Most middle schoolers probably have other things on their minds besides building houses.
But Luke Thill, a 13-year-old from Dubuque, Iowa, is unlike any other middle schooler you’ve seen before.
This talented and proactive boy has crafted his very own little house — in his parent’s backyard.
The project cost him roughly $1,500 USD — and now Luke is living his dream in his little cottage.
Come on in and have a look at what it looks like inside.
I think it’s safe to say that Luke is not like many of his 13-year-old peers. In a time of iPads, smartphones, gadgets, and X-Boxes, this young man decided to keep himself busy in a different and more ‘old-fashioned’ way. As he explains on his YouTube channel, his desire to build a small house grew out of feeling bored last summer.
After some thorough research, Luke had a pretty good idea of how he was going to put his plan into action.
The Process
It took him about a year to get the money and materials he needed to build the house. Luke mowed lawns, started a fund-raiser online, and ran errands for anyone who needed help in the neighborhood to make money.
An electrician Luke was friends with helped him install the electricity in exchange for Luke cleaning his garage out, for instance.
Luke used about 75 percent recycled material, many of which were things left over from his grandma’s house. The front door of the house was a gift from an uncle’s friend.
The 89-square-foot house is 10 feet long and 5 1/2 feet wide, with electricity but no plumbing, so no water or bathroom… yet.
“I liked the minimalism,” he told The Des Moines Register. “And I wanted to have a house without a huge mortgage.”
Luke has made several video clips and posted them online, where he talks about his project as many have grown curious about the little house.
As you can imagine, Luke also received some help from his parents, both financially and with the building itself.
But dad Greg made sure that it would be Luke himself who would pay for most of his project and also build most of it himself.
“It was a chance for a kid to do something more than play video games or sports,” Greg told The Des Moines Register. “It teaches life lessons.”
Teenager’s Dream
The house is in many ways a teenager’s dream, an oasis where you can chill and hang out in. It has a microwave, a TV, and a loft with a bed.
There’s even a barbecue and flowers at the back.
Luke usually does his homework after school at his new house and some nights during the week he gets to sleep there.
Luke already has aspirations to build another house — one that’s a little bigger for when he starts college. He also hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams:
“I want to show kids it’s possible to build at this age,” he says in one of his videos.
You can really see how proud he is about his project below.
Luke’s story is a great example of what a child can achieve with a clear goal, a strong worth ethic, and support from home.
Matthew McConaughey says Woody Harrelson might be his brother after a confession from his mom.
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are famous actors who have been in the spotlight for many years. They’ve been close friends and even starred together in the popular show “True Detective” in 2014, where their on-screen chemistry felt like a brotherly bond.
It turns out, their connection might be deeper than just friendship. Could their realistic performances have been influenced by a truth they didn’t know at the time?
According to McConaughey, he and Woody Harrelson might actually be real brothers. Not just close friends or like brothers, but actual brothers by blood.
According to Metro, McConaughey says he and Harrelson might be siblings. His mom revealed something that makes this hard to ignore.
McConaughey, who is 53 and starred in “Dallas Buyers Club,” said his mom hinted she knew Harrelson’s father well, suggesting they might have had a close relationship in the past.
McConaughey shared on Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast that his mom dropped this surprising news while his and Harrelson’s families were on vacation in Greece together.
The Interstellar actor shared that one day they were talking about how people often confuse him and Harrelson in photos.
“A few years ago in Greece, we were sitting around talking about how close we are and our families,” McConaughey said.
“My mom was there and she said, ‘Woody, I knew your dad.’ Everyone noticed the pause after ‘knew.’ It was a loaded K-N-E-W.”
After hearing this, McConaughey decided to investigate his family history. He found out that while his parents were going through their second divorce, Harrelson’s father was on furlough.
Santiago Felipe / Contributor
Harrelson, who is 63, suggested they get DNA tests, but McConaughey isn’t sure.
McConaughey said, “It’s easier for Woody to say, ‘Let’s do DNA tests,’ because he doesn’t have much to lose. For me, it’s harder because it might mean that my dad isn’t really my dad after believing that for 53 years. I have more at stake.”
Harrelson’s father was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1973 for murdering a grain dealer, which Harrelson learned about from a radio broadcast.
The Hunger Games star told The Guardian: “I was waiting in the car for someone to pick me up from school. I was listening to the radio, and they were talking about a trial involving someone named Charles V Harrelson for murder. I thought, ‘There can’t be another Charles V Harrelson. That’s my dad!’”
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