It’s getting harder and harder for young people to leave home to study in a big city because of rent prices. And sometimes you feel good at home, and you don’t always want to leave quickly. At 17, Thomas Lear wanted to be independent, but at the same time he couldn’t afford a small apartment for himself. For two years, the apprentice carpenter worked on his recycled wood project. The total cost? Less than 7,000 euros, including appliances. He is now 21 years old and has very low monthly expenses.
The downside is that the apartment doesn’t have enough space to invite someone over for a visit, Thomas admits, telling Metro: “I built everything from scratch on a tight budget. I just wanted to live a simple life without stress. It’s great to be 21 and not have to spend all my money on rent.” “When you look inside, you see an open-plan kitchen and a living room with a loft bed. There’s room for four people to sleep.
The house is insulated and has a wood stove for the winter, since Thomas doesn’t have central heating.
The only thing I lack compared to a regular house is space,” he says. Showers are taken through a rainwater collection system that holds 50 liters of water. “I can take a hot shower for five minutes before it gets searingly cold. It takes 30 minutes to get warm. When Thomas started out, he had virtually no experience building a house. He used YouTube tutorials extensively and sought advice from family members.His grandfather (82) installed the electricity, and his father helped with the plumbing. Other than that, Thomas did almost everything himself.