Two pals who were struggling to get on the property ladder made the right move by transforming a clapped-out school bus into a luxury mobile home. Alex Nicholson and Raife Maddox, both 29, snapped up the 1995 Mercedes Plaxton bus from Northern Ireland for £5,500 in April 2020.
They then worked on converting the vehicle into a stunning house on wheels - complete with laminate-style flooring, a tiled kitchen and even a log burner. Alex, Raife and another friend Alix Keetley, 30, decided to embark on the project after being unable to afford a first home of their own.
The 34-seater bus began life transporting passengers as a public service in Northern Ireland towards the end of The Troubles up until 2017. The impressive 8m (26ft) long and 3m (9ft) wide vehicle also now features its own bathroom complete with a shower and a bedroom space, which can sleep three adults.
Carpenter Alex, who sometimes sleeps in the vehicle after the pub, said he did most of the work during lockdown after craving a creative project to keep him active. They planned to rent out the space on Airbnb but have now decided to cash in on their creation after struggling to find a suitable place to store it in Birmingham.
The friends are now selling the camper van on Facebook Marketplace for £25,000 after investing £10,000 in total on creating the stunning mint-coloured machine. Alex, of Moseley, Birmingham, said: “We bought it at the beginning of lockdown in April 2020.
"It was planned as a lockdown project. We were a long way off being able to afford a first home of our home. So this was our way of sort of getting on the property ladder as a way to put money into something to make some money from.
“We knew we'd have the time with everything closing, we thought it would be a great idea to have a go at something creative with all this free time. We'd bought it off a guy in Coventry who had started converting it into a campervan but he had only got as far as the plumbing and roof panels.
“He ripped the seats out for us but it was still a blank canvas. We gutted whatever else was in there and we designed as we went along. It took just over a year to complete from start to finish
“We just wanted to make it look desirable. We did have plans to make it an Airbnb and that was part of the plans. I did a lot of the building work, all of the woodwork, the kitchen unit and the bed. The sofa bed I made from scratch, it was all quite a bit of work.
“We have a water tank under the bed that hooks up to the taps and the shower. We’ve got a wood burner that heats the bus up that works fantastically. We've got an oven that hooks up to a gas bottle outside the bus. We've got a mains power and a battery bank.
“We got a barn door. We bought the door but I made the frame to attach it to the bus. I like designing things and making things. I guess the inspiration has been the thirst for creativity.
"Projects really appeal to me. It's like a mental challenge. We can all kind of give each other a kick if needed. The sofa bed was pretty good. I made it with interlocking slats so you could pull out the sections and make it into a bed.
“We had it parked it up and I’d occasionally stop in it after going to the pub. I loved being able to do that. It's got everything you need We wanted to find some land, near some nice countryside and rent it out as an air bnb.
"That was the hope. It could still be the appeal for someone who wanted to buy it. Should someone have the land, it would be a popular business opportunity. We’ve chucked thousands at it. I would definitely be open to doing something like that again.
“It’s only because of a change of circumstances has forced us all to sell it, sadly. We’re struggling for storage as we live in the city. I've also struggled to get my C1 licence to be able to drive it. There has been a backlog due to Covid and it also costs to get lessons.
"So we thought the best idea was for somebody else to enjoy it. We'll be sad to see it go but whoever buys it will get an amazing place. It has all the home comforts - hot water, log burner, cooker - you could pretty much live in here."
