From No Experience to Home On Wheels
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TJ and Elle started thinking about moving across the country after visiting a friend on the west coast and were trying to figure out the best way to do that. Elle went to school for fashion merchandising, graduated, did the whole nine to five in the city and just wasn't happy with it, there
while TJ spent a number of years working in animal hospitals and started feeling a little burnt out from that. He had started working with his friend in his stores doing some construction on the side, but the monoton of day to day was becoming too much, so they decided it was a good time for a change.
His experience in construction helped out with the build a little bit. No official or licensed experience, just some YouTube and then they started the build. It was kind of one swing of the hammer into the next, which started as a six-month project with a super bare bones build, but as the ball got rolling things got bigger and bigger and they decided that this could be a little bit more permanent than just heading out to the west coast to move across the country, so they decided to build it out with every amenity of home.
The bus is an E450 super duty with a 7.3 liter turbo diesel, which has been a horse. It's got over 200,000 miles and TJ is confident it’ll go another 600,000. On the front they’ve added a bike rack which gives them super easy access to their bikes when they reach their campsite. TJ was able to throw in some shore power to help top up the batteries if they’re ever in areas with poor solar conditions. Up top they have 420 watts of solar power coming which has been plenty to keep everything running. For the internet they have an omni directional antenna which gathers long range cell signals. On the back TJ had this deck frame welded up before putting on the decking. This makes it a very sturdy place for him to mount the dirt bike up which is great for when they’re boondocking somewhere and maybe need a gallon of milk or something. Above that is their outdoor shower which they can use when they take the dirt bike off the deck.
It used to be a handicap bus so they have a double door right by the bed. At night on nice nights they throw a big mosquito net over them and open it up. For water storage they have a 71 gallon tank for freshwater and another for grey water. They are able to check the levels from outside by removing the gutter protectors that hide them. TJ really likes the big mirrors on the bus that give him great visibility when driving as well as act as a clothesline when they’re parked.
On the inside by the entrance they built a couch that includes a space underneath that one of their cats can sit while they’re driving. The cushions were salvaged from an old rv and reupholstered to look new again. The fridge runs three-way, on either AC, 12-volt or propane, so they have plenty of options to keep it running. Beside it they have a little closet which has been really convenient for hanging up a few coats. Under the bed they have the cat litter which is accessible from the double doors at the back of the bus. This makes cleaning it out super easy as any dust kicked up in the process stays outside the bus and keeps the interior nice and clean.
When TJ started building this rig one of the things they needed obviously was electricity so he put in plenty of outlets, like this pop up surge protector that easily hides away when it’s not in use. Moving on to the bedroom they have some overhead storage for clothes and whatnot. They have an ipad mount conveniently placed to watch Netflix from bed. Under the bed they have plenty of storage for bigger items that are packed away in vacuum sealed storage bags to maximize storage. Under that they have another kennel area for the cats, which they’ve found works really well while travelling.
For the kitchen, TJ wanted the space to be as multifunctional as possible. He ended up installing removable panels of butcher block that are held in with pins. These cover up the sink and stove top when not in use and can be moved around as giant cutting boards that make the bed double as extended counter space.
For heat they have a Cubic Mini Wood Stove, which provides fantastic ambience as well as great dry heat that minimizes risks of humidity and mold. For TJ, it's better than a television. To make a wifi network in the bus, they use a Mofi 4500 LTE router which picks up cell signals from the antenna on the roof and rebroadcasts it inside the rig. This works way better than a cellphone hotspot as they have extended range and more reliable connection between multiple devices.
They’ve combined the shower and the toilet space together to maximize utility. It’s a conventional flush RV toilet that goes into a blackwater tank that they can easily empty at RV sanitization dumps. It only uses a little bit of water every time they use it, so it's pretty efficient in that sense. The shower walls have recessed niches for shampoo, soap as well as a protective toilet paper roll dispenser that keeps toilet paper from getting wet when the shower is in use. the shower pan didn’t originally have a spot of the toilet, so TJ had to plumb a hole for it himself. In the corner above the driver's seat they have all the solar equipment coming in. Each panel is individually fused before they feed into the MPPT solar charge controller. It's been really great gives them pretty good readings as far as how much electricity is being consumed what they’re using load-wise.
It was always a dream for them to do something like this. After following the #vanlife hashtag on instagram and wishing they could do something similar, they finally sat down and seriously asked themselves why it seemed unobtainable. Jobs come and go, but you're only this age once, so it’s important to take advantage of the energy you have while you still have it. There'll be difficulties along the way, no doubt, but it's all a learning curve and you'll come out better for it.
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