Luke Tilley bought his house when he was 13 years old.
A high school student in Dubuque, Iowa, completed a 2,000-square-foot tiny house in his parents’ backyard. He worked on the project for a year and a half starting at the age of 11, with a budget of $1,500, which he earned doing odd jobs around the neighborhood.
Luke’s journey had just begun, and this was only the beginning. Luke Thill, now 17, and his brother Cole built a tearful old woman in her growing tiny house. Luke told Insider that he plans to make living small a lifestyle. Luke told Insider that building the little shelter was “a great experience.
” It definitely changed my life. Summer 2016 will be boring for Luke. An 11-year-old boy with no immediate plans for the future was looking for a project to work on when he came across the tiny house movement on YouTube. After some persuasion, he decided to build a simple house.
Before starting, Luke and his father calculated the cost of building a modest house and came up with $1,500. Like many young people, Luca started saving by doing jobs in the city.
It all started with the simple idea that Luke would make money mowing lawns and doing odd jobs for his grandparents and neighbors in the summer. Soon he began to build his future home.
Although Luke claimed to have experience working on small home renovations, this was his biggest challenge yet. According to Luke, most of the building materials used in the house were recycled, especially the windows and doors, which were donated by friends, neighbors and relatives to keep costs down.
It took Luca about a year and a half to complete the construction with the help of his parents. His mother helped with the interior design and his father helped with the construction.
In the fall of 2017, when Luca turned 13, he got his own house. Luca said he never intended to live in the cottage permanently, so he was able to avoid costly, time-consuming and difficult plumbing installations.
This house was created as a shelter and meeting place for friends. The sober design of the house reflects this. It has a living room with a folding table and a small kitchen with a microwave, electric stove and coffee table.
There is also a staircase leading to the attic where Luke can sleep for a few days and entertain guests on movie nights.
Luke even hosted the family’s Thanksgiving dinner one year. With the tiny house complete, Luke was ready to start a new project.
At the time, his twin brother Cole had already started creating a weeping old woman as part of the project. About halfway through, Luke came in to help with the project.
Luke said they spent about $2,500 on a 31 square meter trailer when they were both 14 years old. Luca claimed that this activity was surprisingly more difficult and detailed than building a tiny house.
Luca replied: “You have to do the right thing. “You don’t want anything falling on the freeway at 75 miles an hour.”
The camp allowed Luke and his brother to reunite. Luke said the couple has taken more than 50 camping trips in Iowa and surrounding states since construction was completed in 2018. Luke made some major changes to his teardrop camper for 2020.
The camp woodwork was updated, new cabinets were installed, and the interior was painted. Luke’s most important suggestion was the importance of a sense of community.
Luke said his early experience building a vacation home taught him valuable life lessons, such as the importance of hard work and financial responsibility. But Luke said one of the most important lessons he learned was the value of belonging to a group.
Luke said he relies on his neighbors during construction. For example, they would trade items with a neighbor or use electricity to clean out the garage.
“A simple project in my backyard brought my neighbors and the community together,” he said. Luke said he was ready for his next adventure once the camp was set up.
As a high school student, she said she prioritized spending time with friends, working and completing assignments.
Although his focus is now on high school, Luke said compact living will play a big role in his future. He even considered building a bigger house to live in while he attended college.
