The fashion for optimizing household expenses is gaining momentum. The stories of people who decide on radical measures to save, sometimes excite the imagination and cause bewilderment. At first glance, the act of American Michael Tully may seem insane. Wanting to once and for all get rid of the financial burden regarding the maintenance of the house, he decided to equip the living space in the school bus. And as the result of the transformation of transport showed, the idea is quite worthy of attention.
In search of an alternative
Tally, a graphic designer from Austin (Texas, USA), began to think about the need for changes when he calculated his rental costs. He had to pay $ 1200 a month. In addition, the unstable financial situation by that time drove Michael into a debt hole. The solution was obvious - it was necessary to reduce the most tangible financial costs. But how to do it, because real estate is a basic condition for ensuring life? So the old school bus was found.
Purchase of transport
The bus was found at one of the local auctions. 10 cars were offered, one of which was bought by Talley for only $ 2,200. At that time, the American was not confused by the condition of the bus and the possible amount of resources that would be required for its reconstruction. The main thing Michael was thinking about was the very presence of a four-wall structure with a roof. And, of course, the possibility of absolutely free use of property.
Roof lift
The first problem an initiative American faced was a low roof level. The school bus was designed for children, so an adult is uncomfortable to be in it because of the low ceiling. Moreover, Tally himself could have made a career as a basketball player, having a height of about 2 m. For comparison, the height of the free space in the bus compartment is 185 cm. Having studied the drawings and manuals for working with similar structures, Michael completed the task, increasing the height of the space .
Interior preparation for a new environment
The next step was to completely clear the interior. There was enough space in the bus to accommodate the necessary household appliances and furniture, but this required the dismantling of all seats. According to Tally’s plan, the salon should have housed a kitchen, bathroom, large table, sofa, double bed, and it was also necessary to leave a place to store things and various utensils.
But it was also impossible to leave the walls in their original state. Michael made a rough sheathing with insulation and a rigid frame base. Subsequently, decorative design was also made, which brought comfort to the atmosphere of the house.
Kitchen and bathroom
For the kitchen, Tully used budget sets of furniture, cabinets and drawers. With the help of wooden frames, he performed the conditional delimitation of space. In the end, it turned out that the area for culinary processes in the new housing takes up more space than in the old house. As for the bathroom, its functions are performed by a small cabin with a toilet and shower.
Electricity Housing
The main source of electricity in Tally's new home was solar panels. The region of his residence is characterized by high solar activity, so this decision was fully justified. Michael calls the process of installing photocrystalline panels the most complex in the entire project. He performed the installation on the roof without outside help and in windy weather, so many problems arose. But the solar panels helped him solve two problems.Firstly, Tully provided his home with electricity from an independent source. Secondly, it is an absolutely free resource. Regular electricity bills are no match for the costs that solar panels require maintenance.
Project Summary
In total, it took Michael Tally about a year to reconstruct the school bus. The term is quite long for such projects, but taking into account severe restrictions on financial resources and the lack of a special engineering education for the contractor, this is fully explainable.
Financially, the idea also paid off. Today, Tally spends on the monthly maintenance of housing no more than $ 100. As you can see, he was able to save more than $ 1000 on monthly expenses. Considering that $ 15,000 was invested in the project, the house will be able to recoup itself already in the second year of operation.