(81) Restoring an Abandoned Villa in Italy… What Nobody Warns You About!

#SicilyVillaRenovation #AbandonedVillaRenovation #ItalyPropertyInvestment #OperationSicily Sicily villa renovation continues as I take on a brutal day of manual labour scraping back the rear garden terrace ahead of concreting, and run the solar panel ducting through to the future outbuilding at the Sicilian villa. This week starts with a mix of good and bad news. A concrete company has been out to quote for the rear garden terrace and the underground rainwater tank base, and they can start next week, which is a big step forward for the off-grid water system. The catch is I've backfilled the terrace too much, so the whole surface needs scraping back by around 3 inches to get the right depth for concrete. With four weeks of no rain and the ground already compacted solid from the whacker plate, this turns into properly back breaking work. Breaking up the surface by hand with a hoe, shovelling it into buckets, then carrying and emptying every single load against the back garden wall. No shortcuts, just hours of manual graft. The second job this week is running electrical ducting from the roof terrace, down the side of the house, across the terrace, and up through to where the future outbuilding will sit. This ducting will eventually carry the cabling for the solar panel system once it's installed on the roof, feeding down to the batteries and inverters housed inside the outbuilding. A key step in building out the off-grid solar setup for the villa. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 - Scraping Back the Rear Garden Terrace by Hand 09:07 - Running Solar Panel Ducting to the Outbuilding 19:00 - My Son Helps Fill Roof Holes With Mortar --- 🛠️ WELCOME TO OPERATION SICILY Real DIY renovation, filmed in real-time. No big crews or budgets, just passion, persistence, and progress. 🗓️ NEW VIDEOS EVERY SUNDAY Subscribe here →    / @operationsicily   --- 🔧 SUPPORT THE RENOVATION Buy Me a Coffee → https://buymeacoffee.com/operationsicily Become a Member →    / @operationsicily   Amazon Wish List → https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/... Amazon Storefront → https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/operati... 📦 SEND MAIL / SUPPORT THE PROJECT If you'd like to send something to support the renovation, the garden, or even the stray cats, you can send it here: (Please include your name or username for a shoutout in a future video) Jonathan Smith REF: Operation Sicily c/o Mail Boxes Etc. 118 Via Giuseppe Mazzini 89 91025 Marsala (TP) Italy Business enquiries: [email protected] --- 🌐 FOLLOW THE JOURNEY Instagram →   / operation.sicily   Facebook Group →   / 1112314647258898   TikTok →   / operationsicily   --- 🌍 OFFICIAL WEBSITE & PROJECT LINKS Homepage → https://www.operationsicily.com Watch The Journey → https://www.operationsicily.com/watch... Property Services → https://www.operationsicily.com/prope... Blog → https://www.operationsicily.com/blog Villa History → https://www.operationsicily.com/villa... FAQ → https://www.operationsicily.com/faq Support The Build → https://www.operationsicily.com/suppo... Press & Media → https://www.operationsicily.com/press... Contact → https://www.operationsicily.com/contact --- ✍️ FEATURED SICILY PROPERTY GUIDES Ultimate Guide to Buying Property in Sicily → https://www.operationsicily.com/blog/... Moving to Sicily in 2026 → https://www.operationsicily.com/blog/... Best Time to Visit Sicily → https://www.operationsicily.com/blog/... Buying an Abandoned House in Sicily → https://www.operationsicily.com/blog/... Cost to Renovate a House in Sicily → https://www.operationsicily.com/blog/... Sicily villa renovation, abandoned villa renovation Sicily, DIY villa renovation Italy, restoring an abandoned villa, off grid living Sicily, renovating property in Italy, Italian villa restoration, rural Sicily lifestyle, buying property in Italy renovation, off grid homestead Italy, Italian countryside renovation, property investment Italy renovation © Operation Sicily® 2026. All rights reserved. Operation Sicily® is a registered trademark. Unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of this content, footage, or brand without written permission is prohibited.