clear that, then it won't reach. It'll bend that. I guess who cares if it bends it, we'll just bend it back. We could just hammer it back and then drill it in. All right, so we have to go up this way and then lean it.
Is there any chance of us being able to lift the pole when it's straight up and just put it into place, or is it just gonna be easier angling it in and then bending it back?
Oh, I see. I don't think it'll clear even then. So if we lean it, go in this way slanted and lean it up against that. Oh, okay. Yeah, we can try that. We're gonna lift it up and then over, tilt it back. That actually worked very nice. Didn't bend that metal plate too much. Just hit it back up with a hammer and it's in. Jason cut that perfect. I'm gonna climb way up there, take a measurement so we can put a 2x6 in to mount that to it. All right, I climbed up there. Super sketch because that Pull isn't leaning against the thing. Sharp ladder. The only thing else we have on farm is the tractor. Ain't gonna lift it up that high. We could get in the bucket and go up there. Now we're gonna try to get up into the bucket. If I get up into there, you are gonna have to hand me the tools. I need you guys to cut me a 2x6, 2 foot and a quarter. Some view up here. Wow, holy smokes. Yeah, why didn't I think of that, Jonah? Ladder to the bucket. Wouldn't be as dramatic, not as cool. Rebecca, you sunbathing?
I am. I'm enjoying my sun.
I think you're enjoying heckling us.
I am enjoying your heckling.
Okay, so she's gonna—
I am enjoying the sun too.
They— Nate's hanging the cross beams there. They're working on the metal. There's only so many people can do that. They're working on getting the post pinned down. I'm gonna go ahead and start on the trough. We're gonna make one half that size, so 5 feet from Polyface Designs. Let's do it. Okay, an hour and 10 minutes I built that thing. It was a lot quicker than the first time, 3 days, 4 days. Now that was just here and there work, but that's all the difference of having some help. That's all the difference of doing it once. That's all the difference of having all the supplies here and doing it when it's hot. Yes, because I like it when it's hot. Yes, a little warmer. Jason, are you getting some better luck over here? Yeah, I think so. I got one more of these to put in right here. Yeah, right here. Okay, and then we're gonna set up all those posts. Yes. Okay, I think we're gonna have time. What, about an hour-ish till 5? Hour and a half till dark. Yeah, Jason is done putting the bases in. We're gonna go around and put up these. We got 4 more big butt 6x6s. Let's do this. Wanna shower till it's dark? I think we got it. What do you think? Yeah, and if it gets dark, we have lights. Hmm, okay. The sun is dropping. We've got one more. I thought we were done. I thought we were done there, but we've got just one more. One more height. We got to get the tractor, get up there. They only hang up here. That's a foot and a half gap. Tractor should be able to do it no problem though. This is the hardest one yet. I've got, I've got to just attach it here and reach way out and kind of hope I can screw it in.
If I had to start my Homestead all over again, it could only pick one animal… 
