From Bus Stop to Dream Home Single Dad Transforms Double Decker Into Whimsical Mobile House for Daughter
It’s a whimsical sanctuary built for his 12-year-old daughter.
The #Vanlife movement has swept across Instagram, turning nomadic living into a lifestyle aspiration. While not suited to all, for one devoted single father, the vision crystallized the moment he laid eyes on a double-decker bus with a “For Sale” sign he knew this rolling shell could become the heart of their shared adventure.
A carpenter with a vision
Adam Collier, a 42-year-old master carpenter hailing from Brighton, has a knack for transforming ambition into reality. Armed with craftsmanship and imagination, he achieved what most wouldn’t dare attempt reinventing a double-decker bus into a stylish, fully livable haven on wheels.
With ingenuity as his blueprint, Collier crafted a budget-friendly escape a warm, bespoke retreat for both him and his daughter to call home.
Anything’s possible
With the right outlook, steadfast resolve, and a touch of creative flair, boundaries begin to blur—almost anything can become reality. Adam possessed all three in abundance, paired with a restless, exploratory soul. Lacking the financial means to purchase a high-end mobile retreat for himself and his daughter, he chose a different path: one born of vision and grit.
Collier devised a resourceful plan to craft a budget-friendly haven on wheels a homegrown sanctuary they could call their own.
The moment he laid eyes on the weathered double-decker, the vision clicked into place plans already sketched in his mind, blueprints of transformation ready to unfold. He knew exactly how to repurpose the aging bus into a cost-effective, mobile sanctuary for himself and his 12-year-old daughter, Devon.
With ingenuity as his compass, Collier set out to forge an accessible dream a handcrafted escape they could both call home.
You don’t need deep pockets to craft a warm, practical home on wheels.
It’s easy to marvel at the wealthy and their opulent motorhomes, dripping in extravagance and priced in the millions. But Adam didn’t have a fortune to chase his dream. What he did have was foresight, craftsmanship, and an unwavering resolve to build it himself. With just £10,000, he laid down a modest budget enough to purchase the double-decker and transform it into a fully functioning home on wheels.
Yet the road ahead wasn’t smooth. The bus, freshly retired from service, was far from move-in ready. Structural challenges loomed large, and before any dreamlike interiors could take shape, Adam had to tackle the gritty groundwork that stood between him and his rolling haven.
Transforming the bus into a livable haven was no easy feat, but Adam’s resolve ran deeper than the challenges ahead. Every hurdle became fuel for his ambition, as he pushed forward to turn his vision into reality.
After stripping out the 42 seats and benches, Adam faced a stark realization the bus was entirely uninsulated. Not a single layer stood between the elements and the interior. As he stepped inside for the first time, it became clear the window seals were compromised, allowing leaks to creep in from every direction. Still, the setbacks didn’t shake his resolve. In a conversation with AmazingSpaces, Adam shared that he intended to tackle the entire transformation solo, with the occasional support of a few trusted friends.
A true devotee of do-it-yourself craftsmanship, he quietly embarked on the transformation of a humble bus into a genuine home.
“I’m a tradesman by profession, so I had the know-how to handle every detail. There was no need to call in extra hands. Besides, this was my personal venture my vision. I couldn’t expect anyone else to match the passion I brought to it.”
Where rows of worn-out seats once lined the lower deck, Adam installed a brand-new dining area crafted with care, built for comfort, and designed to feel like home.
Adam’s undertaking required a sharp blend of creativity and precision, especially with a tight budget, confined quarters, and the challenge of turning a bus into a comfortable, functional dwelling for two. To ensure the structural integrity of his mobile abode, he strategically distributed the load concentrating the heaviest elements on the ground level. One clever solution: positioning the dining area at the rear of the lower deck, anchoring the weight where it mattered most.
Having grown up aboard a bus himself, Adam sought to preserve a hint of that nostalgic charm while reimagining the space with modern utility. He replaced the original interior walls with rich, forest-green wooden paneling infusing the new home with a tranquil, earthy ambiance that felt both grounded and inviting.
Nestled between the driver’s cab and the rear dining nook, he mapped out the kitchen. The lower deck came alive with practical comfort: a full-length galley kitchen, a compact bathroom, a reliable boiler, and a cozy woodburning stove to warm the space. Upstairs, his vision was clear keep it simple and serene. His goal? “To fit in as many real double beds as possible. Not fold-outs. Actual beds that mattered,” he recalled. “I sketched the whole thing on a scrap of paper… it’s long gone now.”
Success!
After months of labor and a handful of setbacks, Adam finally brought his vision to life turning a worn-out double-decker into the home he had long imagined.
The journey wasn’t without its financial strain. Nearly half of his original budget vanished the moment he handed over £4,500 for the bus itself. Navigating the rest of the build with limited funds proved more complex than anticipated. Still, despite the mounting challenges, Adam remained unwavering. He was determined to carve out his dream, no matter how tight the margins.
He positioned his newly crafted kitchen directly across from the base of the staircase stairs that proudly retained their original character. To complete the setup, Adam installed three minimalist, store-bought kitchen units, each one hand-assembled and fine-tuned by his own skilled hands.
6 months later
Six months of relentless effort culminated in a stunning metamorphosis and every drop of sweat was worth it. Adam succeeded in reimagining the upper deck into three cozy bedrooms, even managing to tuck a bunk bed into the rear nook. A devoted surfer with a flair for spatial ingenuity, he maximized every inch of the compact layout. Though the project ultimately overshot his budget by £5,000, bringing the total spend to £15,000, the final creation stood as a testament to his vision and dedication.
#Vanlife has taken over Instagram over the years and the dream of living on the road has become a reality for many. It’s not a life for everyone, but for one single dad, he knew he wanted to live that dream when he saw a double-decker bus for sale.
A carpenter with a vision
Adam Collier, a 42-year-old carpenter from Brighton, UK, knows how to make his dreams come true. With his vision and skills, he managed to do something few others could pull off: convert a double-decker into a functional and classy living space!
Collier came up with a creative way to build an affordable piece of paradise for himself and his daughter.
Anything’s possible
If you have the right mindset and determination, and a bit of imagination too, anything’s possible! Adam didn’t lack any of these and always had an adventurous spirit. Without the means to afford himself and his daughter an expensive mobile living space, he set about creating his own mobile home.Think about the future: Porto’s photography biennale imagines ‘tomorrow today’Keep WatchingCulture Agenda: The best things to do, hear, see or watch in Europe this week00:00/01:27
When he saw an old double-decker he’d already had an idea worked out in his mind and knew how to convert the bus into a cheap and mobile home for him and his 12-year-old daughter, Devon.
You don’t need to be a millionaire to afford yourself a cozy and functional mobile living space.
We can often see how the rich and famous are able to afford luxuriant mobile houses that cost millions of dollars. Adam didn’t have the cash to fulfill his dream but he had the vision and the skills to build one with his own hands. He set himself a budget of just £10,000 to buy the bus and convert it into a livable home.
There was a lot of work to be done before Adam could realize his dream, however. The double-decker was only recently removed from service which meant Adam had to solve structural issues before the bus could be converted into a home of wheels.
Converting the bus into a home proved to be a tricky task, but Adam was determined to make his dream come true
Having removed the 42 seats and the benches, Adam then had to solve the problem with insulation, as he realized that the bus didn’t have any insulation to begin with. When he first entered the bus, Adam realized the window seals were leaking everywhere. It didn’t deter him and in an interview with AmazingSpaces, Adam stated he was going to do all the work himself, with a few of his friends lending a helping hand.
A real DIY enthusiast quietly set about converting a bus into a real home!
“I’m a tradesman as well, so I knew how to do everything, and there was no point in asking anyone else to help. Also, it was my project. I couldn’t expect others to share my level of enthusiasm.”
In place of the old seating, Adam put a brand new dining room on the lower floor
Adam’s task demanded a lot of ingenuity, considering the limited space and budget, as well as the resources needed to transform a bus into a fully liveable home for two. In order to make his home on wheels structurally sound, Adam had to keep the bulk of the weight on the first floor, which he achieved by putting a dining space on the lower deck in the back of the bus.
Having spent his childhood on a bus, Adam intended to retain some of the bus’ old look without sacrificing functionality. In place of the old walls, he installed new lush green colored wooden paneling which gave the new home a relaxing, naturalistic appearance.
The new kitchen was to be located between the driver’s ban and the dining area and he also added a boiler, bathroom, long open kitchen, woodburning stove on the lower deck. On the upper deck, Adam wanted a simple bedroom: “to squeeze in as many double beds as possible, and I wanted them to be proper beds – that was important. I designed it on a scrap of paper, which I’ve since lost,” he said.
Success!
After a lot of work and a few hurdles along the way, Adam succeeded in transforming an old bus into the home of his dreams
Adam struggled to keep the cost of his project under control, spending nearly half of his initial budget on purchasing the bus which cost him £4,500. Keeping the expenses under control without sacrificing his dream wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed at first, but Adam knew he was going to find a way to realize his vision.
He put his brand new kitchen opposite the bottom of the stars – which kept their original appearance – with Adam installing three off-the-shelf simple kitchen units which he made himself.
6 months later
It took six months of hard work to finish the amazing transformation but the end result was definitively worth the effort Adam invested in the project. He had managed to convert the upper deck into three bedrooms and also squeeze in a bunk bed at the back. Adam, a passionate surfer, had managed to make out the most of the limited space available and in the end, exceeded his original budget by £5,000, putting the overall renovation cost at £15,000.
