What was going on in your life when you were in middle school? If you are like most children, you were worried about everything from your complexion to your grades at school. The last thing on your mind was finding a place to live or perhaps even building a place to live, which many adults feel is out of their realm of abilities. For one little boy, however, that was the only thing on his mind.
His name is Luke Thill, and although he is only 13 years old, he has done something that many adults will never do with their life. This young lad from Dubuque, Iowa, just build a little house and he did so in his parent’s backyard. In the end, the project came at a price tag of about $15,000 but now little Luke is living his dream and his doing so in his own cottage. Let’s take a look at it.
Luke is probably not like a lot of his peers. More than likely, his friends are busy on their smartphones, iPads and other gadgets but this young man kept himself busy in a much different and perhaps even an old-fashioned way. He talks about it on his YouTube channel and his desire to start this project came about because he was bored during summer break.
Luke did some research so we had an idea of what to do in order to bring this project to life.
It didn’t happen right away and in fact, it took a year to build up enough resources so that he could start his project. He did a lot of industrious activities to raise the money, including an online fundraiser, mowing lawns and doing anything he could to make some extra money.
He even bartered for some of the project, including cleaning out the garage for an electrician friend in exchange for wiring the home.
The home is made of about 75% recycled material including things that were left from his grandmother’s house. His uncle’s friend gave him the front door as a gift.
Although the house is only 10 foot long and 5 1/2 foot wide, it is something to behold. It is an 89 ft.² mansion that has electricity, but no plumbing or running water, at least not yet.
“I liked the minimalism,” he told The Des Moines Register. “And I wanted to have a house without a huge mortgage.”
A number of video clips were posted on his YouTube account where he discusses his project. There are many people who showed an interest in it.
His parents also gave him assistance, both in a financial way and in helping to build the project. His father made sure that it was Luke that would support the bulk of the project and he also supervised as Luke did much of the building.
“It was a chance for a kid to do something more than play video games or sports,” Greg told The Des Moines Register. “It teaches life lessons.”
As you can imagine, this is a dream for many teenagers because it provides him with an oasis where he can be on his own and hang out. It has a television, a bed and a microwave.
It even has flowers planted around a barbecue out back.
Luke goes to his new home after school to finish his homework and he spends a few nights and weekends in this mini home.
Luke isn’t finished, and he wants to build another house that is slightly bigger when he starts college. He is also helping to inspire others.
“I want to show kids it’s possible to build at this age,” he says in one of his videos.
You can see more in this video
This just goes to show that when a child has a clear goal, they can achieve amazing things. It is quite impressive and I probably wouldn’t mind having one of these in my own yard.
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