Instead of searching for her dream home, Jessie Lipskin decided to create it. Scrolling through eBay, Jessie fell in love with a 1966 GMC Greyhound bus (the same model Keanu Reeves Drove On “Speed”) and instantly bought it. She spent the next few years converting the vehicle into a house on wheels, and the gorgeous exterior and interior design results display all the effort she put in the project. Jessie explains that the pursuit of an eco-friendly lifestyle inspired her nontraditional home.
“My first draw to the alternative sustainable lifestyle was the documentary Garbage Warrior,” Lipskin told Bored Panda. In the documentary Michael Reynolds, eco-architect designs and builds Earthships using all-recycled materials. “[It] really resonated with me. I began to consume everything I could read, more about sustainable lifestyles. Ultimately, a bus conversion into a home on wheels seemed like a perfect solution: I could easily explore new places (finding a permanent place to settle, in the short term, was not a priority for me), and I could continue to live a vegan lifestyle.”
“RVs lacked the aesthetic I was going for, so I landed on a vintage bus conversion which could be registered and insured as an RV.”
Jessie said that the hardest part was finding the right people to help her complete the tine home conversion. “I love DIY. However, I don’t have experience with plumbing, electrical, carpentry needed for this project,” she added. “The big challenge was that it was very different from working on a home that’s fixed in one location. I constantly had to account for movement, on top of that the angles of the bus and slanted style windows made it challenging to design the best possible layout and curved woodworking for my tiny home. Levels were useless as the bus incline changes depending on location, and it was all about calculating angles. This added a lot of time onto the project.”
Despite the hardships, she didn’t give up. Overall, her labor of love took a little over $70k to complete. Jessie has been living the van life since January, and she absolutely adores it.
More info: Instagram
Jessie Lipskin fell in love with this 1966 GMC bus and decided she would turn it into a cute mobile home
This is how the bus looked like when she bought it
The hardest part was finding the right people to help her complete the conversion
“I love DIY, however, I don’t have experience with plumbing, electrical, carpentry needed for this project,” she told Bored Panda
“The big challenge was that it was very different from working on a home that’s fixed in one location”
“I constantly had to account for movement, on top of that the angles of the bus and slanted style windows made it challenging to design the best possible layout and curved woodworking”
“Levels were useless as the bus incline changes depending on location, it was all about calculating angles. This added a lot of time onto the project”
Overall, the bus took 3 years to redo
The result is so much worth it, though:
“An oil painting found at Goodwill adorns the hallway. I think these finishing touches really help it feel more like a home than a bus,” a helpful friend wrote
“View from the kitchen area towards the main bedroom”
“Took a good amount of searching to find the right curtains. Went with velvet curtains in the bedroom”
“A custom-made bench cushion from Final Cut in New Jersey”
“A little “library” along the back of the bedroom”
“This is just one portion of the closet, it extends to the left and right a decent amount”
“Went with the IGLOO (33 in. W 5.5 cu. ft.) Side by Side Refrigerator in Silver, Counter Depth from Home Depot. It’s a fridge/freezer”
“The bathroom has mahogany wood slotted flooring that drains for drying off post shower. The shower drain connects to the floor drain and they both lead to the gray water tank which is mounted under the bus”
“A kitchen with a view”
Watch the video to catch even more details:
P.S. Jessie loves living in her mobile home, but she has the opportunity to travel internationally and is ready to sell her bus to move on to her next adventure. Details here.
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