A lot of my stuff is set and forget. Home Assistant doesn’t need to be updated or monitored. As long as nothing talks to the internet, all I need is backups of the config and spare SD cards.
Doing this project from start to finish took me 2 or 3 months on and off, mostly during the weekends.
Doing it right yourself is the exact solution I arrived at myself :) I was shocked to discover how low the average technical level of local contractors is. I was super lucky to find a highly professional guy to overhaul the pipework, but anything more complicated I had to study on my own. Luckily, there is a ton of youtube videos, so the only thing you actually need is time.
It seems like this kind of think should be very doable in the industry but capability seems to be the big challenge.
I've looked at doing something similar for my home system but the LOE + upkeep make me think the reward to work ratio isn't right.
That said I also know that I probably can't find anyone to help build the proper system at my house -- so its a situation where if I want it right I need to do it myself :'(