Man, 21, saves money on rent by spending late teens and £6k building tiny house at the bottom of parents’ garden
IN our experience, teenage boys are usually too preoccupied with their Xbox, the gym and chasing girls to give real estate a second thought. But when he was just 17-year-old, aspiring carpenter Thomas Lear, from Bristol, decided that he wanted to create a home of his own…. literally. The ambitious teen – who was doing […]
IN our experience, teenage boys are usually too preoccupied with their Xbox, the gym and chasing girls to give real estate a second thought.
But when he was just 17-year-old, aspiring carpenter Thomas Lear, from Bristol, decided that he wanted to create a home of his own…. literally.
The ambitious teen – who was doing an apprenticeship at the time – spent two years building his rustic house made almost entirely from reclaimed timber.
Now 21, Thomas is loving the freedom of owning his own property and not having to spend a big chunk of his salary on rent like his peers.
He said: “I built it all from scratch on a budget. I just wanted to live a stress-free simple life. I own everything and that puts me at ease.”
That said, Thomas admitted that there isn’t much space to host his friends.
Four years ago, Thomas embarked on his biggest DIY project ever when he started building a house at the bottom of his parents’ garden.
He said: “I had very little help and experience when building my home. I used YouTube a lot or asked family members for advice.
“I have very little plumbing experience which is why my bathroom is basic but it ties in with the rustic and farmhouse theme.
“My granddad, who is 82, did the electrics for me and a friend helped here and there. My dad Tim helped with the plumbing.
“But I did everything else myself – I used to dedicate every weekend to the building.”
With limited funds to spend, Thomas relied on GumTree and building sites for reclaimed materials.
Although the house is insulated, Thomas has installed a log burner as there is no central heating.
Inside, there is an open plan kitchen and living room which has a pull out bed – so the property can just about sleep four people.
And to get to his bedroom, Thomas has to pull down wooden ladders from the ceiling to climb on to his bed.
How much Thomas spent on the house:
Paint £50
Windows and doors £ 50
All Timber £2000
Roof sheets and fixings £450
Insulation £300
Kitchen £200
Decking £ 100
Plumbing £250
Electrics £800
Appliances/ all interior £500
Carpet/flooring £160
Cladding £350
Log Burner £400
Screws £50
Toilet £120
Guttering £55
Shower tin/shower tray £165
Total: £6000
He continued: “The only thing I miss about living in a normal house is the space.
“As I have a lot of things which simply wouldn’t fit in my new home. We couldn’t even fit in a door for the bathroom so I use a shower curtain.
“My shower runs off the rainwater harvesting system that stores 50 litres of water.
“I am able to have a five-minute shower in the warm before it goes ice cold. It takes 30 minutes to heat back up again.
“My toilet is a chemical one that you would find on a caravan – it flushes but requires emptying.”
Most read in Fabulous
For more amazing home transformations, this mum revamped her bland brown kitchen with B&M and Wilko bargains & it looks amazing.
And this couple are mortgage and rent-free after buying a £2,500 double decker London bus and turning it into a stylish home.
Plus Stacey Solomon revamped her fur-covered wardrobe with Amazon tiles and bargain paint.