We can all agree that smaller houses are way cuter than the big ones. They are more economical and moving around is easy, and are especially convenient for small families. 13-year-old Luke Thill from Dubuque, Lowa, seems to have been quite aware of this and so he decided to make his summer a productive one by building a small house of 89 square feet on his parent’s backyard.

Of course, he had to have permission from his dad before embarking on his small project. His father was more than happy for his son’s newfound interest and gave him a go ahead. However, for him to have it as his own, Luke had to do everything on his own. Apart from a little help, he had to find ways on his own, such as how he was going to raise money and build the house.

With the permission from his dad, Luke started his project. He went through video guides and learned all he could about how to build a small house. After getting satisfied with the guidelines, Luke now had to find money to see through his construction project. With so much tenacity and ambition fuelled up with his determination, Luke started taking odd jobs to get pay.

He cleaned out houses for his neighbors and mowed their lawns. At one point, Luke had to trim the yard of his scout neighbor who in exchange was to help him out with the carpeting of his tiny house. For other services like wiring, he also swapped his lawn cutting and gathering services. From all the work, he earned $ 1500 which was enough to build his house and finally make his dream a reality.

The work was fun but tiresome and at times too much, especially for a boy as young as Luke. It had its ups and downs as well, just like any other project which is intended to produce highly. However, this did not put him down or reduce his determination. His father would come to his help at times when it got a little too challenging, but that does not mean he made choices for Luke. All the major decisions were solely his son’s.

Through the YouTube videos he had watched, he had not only learned how to build the house but had also gotten some tips on how to deal with adults professionally, and how to work by the budget.

The father was quite enthusiastic throughout the entire project, and without doubt, he was proud of his son. Being able to sacrifice his summer to work and get money then build a house was inspiring, but him being able to hold onto the project with all the strike backs and be able to make it took a whole lot of determination and perseverance, and any other father would feel the same way.

The experience had been an interesting one, not to mention, knowledgeable. Luke was thrilled for getting the opportunity to build a house for himself. Though challenging, he figured out to solely make himself a home, and with his own earned resources. It was also a life lesson to other young men; it took a lot of discipline for such a young boy to come up with ideas to barter his services in exchange for other services.