Let's remember ourselves as children. We loved to make forts from pillows and blankets indoor or from sticks and branches outdoor. Every child dreams of their town unusual and cozy bolt holes. Aleksei Kovalenko, a 12-year-old teenager from the town of Shklov, decided to go further: he built a summer cabin from wood planks while he was spending holidays at his grandmother. His mother Kristina made a short video about it, posted it on TikTok and it went viral - several million views and thousands of comments. We talked to Aleksei to learn his story and what it is like to be famous.
Aleksei Kovalenko lives in Shklov together with his parents Anton and Kristina and a puppy named Ray. The boy completed the 6th grade of the Staroselye secondary school. The boy's grandmother Inessa Yakovleva lives in the village of Staroselye. During the holidays, the boy often visits her and helps with house chores. The grandson makes his grandma very happy because despite very young age, the boy is a true handyman with golden hands. Aleksei has made shelves in the house, recreation areas with benches and tables in the yard. He even did mops. A few years ago, the boy built a new porch instead of the old one. This year, Aleksei decided to go even further, and he built himself a real summer cabin of wood in his grandmother's garden: with a porch, two windows and a summer terrace with a small barbecue area. The boy picked up the place of the future construction project together with his grandmother. And work started to hum along.
The roof was the most difficult. The boy explained: the height, thin boards. Everything had to be done correctly and then covered with a film to prevent rain from dripping in. He did all the work himself, and his grandmother said she was his auxiliary worker: she fetched tools and wood panels, made sure Aleksei did not get hurt or injured.
The construction of the cabin took about 10 days; there is still a lot of work ahead. "I think that all in all it will take about three weeks. I am yet to finish the terrace and the roof, make a canopy over the door," Aleksei shared his plans. "I didn't keep it a secret what I was doing. I told my mother, but she, I think, did not imagine the scale."
The woman noted that she was not surprised with the cabin idea. "I know my grandson: if he starts a project he will definitely bring it to fruition. At the age of 10, he made me a porch, all sorts of shelves, chairs and tables," the grandmother said. “I was happy when he began to build the cabin. I told him that the idea was wonderful that we would have a place to have tea and lunch. The food tastes better there. I videoed every project of his to remember."
The boy's cabin turned out excellent. He used the door from the old bathhouse, painted it green and put a lock. When he leaves he gives the key to his grandmother so that she can spend some quality time there. Two windows were also painted green, as was the door. Inside there is everything you need to relax: a bed and a table, which Aleksei also made himself. There is a chair, hooks for clothes on the wall. Above the bed there is a picture that holds the family history. It was made by a friend of his great-grandfather. The picture has been kept in the family for more than one generation. Now it creates comfort in the summer cabin. Books, flowers… Simple and very cozy.
"Our family is very artistic and creative. My husband and I worked as PT teachers at the Staroselye secondary school. This year I will no longer work at school. I decided to focus on my cooking blog and travels around Belarus. One of our grandmothers writes poetry, the other studies history and writes books on this topic. Everyone is talented in their own way," Kristina said. “Aleksei is tender-hearted. We try to captivate him with something, to keep him busy so that he is not glued to the phone, but grows and tries something new. Whatever his hobbies, we always support him. He dreamed of being a doctor: we bought medical gowns, and my grandfather, already a retired doctor, gave him all his tools. Then it was embroidery. We bought out all embroidery things in Shklov. Then he had a passion for poker-work and baking. Now, it is construction."
Aleksei also goes in for sports. "He is the winner of Belarus’ Snow Sniper biathlon tournament. Their team became the best at the Golden Puck competition. He is the winner of the national athletics competitions," the boy's mother said.
Kristina said how they found out about Aleksei’s plans to build the cabin: "We were going to buy tickets to Slavianski Bazaar. Our grandfather lives in Vitebsk. Aleksei was visiting his grandmother, and she had saw cut delivered for firewood. Aleksei saw wood planks and said that he was no longer going to Slavianski Bazaar with us. He immediately got down to designing something. At first, he designed a A-house, which is fashionable now but then he realized that it would not work. He would not cope with it and the planks were thin. Therefore, he opted for the square shape."
"When I grow up, I want to have a big house made of wood, with large windows," the boy shared his dreams and plans. "When I grow up, I want to become a rescuer."
Aleksei was happy with the fire detector. "At this rate, I will get the water supply connected soon," the boy said.
by Anastasia GUZOVSKAYA
Aleksei Kovalenko lives in Shklov together with his parents Anton and Kristina and a puppy named Ray. The boy completed the 6th grade of the Staroselye secondary school. The boy's grandmother Inessa Yakovleva lives in the village of Staroselye. During the holidays, the boy often visits her and helps with house chores. The grandson makes his grandma very happy because despite very young age, the boy is a true handyman with golden hands. Aleksei has made shelves in the house, recreation areas with benches and tables in the yard. He even did mops. A few years ago, the boy built a new porch instead of the old one. This year, Aleksei decided to go even further, and he built himself a real summer cabin of wood in his grandmother's garden: with a porch, two windows and a summer terrace with a small barbecue area. The boy picked up the place of the future construction project together with his grandmother. And work started to hum along.
"One day I got bored and decided to start building a cabin for myself. First I put the blocks, then planks. I made the foundation. Then came the turn for the fiberboard floor, the frame, the walls," the young builder modestly said.
As the material for the construction the boy used firewood, or rather, sawn wood, which was delivered to the grandmother for firewood. The boy chose the best boards, sanded them sown. "I took all the materials from my grandmother behind the garage," Aleksei smiled.
As the material for the construction the boy used firewood, or rather, sawn wood, which was delivered to the grandmother for firewood. The boy chose the best boards, sanded them sown. "I took all the materials from my grandmother behind the garage," Aleksei smiled.
The roof was the most difficult. The boy explained: the height, thin boards. Everything had to be done correctly and then covered with a film to prevent rain from dripping in. He did all the work himself, and his grandmother said she was his auxiliary worker: she fetched tools and wood panels, made sure Aleksei did not get hurt or injured.
The construction of the cabin took about 10 days; there is still a lot of work ahead. "I think that all in all it will take about three weeks. I am yet to finish the terrace and the roof, make a canopy over the door," Aleksei shared his plans. "I didn't keep it a secret what I was doing. I told my mother, but she, I think, did not imagine the scale."
Aleksei recalled that he first learned to use a hammer and nails at the age of 6-7. Since that time, the grandmother has had many things in the house made for her by her grandson.
"I was born and raised in Staroselye. This is our ancestral nest. Like all grandmothers, I have a garden. I grow potatoes, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes and cucumbers. I have two dogs,” Inessa said. “Aleksei often visits me. He is a hardworking boy, with his own opinion. While he was building his cabin, I was there for him. I can't give any advice on construction, but I have a trained eye: I immediately notice if a wood panel is not right. I would tell him and he would use the level to put things right. I held a stepladder so that he would not fall. I fetched panels, nails, tools. I was always there for him."
The woman noted that she was not surprised with the cabin idea. "I know my grandson: if he starts a project he will definitely bring it to fruition. At the age of 10, he made me a porch, all sorts of shelves, chairs and tables," the grandmother said. “I was happy when he began to build the cabin. I told him that the idea was wonderful that we would have a place to have tea and lunch. The food tastes better there. I videoed every project of his to remember."
The boy's cabin turned out excellent. He used the door from the old bathhouse, painted it green and put a lock. When he leaves he gives the key to his grandmother so that she can spend some quality time there. Two windows were also painted green, as was the door. Inside there is everything you need to relax: a bed and a table, which Aleksei also made himself. There is a chair, hooks for clothes on the wall. Above the bed there is a picture that holds the family history. It was made by a friend of his great-grandfather. The picture has been kept in the family for more than one generation. Now it creates comfort in the summer cabin. Books, flowers… Simple and very cozy.
The summer terrace overlooking the garden attracts attention. A barbecue area, a table with a tablecloth and chairs add coziness. The whole family celebrated a housewarming party here: they grilled shashlyks and had a great time.
Mother Kristina made a video of an unusual summer cabin and posted it on TikTok. No one imagined that the boy would become a true celebrity, and the video would collect more than 5 million views and thousands of comments.
"Our family is very artistic and creative. My husband and I worked as PT teachers at the Staroselye secondary school. This year I will no longer work at school. I decided to focus on my cooking blog and travels around Belarus. One of our grandmothers writes poetry, the other studies history and writes books on this topic. Everyone is talented in their own way," Kristina said. “Aleksei is tender-hearted. We try to captivate him with something, to keep him busy so that he is not glued to the phone, but grows and tries something new. Whatever his hobbies, we always support him. He dreamed of being a doctor: we bought medical gowns, and my grandfather, already a retired doctor, gave him all his tools. Then it was embroidery. We bought out all embroidery things in Shklov. Then he had a passion for poker-work and baking. Now, it is construction."
Aleksei also goes in for sports. "He is the winner of Belarus’ Snow Sniper biathlon tournament. Their team became the best at the Golden Puck competition. He is the winner of the national athletics competitions," the boy's mother said.
Kristina said how they found out about Aleksei’s plans to build the cabin: "We were going to buy tickets to Slavianski Bazaar. Our grandfather lives in Vitebsk. Aleksei was visiting his grandmother, and she had saw cut delivered for firewood. Aleksei saw wood planks and said that he was no longer going to Slavianski Bazaar with us. He immediately got down to designing something. At first, he designed a A-house, which is fashionable now but then he realized that it would not work. He would not cope with it and the planks were thin. Therefore, he opted for the square shape."
The teenager's mother noted that she did not expect such a response to her post about Aleksei’s project. "People were surprised, and it's nice. Aleksei was happy with the response: he read the comments. We have received a lot of good comments. People see him as a good husband in the future," Kristina laughed. “There are those who do not believe that Aleksei did everything himself. But those who live here know very well that there is no one to help: there are three houses on this street, and only retired women live in them.”
Aleksei’s father Anton is proud of his son. The man is sure that it is important to support children in their endeavors. "Aleksei did a lot of work even before the construction. He made sketches, thought through everything," the teenager's father said. “He was fond of many things: he did baking, had a passion for poker-work. Then it was ice hockey, skiing. What is important is that he achieves high results in what he is passionate about."
Aleksei’s father Anton is proud of his son. The man is sure that it is important to support children in their endeavors. "Aleksei did a lot of work even before the construction. He made sketches, thought through everything," the teenager's father said. “He was fond of many things: he did baking, had a passion for poker-work. Then it was ice hockey, skiing. What is important is that he achieves high results in what he is passionate about."
The boy noted that after the video went viral on the internet, he does not feel like a celebrity. "On the first day after it was uploaded, I noticed that the video had collected 800,000 views but it is not a rare thing for mom’s account. Then it went up to 2 million, 3 million, 4 million, 5 million. People leave mostly kind comments, but many do not believe that I built it myself. All our Staroselye already knows about my cabin. My friends and classmates called. I had a friend drop by."
In the future, Aleksei said, he would like to settle in a place like Staroselye: with all city amenities but with a village vibe.
In the future, Aleksei said, he would like to settle in a place like Staroselye: with all city amenities but with a village vibe.
"When I grow up, I want to have a big house made of wood, with large windows," the boy shared his dreams and plans. "When I grow up, I want to become a rescuer."
By the way, rescuers of Mogilev Oblast also watched a video about Lesha's cabin. Today they came to visit: to get acquainted with the young builder and install a fire detector. Inessa Elfimova, the official representative of the Mogilev Oblast Department of the Emergencies Ministry, noted: "This is a great example of a creative teenager mind. We, rescuers, like all other users, saw the video about Aleksei and his cabin and did not stand aside. Any living place should be safe. Therefore, we gave Aleksei an autonomous fire detector, which he has already installed. We hope that he will not have any emergencies."
The rescuers were pleased to learn that Aleksei dreams of becoming a rescuer. "I was pleased to learn that in the future Aleksei is going to connect his life with the rescue service and become an employee of the Emergencies Ministry. We look forward to seeing him in our ranks," Inessa Elfimova said.
The rescuers were pleased to learn that Aleksei dreams of becoming a rescuer. "I was pleased to learn that in the future Aleksei is going to connect his life with the rescue service and become an employee of the Emergencies Ministry. We look forward to seeing him in our ranks," Inessa Elfimova said.
Aleksei was happy with the fire detector. "At this rate, I will get the water supply connected soon," the boy said.
by Anastasia GUZOVSKAYA
Photos by Oleg FOINITSKY
BelTA
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