When life hands you lemons, turn them into lemonade, as the saying goes. We all know that this is often easier said than done, but the reality is that when we focus on a goal and put in the effort, nothing is beyond our reach.
Cara Brookins was trapped in an abusive marriage. As a mother of five, she realized she had to rescue her children from the harmful atmosphere they were living in, so she decided to leave her husband, took her kids along, and constructed a new home entirely on her own. How did she accomplish this? By creating her own construction plans and learning from YouTube videos that showed her how to lay a foundation, erect walls, install gas lines, and set up plumbing, along with various other building skills. Isn’t that amazing?
Reflecting on it now, she understands that it truly seemed impossible all along.
Back in 2007, when she began constructing her family’s new house, Cara, a computer programmer analyst, found it financially unfeasible to purchase a home that would adequately accommodate all her children. That’s when she conceived the plan to build one from scratch.
“It felt like, ‘If anyone were in our shoes, they would take this route,’” Cara remarked. “No one else viewed it this way, and looking back, I see how it might sound crazy.”
She bought a one-acre plot for $20,000 and secured a construction loan of about $150,000.
Her children, with the eldest being 17 and the youngest just 2, participated in the construction of their 3,500-square-foot house.
Her son Drew assisted her in designing the plans, while 11-year-old Jada carried water from the neighbor’s pond in buckets, since there was no running water available on-site. She mixed it with 80-pound bags of concrete to create the foundation mortar.
