building your own
if you have made it this far, i’d bet that the prospect of leaving the world of relentless rent/mortgage payments behind to embark on a bus conversion project of your own has at least crossed your mind. as you will have gathered if you have read the book, buying and converting this bus has positively transformed my life in so many ways. it will almost certainly transform yours too, but only if you actually take the leap and put in the hard work to make living in a bus your new, better, normal.
since i began living aboard my housebus, i’ve been dedicating a good portion of my time and attention providing resources, encouragement and support to others wanting to also build themselves a home without breaking the bank. there are a few reasons for this:
firstly, i find planning and designing unique living spaces to be endlessly exciting, and building them incredibly satisfying. even though my own build project isn’t finished yet, i want to ensure that when it is, i’m able to continue to reap those rewards vicariously, by helping others with theirs.
secondly, in case you hadn’t heard, there is an “access-to-housing” crisis. it’s now almost impossible for young people to put a roof over their heads without either working around the clock to afford increasing rent payments or a mortgage (if they’ve been able to raise a deposit). however, there exists a compelling alternative that is well within the grasp of most people, that doesn’t need much money, time or skill to do and has the added benefit of decreasing the pressure on the conventional housing system in the process. if i can help in any way to increase the momentum of this movement, then i feel my time and attention will have been put to good use.
lastly, i just feel saddened that, in the 21st century, we are still as a society struggling to meet our collective basic physiological needs (nourishing food, secure shelter, clean air and water) and are instead systematically destroying the very land and communities we depend upon for survival. rather than continue to be frustrated by the insanity of it all, i want to be part of the solution. with this in mind, i’m working on the following projects….
the handmade house project
this is the name i’ve given to all my collective efforts to inspire, educate, motivate, encourage, and support aspiring handmade house builders and the movement as a whole. we’re specifically focused on low-cost (sub £20k) low-impact homes being built in the UK and Ireland for full-time occupancy by the people who built them. these primarily include bus and truck conversions, tiny homes, boats, treehouses, cob/straw houses, timber-framed/log cabins, underground houses, yurts, and other similar spaces.
although i have been thinking deeply about this stuff for many years, it’s only recently that i’ve put together the website (see below). i have so many exciting ideas in the pipeline including a podcast, magazine, and series of workshops, but i’m fitting all this stuff in around a full-time organic farming apprenticeship so it might take some time to materialise!
at the moment, there are two key components to this project: the club and the grant.
the hhp club: this is an ever-growing showcase of current/past projects that we’ve either been involved with somehow or have been fortunate enough to see or find out about. the aim is to provide fully-documented examples of existing builds, to provide ideas and inspiration for your dream build, and the practical advice/guidance to accompany it. we are of course focused on low-cost, low-impact self-builds only, constructed by hand by either the current or past full-time occupants, located in the UK or Ireland. there are some super cool builds currently underway and a bunch more than are done and that we are in the process of documenting before we feature them online. sign up to our occasional newsletter here to find out about new featured builds.
the hhp grant: one of the major roadblocks many people face when deciding whether or not to take the leap into handmade house building is of course finding the money. despite it being way cheaper in the long run than renting or buying a bricks and mortar house, getting together the funds to either buy a base vehicle and/or basic structural materials is often impossible (usually because they are still having to rent/pay a mortgage while planning/building their new home). in light of this, we have decided to offer an annual bursary to help get as many handmade house build projects off the ground as possible. part-funded by us, part-funded by donations from the public, the grant will offer amounts of up to £5000, access to one-on-one mentorship, use of tools and workshop space, and temporary living accommodation for some of the build process. find out how to apply here.
for further information, please visit handmadehouseproject.org
a do-it-yourself handbook
when i first started, i found it very difficult to find well-documented examples of existing bus conversions online or any useful guidance on how to do it myself. some of it was there but was hidden away deep down in obscure blog posts or halfway through a Youtube video, or in some cases in old paperback books, not available online. a lot of it just didn’t exist at all and so, like many people before me, i was forced to figure it out from scratch.
as i’ve learned bit-by-bit the skills and knowledge necessary to do my own conversion, i’ve inadvertently built up a fairly comprehensive list of useful resources and accrued a detailed understanding of all that is involved in building your own home on wheels. to try and ensure that those following in my footsteps needn’t go through the same struggles as i did, i’ve begun the mammoth task of compiling and organising all this information into a one-stop-shop DIY manual for aspiring housebus builders. this handbook will provide instruction and advice on all aspects of the bus conversion journey - from choosing and buying a vehicle, to designing the layout and floorplan, sourcing tools & materials, finding somewhere to work on it, and planning and carrying out every part of your build. it contains detailed guidance on all the major structural components (from the flooring, walls and ceiling, to windows & doors, and insulation and ventilation) and services (air heating, water heating, plumbing, electrical, lighting, gas, etc), as well as the mechanical and legal considerations of living on wheels.
i hope that by providing the kind of advice that was hard to come by when i started, i can lower the barriers to entry that are stopping other folk like you from getting started on a project of your own. to get a copy of this manual emailed to you as soon as it is released, click here (i hope to have it ready by the end of the year). if you want to get going ASAP, please reach out to me via email and i will endeavour to send you some resources to get you started.
consultancy/paid work
i'm always interested in getting involved with projects that excite me - at the moment those things are anything to do with handmade houses, natural building, regenerative agriculture, experimental music, adventures, woodworking. basically, anything that involves creating stuff that betters the world. My ability to be fully involved is limited these days as i have a full time job at an organic farm (which is endlessly busy) but nevertheless i want to hear about your project. if i can help, i will.
i'm not particularly interested in doing paid work just for the sake of earning but if you want me involved and have the funds to pay, and it interests me as a standalone project, i probably wouldn't say no. i know of plenty of projects with the opposite problem, which I would like to contribute any surplus earnings to. things that i would consider doing for payment are: one-on-one consultancy about your project, (especially bus conversions/tiny homes), furniture or tool building (you want help building your kitchen in your self-build, or need some new chopping boards), CAD drawings, research and material sourcing, etc. that sort of thing. send me an email.
