The bus engine had seized up and could not be driven, but the bulk of the vehicle was fine and was transformed into a quirky homestead on Luke Whitaker’s farm
Image: mediadrumworld.com/Luke Whitaker)
A man spent £ 10,000 converting rusting bus into home so he never has to pay rent
Luke Whitaker from Gloucestershire became tired of wasting cash on rent and moved back to live with his parents on their farm.
But Luke’s father Joe Whitaker, 63, was concerned about the coronavirus coming in to the house during lockdown.
He and his father discovered a BMC Falcon 2001 bus in a scrap yard which cost £ 1,300, a bargain start for the bus makeover.
The bus engine had seized up and could not be driven, but the bulk of the vehicle was fine and was transformed into a quirky homestead on the farm.
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Image:
mediadrumworld.com/Luke Whitaker)
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Image:
mediadrumworld.com/Luke Whitaker)
The interior saw £ 8,500 being spent on the conversion with and DIY skills which he picked up from YouTube
It allowed him to live on the bus and put away cash for a house of his own
After living on the bus for two months he saved £ 2,000 which is three times what he could save while renting a place out.
He met media producer Nikisha McIntosh, 33 and the couple used the bus as a dating spot while bars were shut during lockdown.
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Image:
mediadrumworld.com/Luke Whitaker)
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Image:
mediadrumworld.com/Luke Whitaker)
Nikisha got involved in the final stages and thing furnishing, but she now stays with Luke on the vehicle at weekends.
Luke said: “We found the bus at a bus breakers yard. The engine was totally seized so it didn’t drive, but it was completely watertight and structurally sound.
“The bus is very small but as it’s out in nature, I never feel like I need more space.”
The outdoor space of living on the farmland the couple say has been the best thing.
But no storage areas or a washing machine means regular trips are made back to his family home.
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Image:
mediadrumworld.com/Luke Whitaker)
Luke has enjoyed learning new DIY skills which have proven handy when installing a new floor or providing insulation in the vehicle’s panels.
Nikisha, he says loves the bus and finds it a very laid back place to live in.
His pals also adore it and are constantly asking if they can ask if they can stay over
Luke added: “It had an amazing reaction from friends and on social media with loads of shares from tiny home and bus living Instagram accounts. It’s been really quite overwhelming.
“It’s amazing to see an idea come to reality. I still can’t quite believe we did it. ”
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Image:
mediadrumworld.com/Luke Whitaker)
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Image:
mediadrumworld.com/Luke Whitaker)
The Mirror told in April last year how another couple spent £ 65,000 converting a massive American yellow school bus into a luxury home are now offering it up for sale in a raffle.
Lucy Stevens, 31, and Glen Carloss, 34, bonded over their love of American cars on their first date and even spoke about a shared dream of converting a big bus.
Just a few months later they shipped the 36ft x 8ft yellow bus from New York to Southampton.
It still contained kids’ toys, discarded school jumpers and sick notes, and they spent nearly a year converting it into a mobile home.
Out came the seats and in went heating, a cinema room, a bathroom, a fireplace and a king size bed – but crucially the iconic yellow exterior remains untouched.
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