Luke Till, 13, of Dabuka, Iowa, is different from his peers. This talented and energetic teenager has built his own house in the backyard. His dream project cost around $1,500 and Luke now lives in his own little cabin.
In the modern world, teenagers are addicted to various gadgets, iPads, smartphones and X-Boxes, and this young man has found a more “old fashioned” way to keep busy. On his YouTube channel, Luke said the desire to build a tiny house was born out of boredom last summer.
After careful consideration, Luke had a pretty good idea of how he would bring his project to life.
It took him about a year to raise the money and materials needed to build the house. Luke mowed lawns, raised funds online and found neighbors who needed help earning money.
An electrician friend, for example, helped a young boy get electricity into the house in exchange for Luke cleaning out his garage.
About 75% of building materials were reused. So, Luke found a lot of things in his grandmother’s house and his uncle’s friend gave him the front door. The house, measuring just over 8 square meters, 3 meters long and 1.70 meters wide, has electricity but no water.
Luke was helped by his parents to turn his dream into reality, both financially and in construction. However, the boy’s father, Greg, made sure to pay for most of his project himself and took on most of the construction.
The house is a real dream come true for a teenager, an oasis where he can relax and pass his time. It has a microwave, TV and a second floor with a bed. Behind the house there is a barbecue and a flower bed.
In the new house, Luke usually does his homework after school and sleeps several nights a week. Now Luke has a desire to build another bigger house when he goes to college. By his example, he hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams.
