Taking on the role of inspiring people to try out the van life, two sisters have revealed their savvy DIY skills, which have seen them turn old school buses into homes-on-wheels.
Twin sisters Courtney and Cassidy Stutelberg have shared their journey and process behind creating the quirky living spaces – one bus at a time.
Their journey started in 2017, when Courtney quit her 9-5 job as an operations specialist and decided to hit the road full-time, taking her 1990 GMC Suburban on a tour around Alaska and Canada.
But in April 2018, disaster struck when the transmission in her car failed and, as it was a pricey job, the 27-year-old felt at a loss.
Soon, she discovered a retro school bus for sale online, costing $2,500 (£2,035), and six months later, she sold the abode-on-wheels for an estimated $10,000 (£8,140).
“I didn’t want to let go of the freedom I felt for the first time in my life,” Courtney, from Minnesota, told NeedToKnow.Online. “Initially, the question was to either find a place to live, sell the suburban or buy the bus – and of course, throw a couple of thousand dollars into the conversion and build a home-on-wheels.
“I had never built anything before, but my ex-partner had some carpentry skills, so I learned how to build a bed, a makeshift kitchen and figured out running water.”
Within seven days, the project was complete and in total, cost her $5,000 (£4,070).
After six months of living on the bus and travelling across the country, she decided it was too big and sold it on for the aforementioned price, before purchasing another school bus.
10 days later, her second home-on-wheels was transformed – and this is when the business venture began.
She then bought her third bus, which she finished renovating in 21 days and caught the attention of other people, who were intrigued by her designs.
She said: “I noticed that I got addicted to fresh starts and the bus conversions gave me that feeling. People started to become aware and attracted to my designs, styles and small details. The more buses I built, the better they looked.
“I’m a fast learner when it comes to hands-on projects, as I’m quite good at watching someone do something, or even looking at a picture, and replicating it.
“I was self-taught by watching videos and learning from others in the communities I’ve visited.”
Over the next five years, she travelled across 49 states all while renovating multiple buses and selling them off at a high profit.
In March 2022, she joined forces with her sister, Cassidy, who had become tired of her nursing job and wanted a fresh start.
While she has little DIY experience, their skills combined together have created them a successful business called Nomadic Homes – and to date, they’ve renovated many buses.
Cassidy said: “Although I have some background in restoring an old car, I came into the business with no experience. Before I got into this kind of work, I had only known nursing for eight years.
“So my first conversion was a huge learning process, but I was up for the challenge. Not only was it a learning process having to learn how to build a skoolie (a converted home-on-wheels) but I had to learn how to work with my twin sister.
“[When I started] I had no idea how to build a wall. Now, I am almost as good as Courtney – at least I like to think so.”
Each bus is tailored to each clients’ needs, where the customer will either bring them a bus or help them source one.
Full build prices start at $65,000 (£53,000) and their work has inspired many people, especially women, across the globe.
Currently, the sisters are working on a bus for a solo woman, who will move into the bus as her full-time residence. According to the pair, all but one of their projects have been for single women.
Cassidy said: “I’ve found a passion in something greater than I could have ever imagined. Courtney and I have the ability to change people’s lives – whether it’s building them a home or just being there for support and encouragement. It is truly something special.”
Courtney added: “We strive to encourage women, and men of course, to have the courage in themselves to hit the road solo. [When I started], I was living paycheck-to-paycheck, but I didn’t mind, as the money was going toward my experiences and travel – I was living the dream.
“What makes this life so luxurious, is not only the personal freedom, but it’s the freedom to live anywhere you want.”
