David Hoffman, 67, spent the last 40 years transforming his Lagunitas, Calif. home into a model for modern day sustainability.

The epic renovation included a 30-foot hand-dug well, an earthworm-powered plumbing system, a fully-equipped tea house and dozens of other structures designed and built by Hoffman himself.

There was just one problem with his vision––he never got the proper building permits.

After a decades-long battle, county officials have given Hoffman until Aug. 1 to level everything down to the bricks and pay a $226,000 fine.

"I never felt like I owned this property," he told Business Insider. "What I'm building, what my motivation was didn't really involve me as much as a showcase or model of sustainability."

We caught up with Hoffman and asked him to take us on a virtual tour of the home that's stirring up so much controversy.