Teenager Luke Till from Dubuque, Iowa, developed a plan to build the house he had dreamed of.
For about a year, the 13-year-old collected the right amount of money and searched for the necessary materials to build the house.
The project cost $1,500. Greg, the boy’s father, helped with the money and the construction. But most of the money came from the teenager himself. Luke mowed lawns, did odd jobs for people in his neighbourhood and organised an online fundraiser. “It was a chance for the kid to do something more than just play video games and play sports,” Greg said.
75% of the building materials were recycled materials. The house is seven square metres, three metres long and about two metres wide. There are lights, but no running water. A neighbour had wired electricity there for Luke cleaning his garage. The house has a microwave, a TV and a loft with a bed. The teenager shared, “I like minimalism and I wanted a house with no mortgage.”
In his new home, Luke usually does his schoolwork and sometimes sleeps over.
The teenager shared a video of the construction progress on social media. Luke now dreams of building a bigger house when he goes to college. “I want to show kids what you can build at this age,” said the teenager in one of his videos.
