Man Turns His House Into a Smart Urban Homestead — Now He Saves Hundreds of Dollars on Groceries

Every other day, consumers are alerted to grocery products contaminated with harmful pathogens, warranting a food recall. At this point, people cannot judge good from bad and buy whatever is available in the marketplace. But one man is changing the landscape of his grocery demands with his self-sufficient urban homestead in San Diego. Kevin Espiritu, who runs a TikTok page dedicated to sustainability called Epic Gardening (@epicgardening), wowed the internet with his first home purchase turned into a green and sustainable haven that rejuvenates its local environment with nourishment. 

Sustainable creator shares home tour

In a viral video with 21.6 million views, Espiritu gave viewers a tour of the San Diego home he bought two years ago. House-hunting for the ideal place that fit his dream agenda, the sustainable mogul knew he had to buy this home. “I bought this house intending to turn it into a high-tech urban homestead,” the poster said. And, so he did. Giving wings to his green dream, Espiritu transformed every corner of his house into a resourceful point and even installed a rainwater collection system to nourish his green space. His garden had 15 raised beds where he grew seasonal vegetables like broccoli, kale, and cabbage. Another section of his garden featured a row of citrus plants, naturally irrigated with a trench that uses his shower water in his front yard. 

Espirity installed 25 solar panels on his roof that bring his electricity bill to “effectively zero.” His most useful part of the house, the chicken coop. The man built a small coop inside his yard and raised chickens to counter the shortage of eggs at grocery stores. Even the coop door functioned on sunlight and only let out the chickens during the day. Smart. “I capture the rainwater off my roof. Most of it goes to that 5,000 gallon tank,” he shared. Now, for the fancy bit of his home– a koi pond. “I installed a natural flowing pond with some beautiful koi, and the water runs right into the floor.” His initially barren backyard was now an in-ground garden with plants thriving. The high-tech home also flaunted an outdoor shower and a sink, which seems to be Espiritu’s “favorite part.”

San Diego urban homestead inspires many

The water from his outdoor shower is not piped to a septic tank but instead waters his front garden orchard of citrus. The creator, with 3.3 million followers, divulged that his home might seem too “fancy,” but his ultimate motive was to show how possible living sustainably can be. He encouraged people to start small and work their way up. Within no time, they would find themselves contributing to the bigger environment.

The post received 3.2 million hearts and thousands of comments from intrigued viewers. @robemmett69 hailed, “Absolutely smashed it mate! This has just given me motivation and amazing ideas to be self-sustainable. Inspiring.” While @trufflegoose0 asked, “Do you have to use a special body wash and stuff for the water to flow out there?” In response, the poster revealed that he uses a plant-safe soap. According to a report by Trellis Group, only 6% of American consumers claim to be living a completely healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

You can follow @epicgardening for more sustainable videos.