When most people see a school bus, they see a way to get to school. But when a builder from Denver named Charlie Kern sees a school bus, he sees endless possibilities for a house on wheels.
When Charlie needed to move, he was reconciled to the fact that he couldn't afford a traditional home. Then he had an idea.
Like the family who transformed a garage into a studio, Charlie had an idea to create an awesome living space on a shoestring budget.
The builder had experience working on cars and buses. He knew that he might be able to utilize the space that a converted school bus offered — for something other than taking kids from point A to B.
Charlie told Zillow:
"I needed a place to live. I wasn't going to have the money to buy a house in the foreseeable future. I knew buses. This is a lot of space. I knew I could live in one."
Check out Charlie's humble abode and a couple of converted school bus projects he worked on for clients below:
[H/T: Zillow Porchlight]
Charlie spent a grand total of $27,000 converting an old school bus into his new home.
The house on wheels functions just as well as a regular house might, and is probably even more spacious than some apartments.
The back seat of this bus used to be where (most likely) the mischievous kids would sit. Today, it accommodates a full-sized bed.
This just goes to show that a little imagination can go a long way!
Charlie is able to utilize the space where his bed is by making it fold into the wall.
He added, "A lot of people now, I think, are realizing that what it takes to live is different than what we've been told we need to live, and that's an amazing epiphany."
Charlie's bus does not compromise on the amenities. In fact, his home has a full kitchen that's probably not much smaller than yours or mine!
The kitchen even has all of the appliances you could need. There is no need to skimp on the comforts of home in a converted bus like this one.
As with any tight living space, there is always room for storage hacks! And some cute house plants!
The bus' shower even has fancy pebble tiles. Better yet, the shower functions just as well as yours does, thanks to a 46-gallon tank that supplies water for a respectable 10-day stretch.
The entire operation runs on solar power. This is what makes the bus self-sufficient and greatly reduces the carbon footprint of the tenant.
It might not be easy being green, but these solar panels certainly make it more attainable.
It's hard to not take notice of a mobile home like Charlie's. Since building this one, he has completed bus conversions for clients who also want a life on wheels.
He said, "When somebody asks me to build and design a house in a bus, that's an honor."
Each bus is custom-made depending on the clients wants and needs. This bus came complete with a sewing station!
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