Mom of 5 Defends Raising Her Kids in an Unfinished House After Critic Calls It ‘Ramshackle’: ‘They Know They’re Loved’ (Exclusive)

After a commenter called her family’s unfinished house “ramshackle,” Courtney pushed back, telling PEOPLE why she’s teaching her five children to appreciate what they have

NEED TO KNOW

• Courtney and her husband, Scott, have spent three years building a home in eastern Kentucky, purchasing materials as their finances allow
• In April 2026, the couple moved their five children, ages 7 to 16, into their unfinished home
• After Courtney shared their construction journey on TikTok, one commenter called the house “ramshackle” and suggested it would be embarrassing for the children to invite friends over

For three years, Courtney and her husband, Scott, have poured their time and paychecks into building a house for their five children in eastern Kentucky. So when a stranger on TikTok called their unfinished home “ramshackle” and suggested their kids should be embarrassed to invite friends over, Courtney had something to say.

“I’m raising my kids to be thankful for what they have, not to think they’re better than anyone else,” Courtney said in a TikTok video responding to the criticism. “Home isn’t defined by how it looks — it’s a feeling. And my kids know they’re loved here.”

The exchange came after Courtney began documenting the family’s home-building journey on TikTok, showing the progress they’ve made and the work that remains. In one comment, a viewer argued that living in the unfinished house wasn’t as positive an experience as Courtney portrayed it.

“That doesn’t matter, they live in a ramshackle house, that’s embarrassing for their friends coming over and just not as cool as [you] make it out to be,” the commenter wrote. The person also drew on their own childhood, adding, “My parents did this our whole lives and it did suck.”

Courtney, who moved into the house with Scott and their five children in April 2026, pushed back on the idea that its appearance should determine how her children feel about their home. “It’s parents like you who teach their kids to look down on what others have that create that mindset,” she said in her response.

The couple’s decision to build the house themselves came after years of financial uncertainty and repeated attempts to secure financing for a manufactured home. Scott, who works in the coal mines, had experienced numerous layoffs, and the family wanted a home they could own without a mortgage.

Before moving in, the family of seven had spent seven years and eight months renting a roughly 600-square-foot trailer with three bedrooms and one bathroom. Their new house was still missing finished flooring, portions of its drywall and a completed kitchen, but Courtney says they waited until they had electricity, clean running water, plumbing and a working bathroom before moving in.

Today, their five children, ages 7, 10, 13, 15 and 16, have furnished bedrooms, toys, clothes and internet access. Courtney prepares meals using an air fryer, toaster oven, slow cookers and plug-in burners while the family continues saving for a finished kitchen.

“Our house may not look finished, but our everyday lives really aren’t that different from anybody else’s,” Courtney tells PEOPLE exclusively. “They get up, get ready for school, come home, go to their rooms, play, watch TV, play video games and do all the things kids normally do.”

Although the critical comments have drawn attention, Courtney says her family has received far more encouragement than negativity. Many viewers have praised Scott’s dedication and the example the couple is setting for their children by continuing to work toward their goal.

Still, Courtney admits that raising five children in a house under construction has brought its own difficult questions, even before strangers began commenting on their living arrangements. She has wondered whether the family’s decision was fair to the kids and whether the years of construction were asking too much of them.

“I’m not going to pretend I’ve never questioned myself,” she says. “Even before the comments started, I’ve wondered whether this was the right decision and whether I was asking too much of my children.”

One of Courtney’s favorite reminders of how far they’ve come is a photograph of her youngest daughter, who was barely walking when construction began. The little girl stood on the subfloor holding a hammer as her father worked, and now, at 7 years old, she has her own bedroom in the same house.

The children have also had a say in designing their bedrooms and will help choose paint, wallpaper and decorations as construction progresses. Courtney hopes the house will be finished within the next year to year and a half, especially because she wants her teenagers to enjoy it before they eventually move out.

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For Courtney, the unfinished walls and floors are reminders of how much work her family has already put into creating a place of their own. She knows not everyone would choose to live the way they do, but she doesn’t believe their circumstances make their home any less meaningful.

“I can’t control what people think when they see an unfinished wall on a video, but I know what our home feels like to the people who live in it,” she says. “And to us, it’s home.”