Mark Rober spent nine years building spacecraft at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory before turning his garage into one of the most-watched engineering channels on YouTube. Now with over 50 million subscribers, people naturally want to know where the man behind the world’s largest Nerf gun, the backyard squirrel obstacle course, and the viral glitter bomb trap actually lives.
Mark Rober resides in Sunnyvale, California, a city nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley. He moved there in 2015 and has used both his personal residence and his nearby CrunchLabs warehouse as the staging grounds for some of the most creative engineering content on the internet. His home features a notable backyard with a swimming pool and the famous squirrel course setup, while CrunchLabs serves as his full-scale engineering workshop and toy design studio.
TLDR: What You Need to Know About Mark Rober’s House
Mark Rober lives in Sunnyvale, California, where he has been based since 2015. His personal home includes a backyard with a swimming pool and the elaborate squirrel obstacle course seen across three viral YouTube videos. However, the massive engineering lab most viewers associate with him, CrunchLabs, is a separate commercial warehouse located at 649 Grape Ave in Sunnyvale. It features secret passageways, a Nerf gun wall, an indoor roller coaster, and the Build Box design room where his subscription toy boxes are engineered. Many online articles incorrectly list the CrunchLabs address as his home address, which is inaccurate.
Quick Facts at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Mark Rober |
| Location | Sunnyvale, California |
| Resident Since | 2015 |
| Known For | YouTube engineer, former NASA JPL engineer |
| Backyard Feature | Squirrel obstacle course (Squirrel Olympics) |
| Outdoor Features | Swimming pool, bird feeders, multi-camera setup |
| CrunchLabs Location | 649 Grape Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 |
| Estimated Net Worth | $23-25 million (Forbes 2025) |
| YouTube Subscribers | 50+ million |
Where Does Mark Rober Actually Live?
Mark Rober has been a resident of Sunnyvale, California since 2015. The city sits in Santa Clara County, squarely within Silicon Valley, which aligns with his career trajectory from NASA engineer to YouTube creator and product entrepreneur.
His exact residential address has never been made public, and for good reason. With a following of over 50 million subscribers and a net worth estimated between $23 and $25 million according to Forbes’ 2025 Top Creators list, privacy is a practical concern. Rober has deliberately kept his personal living space separate from his public-facing content.
This distinction matters because a significant number of articles online conflate his CrunchLabs warehouse address with his home address. The CrunchLabs building at 649 Grape Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 is a registered business location, confirmed through CrunchLabs’ own legal filings and imprint page. It is not where Mark Rober lives.
Inside Mark Rober’s Backyard: The Squirrel Olympics Arena
If there is one part of Mark Rober’s home that viewers have seen extensively, it is the backyard. This outdoor space became internationally famous through his Squirrel Maze series, which has accumulated over 200 million views across three installments.
The backyard features a substantial layout designed around bird feeders that initially attracted squirrels. Rather than simply chasing them away, Rober engineered an eight-part ninja warrior-style obstacle course. The course includes a laser maze, duct tunnels, string bridges, pitchfork tumblers, and even a photo booth finish line. He gave the recurring squirrels names: Phat Gus, Rick, Marty, and Frank.
From a design perspective, the backyard demonstrates functional spatial planning. The obstacle course wraps around existing features rather than replacing them. Bird feeders, garden elements, and a swimming pool all share the same footprint. This layered approach to outdoor space is something I see in high-end residential properties where the yard must serve both recreational and practical purposes simultaneously.
The Swimming Pool and Outdoor Living Areas
Mark Rober’s Sunnyvale home includes a swimming pool with ample surrounding patio space. The pool has appeared in multiple videos, most notably during his elephant toothpaste experiment and the Guinness World Record attempt that was filmed at his residence.
In 2017, Rober converted an old hot tub on the property into a ‘liquid sand’ experiment for a video. The hot tub was repurposed with fluidized sand technology, turning it into a science demonstration rather than a permanent installation. This kind of adaptive reuse of existing outdoor structures is a cost-effective approach that avoids the expense of full demolition and replacement.
The backyard also features a multi-camera filming rig. Capturing squirrel movements across an obstacle course requires synchronized cameras positioned at multiple angles. This permanent or semi-permanent setup suggests the outdoor space was planned with content production in mind, not just as a standard residential yard.
CrunchLabs: The Workshop Most People Mistake for His House
The majority of Mark Rober’s YouTube content is filmed at CrunchLabs, his commercial warehouse and engineering studio in Sunnyvale. This 649 Grape Ave location is where the goalie robot, the jello pool, the RC car death match, and most of his large-scale builds take place. It is also the headquarters for his subscription toy company, Build Box.
Key Features of the CrunchLabs Warehouse
The CrunchLabs facility is a converted industrial space packed with features that blur the line between workshop and amusement park. The confirmed features include:
- Hidden entrances including a motorized bookcase door and a Coca-Cola machine entrance
- A wall of Nerf blasters for rapid-access creative brainstorming
- A giant foam pit for testing and recreation
- A Build Box design room where subscription toys are engineered and prototyped
- An Arduino-linked bathroom system that sounds an alarm building-wide when someone does not wash their hands
- An indoor roller coaster built in seven days by Cal Poly alumni group Magictecture
- A pneumatic tube repelling system and jet-powered tire swing
- Over 20 UniFi security cameras throughout the facility
The indoor roller coaster alone generated over 21 million views. It was engineered by Magictecture, a team of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo alumni, and completed in just one week. From a structural standpoint, installing a roller coaster inside a commercial warehouse requires significant load calculations, reinforced mounting points, and safety clearance planning. This is not a casual DIY project.
Architectural Observations: What the Videos Reveal
Backyard Layout and Functional Outdoor Design
The visible portions of Rober’s property show a backyard layout that prioritizes function over ornamental landscaping. The obstacle course infrastructure, camera mounts, and cable routing suggest a space designed for repeatable content production rather than casual outdoor living.
Silicon Valley properties in Sunnyvale carry significant real estate value. The median home price in Sunnyvale consistently exceeds $2 million, and properties with usable backyard space command a premium. Rober’s choice to invest in outdoor infrastructure rather than cosmetic upgrades reflects a pragmatic approach to property use that aligns with his engineering background.
The CrunchLabs Space as a Working Studio
While CrunchLabs is not Rober’s home, it is relevant to understanding how he approaches physical spaces. The warehouse uses open-plan layouts with distinct zones for different activities: prototyping, filming, meeting, and testing. This zone-based approach mirrors professional design studios and maker spaces.
The secret passageways and hidden doors are more than gimmicks. They require precise framing, motorized hardware, and electronic sensors integrated into load-bearing walls. From a construction standpoint, these features would need structural engineering review before installation in any commercial building.
Mark Rober’s Real Estate Timeline
Rober grew up in Brea, California, where his childhood home was a two-story, four-bedroom residence with 2.5 bathrooms, an in-ground pool, and an attached garage. That property sold in 2018 for $920,000, according to public real estate records.
He relocated to Sunnyvale in 2015 to work at Apple, reportedly on special projects related to VR and augmented reality. His move aligned with a broader trend of tech professionals purchasing homes in Silicon Valley during a period of significant real estate appreciation. As of recent reports, he remains based in the Sunnyvale area.
In recent developments, Rober’s CrunchLabs brand has expanded significantly. A Netflix special titled ‘Mark Rober’s CrunchLabs’ premiered in December 2025, garnering over 12 million views. A new Netflix series called ‘Schooled!’ was announced for 2026, featuring student engineering competitions produced through CrunchLabs and Jimmy Kimmel’s production company. CrunchLabs also announced expansion into India, indicating the brand’s growth beyond its original Sunnyvale location.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Mark Rober live?
Mark Rober lives in Sunnyvale, California. He relocated there in 2015 and remains a resident of the city as of recent reports. His exact home address has not been made public.
Is 649 Grape Ave Mark Rober’s house?
No. 649 Grape Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 is the registered business address for CrunchLabs LLC, Mark Rober’s engineering workshop and toy company. It is a commercial warehouse, not his personal residence.
Where is Mark Rober’s squirrel maze located?
The squirrel obstacle course is built in the backyard of Mark Rober’s personal home in Sunnyvale, California. The multi-part course was filmed there across three YouTube videos released between 2020 and 2023.
Does Mark Rober’s house have a pool?
Yes. Mark Rober’s Sunnyvale home includes a swimming pool with surrounding patio space. The pool has appeared in several videos, including his elephant toothpaste Guinness World Record attempt.
Can you tour Mark Rober’s CrunchLabs?
CrunchLabs is a private commercial facility and is not open for public tours. However, Rober has given extensive video tours of the space on his YouTube channel, showcasing the workshop, secret passages, and Build Box design room.
What is Mark Rober’s net worth in 2025?
Forbes ranked Mark Rober at number 8 on its 2025 Top Creators list, with an estimated net worth between $23 and $25 million. His income comes from YouTube ad revenue, sponsorships, the CrunchLabs Build Box subscription, and Netflix productions.
What is the CrunchLabs Build Box?
Build Box is a subscription toy box designed by Mark Rober and his CrunchLabs engineering team. Each box contains a hands-on engineering project aimed at teaching STEM principles to children. The toys are designed and prototyped at the CrunchLabs headquarters in Sunnyvale.
Editorial Note: This article uses only verified, publicly reported information. Mark Rober’s personal home address is not included for privacy reasons. Details about CrunchLabs are sourced from CrunchLabs’ official imprint page, legal filings, and Mark Rober’s own YouTube videos. Property value estimates reflect publicly available real estate data for the Sunnyvale, CA market.
