Luke Thill bought a house when he was 13 years old.
In the backyard of his parents’ home in Dubuque, Iowa, the middle school student had completed building an 89-square-foot tiny house. He began working on the undertaking at the age of 11. He finished it after an additional year and a half, spending only the $1,500 he had saved up from doing household work.
Luke’s journey had only just begun, and that was just the beginning.
Luke Thill, now 17 years old, and his brother Cole have added a teardrop camper to their growing collection of tiny houses. Luke stated to Insider that he wants to have a simple life.
The little house’s construction was “a huge experience,” according to Luke. That, without a doubt, changed how I lived.
Luke expected his 2016 summer to be unremarkable. The 11-year-old was searching for something to do on YouTube because he didn’t have any immediate plans when he found the small home movement.
He was convinced, and he decided to build his own little cabin.
Before they started, Luke and his father estimated the price to build a simple, modest house at $1,500.
Luke started saving like many young people do by taking on odd jobs in his community.
Luke’s simple plan was to work one summer mowing lawns and other odd jobs for his grandparents and neighbors to make money.
Soon after, he began building the tiny house that would be his future home.
Although Luke claimed to have minimal expertise with home improvement projects, this was by far his largest project to date.
In order to reduce expenses, Luke states that the majority of the building materials used to construct the house were salvaged, and that windows and doors in particular were donated by friends, neighbors, and family members.
It took Luke around a year and a half to complete the project with help from his parents. While his father assisted in the building, his mother assisted in interior design. By the fall of 2017, Luke turned 13 and acquired a modest home.
Luke was able to avoid installing plumbing, which would have been costly, time-consuming, and difficult to do, by claiming he never meant to dwell in the small house permanently.
The house was meant to be a retreat and a meeting place for friends.
The house’s uncomplicated architecture serves as evidence of this. It has a small kitchen with a countertop, a microwave, and a drop-down dining table as well as a living room area. Along with hosting movie nights for visitors, Luke also occasionally sleeps in a lofted area that is reached by a ladder.
Even on Thanksgiving, Luke cooked the meal for his family.
After completing the little house, Luke was eager to start a new undertaking.
Cole, his twin, was working on a project of his own, building a teardrop camper from the ground up.
Luke came on board to help roughly halfway through the project. When they were both 14 years old, according to Luke, the brothers spent roughly $2,500 on the 36-square-foot teardrop camper.
Luke observed that this job was surprisingly more difficult and complicated than constructing a small dwelling.
Make sure everything is flawless. Luke said, “If you’re going down the freeway at 75 mph, you don’t want things to fall apart.”
The camper helped Luke and his brother get back together. Since the work was completed in 2018, the pair, according to Luke, has taken more than 50 camping trips around Iowa and its adjacent states.
In 2020, Luke made numerous adjustments to the teardrop camper. He fitted new cupboards, replaced the camper’s woodwork, and painted the inside woodwork.
Luke realized the value of having a strong feeling of community.
Luke remarked that his early experience building a little house taught him many important life skills, including the value of perseverance and fiscal responsibility.
But Luke asserted that one of the most significant lessons he had ever learned was the necessity of group identity. Luke claimed that while he was building, he needed assistance from his neighbors. For instance, he would trade goods with a neighbor or offer electrical help in exchange for garage cleaning.
In his words, “A small project in my backyard brought the neighborhood and community together.”
Since the camper has been built, according to Luke, he is ready for the forthcoming project. As a junior in high school, he asserted that he valued working, spending time with friends, and finishing his tasks.
Although Luke is currently focusing on high school, he claimed that in the future, he will continue to enjoy small-space living. After he attends college, he might even consider building a larger version of his current house.
