I just wanted to say how I envy you, Doug. I love the channel, and you're scared of tackling nothing. You and Ashley just give off a very positive vibe, humble and honest. God Bless.

Doug, I believe the John Deere is the best Christmas gift you’ve ever gotten. You’re going to accomplish a lot with that. Be safe.

That was a brilliant purchase. Talk about a force multiplier.

Great way to get yard work done without straining your back. Good progress.

I dearly love the classical music opening.

wow, working in a t-shirt in the middle of December. Know you are happy campers.

Yes, an excavator without a thumb is just a large spoon, you can only scoop & scrape. The thumb makes it so much more useful. The more time practicing the better you get with using anything. It will become more valuable. Can't wait for more home progress but I know the "bones" have to be corrected before the "skin" can become pretty. One step at a time & you'll get it all done. Just like you have with all your other homes you have transformed. Bye Ashley.

Now its time for Ashley to get up on the excavator and learn how to operate it!

The problem with letting trees rot on your property in FL is it often brings termites, something you do not want.

Love the Tchaikovsky in the background. Doug waltzing those mattresses around.

That little excavator did an awesome job clearing away the vines and junk! That had to have been so much better than having to crawl around in them and deal with possible bugs and snakes. Whoever worked on your house in the past really didn't know what they were doing. It's going to be such a nice, well built house when you are done. Good job saving the frog!🐸

Gosh it seemed like such a jungle to get to that tangerine tree and now there it is! Your property will be a woodland and Everglades combined. Running the John Deere seems therapeutic.

Good to see you can afford the tools that make your jobs easier you worked to hard in the past.

if you make walls from the branches and put those near the forrest you create hiding places for rabbits and stuff , might be nice for the kids to watch about moving the brush and the treads spinning in the soft soil , work the boom instead of spinning the treads , pull it toward you then let go while driving back and repeat allso if you drop the blade when working the boom it becomes a little more stable and you whont pull the digger toward the boom , just dont forget to pull it up before moving

Keep the bucket and arm closer to you as you turn to the side. That is how you tip over because that is the less stable side. When pulling the vines down from trees, lower the blade for stability. When you are going into the brush, if unclear how stable the ground is, use the bucket to check out the area, you do not want to sink the tracks too low in boggy earth. Finally, use the hose to power wash off the mud from the tracks, sprockets, and undercarriage. That looks amazing! Well done!! I am not surprised by the porch construction, LOL from the trash, broken bottles, and mattresses around it that was probably a drunkard's paradise!

I can't believe how quiet that little excavator is. I was thinking making a berm around the pond would help protect the house from flooding when necessary. Doug, you did great operating the mini.

What a wise investment! So satisfying to see all of the vines and trash removed! You guys are phenomenal! Congratulations! 😉🇺🇸

Removing all the vines and overgrowth really makes the property look much better. I hope we get to see the fire when the time comes to burn it.

I'm not an expert with excavators, but I believe that putting down your blade while you're working should add to the stability of the excavator. It might stop the rocking you're dealing with. Of course, you have to raise the blade to move, so this is just when you're stationary.

Doug, while using the boom of your excavator put ur front blade down for stability so u won’t bounce up and down so bad.

Unfortunately a lot of “old timers” in the country used to bury their trash. So fun to watch the progress on both inside and outside projects

I love your choice of music for this video!

I never have seen an excavator dance to the nutcracker suite. Love it

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Clearing just that area has expanded your living area, and given the kids more clean room to play. Love watching you work. If you don't get materials for one project, you get busy making progress on another. Amazing how much junk people scatter around their property. Good work. Good video.

The bird consistently calling in your yard is a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Thought I share that.

I noticed some things you picked up the excavator tilted. You can use the blade for leverage on heavy things so you don’t tilt. Sure looking great there.

Thank you for the thumb info. I did not know about that.

You guys really opened that area up ! Looking great

Just to say, people with a bit of property in the 'country', so to speak didn't have trash pick up so they had designated area for trash and burning of it. I worked as a private nanny in the 80's in Green Cove Springs and they had a huge garbage pit out back between their house and the girls parents. Everything AND the kitchen sink was out there. Lol On my one off day, family was off and I was taking out the trash. I was told that if I ever... *EVER* saw a panther/bobcat/black bear. *do NOT* turn my back. Drop the trash down and back up slowly. Well.. in my right hand I had the rat shot gun...(for snakes they said!) and left , the bag of trash and a few bologna slices. And just my luck... I walk towards the pit.. It was smouldering from the family's parents the day before And right there across the pit was the prettiest black panther Id ever seen. I stopped,.. Set the trash bag down... Had the slimy greasy pieces of bologna and I tossed them like a frisbee towards it...saying... Here kitty kitty! Yep.. I actually said that to him. 😅 I about fainted.. It looked up at me and thank the Lords more interested in what it was eating... I backed up not taking my eyes off it til I got to the carport!! This city slicker used a red wagon after that making all kinds of noise next time! Never saw it again ... but to see something less than 50 ft away was nuts! Glad it wasn't a bear. We have them near me in Nocatee.. Foxes, coyotes too. Sad.. Their habitats are shrinking. 😪 Ok... Enough of my ramblings folks...sorry to ramble. 😊

I loved the phone ringing and the yell…phone! I haven’t experienced that in years. We all went to cell phones quite a few years ago and I really miss having a home phone but nobody calls people anymore.

Loved watching the clearing process and the Nutcracker accompaniment!! 😊 My experience with both thorny and grapevines is you need to get the root also or they just resprout AND send out underground runners which also sprout! It took a couple years and I eventually had to cut the ones too deeply rooted to dig out so there was about 6-8 inches from the ground then dip the fresh cut into an undiluted container of brush and vine killer. A thought about the excavator tipping when lifting or pulling hard, drop the blade so there's pressure on the ground to prevent toppling forward. Just remember to lift the blade before moving! 😏💕

Ashley, thanks for saving the creatures as you go along

I think you should get a shipping container for storage and put it on a concrete foundation so it doesn’t flood and you can keep your excavator in it

Amazing machine! If you do these works by hand, it will be a disaster; but it is nothing to the machine. I think that after you complete the house renovation, you can develop excavator business to nearby people or companies. I believe that whether it is a house repair/renovation, or a building construction company, or a landscape design company, there will be such a demand for excavator(with driver), and you will get very good and stable income.

Love it!!!! If you put the blade down when pulling or lift extra heavy it’ll help you not tip as much.

3.06am couldn't sleep scrolled through on You Tube up came the notification . My favorite people great work Doug 😊

I like the Nutcracker as background music, very Christmassy.🎄⛄🤶🎅🎁

Very satisfying video. The music made me smile.

You were having WAY to much fun !!! Great job Doug. I hope your neighbors realize what they’re going to have to do when your done. Ha, there going to have to step up their game when they see the mansion next door !!!! I’m so excited to see it !! Keep up the great work and be safe. Love you all ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The excavator is a great addition. You can make quick work of a french drain system to rid your property of water in undesired locations. Easy to do and not that expensive.

Great big boy toy! It’s actually fairly quiet too. You’ll be able to get a lot done with that little machine and save your back.

Cool work! Did you all know you can use the grape vines to make wreaths. Just wind them around and around and they can be decorated any way you like, for any Holidays, not just Christmas. Just do them while the vines are still green and bend easily. They are very natural and organic and can be beautiful, even on their own.

That machine is worth it’s weight in gold!! The background music 😂👍

TOO funny y'all....loved the music choice. Cleaning up the overgrowth really shows the landscape potential. Hope ya find some treasures amongst the trash!

I love watching your videos. You are such a sweet family. Don’t ever change. Blessings to you.

This is just a suggestion in consideration of the fact that you are planning to sell that place eventually. Since you are in Florida and it both rains often and you have intense heat and sunlight to deal with at times, you might want to consider over time making that a wrap around porch. It could potentially increase sale value to have more sheltered house extension space. Also on the excavator, look into how much the brush cutter attachment costs for your excavator. It basically turn those vines and small junk trees into wood chips, which are potentially useful and don't have to be burned.

That looks so much nicer. I also love how clear the pond looks behind you. Ashley's work there really paid off.

I could use one of those for cleanup in my yard!I love watching you clean your property! The things you will find!

Instead of burning I would definitely consider renting a wood chipper and distribute the chips right where you cut them. Will help prevent weeds and actually looks really good. Check out a few videos on brush chipping. Really transforms old forest.

That excavator makes clearing so easy! Imagine doing that by hand!

Wow, your property is going to look so good with all that rubbish cleared. I didn’t realise how big the block is, too covered in brush. I knew the place will be completely transformed by you. It’s exciting to see each improvement.

Vine city in your own back yard!!!!! Your so sweet to that frog...bless you. Sleepover in the brush? What I also love about your channel is how you ask a question...Ashley will answer "good", then your face lights up. Ahhh the power of love!

What a remarkable difference in the look of your property! The excavator was a great idea!

You can look into water management with hugelkultur. I know it is wise to burn the bramble but rotting logs at the bottom of garden mound or beds can hold a lot of water for garden plants so you don't have to water so much and can keep puddles and mud more manageable in rainy season.

Have you guys thought about doing a wrap around porch? If you're rebuilding the porch, you might be able to extend the roof around. It could also go to your bedroom exterior door

if you dig your pond deeper you can use the dirt you take out to raise the level of your yard to minimize the flooding

Gawd, the Florida vines. They go on forever!

Don't forget to file for "Homestead Exemption", THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION In the state of Florida, a $25,000 exemption is applied to the first $50,000 of your property’s assessed value if your property is your permanent residence and you owned the property on January 1 of the tax year. This exemption applies to all taxes, including school district taxes. An additional exemption of up to $25,000 will be applied if your property’s assessed value is between at least $50,000 and $75,000. This exemption is not applied to school district taxes.

In your most serious radio voice: "Up next, Dougovsky's Treecracker Suite, Op. 1: III. Waltz of the Excavating Deere" .. Couldn't resist 🤣 I'm a violinist! Thanks for that intro 🙏🏽

Excellent choice of music for this video.

Love the choices of music, first Vaughan Williams, The Lark Ascending, then The Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss. Ideal for the start of the video.🙂 Plus, Doug gets to put the excavator to use, and what a difference that's already making. 👏👍 When we first moved into what became our family home when I was a child had a lean-to, and seeing the porch reminded me of that, which we called the lean-away from day one.

I really appreciate that you are leaving that big old downed tree (with the amazing root system ) to lay in rest on the ground it grew up on so that it can go back into that place of it's genesis; Circle of Life right on your doorstep.

Great job Doug. Oh, loved the classical music by the way.

Are you going to build a levee around your property to keep the water out??? Could probably backfill some of the swamp and expand your property. I really like your property because it allows you to fix what you deem a problem. I like to fix problems on a property, it makes them interesting. I never been the person who likes living in a place that doesn't need work.

I'm like a kid at Christmas, waiting to see all your work on the home & property! So exciting.

You guys have gotten so much done it’s impressive. I’m so happy Ashley is loving the the warmth and sunshine down there.

Mini excavators are such a useful machine. We got one for our homestead this year and the list of things I want to do with it is a mile long. They save so much manual labor clearing out vines and brush like you are doing....I'm amazed at how I can transform an area of our property in a short amount of time with one. Good luck with yours....should last you a lifetime.

Whenever I hear that song all I can think about is the ballet recital scene from ‘The Little Rascals’ 😂

Looking like a smooth operator there Doug! 🤗💜

the classical "dance of the excavator" music, nice! that claw was a great buy

I would strongly recommend grading what you want while it’s dry as well so you aren’t trying to do it in a muddy swampy environment

Your property is going to be beautiful!

Yes! Yes! Yes!!!

Nothing like 50 different things to do all at one time. Really glad you got a piece of equipment that will be used from here on out.

Awesome machine! Excellent buy. Very practical!

Great work. Ashley, love your sweater. Doug, Nice to see you in other color than black. You guys do such good work. You always leave things much better than you found them. This will be no exception. Love that your style changed with each house.

What a save on your back and muscles.

It was so fun to see the excavator working hard. It would have taken days and days to clear those vines without it. I'm so happy for you all.

Bless you Ashley for saving the frog 🐸

The Nutcracker! Perfect 👌 The pirouettes were very graceful. 😂

You can also put a mulcher on there and it will turn trees and brush into sawdust. And please keep your tractor work videos separate from other work videos so that it's easier to put the tractor videos into a playlist separate from the other videos. Since you mentioned the trash around the property, in the past it was common for people that live out in the country to bury their trash instead of taking it to the dump. So you probably have more trash buried on your property.

There's nothing you can't do Doug. Yard is looking good.👏💖

Yep, that excavator is going to be such a time-saver for you! I was thinking of Bobblehead as you talked about the junk you are finding. He sure has a ton of junk on his old property and would probably have liked to borrow your excavator if you weren't so far away. You handled it very well, too, Doug. You looked like you'd been doing that for a long time.

The downed big tree is hardwood, great for fire pits and heating if you have a wood stove.

Maverick is such a great helper. Great fun watching that yard clean up. Looks so great. Being a KZfaqr is hard work. Plus all the property improvements. What hard workers!!! We love watching. Thanks for posting.

The excavator looks like it is fun to operate!!! Looks great!!!!

So exciting seeing it all come together! Happy you are going to keep the tree…many possibilities for it!❣️

So happy to see you guys happy. Enjoy your life while doing good stuff. Best of luck!

That was a huge job you did there . To do it by hand would have been a daunting task . You’d have been scratched and covered in dirt . As well , heaven knows what slithered and skittered away in front of your machine . That little helper is a real life saver isn’t it . Your surroundings are improving so much . More space , more room to grow fruit trees and other wonderful tropical vegetation to delight the eye . This is the place for you most certainly .

Way to work that ‘thumb’. Great job and you looked like you were enjoying yourself.

The excavator is such an exciting tool and it was so much fun watching you use it!

Great practice on the excavator! You're ready for finesse work now! 👍😃

Can’t wait to see what you do with the outside of the house. Great job cleaning part of your yard.

Love the music you chose to accompany your work🙌🏻😊🥰😃🤩🎉❤️🙏🏻

The excavator looks like fun to use!

The property is looking so good! Kudos to you all on all the hard work and the cool new John Deere. Hope you all have a happy holiday season and a blessed day 💕

Love the phone call at the end...Such a good laugh...you two look so happy..your dream is coming true...nesting in Fl.

Doug, you did a great job using the new piece of equipment!

it would be interesting to see what is at the bottom of that pond!

Good job with your new excavator! Part of The reason you have so much junk and debris on your property is not necessarily from people littering but because of your property flooding on occasion. Debris and junk just flows onto your property during floods and gets stuck in the underbrush on your property. At least now with your excavator you can reduce the underbrush. Trees, vines plants etc. grow extremely fast in Florida due to the climate. You are going to love having that excavator around to help keep it under control. Have a wonderful holiday!