22 year-old started tiny home building business from the ground up

ST. MARYS (KSNT) - One young northeast Kansas man has turned his hobby into his day job.

Right after high school, St. Mary's native Benedict Kaiser planned to build a small cabin for himself. He started by enrolling in construction classes at a local tech school.

"I was going through school at Washburn Tech at the time, and they gave me a good introduction into the world of the trades," said Benedict. "It gave me a basic understanding of electricity, plumbing even."

He said gaining that knowledge gave him the confidence to finish his house and to consider making more.

Last March, he sold his first tiny home and got certified to run his own business. Now, he's getting ready to sell his fifth tiny home.

It’s a big change from his original plan to use his education to take over the family business. But, his dad, Steve Kaiser, says he couldn't be prouder of the career his son is building for himself.

"It would've been nice be able to pass the torch, you know," said Steve. "I'm very happy for him now, because this little, tiny house business is going to do a lot better for him than I can."

Even though this isn't the career he thought he would have, it's a career Benedict can take great pride in.

"Whenever you put your name on something, you take a lot of effort and care to make sure that product is as good as you can make it," said Benedict. "So, I definitely take a lot of pride in what I'm trying to accomplish."

Benedict says he's having so much fun building these homes he's planning to do it full-time for as long as he's able.