I met Melissa and Shane on their visit to New Zealand a few months ago. She’s a kiwi and he’s Irish and they are friends of friends. I was fascinated by their story – of converting an old bus into their home. Shane works in the building industry and knows a bit more about the technical and structural side of things than I do – I picked up a few things just talking to them over a drink.
I persuaded them to show me their bus on my recent trip to Melbourne. They have it stored in a workshop. When they first rented the building, it was run down had needed a lot of work done first, before even starting on the bus. They had previously parked the bus outside their home, but it had been vandalised. Windows broken and graffitied. The warehouse is a much safer place.
They bought the bus 3 years ago and have slowly been working on it. Slowly buying all the parts they need.
Keen to speed things up, they recently left their $650 a week rental property and are house-sitting for friends – paying just $160 a week. All the saved cash is going into the bus. They are pushing themselves to get more done in the evening and weekends. All they need now is time.
They currently have the basic interior shape in place, the shower base has been put in and metal framing added. It was fascinating walking around, visualising how it will all look. I can’t wait to see it complete!
Do you know someone with a similar project? I’d love to learn more about it in the comments below.