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
This mother is amazed by the differing skin tones of her twins and wonders what caused it…
In April 2022, Englishwoman Chantelle Broughton, 29, gave birth to twins, Azirah and Ayon. The twins looked exactly alike at first, but as they developed, some noticeable distinctions became apparent.
While Ayon’s complexion remained pale and his eyes remained a stunning blue, Azirah’s skin darkened and her eyes took on a warm brown hue. Their mother found these shifts fascinating and felt that they emphasized the special qualities of their development.
Because of their multiple racial backgrounds, Chantelle and her husband’s children have a diversified genetic make-up. While Chantelle’s paternal grandfather was Scottish and had Jamaican connections, her maternal grandfather was Nigerian. The twins’ unique physical characteristics were impacted by their multiracial ancestry.
Because of the twins’ dissimilar looks, Chantelle frequently gets questions from people while the family is out. Even though they are identical twins, Azirah and Ayon have different personalities: Azirah is quiet and obedient, whilst Ayon is energetic.
According to experts, differences in the color of a twin’s skin and eyes can be caused by genetic factors, especially in families where one of the parents is not white. Ayon and Azirah exhibit astonishing and gorgeous diversity, which is the result of unusual genetic pairings in Chantelle’s family.
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