13-Year-Old’s $1,500 Home Leaves The Whole Neighborhood Open Mouthed

How many excuses have you made for putting off a project? Too expensive? Too much time? Not enough room? Well, this 13-year-old from Iowa will make all your excuses sound like child's play. See if you can follow along with his ingenious plan to turn a $1,500 investment into his very own apartment — complete with rent control.

Tiny House Nation

By now, you may have heard all about the tiny house movement, advocating simple living by building extra-small, fully functioning homes. Well, when then-12-year-old Luke Thill heard about them on YouTube, he wanted in. And yet all his favorite YouTubers agreed — building a tiny home is an expensive and difficult feat.

Expensive project

According to Home Advisor, "The average tiny house in California costs between $40,000 and $100,000 to build." Luke definitely didn't have that kind of money. But he still wanted to build a home with all the same amenities as the average house. He figured out he could build a tiny home for $1,500, but would that be possible with just his allowance savings?

Asking for help

When Luke realized his piggy bank was filled with only quarters and dollar bills, he knew he'd have to talk to his parents for help. They liked the thought of Luke having a real, tangible project to work on, instead of him sitting around playing video games. But they weren't just going to hand him money and hope for the best. Instead, they saw a learning opportunity.

Work to save

They tasked Luke with working odd jobs around town for his neighbors, including yard work and household chores. Once he’d completed these mini projects, his neighbors would pay him, and he'd save the money to start building. But Luke wasn't just working for small change — the young craftsman used a tip he got from YouTube to start saving immediately.