Most 16-year-olds are more concerned with who they’re bringing to the prom than what their future home mortgage payment will be. Austin Hay is a rare exception. In 2010, Hay began building his own home with the future in mind. After his family’s home burnt down, he watched his father rebuild their house from the ground up. Inspired by his dad’s dedication and a simple high school shop class, he bought a $2,000 trailer with his summer job income and starting constructing a 130 square-foot tiny house.
In the video below, a reporter asks Hay, “Do you think anyone can build their own house?” Hay responds enthusiastically, “Oh yeah, they just have to put their mind to it, and that’s what scares people. That and it’s hard work.”
(source YouTube)
The project was not a short-term hobby for Hay. He was a freshman in high school when he came up with the idea, and didn’t finish the house until his senior year. Throughout the process he made a few rookie mistakes, like unplugging his refrigerator when it was filled with ice cream. “That’s my one teenager mistake so far,” he says. “I gotta clean that up soon.”
To see the finished house, skip to 5:59 in the video below.
(source YouTube)
Hay plans to live in the house during college, instead of a dorm room, and following graduation. He hopes to inspire other young people to build their own versions, and that tiny houses will be the way of the future.
