Minimalism has been in vogue on the Internet recently with many individuals finding fanciful ways to live frugally. More specifically, the trend towards “tiny houses” has been sweeping the web. The benefits are understandable: having a unique living space, being off the grid, being mobile and saving money. Today’s story is a unique take on this new trend which has us considering our own ways to save on rent.
Based out of Renton, Washington, Brian and Starla Sullivan along with their children Charlie, Henry and Lincoln are family of five who live out of a renovated school bus. That’s right, five people live in a tube-shaped vehicle—though there’s more to their home than you might think. Still, getting the bus to a point of being livable was quite a process in itself.
The renovations included gutting all the seats, building custom cabinetry, installing heat and water systems and laying some more comfortable flooring down. All told, the process cost $30,000 and took a little over a year to complete. Now, their bus has all the normal amenities of a house including a fully-equipped kitchen, laundry, living areas and pull-out beds. Though the change seems radical, the Sullivans say the new arrangement has a ton of benefits.
“We pay about a third of the cost of living elsewhere,” Starla says. “Utilities are also about a third of the cost so we have money to pay off debt, student loans [and] eat the foods that we want.”
Though their converted bus certainly looks livable (and pretty cool), the Sullivans say their new home is not without its own unique challenges. Throughout their time there, the family has weathered frozen pipes, a lack of running water and propane shortages. Additionally, Charlie, Henry, and Lincoln are only three, two and three-months-old, respectively. As the trio grows, the limited space may become a potential problem. Still, the Sullivans are optimistic about remodeling when the time comes—plus they’ve built in extra space to account for these changes.
What makes stories like these so great is how relatable they are despite their superficial difference. The Sullivan family are middle-class like so many of us and have taken a big move to reduce their cost of living in a way that still allows them and their children a full life. After all, how many people can say they built their own home and that it used to be a school bus?
For their part, the family doesn’t see their unorthodox choices changing much in the future. “If we do move out of the bus it’s going to be [into] something equally ridiculous,” Starla says. “We are ridiculous people.” Check out the video below for the full tour of the one-of-a-kind bus. When can we move in?
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[Source: Barcroft TV]
