Clean Energy · Environment · Renewable Energy · Solar · Tiny Homes
This couple ditched their tech jobs for life and work on the road in a converted school bus
Written by Cat DiStasio
News Clean Energy Solar
Many of the converted bus projects we feature are total eye candy and this one is no exception, but it's more nuts and bolts than bells and whistles. After months of work, Pelletier and Hitchcock transformed an ordinary school bus into a chic minimalist dream. Not all buses are created equal, and it took some time before the couple found the perfect bus for their renovation project. They settled on a 37-foot 2001 GMC BlueBird found on Craigslist, and spent the early part of 2015 gutting it to build their dream home on wheels. The couple reinforced the floor, designed and built out the interior, added solar panels, and thoughtfully crafted a ton of details to create a smart and functional adventure-mobile inside 200 square feet.
Related: How one woman turned an old school bus into the coziest little home
The bus now includes a fully functional kitchen, cozy lounge space, a sleeping nook, a bathroom with a shower, and a high-tech office where the two run their consulting company. The bedroom, in a back corner of the bus, has a cute skylight and storage shelves made from wooden crates. The bus is outfitted with tons of storage, both in exterior bins under the living space as well as smart nooks and shelves inside the cabin. The pair reveal many of the tools, products, and hardware that went into the renovation project right on their website, enabling other DIY hopefuls to learn from their research, as well as their trial and error.
Follow their journey across the continent on the Outside Found website, where the duo shares stories from the road, including tips for anyone who might want to have a school bus adventure of their own.
Via Tiny House Town
Images via Outside Found
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Outside Found bus renovation.
Outside Found bus renovation 05
We know how much our readers love school bus renovation projects, tiny houses, and tales of adventure, so we're especially excited to share the story of Will Hitchcock and Alyssa Pelletier, a couple who left their Silicon Valley jobs to hit the road in their own cozy converted school bus. The renovation project, dubbed Outside Found, began in early 2015 and by summertime, the duo was ready to roll—along with their number one adventure dog, Hilde. They racked up over 4,500 miles that season, traveled during the winter, and are now in the midst of a journey that will include five states, one wedding (!), and a host of other cool milestones.
Many of the converted bus projects we feature are total eye candy and this one is no exception, but it's more nuts and bolts than bells and whistles.
After months of work, Pelletier and Hitchcock transformed an ordinary school bus into a chic minimalist dream. Not all buses are created equal, and it took some time before the couple found the perfect bus for their renovation project.
They settled on a 37-foot 2001 GMC BlueBird found on Craigslist, and spent the early part of 2015 gutting it to build their dream home on wheels.
The couple reinforced the floor, designed and built out the interior, added solar panels, and thoughtfully crafted a ton of details to create a smart and functional adventure-mobile inside 200 square feet.
The bus now includes a fully functional kitchen, cozy lounge space, a sleeping nook, a bathroom with a shower, and a high-tech office where the two run their consulting company.
The bedroom, in a back corner of the bus, has a cute skylight and storage shelves made from wooden crates.
Happy trails, Will and Alyssa!
The bus is outfitted with tons of storage, both in exterior bins under the living space as well as smart nooks and shelves inside the cabin.
The pair reveal many of the tools, products, and hardware that went into the renovation project right on their website, enabling other DIY hopefuls to learn from their research, as well as their trial and error.