13 Year Old Builds Tiny House South of MN Border in Iowa

Well, I know what I was doing at 13, and it certainly wasn't building a tiny house. It certainly wasn't building any sort of a house.  Probably focused on riding my bike somewhere to meet up with friends or some other school drama.  When you are 13, everything is drama.

But Luke Thill, a teen from Iowa, built an 89 square foot home for less than $2000.  That's ambitious for a teen.

There has been a trend of people "going tiny".  And spending money on experiences instead of spending a ton of money on their homes.  It's amazing how some of these homes turn out.  Could I live in one?  Probably.  Alone, as a temporary situation.  Personally, I think it would be perfect as a getaway spot, like a cabin.  It's more sturdy than a camper, so that is a win.

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Back to Luke.  He actually started this journey when he was 11 years old in 2017.  According to a story from People Magazine, he was watching (as so many of us were) people building tiny homes on Youtube.com.

After talking it through with his parents, he worked all summer doing odd jobs to raise $1,500 to build his own tiny home in his family's backyard. "I knew that it was possible and I put my heart and soul into budgeting money, planning, and executing my ideas," Thill tells PEOPLE, admitting that funding the project himself was probably the biggest challenge he faced.

He got some help from his dad, and worked throughout the summer doing odd jobs like mowing lawns.

When he was through with the tiny house, this ambitious kid also built a small camper to go along with it.

Check out the journey on the video below

To me, it does look like some of the play houses that we would have in our backyards as kids.  But this one has electricity and is functional as a home.  And honestly, it's way better than anything I could have done when I was 11... or 13... or now.

Pretty cool, kid.