Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Homes come in all shapes and sizes. Whether it’s a castle, or a house on water, or a home with a very functional jail in the basement, the sky’s the limit when it comes to living space.

You can even do what this young couple did—got themselves an old-school school bus and made it more than a mere mode of mass transportation by converting it into a quite impressive RV of sorts where the two and their lovely dog now live.

Meet Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal, a couple who decided to get an unorthodox piece of living space

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

Meet Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal, a couple who have acquired a piece of mass transport—a majestic 1988 Crown Coach school bus—in hopes of converting it into a home on wheels.

Now, before you think that they did it so that they could travel—no, they were much more practical about it. In truth, the Californian couple wanted to get married, and both a wedding and living in Los Angeles aren’t the most budget-friendly things.

The two got themselves a bus that they have converted into a fully-furnished 298sqf (27.7sqm) home

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

So, they came up with a solution. Instead of living in their separate apartments (which amounted to around $4,500 of monthly rent), they bought a late ‘80s school bus that was manufactured by the now defunct LA-based Crown Coach Corporation for $7,500.

Very soon after this, they realized that though they were very confident and capable of doing a lot of things to make the bus-home—which has been adorably dubbed Adelita—a reality, they still needed help from professionals, who took care of the walls, the AC, the plumbing, electrical systems, and many other things.

While the bus itself cost $7,500, renovating it ramped up the cost to an approximate total of $50,000

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

The two also were lucky to have family that owns a furniture business—much of the furniture found in their new home on wheels was custom made with the help of their family. This in turn allowed them to focus on designing the living space from scratch.

The home features all of the essentials that one might need in a living space. A spacious living room, a kitchen, a closet and a baby area, a bathroom, a bedroom, and the driver’s area are all spread across the 298-square-foot (or 27.7-square-meter) bus. On top of this, there’s electricity and water.

It has a living room, a kitchen, a dining area, a bedroom, a bathroom, and still retains its driving functionality

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

The interior is cozy, modern, and minimalistic. The living room sports a curved sofa, sofa chair, a bookshelf, and a TV cabinet, the bedroom fits an entire queen-sized bed and a nightstand, the kitchen is equipped with the essentials: a sink, a fridge, cooking appliances, and an entire dining area, and the bathroom fits a sink, a toilet, and a shower.

And, mind you, this entire area is planned out for two people, plus their adorable doggo named Lolita, which makes this bus-to-home conversion even more impressive than it is.

Much of the renovation work was done by professionals, but the ladies designed it all from scratch

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

Check out the video tour of the bus below

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Christine & Kathy (@adelita_buslife)

In the end, the two estimate that the whole project ended up costing them around $50,000. Now, given that the median price of a home in the LA metropolitan area is around a half a million bucks, you can guess just how much money they have potentially saved, and even made an adventure out of it!

For those wondering if the bus is actually functional, the answer is yes. In fact, when the pandemic struck, Mariscal got a new job in Houston, Texas, so they drove there from Los Angeles, hitting some touristy spots along the way. The couple now lives in an RV park and pays just $800 a month for the lot.

The idea to live in a bus stemmed from the fact that the two were planning a wedding and needed to save money on accommodations and other necessities

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

It was never their plan to travel, though they do take weekend trips. Traveling is just a bonus to the main function of the bus—to support a stable minimalist lifestyle. You can see more of the bus and their life on their Instagram page.

The ability to travel is definitely a bonus—during the pandemic, they took a road trip from LA to Houston because Mariscal landed a job there

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Image credits: Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal

If you want more bus-home news, Bored Panda has covered other buses that were converted into homes, namely here and here. But before you go, let us know your thoughts on this. Do you live—or would like to live—in a bus? Let us know in the comment section below!

Some time ago, Robertas used to spend his days watching how deep the imprint in his chair will become as he wrote for Bored Panda. Wrote about pretty much everything under and beyond the sun. Not anymore, though. He's now probably playing Gwent or hosting Dungeons and Dragons adventures for those with an inclination for chaos.

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What do you think ?

POST

Jackson Gohn 3 years ago

Wow! It's so easy. All that you need is literally $50,000!

6points

Ozacoter 3 years ago

If you are interested in something similar the youtube chanel Trent & Allie has several videos about them renivating two vans and a RV to live in them. Now they are building their own house.

4points

The Dave 3 years ago

$50,000! What did they build everything out of, gold-plated titanium?!

3points

M O'Connell 3 years ago

RV air conditioning, $2k installed. Water tanks (potable, gray & black) $1k, plus all the other plumbing fixtures and piping ($1k) and probably $3k in labor. Electricians are $100/hr + materials (figure $3-4k). That's 11k and you haven't even started putting finishes on yet. Busses aren't cheap to repair mechanically either, and you can guarantee it needed ALL of the regular maintenance items. An in-frame rebuild for a 6-71 is $5k, not to mention brake linings, air lines, clutch, wheel bearings, air bags, and who-knows what else special stuff related to running a 2-stroke diesel in California. $50K still sounds like a good deal compared to what it buys you for a new RV.

16points

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Treessimontrees 3 years ago

"needed help from professionals, who took care of the walls, the AC, the plumbing, electrical systems, and many other things" <<<<<< $ gone right there

6points

Aliquid A 3 years ago

A new motorhome that size would cost at least triple that price. You can easily find one of those massive RV motorhomes running for over $400,000

5points

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POST

Jackson Gohn 3 years ago

Wow! It's so easy. All that you need is literally $50,000!

6points

Ozacoter 3 years ago

If you are interested in something similar the youtube chanel Trent & Allie has several videos about them renivating two vans and a RV to live in them. Now they are building their own house.

4points

The Dave 3 years ago

$50,000! What did they build everything out of, gold-plated titanium?!

3points

M O'Connell 3 years ago

16points

Load More Replies...

Treessimontrees 3 years ago

"needed help from professionals, who took care of the walls, the AC, the plumbing, electrical systems, and many other things" <<<<<< $ gone right there

6points

Aliquid A 3 years ago

A new motorhome that size would cost at least triple that price. You can easily find one of those massive RV motorhomes running for over $400,000

5points

Related on Bored Panda

Couple Bought A School Bus For $7,500, Spent Another $42,500 To Transform It Into A Cool 298 sq ft House On Wheels

Meet Christine Saldana and Kathy Mariscal, a couple who decided to get an unorthodox piece of living space

The two got themselves a bus that they have converted into a fully-furnished 298sqf (27.7sqm) home

While the bus itself cost $7,500, renovating it ramped up the cost to an approximate total of $50,000

It has a living room, a kitchen, a dining area, a bedroom, a bathroom, and still retains its driving functionality

Much of the renovation work was done by professionals, but the ladies designed it all from scratch

Check out the video tour of the bus below

The idea to live in a bus stemmed from the fact that the two were planning a wedding and needed to save money on accommodations and other necessities

The ability to travel is definitely a bonus—during the pandemic, they took a road trip from LA to Houston because Mariscal landed a job there

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Robertas Lisickis

Robertas Lisickis