How A School Project Built His House...OMG This Young Man Is Awesome!

When Austin Hay´s school invited students to research anything they were passionate about, the 16 year-old began investigating the growing trend of building a tiny house. He then set to work constructing a place of his very own, one which has wheels so he can take it to college and then wherever he goes after he graduates.

Austin´s house is only 130 square feet, but it makes him a homeowner without a mortgage before he´s even finished high school.

Austin always thought it would be cool to build a tree house, but once he found out you could build homes on a trailer to make them mobile, he quickly changed his mind. Basing his house on the popular Fencl Tumbleweed House model, Austin began construction in July of 2010. He bought a trailer for $2,000 at a used car dealership in Oregon just a few hours from his home in Sonoma County, California. Over the past year, Austin has slowly built up the tiny home with help from his father and friends. He’s gotten materials out of scrap yards and recycling centers as well as donations from family and friends. All of the doors and windows are salvaged and the wiring was scrap from an electrician friend.

The video gives a guided tour of the tiny house and shows it in various stages of completion. It includes reactions and interviews with his friends and family as well. Austin’s sense of pride and joy at accomplishing the home is well earned, and shared by his grandfather, whose interview in the clip is especially touching. Check it out!

Right now, it’s parked in his parents’ backyard and he’s already decided not to return to the family home- he loves the space and freedom he has living separately from his folks.

When other kids of his age spend numerous hours surfing the internet, he on the other hand has gained a lot of knowledge about construction, materials and building in general...not to mention he has completed a goal that many adults haven't achieved yet!

Credits: Kirsten Dirksen

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