Brian and Starla Sullivan spent a year transforming a simple school bus into a fully functional home for their family. The result is a beautifully converted school bus that offers both comfort and practicality, providing a cozy living space for their family of five.
Their hard work turned a basic vehicle into a unique and compact home, proving that with creativity and dedication, even the smallest spaces can feel like home.
A bold move: The Sullivans’ journey to a converted school bus home
Raising a family comes with challenges, and financial strain is often one of the biggest. According to experts, raising a child from birth to age 17 averages around $14,000 annually.
Families struggle to make ends meet when combined with rent and other expenses.
Brian and Starla Sullivan, a couple from Renton, Washington, knew this too well. With three young children and the high rent cost, they barely got by.
In 2014, they started exploring alternative housing options. While watching YouTube videos, they discovered the concept of tiny, functional homes.
One video in particular caught their attention.
“There was this one video in particular โ we called them the crazy people who lived in a blue bus,” Starla recalled.
“Yet we just kind of looked at each other and were like, ‘Do you want to live in a bus with me?'”
“I thought she was joking, but no, she was serious,” Brian added.
The next day, Brian started thinking about the advantages of living on a bus.
“I was at work, and I started to realize all of these benefitsโbeing mobile, being able to move if I got a job that was 20 miles away,” he said.
Transforming a school bus into a comfortable home
Determined to make the idea a reality, Brian and Starla purchased an old school bus for $2,800.
Over a year, they spent $30,000 converting it into a fully functional home for their family of five.
Their converted school bus now provides a compact yet comfortable living space designed to meet all their needs.
“We are ridiculous people โ we are!” Starla exclaimed.
The new home allowed them to break free from the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle.
“We now have money to eat the foods that we want and go to the places we want,” Starla said.
“We pay a third of the cost now and have money to pay off debts and student loans!”
Previously, the family’s apartment was an hour away from Brian’s job, exhausting his daily commute.
“He would work overtime trying to pay the rent, then he would sit in a car for three hours, and we would never see him. So, we decided to make a change,” Starla said.
Life inside the Sullivans’ converted school bus
What was once a standard yellow bus is now a cozy, functional home. Though compact, their converted school bus has everything they needโa full-size bed, a kitchen with a microwave and oven, a washing machine, a composting toilet, and even a bathtub for their three children.
“One thing that I really wanted to have, having children, was a bathtub,” Starla said.
“So we have a bathtub that is big enough to fit all the kids in, at least while they’re this small.”
Despite their satisfaction with the bus, the family has faced challenges.
“We have had frozen pipes, no running water, we’ve run out of propane in the middle of the night and had no heat, no hot water, we’ve lost electricity,” Starla admitted.
“Whenever any of those things happen, I’m just grateful that they haven’t all happened at the same time.”
Still, they have no plans to leave their converted school bus anytime soon. “I see myself living in the bus until the kids move out,” Starla said.
“I know a lot of people say it’s not possible for us to raise kids in the bus, especially until they turn 18, but I disagree.”
Inspiring others to think outside the box
Living in a small space has taught them valuable lessons about organization and discipline.
“Living in a tiny space is really a test of your organizational skills and really a test of your discipline skills because you have to keep the space clean,” Brian said.
For those struggling financially, Brian encourages thinking outside the box.
“When you’re in a bad situation, you can either stay in the same place and die a slow death, or you can get creative, think outside the box, take risks, and do something scary. I think there are rewards there.”
The Sullivans document their journey on YouTube, hoping to inspire others to explore alternative living solutions.
Their story proves that with creativity, determination, and a willingness to take risks, it is possible to build a better life.
Take a tour inside “Big Bertha,” a converted school bus, via the video below:
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