After high school, some teenagers dream of renting a dorm to have a place to live far from their parents. Young adults, too, look forward to moving out of their parent’s house and having a house of their own. In this story, a 13-year-old builds a tiny house in his family’s backyard, and it’s all over the internet.
The story of Luke Thill made its way to social media after he built a cozy 89-square-foot tiny home on his parents’ property in Dubuque, Iowa. He built the house from scratch from the money he earned by doing different jobs for neighbors and friends. He even cleaned out garages and cut lawns and was able to earn $1500.
According to Luke, he was inspired by a Youtube video he saw about a tiny house. From then on, he started watching more videos and got obsessed with them until he finally decided that he wanted one of his own.
Luke said that he liked how minimalist a tiny house can be and how it comes without having a huge mortgage. He did his best to cut down expenses by collecting and using reclaimed materials. His grandma’s house had a leftover siding that he used for building his tiny house. Moreover, he was also given a front door and several windows by his uncle’s friend.
Angie and Greg Thill, his parents, as well as his twin sister and brother, helped with the interior furnishings among other things. It was a family effort although Luke did most of the work to finish the project himself.
During the making of the tiny house, Luke learned how to frame and wire a home as well as make financial decisions like an adult. His father also said that it was a chance for his son to do something more as a kid aside from games and sports. Greg mentioned that this project teaches life lessons.
Their neighbor, who was also an electrician, helped with the wiring in exchange for Luke cleaning out his garage. A local Scout leader also helped to install the bedroom carpet after Luke mowed apartment buildings.
Inside the tiny house, Luke was able to compress a seat, wall-mounted TV, mini-refrigerator, dining table, and a sleeping loft. There was also a small deck he constructed outside the house with cedar shakes and vinyl sheeting.
According to Luke, he only sleeps in the tiny house a few times a week as it lacks plumbing and won’t be sufficiently livable. Rather, this is where he does his schoolwork and sometimes uses it to entertain visitors.
He also mentioned that he wants to build a larger mobile home someday that he can bring to college and save money on living expenses.
Luke explained that the purpose he built the tiny house is for him to have a starter home. He wants to save money and expand. With his creation, he was invited to speak at a tiny home festival, thus gaining massive attention from more people.
Check out his story in this video:
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