While many people typically wait until they are at least 30 years old to build their dream home, the thrill of hand-crafting your ideal living space is unmatched.
Imagine the journey of creating a plan, putting your heart and soul into it, and finally seeing your vision come to life. That’s exactly what Tom did. At just 17 years old, he used his skill, creativity, and determination to make his dream a reality.
Driven by rising housing costs and a desire for independence, Tom set out to build a modest home using recycled materials. He discovered he could create something completely from scratch while staying within a budget.
“My vision for the cabin was to keep things simple and provide a stress-free lifestyle. Everything I have is mine; I paid for everything”, Tom explained.
Now, at 20, Tom is relieved knowing he won’t have to spend his hard-earned money on rent. “It’s a no-brainer life and once you’ve built something, it really is yours”, he added.
Tom’s house is located on his grandfather’s extensive property and retains a charming English country aesthetic, complete with a side window. At 17, he bought a caravan and immediately began building it while working and completing his carpentry apprenticeship, which he completed in December.
The front of his house is made of larch wood, sourced cheaply from a local sawmill, while the side walls are made of fence boards. All the windows are recycled, sourced from a website that specializes in used materials. He recently added a porch, using boards from a scaffolding company and other scrap and reclaimed wood he recovered from the job.
Upon entering Tom’s home, visitors are greeted by beautiful reclaimed wood and a tranquil poster of a seascape. “My goal was to use only reclaimed wood for the build because it’s budget-friendly,” Tom noted. Much of the wood in his home was salvaged from old homes that he personally stripped down, sanded and repurposed.
The living area includes a compact workspace for his work and meals, a standard sofa, and a wall-mounted TV. In the future, he hopes to upgrade to a multifunctional sofa with built-in storage.
Tom especially loves his kitchen, where he made a fully functional worktop out of recycled scaffolding boards and spent hours sanding and painting it. The kitchen is equipped with essential appliances such as a fridge, stove and toaster.
Opposite the kitchen is a compact bathroom with a small chemical toilet with electric flush. The shower area has corrugated iron walls and copper fittings, evoking a rustic farmhouse feel. Back in the living room, a ladder leads to the loft, which leads to Tom’s cozy bedroom with double mattress.
Tom began building his dream home at age 17 with a budget of $8,200 and an hourly wage of $5.50 and managed to save most of his income to finance the construction of his home using recycled materials.
Imagine how his home will evolve as he completes the various upgrades he has in mind! For a full tour of Tom’s home, check out the video below
The superstar’s 3-year-old son dies after tragic river accident
Spencer Wright, a famous rodeo cowboy, lost his young son Levi Wright.The three-year-old boy died after a near-drowning accident caused a traumatic brain injury.Spencer Wright, a famous rodeo cowboy, lost his young son Levi Wright.Levi was taken to a hospital in Salt Lake City after he drove a toy tractor into a river near his family’s house by accident.
About a mile downstream, Levi was found unconscious by local police.After being told he was brain dead and not likely to live, the boy started to show signs of improvement.“LEVI AWAKENED!” We don’t know much, but the doctor told me it was okay to be excited about that, and I AM! “My child is really tough!” his mom Kallie Wright wrote on Facebook.MRI results the next day “weren’t good,” which was a shame.“We are broken, but it’s just pictures that show a certain way of life.” “What Levi does over the next few days will really tell us everything,” Kallie said.Family and friends of Levi kept asking for prayers while he fought in the hospital.On June 2, Kallie told me some terrible news“After many sleepless nights, a lot of research, many talks with the best neurologists in the world, and millions of prayers, we are here facing our biggest fear,” she wrote. “Levi only showed us enough to buy us some time.” He did those things to show us that he wanted to stay here, even though the odds were against him. Now we know that he just wanted to give us time to be okay with letting him go.Levi Wright’s family turned off his life support after many tests, scans, and consultations.The next day, Mindy Sue Clark, a family friend, wrote on Facebook that Levi had died.“The last two weeks have been so hard that I can’t even begin to describe them.” The phone rang the night of his accident and I got the message that he had to leave last night. That’s why I don’t want to think about the bad or sad things. It hurts like someone tore my heart out and squished it right in front of me. What I want to talk about is all the miracles we saw during those 12 days.“The most wonderful three-year-old ever.” He was so perfect that we couldn’t keep him. In the last 12 days, this baby boy did a lot. He got a lot of people to get together. A child brought light into a very dark world. His parents could not have asked for a better child.During this very hard time, our thoughts and prayers are with the Wright family.
Leave a Reply