In order to buy their first home, some residents of Canada are looking for creative solutions.
Luke Chiasson and his partner were supposed to pay $1,500 a month in a one-bedroom apartment in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, but they were not eligible for a mortgage.
So, the two decided to take matters into their own hands and converted an old school bus into a mobile apartment.
Source: CTV News
"We've gone from paying 1,500 yuan a month to having nothing but food and water," Chiasson said.
Now, Chiasson and his partner don't have to pay rent, and they're saving up to make a down payment on a home by this fall.
Source: CTV News
Retrofitting a school bus requires a lot of work and money. Chiasson said the two put all their money into it over the course of the year.
"We know time is of the essence. You can't spend your savings on rent, that's putting money into a pit and making someone else rich. ”
When the couple remodeled the school bus, they could only store the school bus on a friend's property. Chiasson said he would work all day before continuing with the school bus.
"I work 18 hours a day," he said.
Source: CTV News
First, the couple had to empty the school bus, remove the seats, and stripped down to metal. Then, they are painted. They built a ground floor and a wooden frame to level all the surfaces.
Source: CTV News
"When we have the floor plan, we start construction, you know, put the cabinets in. ”
Now that winter is coming, they use stoves to heat the main room of the school bus and diesel heaters to heat the bedrooms.
They have a propane and electric water heater for external use only, but there is running water on the school bus.
Travel freely
Chiasson says one of the benefits of a mobile home is that two people can travel.
Source: CTV News
Usually they try to stay in a safe, private place, usually a large area of land owned by friends or family. But they also like to walk on the road, and if they want to go on vacation, they can always go south and chase the warm weather.
"It's comfortable, you know, it's like a little apartment," he said.