When Michael Talley got tired paying such a high amount on rent each month, he decided something radical had to be done. Soon enough, he found an old school bus for sale, which cost next to nothing, and just had to buy it. That school bus would soon become his next big project. Although, the project didn’t go as smoothly as he had imagined, and it didn’t come without a price. Part of the reason was probably because Michael had never built anything in his life before. So when he embarked on his epic and ambitious journey to give the bus a makeover, he certainly had his work cut out for him. But the finished product was well worth the struggle and hard work. Check out Michael’s journey and see what the old school bus looks like now!
A Man Fed Up
As a resident of North Austin, Texas, Michael Talley was sick and tired of having to pay such a high price for renting his studio apartment. Each month the costs amounted to $1,200 a month including bills, which was huge considering he lived in such a small studio. He knew in his heart that he couldn’t continue, and had to find another option. Having noticed a new trend of tiny houses, Michael made the decision to take the plunge and join the tiny house movement too. Not only would he save tons of money, he was also a graphic designer, so had plenty of ideas about how he wanted his tiny house to look like.
A Man Fed Up
A Bus?
One day Michael had a light bulb moment, and the idea just stuck in his head. He realized that the perfect structure to transform into a tiny house would be a bus. He later explained how, “Ultimately I decided upon a school bus because I thought ‘Hey, there’s already four walls and a roof,’” At first, he thought it would be as easy as just putting up some wood and light bulbs, then voilà! Insta-house.”
A Bus
Learning The Hard Way
Michael had to learn the hard way that it wouldn’t as easy as he imagined, and later came to regret his cavalier attitude about how much work the project required. However he had big dreams and had always wanted to build a tiny mobile house and using to to start traveling with. So, he started bus shopping anyway!
Learning The Hard Way
Michael’s Background
If you’re not from Texas, you might be mistaken for thinking that everyone grows up to be good with their hands and know their way around a power tool. However, this was not the case for Michael. Whilst he did have a background in graphic design and illustration, he wasn’t so practical. He later admitted, “I have never built anything. Ever.” Still, he didn’t let that stop him from continuing with his dream.
Michael’s Background
The School Bus
When Michael started looking for a school bus, he didn’t realize he would be so lucky so quickly. In fact, he soon stumbled on an auction on PublicSurplus.com with 10 school buses up for grabs. Apparently there were only a few bidders, as not many people knew about that the Austin School District was selling. In the end, Michael bought the school bus for just $2,200 and according to him, he “made out like a bandit.” While other people might have bought more buses, Michael thought this one was perfect and decided to do a bus conversion.
The School Bus
What Does That Mean?
Instead of using the school bus as a frame for a tiny house, he decided to take his plans to the next level. Although it sounds very ambitious, Michael wanted to convert the bus into a livable house. This meant it would come complete with a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and living room.
What Does That Mean
Odds Against Him
Talley was aware that the odds were stacked against him to be successful and complete the project, and knew that he would need to start from scratch. He later admitted “ I couldn’t sleep for months because my brain was constantly going a mile a minute about how to build this and what I was going to do to build that. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Odds Against Him
Adventure Bus
While Michael was planning the project, he thought of various designs for the floor plan. One idea was based on the he adventure vehicle from the hit 1997 movie The Lost World: Jurassic Park. However, ultimately he decided on a different design.
Adventure Bus
One Tall Order
One of the biggest issue Michael Talley had to contend with was height of the bus itself, which measured at six feet one inch. This may not sound so small, but Michael is a rather tall guy, and stands at six feet six inches. That meant that Michael would have to literally ‘raise the roof’. How this was going to be done, or how long it would take him, Michael wasn’t so sure. Still, this wasn’t going to stop him. He just resorted to YouTube tutorials and continued on his project.
One Tall Order
The Final Design
As cool as the Jurassic Park adventure mobile idea was, Michael ultimately decided on a different design plan. This was mainly because he loves to entertain, so wanted to create some “public areas at the front of the vehicle and all the private areas in the back. Having people over outside to grill or chill, the two most common areas they would need to access would be the kitchen and the bathroom.” If everything went to plan, Michael wanted to have a larger kitchen than he did in his old apartment. He also wanted to build a larger desk than he had ever had in his life. He would keep the same couch as he had in his original apartment, and wanted to to have enough space for a Queen size bed and an expansive storage area.
The Final Design
Movie Room
Michael is big movie-fan. So much so that his social media is flooded with photos of him rubbing shoulders with stars, like Matthew McConaughey. So it seemed natural that he wanted a TV and larger movie area. He explained “Film and television are my favorite things, so I wanted a great movie watching room. I like to have people over to watch things so I knew I needed a sizable living room.”
Movie Room
From Studio To Tent
Michael was determined to get his plans off the ground and make his project into a reality, even if he put his own life at risk. He even moved out of his own studio apartment in North Austin. Michael later said, “I moved into a tent in order to save money while working on the bus, commuting 40 minutes to work every day, just to afford more steel and more wood.” He also parked his bus for free at a friend’s farms outside of the city while he got to work on his project.
From Studio To Tent
Funding His Dream
Michael thought of a few other out-of-the-box methods to achieve his dream bus home. One of these was to start a Go Fund Me campaign to meet his goals. Although, he didn’t achieve his target goal of $5,000, his friends chipped in unexpectedly, which allowed him to keep building his dream mobile!
Funding His Dream
The First Step
Michael’s first step in the re-construction process was to remove all the seats. However, this process was a lot harder than he initially imagined. In fact he later explained that the process was grueling, and “If I did this again I would have used an angle grinder, but this was still only days into the build and I was terrified of power tools.” But without power tools, how exactly did Michael turn his dreams into a reality?
The First Step
A Little Help From Friends
In the end, Michael solved his seat conundrum by finding a couple who were willing to help. Soon enough, the couple came to help collect the removed seats from the school bus and took them to a scrap metal place. Michael Talley later said, “A nice man came with his 7 months pregnant wife and 8-year-old daughter to cart away all these seats to the scrap metal yard,” He also had some other help along the way, and said “Props to my stepdad for crawling under the bus and helping me remove every single bolt. If I did this again I would have used an angle grinder, but this was still only days into the build and I was terrified of power tools.”
A Little Help From Friends
The First Mistake
The next step was to remove the paneling from the ceiling of the bus. Since Michael had never even having heard of an impact drill, he said that having to get the panels off was “the absolute worst.” The next job was to remove the insulation that was underneath the panels. Michael lamented,“I wish that I had ended up keeping this insulation in. It was a in remarkably good shape and would have saved me a few headaches if I kept it in.”
The First Mistake
Kids Will Be Kids
There were a few entertaining moments during the project, which helped get Michael get through. One of them was when he found a hilarious old “Kick Me” sticky note. He could only imagine this was stuck on one of the kids without them knowing. Well kids will be kids…
Kids Will Be Kids
The Next Step
Though these entertaining moments helped lighten the mood, Michael had to focus on the next challenges. The next step was to remove the rubber flooring, which he managed to complete. After this was out the way, he had to take out the windows. He initially toyed with the idea of keeping the same windows, as “the windows weren’t hard to take out.” However, he explained, “I knew they would rattle, provide little privacy or insulation, and look weird with my roof raise and design.”
The Next Step
Raising The Roof
Once he had stripped the ceilings and floors bare, Michael then created an elaborate system of scaffolding and 2x4s. This helped him prepare the bus for the next step, which was raising the roof to a comfortable height that ensure he could stand up in his new home. He later admitted, “as soon as I stepped onto the bus for the first time I knew me being 6’6″ was going to be a huge problem. The ceiling is only 6’1, so I was going to have to do some MAJOR work to get this thing comfortable for my abnormally large [body].”
Raising The Roof
Enough With the Jokes!!
Although Michael did raise the roof, he absolutely hated the never-ending jokes about ‘raising the roof’. In the end they had to cut the roof from one end to the other. He later admitted “Have I mentioned how nerve racking it was to basically destroy my bus by doing all of this?” Nevertheless, once the roof was raised, he had to move on to the next step, and install the custom metal ribs and bolt them in. Then once he ensured the scaffolding was set in place, it was time to start cutting! His only fear was that the roof would come crashing down on him. So, he cut each side of the bus first, in the place where the windows used to be. Then he had to embark on the next challenge, cutting the bus in half.
Enough With The Jokes
Cutting the Bus in Half
Thanks to the help of few good friends, Michael managed to raise the roof up an extra 20 inches. First they had to cut the roof in half in two different places, which was incredibly nerve-racking for him as they were effectively destroying the bus. But after this was done, they used screw jacks to raise the roof. Michael initially wanted to raise the roof 24 inches, but his friends thought this was a bit ambitious. So they had to change their plans slightly.
Cutting The Bus In Half
Don’t Push It
Once the roof had been raised Michael explained, “It’s remarkable how much more spacious the bus feels than I thought it would.” In order to secure the roof in place, Michael had to buy some custom-made steel ribs. He said “I cut a section out of one of the steel ribs and took it to a metal fabricator. I had him craft 25 identical steel ‘sleeves’ that could slip over either end of the rib once the roof was raised.” Well everything seemed to finally coming together for Michael.
Don’t Push It
Wounds of the Flesh
After the roof was in place and secure, the next task was to enclose the bus. To achieve this, Michael used metal panels to close the middle section of the bus where the windows had once been. Things didn’t go without some hitches though. Michael was actually cut on his arm by one of the metal sheets, and it left him with a permanent scar. He later said that having to secure the metal paneling was “easily the most painful and bloody part of the build.”
Wounds Of The Flesh
Building An Oven
Since the bus was now enclosed by a layer of metal paneling, Michael could now install something he never imagined, an oven! He exclaimed how “the bus is basically an oven right now, what being solid steel and in Texas. Though apparently, it’s also semi-bulletproof!” Since it was Christmas time, the graphic designer turned-builder even put up some fairy lights, to give the bus the festive cheer. Micheal also had to prepare to install new windows, so he started to cut out holes in the walls.
Building An Oven
No Power Steering
Michael experienced a few set backs along the way. One of them was when he got stuck in mud, which messed up the bus’s power steering. He later said begrudgingly, “You have any idea how hard it is to try and parallel park a 40-foot school bus with no power steering? I do.” During the renovations, he also realized that if he planned to live there full time, he would need to install new installation to help keep the inside temperature regulated.
No Power Steering
Worn-Out
Michael suffered a few setbacks along the way, but another reason for this was because Michael bought the bus so cheaply. So over time, her realized that the bus needed more work than he thought. He later found out that a big reason why it was being sold for such a bargain price at an auction was because the engine and steering power on the bus all needed to be fixed or changed. He said “Changing a tire on this thing was more expensive and less fun than I had thought it would be.” Nevertheless, he still didn’t let this stop him.
Worn Out
Farm Life
Whilst Michael spent time on his conversion project, he actually lived in a tent on his friend’s farm outside of Austin, Texas. This meant that his living expenses were practically $0 per month, so he could save as much money as he could while he worked on his project. While he was working, he also commuted each day to Austin, and saved up extra money to buy wood and steel to complete his school bus conversion, or tiny house on wheels. Either way, he took his chance to enjoy living on the farm in the meantime.
Farm Life
A Kitchen for a King
The project was well underway, and the bus now had four walls and a roof (a raised one). Next, Michael could focus on working on the interior. First, he built a wooden frame for his couch, and then started working on the kitchen area, since he loved to cook. Although he did seem to be a bit unconventional, surprisingly, Michael actually went to IKEA to get a butcher block, cabinets and drawers. Needless to say, he did manage to find some clearance stock, so he actually made a steal. The cabinets and drawers were just $30 and the huge butcher block counter-top was only $120. In fact, the entire kitchen space was already larger than his expensive North Austin studio apartment!
A Kitchen For A King
Repurposing Old Stuff
Michael wanted to save a few more bucks and not let anything go to waste, so he cut corners by using parts of his old couch. After rebuilding the frame for the couch, he started making a frame for the water storage system. after this, he made a frame for the bathroom. He later said, “I took my IKEA Karlstad couch from my apartment and took off the back, arms, and feet so I was left with the cushions and the box spring base. I built that into the bus for added comfort and style.”
Repurposing Old Stuff
Another Snafu
During the project, Michael ran into some more slight setbacks. When he sprayed insulation on the ceilings, he only realized later that he accidentally sprayed some on his long beard. This meant he was forced to shave off his entire beard!
Another Snafu
April Fools
With so much hard work, sweat and tears, sometimes you need to lighten the mood once in a while. Well Michael did have a quirky sense of humor and managed to approach every new challenge in a quirky and humorous way. One day he even took things to the next level and played a prank on his friends. When he posted this photo online he joked, “Best April fools joke I’ve ever pulled. Everyone on Facebook freaked out and my mother nearly had a heart attack haha.”
April Fools
Installing Power
Michael now focused on adding the finishing touches to his bus home. So he installed a few tanks and generators to provide gas, water, and electricity. This meant he would be able to be power-sufficient, while saving money. However, he still had bigger plans and didn’t stop there.
Installing Power2
Solar Sensation
Since Texas is so sunny, Michael didn’t want to use conventional forms of power, he went to the next level and wanted to create his own electricity. So, he installed solar panels on the roof. He later said that this was the toughest part of the project. “This was the most frustrating day of the build. I was doing it myself, it was very windy, and things kept falling off the roof. After it was completed though, it meant that he was able to generate most of his electricity himself, off the grid.
Solar Sensation
Taking Shape
With each day, Talley’s design was starting to take shape a little more. Things seemed to be coming together, as began fitting some of the furniture, and working on the interior of the bus.
Taking Shape
Powering On
After this, he powered on, and the next step was to finish the walls with a type of hardboard called Masonite. He chose this material because it’s light, sturdy, flexible and cheap. But it was really what he did next that brought the whole project together.
Powering On
Standout Kitchen
To make the bus more homely and super stylish, Michael fitted kitchen tiles on the kitchen wall. He explained, “The only cosmetic design that I knew I wanted in the bust was dark hardwood floors, butchered block, and white subway tile with black grout. I Researched the hell out of tile in an RV and got to work. Not the best job, but then again, first time I’ve ever done any of this stuff.” Although he was modest, it looks pretty impressive.
Standout Kitchen
Meals On Wheels
During the kitchen renovations, Michael had to make sure he had everything he needed. One of those things was a fully-functioning fridge. So Talley made perfect measurements, and fitted the fridge-freezer into the home perfectly. The next step was to fill the fridge, freezer combo with all his favorite things, though in the beginning this was just “half a stick of butter and Karbach brewery.”
Meals On Wheels
Repurposing
Michael furnished the ceiling and walls of the living areas with wooden panels. But instead of buying new wood, he managed to find some extra wood and re-purposed it. He explained how, “I need to say I SUPER lucked out with this wood. It’s reclaimed floorboards from a house here in Hyde Park in Austin, from 1941. I just flipped it upside down and used the unfinished sides for all my accent walls/couch.”
Repurposing
TV Break
While Michael was working hard, he did manage to take some time out from his project every so often. Since he loved movies, he installed two TV’s into his new home, so during the final stages of the project he took full advantage of the chance to fit in some well-deserved TV time. He later said, “Testing out the TV, works great! I wired HDMI cables from the wall behind the TV over to the desk where I keep my Apple TV and my Computer. I should have also wired HDMI cables to the cabinets below and above but I was an idiot so now I plug my PS4 in whenever I use it.”
TV Break
The Work Space
Since Michael was a graphic designer, he wanted to ensure he had a proper work space for his craft. So he didn’t want to settle for just any old small desk. He wanted to create a large and comfortable work space with a massive desk. He added, “Being a graphic designer I need a proper work space. Most tiny houses have these little dinky desks that flip up from a wall or are tucked away in a small alcove. “This desk is 5 feet wide and 2 feet deep, the largest desk I’ve ever owned!”
The Work Space
The Bathroom
Next Michael turned his attention to the bathroom, and added a fully-functional shower and toilet. For the door, he used a restored wooden barn door. But he later admitted that he rarely uses t the bathroom. He casually remarked how, “I can use the bathroom in it, however, I rarely do. I pee outside like the good Lord intended. As for showering and stuff, I built an awesome little outdoor shower or I shower at the gym.”
The Bathroom
Sweet Dreams
Michael’s house really began to transform into a home after he created a cosy bedroom for himself. Not only had he created a comfy sleeping space, but he had the perfect view of the forest every time he woke up. He said, “Finished bedroom. I really wanted to keep the front and the back walls original. It’s a lot of fun opening the back emergency door at night and waking up the forest every morning.”
Sweet Dreams
Paint It White
Once he had finished his interior makeover, Michael turned his attention to the outside of the bus. He realized that he should probably choose a different color than the regular school buses, in case someone mistook him for a school bus. So, he decided to paint the converted school bus white, because “White is best for the heat here in Texas, and leaves me open to add colors down the road. I also couldn’t think of what colors would go with my wood interiors. I park it in South Austin, in someone’s shady side yard and pay less than $100 a month in rent and utilities.”
Paint It White
A Touch Of Nostalgia
It later emerged that there was actually a pretty heartwarming and nostalgic reason behind why Talley chose this specific bus for his transformation. Interestingly, when Michael was a child, his bus was dubbed the ‘Armadillo’ bus. He later said ,”I have two friends who actually rode this bus when they were kids,” Nevertheless, once he made the decision to put the finishing touches on his dream mobile, he had to make some sacrifices and “sadly had to scrape the armadillo off so I could paint the bus white.”
A Touch Of Nostalgia
A Rough Year
It took around five months to complete the entire school bus conversion. The project was grueling and there were in fact a lot of blood, sweat and tears. Nonetheless, this wasn’t the only hardship that Michael had to endure through the project. During the course of the bus conversion, Michael actually ended his relationship with his long-term girlfriend. He also had some more hard times, as he had to deal with the death of his grandfather, as well as his beloved dog. Overall, it was certainly a rough year for Michael.
A Rough Year
A Fresh Start
Although Michael experienced “a difficult time,” he managed to push through and look on the bright side. He later explained that “luckily all I really had was this bus and the bus was all I had, and I put everything I had into it.” For Michael, the bus symbolized so much more than a project, it provided a fresh start for him and made him even more determined to do it right.
A Fresh Start
Ready To Move In
Once the project was completed, Michael was ready to move in and now lives full-time in his converted school bus. The entire conversion project actually cost Michael around $15,000. But, instead of paying such a high amount for his studio apartment, he actually has to pays less than $100 for both rent and utilities together. Now that’s some saving! He is also making some more renovations to the van, so he can travel around the country more.
Ready To Move In
‘Keep Austin Weird’
Michael Talley told Chron.com, “I design T-shirts for a living. I lost my last job while building the bus actually, but got a much better one once the bus was completed. Perfectly enough, I work for the company that is responsible for all those “Keep Austin Weird” shirts around town.”
‘Keep Austin Weird’
“If I Can Do It, You Can Do It Too”
Michael Talley had no prior experience of building anything before he embarked on this big project. Nevertheless he hopes to inspire everyone thinking of doing something like this,a nd saod “I know, life was a cliche’ at some point throughout this project. But if I can do it, you can do it too.” Since his monthly expenses are so low, he can take his mobile dream home anywhere, and continue to work from the comfort of his luxurious mobile dream home.
“If I Can Do It You Can Do It Too”
The Next Project
Now the bus conversion project is complete, Michael is already setting his sights on the next big project. Well, he is saving heaps of money each month living in his dream tiny house on wheels. So now, Michael is working on giving a van a total makeover. He said, “I have a composting toilet that works great, and it just so happens that I get by using the one at work. The bathroom is mostly used for storing materials for my current van conversion project.”
The Next Project