A couple spent £15,000 transforming an old school bus into a plush "apartment on wheels", and quit their jobs to drive it across Europe.
Eamonn McCaughan and his partner Michelle from Ireland, who are both project managers, spent nine months converting their vintage Mercedes school bus into a comfortable camper before embarking on their journey to Sicily.
After developing a passion for van life during the pandemic, they spotted a 1996 school bus on Facebook Marketplace for £3,000 and seized the opportunity. Earlier this year, the 31-year-olds decided to pause their careers and dedicate all their time to turning their cherished bus into a mobile holiday home.
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They invested £15,000 in renovating the 24-seater primary school bus, equipping it with home comforts such as a full-size kitchen, warm water shower, heaters, and air conditioning. They even installed voice-activated lights and a seven-foot projector screen for Netflix movie nights via Starlink satellite internet.
Eamonn told PA Real Life: "Every time we pass a bus stop, we are tempted to hit the doors and see if anyone gets on.
"It’s an old Mercedes with what’s known as the million-mile engine, it’s slow but it just keeps going, which is the lifestyle that we like."
He added: "It really feels like an apartment on wheels, like you have a kitchen, you have a toilet, a good size wardrobe and a projector screen."
The couple's plans for a summer holiday to Italy in July 2020 were thwarted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, they opted to buy a £900 Ford Transit on Facebook Marketplace and explore closer to home.
"We ended up buying an old van off a builder and just touring around Ireland," Eamonn said. "It was a new experience because neither of us had stayed in a campervan before."
With no previous building experience, the pair relied on family hand-me-downs and scraps from local businesses to equip their van with a bed and a "basic kitchen".
"We really had to learn everything, so we spent a lot of time on YouTube and on Facebook forums," he added. "We really fell in love with it that summer, it was such a brilliant trip."
A year later, Eamonn and Michelle started looking for an "upgrade" and soon became the proud owners of a 1996 Mercedes 709D former school bus.
"Eamonn has got an addiction to Facebook marketplace. He’s always looking at vehicles and one day in September 2021 he saw a bus," Michelle revealed.
"We bought it off a local school bus driver for £3,000, which was a lot for us at the time but it was in good condition and came with a full year’s MOT," Eamonn added.
"He said it was so reliable that it would drive you to Timbuktu and back in the morning. It would have originally been a yellow primary school bus owned by the education authority."
They set themselves a budget of £10,000 to transform the bus into their dream holiday home on wheels. Eamonn and Michelle then entirely devoted themselves to transforming a bus into their dream home after leaving their jobs in December 2023.
"We finished up our jobs in December 2023 and decided that was it, we were dedicating ourselves full-time to building the bus," Eamonn explained. "Whatever savings we had at that stage just had to be enough."
Tackling what has become their most challenging project yet, one particular obstacle they faced was setting up the plumbing, electrics, and gas, ensuring everything was secure by having professionals check their work and doing extensive online research for best practices.
Sustainability is key for the couple, as they've fitted solar panels and a large battery on the roof to run their electrical devices, including laptops and a refrigerator that operates continuously. Additional comforts in their all-year-round inhabitable bus include air conditioning, a heater, a fully-sized kitchen, and a shower with hot water.
Elevating their mobile abode with some luxuries, they've installed voice-controlled lights and a portable projector. "We’ve got a seven-foot projector screen with seats that swivel around, so we can have four seats facing it," said Eamonn, describing their setup for cosy movie nights. You can ask Alexa to open the projector screen or turn on the kitchen lights."
To facilitate quick trips, Eamonn and Michelle have ingeniously fitted a space at the rear of their bus for his classic 125 Honda motorcycle.
The 25-foot vehicle has been modernised, yet the couple have retained several of its nostalgic aspects. "We’ve kept the original bus door, so you push a button and the door falls open," Michelle shared.
Just last month, the adventurous pair embarked on their first tour abroad in the revamped bus, attending a friend’s wedding in Sicily. They set off on October 8, taking a ferry to Cherbourg, passing through the scenic French Alps and Italy, and sailing from Genoa to reach Sicilian shores.
"The view from our kitchen window changes every couple of days, that’s one of the nicest parts of living in a converted bus," Eamonn enthused. Their future travel plans could include Sardinia and Spain, though they are flexible in their itinerary.
The bus conversion ultimately required £15,000, overshooting their budget by £5,000, but the couple sees it as a long-term investment. They’ve expanded their passion for nomadic life with three additional vans, offering rental services through their company, Explore and Snore, for those eager to experience van life.
However, Eamonn and Michelle advise that DIY campervan builders should always get expert advice and do extensive research before embarking on such ambitious projects. You can follow Eamonn and Michelle's bus life on Instagram.
