Do you remember what you were doing during summer back in middle school? Were you pining after a crush? Going around and trying to earn money to spend somewhere or on something you wanted? Or were you one of those kids who was stuck in a summer camp? Whatever you found yourself doing back in those days, I can guarantee I know what you *weren’t* doing…
I’ll bet you weren’t out building a house for yourself in your parents’ backyard!
Meet thirteen-year-old Luke Thill from Dubuque, Iowa. A young boy with a lot of actual dedication you don’t see too much of these days, especially not with kids his own age. Overall the project cost him and his parents around $1,500, but now the kid’s got himself his very own tiny home and a lot of real world knowledge he could use at any point in life.
It all started with a plan. He was bored at home one summer and got the idea to have a space all to himself, and then started researching small homes. After figuring out what all it was going to cost, what materials he needed and permission from his parents, he started putting things in motion. First was the money, without that he wasn’t going to have anything get started. With a few donations from Mom, Dad and other relatives, he started mowing lawns for the rest. His father Greg stated he didn’t want the project to be his own, and his son was going to have to work for it. I agree. Once the funds were gathered he got to work and started the actual work.
It wasn’t long before he ran into a few snags. First off, he didn’t have a single clue as how to set up working electricity through the building, so instead he wound up helping an electrician clean out his garage and got his little home wired in return. In fact, many of the materials were gathered through performing small tasks and some were gifted solely because it was an awesome idea. In fact, nearly 75% of the materials he used are from recycled sources, most from his Grandma’s house!
The door he installed was gifted by a friend of his uncle’s, and the kid even had enough sense to make sure some windows were put in for the natural light. Unfortunately there was no plumbing installed, but seeing as how the building is a whopping 89 square feet, that’s probably a good thing. Could you imagine the smell?
Now if that doesn’t show creativity, drive and determination then I don’t know what does. It’s now his little haven, complete with video games and a little bed to sleep in on those rainy, lazy days. He’s not allowed to stay in there permanently, but he does have a few days out of the week where he’s able to spend the night in it. To be completely honest his parents probably enjoy the alone time more than he does!
image credits: Luke Thill
