This 13 Year Old Boy Built Own Home For Only $1,500
WWhen it comes to buying your own home, the challenges and hoops you have to jump through are endless. Then again, the same can be said when you’re building a home. However this didn’t phase 13 year old Luke Thill at all. Thill built his own tiny home, for just $1,500 big ones, in his parent’s backyard. How many 13 year olds can say that? Heck, how many adults can say they’ve ever spent so little on building a home? While it may sound too good to be true, Luke Thill’s story is inspiring and makes us a bit jealous too. Read on for all the roller coasters Luke encountered and learn some handy advice if you ever choose to build your very own home someday! Tiny, or not.
Just because Luke is from a small town in Iowa, doesn’t mean that that’s how he came up with the idea to build his own tiny home. In fact, the 13 year old said he wanted to do something useful. Not many teenage boys go around talking like that! Heck, no teenager says that. Thill knew the project required hard work and dedication but he was up to the task, no matter what. With the help of his parents and working some odd jobs, Luke was able to also raise money throughout the building process. All of this helped him tremendously!
Luke Thill is not alone when it comes to the tiny house movement. That’s right, there’s a movement and it is taking America by storm. Currently there is not a set definition of what constitutes as a tiny house. However it has been explained that a tiny home is only considered as such if it is a residential structure below 500 square feet. Now that’s small! After the 2007-2008 financial crises, many Americans found themselves financially crippled and worried about where they would live. That is why the tiny house movement became so popular. Not only is it affordable but it is also ecologically friendly. Japan, Spain, Britain, and Germany are also some other countries that been swept up in the movement. Amateur and professional builders are popping up everywhere – mostly because they want to ensure that safety concerns are met. Multiple conferences and modules have helped to improve safety guidelines. And if you have a tiny home that is on wheels, you often find that you struggle to find a place to park. But if that’s your biggest worry then you’re pretty much set. The taxes and building, heating and cooling, maintenance, and repair costs are far more beneficial.
Let’s focus on the 13 year old Iowa teenager who built his own tiny house. Just how did he do it and what does the end product look like? Let’s find out, shall we?
My Own Two Hands
Not many 8th graders have the hopes or aspirations to build a 89-square-foot “structure”. A structure that Luke Thill refers to as his “starter home.” That’s right, he’s just getting started. The Dubuque, Iowa native knew the work would be hard, but he was all for rolling up his sleeves and getting the job done. Nothing would stop him from completing the task at hand.
My Own Two Hands
His Inspiration
What inspired Luke to build a tiny home? The answer isn’t what you think either. “I was just on YouTube looking around and came across a tiny house idea and then that spiraled into looking at almost every YouTube video there is, it felt like,” Luke revealed to ABC News in October 2017. “I got obsessed with them and decided to build my own.” There are worse things he could have chosen to spend his time on.
His Inspiration
No Ordinary Kid
However there is one more reason he made the decision to build his own home, and this one will surprise many parents. Luke was getting super bored during summer vacation! I know, right? While plenty of kids would opt to stay indoors all day playing video games or just complain about a party they’re missing, Luke Thill had other ideas in mind of how to spend his summer vacation.
No Ordinary Kid
Permission
As soon as Luke began to map out what he needed for his tiny home, there was just one pretty important thing he needed to do first – ask his parent’s permission of course! Greg and Angie Thill didn’t hesitate in accepting their son’s request once they saw how dedicated he was. He laid out all the plans for building on his family’s four-acre property and his parent’s were excited about what he was setting out to do.
Permission
Dad’s Rules
Before Luke Thill started his project, his dad Greg has some ground rules to set. He told his son that he would need to come up with the cash on his own, he would build it all by himself, and that Luke is the registered owner of the house. Could you abide by these rules?
Dad’s Rules
Ground Rules
“We said, ‘If you’re that serious we have to set some ground rules,’” Greg told ABC News back in October 2017. “We told him he had to have the financial responsibility of it, raise the money and choose the materials and stay in the budget.” Sounds like a strict dad but one that pushed his son in the right direction.
Ground Rules
Housing 101
Even though Greg Thill said Luke was on his own, he was still there to guide him when needed. Greg hoped that Luke would learn a lot of his own though. Things like wiring, framing a structure, dealing with adults, making serious financial decisions, and most importantly, not wavering from the budget set. These are important lessons that we can all learn from.
Housing 101
Life 101
“It was a chance for a kid to do something more than play video games or sports,” Greg explained. “It teaches life lessons.” Naturally there are many parents who can agree 1000% with Greg Thill, especially in today’s social media crazed world.
Life 101
Honor Thy Neighbor
As Luke began his project, he raised money by mowing lawns, through online “charities”, and by using reclaimed materials. Luke would also barter for extra hands to help him out. All of what could go right and wrong, Luke Thill had already planned for. The question was, would a problem arise that he couldn’t overcome?
Honor Thy Neighbor
Rolling Up His Sleeves
When Luke bartered for help, he did so solidly. For instance, he cleaned out the garage of his neighbor, who is an electrician, so that he would help Luke wire the house. Moreover he cut a fellow Scout leader’s lawn so he would add carpet to the loft bedroom. Sounds like a win-win situation to us!
Rolling Up His Sleeves
Proud Papa
Greg, Luke’s dad, is super proud of his son. “He’s a very driven kid for his age,” said Greg. “There were times the project got stalled out and he had to earn more money for the next phase. He wouldn’t let it go and kept working at it.” We definitely understand where he’s coming from.
Proud Papa
Luke Thill – The Minimalist
Now Luke didn’t just stop at working odd jobs to build his house, he recycled as well. How so? Well he used leftover siding from his grandma’s house and a front door that his uncle’s friend gave him. “I liked the minimalism,” said Luke Thill, sounding much older than 13. “And I wanted to have a house without a huge mortgage.” Same, buddy, same.
Luke Thill – The Minimalist
Windows
The door wasn’t the only thing that Luke’s uncle’s friend donated to the tiny house. Turns out he also gave Luke Thill old windows to install, and hey, you can’t have a house without windows! Plus, it’s free so are you really going to complain?
Windows
Werk
We have to mention this amazing fact – almost all of Luke Thill’s tiny home is made up of 75% recycled materials! How many homeowners can say the same? Not many we’re sure. An economically friendly house often costs a lot and is difficult to achieve, however Luke made it happen without a hitch.
Werk
Dimensions
Let’s talk about dimensions for a minute. Luke Thill’s home measures at 5½ feet wide and 10 feet long. Moreover it also boasts of a loft and a small outside deck. Keep in mind that the siding is half cedar shakes, half vinyl. Sounds pretty good if we’re being honest!
Dimensions
Come On In!
Let’s take a look at the inside, where we find a small kitchen area that has a counter. Furthermore it features shelving leads which lead to a back sitting area with a large ottoman, a flip-down table, and even a wall-mounted TV. Not too shabby!
Come On In
It’s A Shed
Oh, this is fun, Luke’s tiny home has a ladder which leads to an upstairs loft that has a mattress for sleeping. Greg Thill admitted to reporters that per city codes, they only really consider the tiny house to be “a glorified shed.” In any case, that “shed” is amazing. As Taylor Swift would say, call it what you want.
It’s A Shed
Hard Work Pays Off
Despite receiving negative feedback from a few people at school, Luke Thill held his head high and continued building his tiny dream home. His aspirations to succeed far outweighed the naysayers.
Hard Work Pays Off
News Spread
When you live in a small-ish town, word spreads quite quickly. So it didn’t take long for everyone (a population of just 58,000) in Luke’s town to hear what he was getting up to. Anytime someone saw him, they’d ask how the tiny home was getting along. After a while, Luke Thill decided that the best thing to do was to create a YouTube channel so that everyone, even people who didn’t live in his town, could track his progress. His YouTube channel would even catch the eye of the media!
News Spread
An Example
“I couldn’t find anyone younger than 14,” explained Luke when he first began researching tiny home construction videos. “I thought if no one is out there, I might as well do it so I started documenting the whole process and putting it on YouTube.” That was definitely a smart decision on his part!
An Example
An Inspiration
“Now lots of kids have messaged me and showed pictures of their tiny houses that they’re building and they’re even younger than me.” Isn’t it amazing the power that social media has? Luke Thill has inspired many other children to go out and use their hands to build something meaningful, it’s pretty extraordinary.
An Inspiration
Come On Down
In one of his YouTube videos, Luke revealed that he was called to the principal’s office. As he’s a great student with good grades, he was quite nervous to see what the principal wanted. “I don’t go there very often,” Luke said. “I’ve never gone there for anything bad.”
Come On Down
You’re A Star
As it turns out, Luke didn’t need to worry about his visit to the principal’s office. It turned out that the principal is good friends with a reporter, a reporter who wanted to run a story on Luke Thill and his tiny home. And when you’re 13, that’s a pretty sweet thing to be offered!
You’re A Star
Quite The Mess
Luke Thill has openly said that one of the biggest and best things he learned while building his tiny home was overcoming disappointment. A big moment that lead to this was his “counter-top fail.” Luke had used broken colored glass for what was meant to become a lacquer surface. Unfortunately when he poured the lacquer, it was way “too watery,” and just ran all over everything. This meant he had to improvise and come up with a new solution.
Quite The Mess
Learning From His Mistakes
Luke Thill could have just given up but instead he looked for ways to fix the counter top fail. As the lacquer had created a bond that held the counter to the wall, Luke had a genius idea. He attached a traditional counter surface over the area of the already messed-up lacquer surface which has a hinge for a lift-top storage space. Brilliant! And what a way to fix a mess.
Learning From His Mistakes
First Meal
Not only is the 13 year old a magician with his hands, but he’s also a bit like Gordon Ramsay in the kitchen! Okay, not exactly but close enough. Via his YouTube channel, he posted his first ever meal inside of his tiny home. The attention he received was extraordinary – people were impressed at how far he had come!
First Meal
Speech!
The folks over at city code may have considered Luke’s tiny home to be a “glorified shed”, but the people from TinyFest didn’t. In Colfax, Iowa, a tiny home festival was underway and they invited Luke Thill as their special guest. While this was his first speaking engagement with so many people, Luke did remarkably well in his speech!
Speech
Golden Throne
As he was getting closer to finishing the construction of the tiny home, Luke now had a place he could eat, sleep and relax in. There was just one pretty important drawback…the house didn’t have a toilet! If Luke were to install plumbing, he would need to dedicate more time and more money to do so – two things he just couldn’t deliver on. Guess it’s a good thing that the tiny home is in his parent’s backyard!
Golden Throne
Cozy Setup
How long did it take Luke Thill to complete the project? A year! Now that’s pretty impressive given his age, school commitment, social life, and so on. And does Luke use his tiny home? Of course! He sleeps in it sometimes, goes there to work on homework and he also has friends over to the tiny home.
Cozy Setup
Cookouts And Chills
While his home may be tiny, he does have a huge backyard where he can host cookouts with friends. And again, he might share the space with his parents, but that’s a sacrifice he’s willing to make. I mean, he does have his own home…at 13!
Cookouts And Chills
Read All About It!
Naturally Luke Thill’s story about building his own tiny home made it on the front page news! The Des Moines Register and the Telegraph Herald, two huge Iowa newspapers, made Luke’s story their front page. Not long after and some local TV stations, and other media outlets, were picking up Luke’s story. Oh, but it didn’t stop there.
Read All About It
Attention
Good Morning America reached out to Luke Thill and asked for a tour of his tiny home and of course, an interview. Naturally, Luke accepted their offer and was understandably overwhelmed by the attention. What an incredible honor as well! After the Good Morning America interview, a house designer contacted Luke. The designer in question is actually someone Luke really looks up to, what luck!
Attention
Idol
Derek Diedricksen is an author of design and building tiny homes, he was the one who contacted Luke. Of course Luke was overjoyed what Diedricksen contacted him as he helped inspire Luke to take on the project of building his own tiny home. The two chatted many times and became friends on social media. Derek and Luke both served as inspirations to so many.
Idol
In The Family
Luke Thill’s brother, Cole, also followed in his brother’s footsteps – however he created his own teardrop camper and not a tiny home. And just like Luke’s tiny home, Cole used recycled and reclaimed materials. With a strict budget, Cole documented his success, and failures, on YouTube. Cole did have one massive advantage, one that Luke wasn’t lucky to have. He had a brother with the experience to help guide him through the process!
In The Family
But Wait There’s More
At this point, both Luke and Cole’s YouTube channel has over 9,000 subscribers! Impressive would be an understatement here. Moreover the channel focuses on more than just the Thill brother’s projects, it showcased their mom’s renovation of a 1972 camper and a sheep herder’s wagon.
But Wait There’s More
His Own Space
With his new tiny home, Luke can enjoy his own space, something that not teenagers can say. “I have a twin brother so it gives me the chance to have my own space,” explained the popular home builder. Isn’t this something we all want though?
His Own Space
In Total
After giving a tour of his finished tiny home via his YouTube channel, Luke revealed the cost of building everything. The total cost of the structure was “more like $1,200, but I rounded it up just in case I forgot anything.” Still, even after rounding up, the cost of building is crazy low!
In Total
Hero
When Luke set out to build his tiny home, he never imagined that he would gain so much attention! That wasn’t his intention, either. After all of the experience, Luke shared the following message, “I want to show kids it’s possible to build at this age.” Very admirable. But what was next?
Hero
Upwards and Onwards
Just what will Luke Thill get up to next? “The main purpose is to be my starter home,” Luke explained. “I’m going to save money and expand.” Within a few years, Luke truly hopes that he will build a slightly larger tiny home which hooks onto a trailer. These sound like such huge hopes but we know that if anyone can do it, Luke can.
Upwards And Onwards
Why Not?
Luke also explained to ABC News that “In a couple of years I want to build a bigger house and stay in it full-time.” After building a tiny home, it isn’t so far fetched that he would want to build a larger one too. It is also something he could easily do.
Why Not?
The Best Part
When it all boils down, the best part of building his tiny home was something pretty special – he got to bond with his dad. “Me and my dad really bonded through the process…he was really busy but he made sure to spend time with me.”
The Best Part
Smart Thinking
Even now, Luke is still thinking ahead. He’s looking at what more he can do. “Everyone had to have a big house, and now people have changed and realized it’s not practical. You can save money, travel the world and do what you want instead.” Is this kid really 13? How does he know so much already?
Smart Thinking
Meet Renee McLaughlin
Renee McLaughlin and Luke Thill have something important in common- they both built their own tiny home. McLaughlin sold her 3,300-square-foot home (!) and now lives in a 87 square one. Dang, that’s quite a change! “I think we’ve reached a threshold where this ‘stuff’ is running our lives. We spend all our time working to buy it, clean it and organize it,” McLaughlin said. “It’s not making us happy.”
Meet Renee McLaughlin
The New “In”
Right now tiny homes (that are less than 500 square feet) are the “new in”. More and more people are jumping on board. Renee McLaughlin is alos the organizer of TinyFest Midwest and was the one who invited Luke Thill to be the guest speaker at the festival. McLaughlin adores her tiny home, one that is even on wheels!
The New In
An Affordable Option
Some people laughed at Renee McLaughlin but considering housing prices, we think she made the right choice. “I now own everything outright with no debt,” she revealed. “I can move around. It’s nice to know I can just go.” If you were thinking that tiny homes couldn’t be stylish, you’d be wrong – just look at this image below! Yup, that is a real tiny home.
An Affordable Option
Chuck Em Out
Renee McLaughlin offers her advice that you get rid of excess things that you shouldn’t be hanging onto anymore. Sounds easier than doing it but she’s got a point. She now shops less, and gives away clothes that she really does not need anymore. Although getting rid of her shoes and clothes was a tad difficult, “I’m a simple girl, but a girl, nonetheless,” she explained. Yeah, we get it!
Chuck Em Out
City limits
Tiny homes are a tempting concept, however not much infrastructure supports it. Most city codes require that a home is larger than a specific measurement. Take Des Moines, Iowa for example – the housing codes demand that a home must be at least 24 feet wide. Luke Thill ~just~ made the cut.
City Limits
Let’s Move
With this tiny house movement on the rise, it’s not just an architectural idea. But rather also a social movement that advocates living in a small home, and that’s a given. Many people are looking to downsize and a tiny home might just be the solution.
Lets Move
Looking At The Numbers
I’m getting excited by living in a tiny home more and more! Just look at how much it has influenced in a short time. A recent study in the United States has revealed that 3,000 out of 1.5 million homes are tiny homes. While that number is small, it still sends a strong message. We’re confident that number will only increase.
Looking At The Numbers
No Mortgage
On average, a tiny home will cost you about $23,000, but what does that mean? ONE very important thing – nearly 70% of tiny homes owners have no mortgage. Nope, not a spelling error. We repeat, not a spelling error! 70% of tiny homes owners truly have no mortgage. Most mortgages last 25 to 30 years and cost way too much. A tiny home certainly helps in that sense.
No Mortgage
It’s In Our Hands
Looking at what 13 year old Luke Thill has accomplished shows us that we really can change how we live our lives. Our future might seem to be veering toward mass consumption and great disposal, but we have a chance to soften our carbon footprint. Small homes are the future, not just an idea!
