SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I MOVE?

a) Make a story based on the following photos.

b) Now read a story about a teenager who made his own house.
Are any of the elements of this story similar to the ones in your story?

A teenage carpenter decided to save money on rent by building his own tiny wooden
home at the bottom of his parents' garden. Thomas Lear was just 17 when he had a 'Heureka
moment' and decided to build his own home from scratch in his parents garden in Bristol to
have his own space. The carpenter spent two years building the rustic home from reclaimed
timber, completing the tiny project for a cost of just £6,000. Now aged 21, Thomas, from
Bristol said: 'I just wanted to live a stress-free simple life. It is lovely being 21 and not having to
spend all of my money on rent. I own everything and that puts me at ease.'

Thomas's tiny home takes up a small space on his families land. Inside, there is an open plan
kitchen and living room which has a pull-out bed so the property can actually sleep four
people. The house is insulated but requires a log burner as there is no central heating. He
said: 'The only thing I miss about living in a normal house is the space because 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 in a caravan - it flushes but requires emptying.'

To get to his bedroom, Thomas has to pull down a wooden ladder from the ceiling to climb
on to his bed. He added: '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 harmonizes 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 spent
every weekend on the building. While I was on apprenticeship wage, I had no choice but to
use reclaimed materials which I found on old building sites.'

'The most challenging part was the roof as I had to make sure it was right to avoid any leaks.'
Thomas says the biggest benefit is being able to have his own freedom and save money.
He hopes to build shepherd huts in the future and start his own glamping business.
source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9283589/
Teenage-carpenter-17-spends-two-years-building-tiny-wooden-house-just-6-000.html
c) After reading the text, answer the following questions.

 Summarize the story about Thomas Lear using the following numbers: 2, 5, 17, 21, 50,

82, 6000

 What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in such a house?

 How would you describe this house?

 How did Thomas utilize the small space?

 Who helped Thomas in his project?

 What was his biggest challenge?

d) Look at the text again the define the meaning of the highlighted words/expressions.

e) Watch a video interview with Tom and decide if these statements are true or false.

1. Tom lives in his parent's garden.

2. His house couldn't be bigger because of the regulations.
3. He learned how to be a carpenter.
4. He had no idea what he was doing in the beginning.
5. A lot of things in his home are recycled.
6. His father and sister helped him in the building process.
7. He gets his electricity from a battery. https://www.you
tube.com/watch
8. He has only one bed in his house.
?v=pzo1-
9. He loves the freedom that his home gives him. _TiB44&t=59s&ab
_channel=Timoth
10. He plans to live in this house forever.
yP.Livingston
+1. He used YouTube to learn more about building a house.