After deciding to move in together, Charlie MacVicar, 26, and her boyfriend Luke Walker, 27, bought a bus instead of renovating an old property to live in. The couple refurbished a 544-square foot London double-decker bus, turning it into a luxurious home. They knew they wanted to live together without paying huge amounts for a mortgage or on rent.
In 2017, knowing that Charlie’s father had land in the Essex area that they could use, they decided to buy something original to remodel. Before reaching the unusual decision of the bus, they explored the most common options: caravans, mobile homes, portable homes. But when the idea and the option to transform one of London’s mythical red buses into their new home came up, they never went back. Charlie and Luke decided to pay a small fee to Charlie’s dad to be able to have the bus parked inside the property.
The renovations lasted more than a year, but in the end, it turned out incredibly cheap. They spent about €18 to €20k for all the items needed for their house, plus an approximately €3k for the abandoned bus. Their total expenses came up to about 22 thousand euros in total.
Of course, in order to achieve all this on such a limited budget, they received a lot of support from their family and friends, each in their specialty or within their abilities contributed to the couple’s dream project.
The end result was absolutely incredible. So much so that the proud couple, who live with their two pet goats took to Instagram named their account Double Decker Home – literally, a two-story house shared wonderful pictures of their new home with the world, and they have received a good amount of attraction.
This bus is luxurious and comfortable and has a fireplace, bath, wood stove, bedroom, and even a walk-in closet.
On the ground floor, there is a living room with a small wood-burning fireplace, and a kitchen with an oven, microwave, fridge, and washing machine. The couple also managed to acclimate the space with air conditioning and heating, knowing that the first winter, without this equipment, was difficult. On the top floor of the bus is the improvised, but super stylish, bedroom with a bed, bedside tables, and television. There is also an incredible bathtub and a closet. This year they also installed something very important: wi-fi.
As if this were not enough, despite being parked on the grounds of Charlie’s father in Essex, the bus still manages to run, if necessary. On the ground, the lovers also improvised a terrace with a table, terraces, a small lake, and two pet goats.
“We just love living on our double-decker bus and honestly we wouldn’t change it for the world,” said Luke. The freedom to be able to travel back and forth without strings, “when there is no Covid”, is a bonus for the couple, but there is more: simplicity, nature, and the fact that this can be a constantly open project, always improving. for this summer Charlie and Luke already have a new priority: installing an outdoor shower, to cool off when the hottest days come.
