A couple and their four children are now living on a double decker bus after ditching their rental home - and say they're saving £12,000 a year. Conrad Kirk, 31, and his partner, Nicole McCarthy, 31, bought a 1978 double-decker bus back in September 2021 for £2,000, initially to use as a holiday home.
The couple planned to convert the vehicle into a luxury motorhome so they wouldn't have to fork out for hotel rooms on family breaks. But after doing up the old bus, the pair loved it so much they decided to move their family-of-six into it full-time.
The idea to move out of their £1,300 a month three-bed rental property and live on the bus started as a "joke" but soon became a reality when the couple realised they could save around £1,000 a month.
Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.
After completing the renovations, the couple left their rental house in South Yorkshire and moved into the bus with their four daughters Luna, four, Poppy, seven, Summer, seven, and Phoebe, eight.
The bus is based in Rotherham where the kids attend school but is always moving around the area.
Sign up to our free weekly property newsletter by clicking here
After they converted the bus, which cost the couple around £8,000, the fully-refurbished home now has a bathroom, a living area, separate kitchen, small garage and an open-plan bedroom with a double-bed and two bunk beds.
“There was massive help from family and friends offering to support us with advice and knowledge," Conrad said.
“We sort of worked around what was disposable to us to keep costs down - like using recycled bits and reusing some items.
“Companies wanted an extra £6,000 to £7,000 to do our solar panels, but by watching videos and with the help of our electrician, we managed to get it done for under £800.”
The couple's little girls were a big part of the conversion as they helped their parents with tasks such as cutting wood and measuring.
Conrad added: “They’ve learned skills that normal kids wouldn’t get the opportunity to learn at school.”
The family now has more than 200k followers on TikTok where they share their daily adventures and details about their life.
They are often asked how they fit six people in a bus, but the children are at school during the day and they prefer being outdoors in their free time. Conrad thinks of the bus as a base unit for their outdoorsy lifestyle.
“We don't lounge in front of the TV - we're out and about doing things with the kids. This weekend, we went paddleboarding and rock climbing," he sid.
He added that the kids have experienced many outdoor activities for the first time while living in the bus. They have also met lots of new people through their lifestyle and become more social, he says.
“We have the freedom to actually go and experience things as a family that we didn't get to do before," Conrad said.
“It’s been great for us because we’ve been very antisocial before.”
Conrad’s plan for the future is to save up to £10,000 in the next three to four years to be able to buy land and build a home for themselves.
He said: "We have the freedom to actually go and experience things as a family that we didn't get to do before.
"Trying new things and spending time outdoors have become quite a big bit of our lifestyle now.”
Want to feature your home in our Where I Live series? If so, please email your details to phoebe.jobling@reachplc.com.
