A South Carolina man who was fed up with paying monthly rent has revealed how he spent more than a year – and $57,000 – converting an old school bus into a two-storey, two-bedroom house with wheels.
Chay Denne, 25, who goes by President Chay Online, documented the entire renovation of the bus in a fascinating series of YouTube videos, explaining every element of the meticulous construction of the bus and its transformation into his “dream home “.
“We’re going to turn a 40-foot school bus into my little house,” Denne explains in one clip. “This is the biggest, most expensive video we’ve ever made, and it took us over a year to complete.”
The YouTube star – who had previously tackled similar vehicle transformations on a much smaller scale – explained that his anger at high rents led him to turn his attention away from smaller projects such as micro-camps and tiny cabins to something big enough to serve as a full-sized human.
“I decided I was going to lease it and bought a full-size school bus,” he shares. “This bus would make the perfect home because it ran beautifully and was super powerful.”
Denne paid about $7,000 for the bus and then poured $50,000 into renovations. The project began by removing 28 seats from inside the vehicle, leaving an empty shell that would form the foundation of his tiny home.
“Once we finally arrived [the bus] man, there was a lot of work to do,” he says. “It was time to remove 28 seats from this bus.”
Denne points out that the bus was functional when he bought it, so it needed minimal engine work to keep it running. This allowed him to concentrate on fixing and expanding the bus.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to go it alone. He enlisted the help of his girlfriend, father and brother for the mammoth project.
“While my girlfriend and I are removing the seats, let me explain how crazy this build is going to be,” he says in a voiceover as he shows a time-lapse video of how he cut the roof off the bus and raised it that 4 feet. .
“This will make it possible to put two stories in the back and get 9-foot ceilings inside,” he continues. “This will be the highest roof lift any bus has ever received on YouTube.”
After removing the interior of the bus, Denne removed the metal roof “like a can opener” and removed the “old, bad” insulation. Next, he removed the windows and pointed to the two wooden jacks his father had created to help hold up the roof.
“These went on either side of the bus and made it possible to raise the roof safely and correctly,” he says.
“Once everything was down, it was time to try and get it up. It took a lot of effort to get it right, but eventually, we got it up. You might be surprised to know that we went a step further.”
The size of the bus became “monstrous”, he jokes, noting that the no. 1 mission became securing the roof to avoid it coming off in strong winds. They then clamped the steel tube to the cut metal and welded it together, working through the night to secure the shell. Then they added siding.
“With the roof fully up, the bus stood 10 meters high from bottom to top,” he says.
Next, they laid the floor, starting with a thick layer of plastic to keep water out. They added 3 inches of closed cell foam to prevent mold and provide insulation. Additionally, they installed two-by-fours and a thick floor that didn’t flex underfoot. After that, they started framing the walls.
“The bus display includes a bedroom, an office, a full-size bathroom and a second bedroom,” he explains, showing his blueprints. “We framed a loft that also acts as a second bedroom, and the wall that supports it encloses the driver’s compartment.”
To give the interior a unique touch, they framed a flat roof instead of the traditional curved one seen on many school bus conversions. They then framed the bathroom, which will include a full-size toilet, sink and shower. (Massive water tanks are installed on the bus, which has working hydraulics.)
The kitchen has a bar and can accommodate four people.
After the drywall, lights, air conditioning and ventilation were all installed. The group added a pantry and a 9-foot “loft” above the bathroom for storage. A dehumidifier was installed to prevent mold growth.
The entire construction lasted six months, and at the end, viewers are greeted with a surprise – a proposal on the roof of the small house.
“My girlfriend, Kelsey, still had no idea I was planning to propose to her on the beach,” he says. “She has been my biggest support since day one, she even helped with the first video on this channel.”
They drove to the beach where they got engaged on the newly completed roof of the school bus.
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Image Source : nypost.com