College Student Converts a Bus into a Home

Jonathan Von Reusner, a sophomore at Bard College, dreamed of moving out of his parents’ house, but at the same time, did not want to live on campus. To make this dream a reality he recently converted an old school bus into a cozy tiny home, which he plans to live in for a while yet.

Jonathan bought the bus off Craigslist for only $2500. The bus had previously been used as a mobile library, so some work had already been done on it. Once he had it, Jonathan spent his spring break converting the bus into an off-the grid micro home. He achieved this very well, considering he had no prior building or remodeling experience, while the whole conversion cost him only about $3,000, which includes the solar panels he installed.

The interior measures about 90 square feet, and consist of a sleeping and living area, as well as a small, fully functional kitchen. Jonathan started the conversion by first stripping the seats, which he followed by installing a hardwood floor, a futon couch/bed, and a desk for studying. The home has no bathroom, but Jonathan can use the bathroom facilities at the campus gym at no charge.

The tiny home has four solar panels mounted on the roof, which are able to supply all the necessary power to the home. The kitchen is equipped with a propane-powered gas stove, a water cooler and a small fridge. Jonathan used mostly recycled and repurposed materials to renovate and furnish the home, such as the repurposed apple crate he uses as the kitchen cupboard and storage space.

The school bus is still functional, so Jonathan’s home is actually also a mobile home and he plans to live in it for the foreseeable future. Since he hopes to continue on to medical school, living rent free will go a long way toward helping him achieved his goals.

[source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/jetson_green/~3/ukg7E45qHWc/college-student-converts-a-bus-into-a-home.html]