Paso brothers who starred on 'Redwood Kings' are back with a new reality TV series
Two chainsaw-wielding brothers from Paso Robles are carving out a niche in reality television — one custom-built cabin at a time.
Fraternal twins John and Ron Daniels, both 45, star on the new reality show "Cabin Brothers," premiering this month on DIY Network.
The show's pilot episode, airing Wednesday, follows the Daniels brothers and their team as they craft a pair of rustic yet elegant cabins in the heart of Paso Robles wine country.
"It's a bit of a Daniels Wood Land twist on the tiny home world," explained Ron Daniels, whose company’s creations previously appeared on the reality show “Redwood Kings.” That series ran for two seasons on Animal Planet, garnering strong ratings.
Daniels said "Cabin Brothers" is yet another step in the evolution of the business he started with his brother in 1997.
Based in Paso Robles’ Tin City industrial complex, Daniels Wood Land uses reclaimed wood and salvaged materials to build everything from luxury tree houses and elaborate play structures to commercial themed projects such as animatronic shooting galleries and water wheels for restaurants, stores and amusement parks.
Their clients include actor/director Clint Eastwood, "The Girls Next Door" reality star Holly Madison, prosecutor-turned-pundit Nancy Grace and professional baseball players Buster Posey, Roy Halliday and C.C. Sabathia. The company, which employs 50 people, has also built tree houses for royal families from Dubai, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
"Throughout the history of Daniels Wood Land, we've always said, 'Gosh, we should do a really big tree house — like something you can live in," Ron Daniels recalled.
In 2014, the company built its first cabin: a rustic, 1830s-style log cabin complete with hand-hewn furniture and animal pelts and snowshoes hanging on the walls.
"We took it to a trade show in Florida and really knocked people's socks off," Daniels said. (The cabin, which was snapped up within 30 minutes of its appearance at Orlando's IAAPA Attractions Expo, wound up at a Pennsylvania campground, he added.)
That success convinced the Danielses to add cabins to their catalog.
The cabins, which can be as large as 600 square feet, range in cost from $20,000 for a basic building to $200,000 for a fully furnished structure with custom touches such as a live-edge oak table, walls crafted from wine barrel staves and a kitchen sink fashioned from an antique copper bucket.
"Some (clients) want us to go the extra mile and really turn us loose to frost that cake and do something amazing and unique," said Daniels, whose company builds five or six cabins a year.
According to Daniels, the cabins can serve a variety of functions — from a hunting lodge to a vacation home that doubles as an Airbnb rental property. "Instead of staying in a hotel, you could stay at a spectacular cabin and have a truly amazing experience," he explained.
In the pilot epiode of "Cabin Brothers," Daniels Wood Land creates vineyard retreats for Carol and Stephen Hoyt, owners of Hoyt Family Vineyards in Malibu and Paso Robles, and their two teenaged children.
"They’ve asked the (Danielses) to build them not one cabin but two, so the adults can enjoy a little quiet and privacy away from the teenagers," according to a DIY Network news release. "The (Danielses) and their team pull out all stops to create cabins that are truly custom and in keeping with the Hoyts’ 'rustic chic' aesthetic."
One highlight? A wine fridge carved out of a massive tree stump.
According to Hoyt Family Vineyards' website, the Hoyts own a 86-acre ranch on Paso Robles' west side. The winery also has a tasting room in downtown Paso Robles. (DIY Network did not make the Hoyts available for interviews.)
Daniels couldn't share too many details about Wednesday's episode, shot over the course of about six months in 2017, but said it will resonate with "Redwood Kings" fans as well as viewers who are less familiar with the brothers' work.
"(It's the) same great characters, same craftsmanship and ingenuity, same (focus) on repurposing of materials and reclaimed wood," said Nate Calloway, creator and co-executive producer of "Cabin Brothers" and "Redwood Kings." "Their process is amazing. They build amazing things and ... they’re comfortable in their own skin, which is very important."
So far, DIY Network, part of Discovery, has only ordered a stand-alone pilot episode for "Cabin Brothers." "DIY Nework will make an announcement when and if it's picked up to series," explained Chelsey Riemann, Discovery communications and talent relations manager.
Calloway hopes that "Cabin Brothers" will find the same following as "Redwood Kings." "(The Danielses) do such amazing work that I feel it should be shared with the world," he said.
Tune in
"Cabin Brothers" airs at 4 p.m. PST (7 p.m. EST) Wednesday on DIY Network.
This story was originally published May 14, 2018 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Paso brothers who starred on 'Redwood Kings' are back with a new reality TV series."