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.
A famous star was hospitalized.
A representative for Oprah Winfrey just revealed on Instagram that the author will be making an appearance on CBS Mornings to discuss her most recent book recommendation.Sadly, over the weekend, the well-liked host contracted a stomach virus.Gayle King assumed command and gave the reason behind Winfrey’s absence.A spokesman for Winfrey told CNN in a statement on Tuesday that “Ms. Winfrey is recovering from a stomach virus and was given an IV due to dehydration at the recommendation of her doctor.”
“She is getting more rest and improving every day.”Winfrey admitted to her best friend and journalist that she “couldn’t keep enough water down to stay hydrated” in a video chat that was shared on Gayle King’s Instagram page. This ultimately caused Winfrey to visit the hospital.King assured viewers that despite the health setback, Winfrey will eventually “be OK.”
She said, “I hope sharing that detail doesn’t bother her.”During a joint interview with the New York Times in January, Winfrey and King expressed their deep relationship and gave one other high accolades.She tells the truth with brutality. Even if it’s not what you want to hear,” King once observed in reference to Winfrey.
“[We] really, really enjoy each other.”In January of last year, Winfrey demonstrated that, at seventy, she is still in excellent physical shape.The media titan was seen running on the beach with her dog and another woman in the footage that she shared on Instagram.She thanked everyone who had sent her birthday greetings in the caption, praising health as the greatest gift.
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