I Tried to Automate My Entire Property (This Got Out of Control)

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]I started with a smart home, a few automations, some sensors, things inside the house just working.

[00:00:09]And that was enough.

[00:00:10]Until it wasn't.

[00:00:13]Because this is not a smart home anymore.

[00:00:17]This is a vineyard, a hillside, a driveway, and a lot of land that doesn't maintain itself. And everything here keeps growing.

[00:00:27]Every year I tell myself the same thing.

[00:00:30]This year I'll get it under control.

[00:00:33]Over winter I actually made a plan. By May I wanted to clear more of the old vineyard, clean up around the house, and start working on the orchard.

[00:00:44]And to be fair, some of that happened.

[00:00:47]The area around the house is much better now. Parts of the vineyard are finally accessible. I even started clearing the orchard.

[00:00:55]But then nature happened. Storms, fallen trees, weeks of bad weather, and then life happened, too.

[00:01:02]Work, obligations, things unfortunately you don't plan for.

[00:01:06]And suddenly it's May.

[00:01:09]And there is still a lot left to do.

[00:01:12]But honestly, I'm still happy with the progress. Friends and coworkers came over to help. We turned it into a small work day, some cleaning, some barbecue, and a lot of beer. And without this, this would still look completely overgrown.

[00:01:28]But that also made something very clear.

[00:01:31]Maintaining a place like this takes time. A lot of time.

[00:01:36]More time than I realistically have.

[00:01:40]And that's where things started to change.

[00:01:43]Because maybe the goal isn't to do more work. Maybe the goal is to do less of it. Not by ignoring it, but by automating it.

[00:01:53]Right now, I'm just getting started.

[00:01:56]I already have one robot more handling the easier areas around the house. And recently I started testing a much more capable one on rough terrain. And honestly, it's been both impressive and frustrating. Sometimes it works really well. Sometimes it gets completely stuck.

[00:02:14]Because real terrain isn't clean. It's uneven, overgrown, full of roots, ivy, slopes, and things you only notice when something hits them.

[00:02:25]So, this is what I want to figure out.

[00:02:28]Can technology actually handle something like this?

[00:02:31]Can it reduce the amount of manual work needed?

[00:02:35]Can a smart property actually work in the real world?

[00:02:39]I don't know yet, but I'm about to find out.

[00:02:43]This is no longer just a smart home.

[00:02:46]This is the beginning of a smart property.

[00:02:50]And this is only the start.

[00:02:53]As always, I must say thanks to all those wonderful people that are supporting me and that have become YouTube channel members. Thank you all for all of your support. But also thanks to all of you that has watched, shared, liked, or commented on my videos.

[00:03:09]I will be seeing you all next time.

[00:03:12]Until then, bye-bye and stay smart.