Most of us had a friend in high school that seemed to be way ahead of everyone else aged 13. Perhaps they set up their own business selling candy to the younger kids, or they were so brainy that they skipped a grade. But you’ve probably never heard of a 13-year-old who built their own home… until now.
Meet Luke Thill. The young teen was just 12 when he started constructing his tiny house.
His home is 10 feet long, 5 feet wide, and between 8 and 10 feet tall, depending on where in the house you’re standing. The whole thing comes in at just 89 square feet.
So how on earth did someone as young as Luke end up building a tiny house? Well, it started as a simple summer project. Luke was bored, and wanted something to do with his time. He learned about tiny houses, and became fascinated with them. He put a plan in action – and the rest is history.
After getting a job cutting lawns, which allowed him to save $1,500, Luke was ready to get started.
Luke took on every aspect of his project himself. That meant he learned a lot of skills along the way, including framing, carpeting, drilling, sawing, and woodworking. He also had some help from his dad, an electrician, who showed him how to wire his house.
Sitting in his back garden, Luke’s tiny home has its very own tiny front yard, with an American flag, pot plants, and a mandala doormat. His front door is painted sunny orange, and a there’s a 4-foot overhang above the door that Luke installed so he could stand in the doorway without the rain getting on him.
Stepping into Luke’s home, there’s a front hallway that leads directly to his living space.
Before that, there’s a kitchen countertop to the left of the entrance hallway, which lifts up to provide storage underneath. Down below is a fridge and a hotplate for cooking, as well as some space for food storage.
In his living area, Luke has space for a chair for one, plus a fold-down table that he can eat at. He said that he could fit four people around the table, but it would be incredibly cramped to do so!
Finally, Luke finishes his tour in his loft, which he accesses via a ladder. There’s enough space for a full-sized twin mattress, with some carpet space that Luke can sit on. Next to his mattress is a storage cabinet, and a window at the back makes the space feel a bit airier.
As it turns out, Luke won’t be living in his tiny house, but he has plans to make a much bigger tiny house that he will live in sometime in the future.
He considers this house to be his “learning” project – helping him to know what to do and what not to do with his future build.
One thing is obvious here: Luke is incredibly blessed to have the space, resources and willing parents to take on not one, but two tiny house builds. Not every teen would be able to spend their summers building their own home. He’s a lucky guy!
You can watch Luke’s tour of his first tiny home in the video below. He’s since made other constructions and conversions on his YouTube channel, so it’s worth checking him out.
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