Most middle schoolers probably have other things on their minds besides building houses.
But Luke Thill, a 13-year-old from Dubuque, Iowa, is unlike any other middle schooler you’ve seen before.
This talented and proactive boy has crafted his very own little house — in his parent’s backyard.
The project cost him roughly $1,500 USD — and now Luke is living his dream in his little cottage.
Come on in and have a look at what it looks like inside.
I think it’s safe to say that Luke is not like many of his 13-year-old peers. In a time of iPads, smartphones, gadgets, and X-Boxes, this young man decided to keep himself busy in a different and more ‘old-fashioned’ way. As he explains on his YouTube channel, his desire to build a small house grew out of feeling bored last summer.
After some thorough research, Luke had a pretty good idea of how he was going to put his plan into action.
The Process
It took him about a year to get the money and materials he needed to build the house. Luke mowed lawns, started a fund-raiser online, and ran errands for anyone who needed help in the neighborhood to make money.
An electrician Luke was friends with helped him install the electricity in exchange for Luke cleaning his garage out, for instance.
Luke used about 75 percent recycled material, many of which were things left over from his grandma’s house. The front door of the house was a gift from an uncle’s friend.
The 89-square-foot house is 10 feet long and 5 1/2 feet wide, with electricity but no plumbing, so no water or bathroom… yet.
“I liked the minimalism,” he told The Des Moines Register. “And I wanted to have a house without a huge mortgage.”
Luke has made several video clips and posted them online, where he talks about his project as many have grown curious about the little house.
As you can imagine, Luke also received some help from his parents, both financially and with the building itself.
But dad Greg made sure that it would be Luke himself who would pay for most of his project and also build most of it himself.
“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.”
Teenager’s Dream
The house is in many ways a teenager’s dream, an oasis where you can chill and hang out in. It has a microwave, a TV, and a loft with a bed.
There’s even a barbecue and flowers at the back.
Luke usually does his homework after school at his new house and some nights during the week he gets to sleep there.
Luke already has aspirations to build another house — one that’s a little bigger for when he starts college. He also hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams:
“I want to show kids it’s possible to build at this age,” he says in one of his videos.
You can really see how proud he is about his project below.
Luke’s story is a great example of what a child can achieve with a clear goal, a strong worth ethic, and support from home.
People raise over $370k for 90-year-old Air Force veteran who was seen pawning jewelry to care for wife with dementia
They ran into each other when Marie saw Donald in a Gold and Pawn shop in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The veteran shared that he was selling his jewelry to pay his rent and take care of his ill wife, who had just been diagnosed with dementia. To add considerably more pressure to this, their landowner has chosen to raise the lease and Donald dreaded he and his significant other could be removed.
In a video presented on her page, Marie gave Donald an envelope loaded up with $1,300 from commitments between herself, her life partner, and 25 other kind outsiders who contributed.
The flying corps vet was overpowered with appreciation and promised to reimburse the blessing with a supper, when he could manage the cost of it.
However, things only improve from here on out.
Marie then started a GoFundMe campaign for him, which has received over 13,000 contributions.
Even though the goal was only $350,000, more than $370,000 has been raised for Donald as of now.
So what is the cash in any event, for? Well Marie, remarked that this cash would simply go towards aiding the vet on his monetary burdens, as well as assist him with viewing as another home.
On the mission page she remarked: ” I’m trying to find him a new place to rent that doesn’t break the bank, but I was hoping I could raise some money to ease his financial burden. Any sum would help and any assets for a one room first floor condo or house to lease would be greatly valued in the Manchester region.”
In an update, on August 9, the TikToker expressed gratitude toward every one of those gave and said she and her life partner would be plunking down with Donald and a lawyer to get all the cash in a protected record that he can get to.
Thus, everything seems to lead to a happy conclusion.
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