When you are fed up with all the monthly bills, it's easy to understand you are able to think of one-of-a-kind solutions to save up some money. This was what Michael Talley had in mind when he thought of a bright idea to finally get rid of monthly rent payments. He had to abandon his apartment to make his idea for a new home possible.
Instead of getting home equity loan to buy his own house, Michael spent just a small amount of his money to buy an old school bus that he could transform into his own tiny home! He did most of the work himself and he didn't even need the help of professional home contractors. Talley's journey in building his own home led to many self discoveries that is sure to inspire you...
He Has Had Enough
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Michael Talley may not have actually been struggling to make ends meet, but he had had enough of paying monthly apartment rent for a home that he didn't own! Just like many other ordinary individuals, Talley, a resident of Austin, Texas, works so he can live a comfortable life being able to provide for his basic needs, like putting a roof over his head.
The young man called a studio type apartment in North Austin his home, which he pays a monthly rent of $1,200 to keep. One day Michael came up with an idea for his own home inspired by the tiny house trend which was not in the housing market. Because he has a knowledge about design since he worked as a graphic designer, Michael devised a plan to make his own tiny home.
A Bus is the Answer
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Tiny houses are trending these days, from people who wanted to build their own homes but through inexpensive means, to those who used the most expensive and top of the line materials just so that their abode could be the best looking and most expensive tiny house in the world.
But for Michael, he wanted an existing foundation that he could build on, which is why he decided to go with a bus. Michael thought that he wouldn't have a hard time as the roof, walls and floor was already in place, especially because he had no plans to hire building contractors at all. He was determined he could fix any roofing and flooring issues of the home, all by himself.
Michael’s Background
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Many thought just because Michael was from Texas, he would be well exposed to carpentry and building things. This was not the case, with Michael confirming that he had never built anything in his life and that he liked to stay away from power tools.
While others like fixing their own windows, roofing, and flooring, Michael is more interested in designing, particularly graphic design and illustration. What the designer lacked was application or execution of the designs he had already made. Despite his lack of experience, Michael didn't let this stop him from making his dream a reality.
Not Just a Bus
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Right from the start, Michael wasn't just in search of an ordinary bus, but a school bus! It was his lucky day that when he was looking for a school bus to buy, be came across a website called PublicSurplus.com, an online auction site that was selling 10 school buses.
Michael grabbed this opportunity and bought one of the buses they were selling. Lucky indeed, because he was able to purchase the school bus at the affordable price of $2,200. Furthermore, not many people were aware the Austin School District was selling school buses. The other 9 that was left behind were bought by one person!
Movie Inspiration
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Michael had a great idea for his school bus that's soon to be a tiny home. He wasn't just making it look like a house, but instead he wanted it to be 100% livable. He wanted to create a bedroom where he can sleep, bathroom, living area with TV, and he had a great vision of the kitchen design.
Although by profession he is a designer, he didn't come up with an original idea for his soon-to-be tiny home, he took inspiration from a movie. If you have watched The Lost World: Jurassic Park, you'd know what we're talking about. Michael was obviously inspired by that bus-like vehicle that was also a mobile home, where Jeff Goldblum's daughter hid so she could come with her father to Isla Sorna.
Ceiling Dilemma
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With the right idea, materials, tools, and skills, converting a bus into a tiny home can be rewarding. Of course, there is also the determination, if you are like Michael who lacks the experience of building something. All was set, but Michael was faced with the biggest dilemma, he couldn't fit inside the bus standing up.
From floor to ceiling, the height inside the bus was 6'1, but Michael stands at 6'6, so to fit inside he would always have to be sitting! No roofing contractors were necessary, Michael relied on YouTube to fix the problem, he discovered that there was a way to raise the bus' roof.
The Design He Went For
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It's true that initially Michael' design inspiration for his 'bus home' was the state of the art RV in the film The Lost World: Jurassic Park. However in the end, he changed his mind and decided on a different plan for his new home.
Michael admitted he liked entertaining guests, so he made the home design such that most of the rooms the guests would use could be accessed from the front of the bus, near the door. Michael also planned on a bigger kitchen design and large desk for his work area.
Sacrifices
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To be able to make his dream turn into reality, Michael needed to make some sacrifices. With no home to live in yet, the home builder decided to leave his studio apartment in North Austin so he could save the $1,200 monthly rent fee instead.
Michael lived in a tent in the woods when he moved out of his apartment, and he even made a daily 40 minutes commute to work just so he could save enough to buy more supplies for his home. If that isn't determination, we don't know what is!
Starting Anew
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There is a point in life where everything seems to not work out, something that Michael experienced for a year, from 2015 to 2016, a period that could be described as probably his most difficult. During that time Michael lost so much, his grandfather passed away, he broke up with his girlfriend, and he lost his job.
But instead of going on a destructive path, Michael chose a creative outlet to forget the pain, he had an idea to convert a bus into a livable home and he executed it. In a way, it was Michael's way of starting afresh in life.
Taking the First Step
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A school bus differs from a home in so many ways. One of those many differences is that a home doesn't have many permanent seats secured in place. The first step therefore for Michael in building his home was to remove the seats and make space. It may sound and appear simple, which Michael thought as well, but it most definitely was not!
He was able to do it, thanks to his step dad, who crawled down to remove every bolt in the seat, but he said the process was grueling, and if he would do it all over again, he would take his chance with some power tools.
There's Always Room for Mistakes
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There was always room for mistakes, especially for someone like Michael who does not have any experience with building a house, putting windows, flooring, and roofing all over. The very meticulous Michael committed a mistake when removing the roof panels.
He removed everything in the roof, even the insulation, but he noticed that the insulation appeared to be in good shape, and if he hadn't removed it, he could have decreased the budget he needed to completely build his tiny home.
A Good Laugh
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No matter how serious the task at hand was, one thing that can lessened exhaustion for Michael was having a good laugh. One particular thing he found on the bus that surely made him laugh out loud was an old note that said "kick me".
Kids can both be funny and cruel at the same time, and we think that it was just a cute, kiddish prank that a kid played on another, and that this was not a case of bullying. Michael was stripping the bus of its old content when he found the note.
Raising the Ceiling
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Michael knew he had to raise the ceiling of the bus so he may comfortably fit his 6'6 body in his soon-to-be tiny home. The idea was to cut the bus in half, and raise the roof. Being a designer, of course he wouldn't just cut without the right design and plan.
He didn't even need the help of roofing contractors to do this, he was able to do it himself. What Michael needed to do was take one of the steel ribs to a metal fabricator to make 25 identical ones. These was placed in between the bottom and the upper part of the bus to extend the ceiling.
Cutting the Bus was Nerve-racking!
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Getting the idea and planning to cutting his bus in half was one thing, actually going through with it is a whole different experience. Since he couldn't to do it by himself, Michael asked 20 of his friends for help to cut the bus in half in two different areas, and it was an experience that Michael can only describe as 'nerve-racking'.
He didn't know if the old school bus could stand the process and not be completely destroyed! All together the group raised the upper half, adjusting it by about 20 inches, so Michael could finally fit inside his bus.
Getting the Help He Needs
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Michael initially thought converting his bus into a tiny home was a one man job. But he was mistaken. He needed all the extra hands available. Luck was on his side because there many who were willing to help.
There was his step dad who crawled under the bus to help him remove the bus seats, a couple and their daughter helped him get to the scrap metal yard, where he sold off all the seats he removed, plus the 20 friends who came to help him raise his roof. It really did take a village!
Getting Injured
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Home construction requires a lot of wood and metal work. Even if Michael stayed away from power tools, he still had to deal with working with regular tools when doing the wood flooring, windows, the roof, and all the works. And while doing all this, Michael suffered a few injuries!
One time, while working with metal sheets, one of the sheets fell on Michael and actually sliced up his arm. The wound was so deep that it left a scar, a semi-permanent reminder of the hard work he put in for his home.
Window Treatment
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As the day went by with his home construction activities, the school bus was finally starting to look like a home. The ceiling had been raised, Michael fitted in a few furniture pieces, his design was slowly taking shape. One question was left, "What's he going to do with all the windows around the bus?"
Michael originally wanted to keep the existing windows for aesthetic reasons, but he knew it wasn't practical because it wouldn't provide the right insulation needed, and also it would not provide the privacy that a home requires.
Home Theatre
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Michael loves to have guests come over his old apartment, naturally it would be the same with his new tiny home. Michael loves watching movies and he wanted to put his very own cinema inside his tiny home. But was it possible? With all the limited space, how could he have a home cinema without sacrificing flooring, roofing, or window spaces?
Michael put his designing skills to good use by incorporating a space where he and his loved ones could enjoy movies together when they come over, and of course for his private viewing pleasure, too! Michael's love for movies is evident with some of his social media photos that he took with famous movie stars like Matthew McConaughey.
A Moving Home
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If you think Michael's sole purpose of building a home out of a school bus was to live in it and settle down in once place, then think again. Right from the start, he wanted his tiny home to be a moving livable home. Naturally, he would want to maintain the main function of the bus, which is, that it is a moving vehicle.
Can you imagine how fun it would be for Michael once he finished his home project? He can tour the country without leaving his home, and never worry about accommodation or hotel rooms!
A Gorgeous Kitchen
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For someone who loves entertaining guests, it would only be natural that Micheal prepare some food for them. One of the most important parts of the house when he was designing it, was the kitchen. He wanted to not spend too much on materials but he wanted to end up with a gorgeous looking kitchen design.
As he was looking for affordable materials, Ikea came to mind, and it was lucky day for Michael when Ikea gave the home builder a great deal for a particular kitchen line they were phasing out. Michael is proud to say that the gorgeous butcher block in his kitchen came at an affordable price of $120!
Repurposing Old Materials
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Building a new home without spending too much money is something near impossible to achieve. But Michael was a smart guy, plus luck seemed to be on his side. To save up on material costs, Michael decided to recycle materials and repurpose old wood.
According to him, he 'lucked out' when he found reclaimed floorboard from a Hyde Park house in Austin, which was originally used in 1941. He just flipped the wood to display the unused side. Michael also took apart his Ikea Karlstad couch to make use of the frame to build it right into the bus so it wouldn't move around when he drove.
Eco-Friendly Home
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As if his tiny home projects not good enough as it is, Michael went ahead to make it a self sustainable and environment friendly house! To achieve this, Michael installed solar panels on the bus' roof.
When you think cutting the bus in half must have been the most problematic part of the building, he goes on to say it was actually the installation of the solar panels that was the toughest one. First of all, it was a windy day so the panels kept falling off, and second, no one was available to help him, so he did it all by himself.
Michael's Workspace
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First came Michael's home theatre, then the gorgeous kitchen design, and one more important part of the house that needed space was Michael's workspace. It's a small issue if you really think about it, he could use the kitchen desk or just pull out a foldable desk when he needed to work.
But Michael wanted a proper workspace, mainly because that's how he earned a living. Other tiny home owners do settle for workspaces that can be folded and tucked away, but Michael decided on a 5 foot wide desk instead.
What a Prank!
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Life is not meant out to be lived too seriously, once in a while you need a good laugh. Michael may have been bored from building his tiny home that he decided to pull a prank on his family and friends. His loved ones followed the development of his tiny home, and we can only assume everyone was excited, especially Michael's family.
On one April Fools Day, Michael decided to post a photo online and said that his school bus was on fire! Naturally, everyone panicked, with his mom almost getting a heart attack! They probably thought all of Michael's hard work was put to waste. He later reveled that it was just a prank.
A Home Ready to Travel
The wait was finally over...with Michael painting the walls, placing the wood flooring, raising the ceiling, and installation of the new windows, his tiny home was complete. His bedroom window had a breathtaking view of the forest, and you can just imagine how great it is to always wake up to that view.
With the home's engine ready and able, Michael was set to not just live in a mobile home, but also to wake up in a different part of the country. He truly saved on building his own home, and he can also save whenever her travels, because he doesn't need any expensive hotel accommodation at all!
