living in a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence isn't for everyone dream. In this era of professionals working from home and careers flexible, more Americans seek to have more mobility in their lives. In this first installment of the unique places to Call Home series, you'll meet Jessica Ryan who certainly has experience living outside the box.
Ryan, with her husband, Nate, lived in a school bus renovated for almost a year. In 2014, they bought a bus Bluebird 1997 with 250 square feet of living space and renovated more than three months.
"we wanted change and adventure. In addition, we felt like we had to pay $1,000 a month for nothing,"said the freelance photographer on the couple's rental costs.
the couple feel that their monthly rents are not the best investment. They believed that a school bus would provide the couple of company with the flexibility and freedom to go anywhere.
"that we started thinking about out of our lease, I came across the concept of"Schoolie"online," said Mr. Ryan, 27, referring to the community of people who buy and revamp school buses. "We explored buying a home, but we did not want to be attached with a mortgage. And we have also considered buying a small house, but they seemed too expensive. "
based on the West Michigan couple then found a bus at reasonable price on Craigslist and started searching for renovation costs before moving to Portland, Oregon.
"a challenge, we found, is that the school buses are not very well isolated. So we spent money isolate the floors, the walls and make other upgrades,"she said. "The seats removed from the bus was a large part of the conversion process. It was a bit expensive. "Another disadvantage in life of the bus that was their isolated home quickly heated up during the summer months Portland.
after much work hard and about $ 4,000 in renovations, their House on wheels has been decked out with a new shower, kitchen, composting toilet, a large refrigerator and even a Queen bed.
"my favorite bus feature was our spacious closet," said Ryan, who also needs space for two cats of the couple. «Nate and I made sure we designed the bus with a storage space.»
, said, dealing with their composting toilet is probably the most difficult part of living the bus because the tank must be emptied every two or three days.
"Because we were parked inside the city of Portland, we couldn't just dump our composting anywhere," said Mr. Ryan. "We tried to be very eco-conscious with the bus. Living in a small space really helps reduce your carbon footprint because you use less water and lighting. "
Ryan said their decision to buy a bus which allowed them to use less energy and resources than ever before in traditional housing. And they enjoyed that and other aspects of the life of the school bus. "We never get sick of living in our small living space, got", she insisted. "When we are sick of being on the inside, we just spend more time outside."
it's another advantage of their flexible lifestyle compared to traditional housing. The couple loved the opportunity to stay in a park for RV, travel or even Park side of the road, if they wanted. But after 11 months of "Schoolie" alive, the couple sold the bus for a profit and transferred to Michigan.
"got us multiple bids on our bus; "I wasn't surprised because potential buyers really loved it,", she recalls. "Living in Portland is incredibly expensive. So it became the Mecca of the tiny houses, life of RV and school buses, too. "
said Ryan them living on the bus allowed the couple to save money and experience has learned a lot about ourselves.
' my husband and I have had no experience with building things or to be practical, but this experience has taught us how, "she said. "We wanted to come out this experience changed over time. We both feel that it was a huge growing experience with our marriage, too. "
the couple has learned to be independent, because they had no family living on the West Coast. And they have enjoyed learning new things about the people and culture of Portland. They enjoyed the experience because they have learned more about themselves and their ability to be resourceful, resilient and satisfied with their lives. ""
' it's funny: once you've lived in tiny, your concept of normal size changes really, "admitted Ryan. "We hit on the idea of do it again even if we settled in Michigan now. "
looking back on the experience, Ryan said she's happy with the sacrifices that the couple chose to do so, including to sell one of their cars to their school bus adventure.
"people always ask us what possessed us to buy a bus." We tell them cool just looked it, so we went for it! ", she said.
stay tuned for another slice of unique places to call home. If you or someone you know has a one-of-a-kind home, share it with us in the comments below.