Angela Miller and Joel Morales are taking a creative approach for their housing needs after Hurricane Harvey destroyed the home they were renting. They’re taking an old school bus and turning it into what’s known as a ‘skoolie’. When they’re finished, the interior of their bus will resemble an RV, and they’ll live there full-time.
“We’re really excited about that,” Miller said. “We’ll be able to travel wherever we want. We don’t really want to set roots somewhere. We want to travel. That’s the big part about the skoolie.”
Miller says she got inspiration to create a skoolie from Facebook and YouTube. The couple then used the internet to find their bus which was already being converted to a skoolie in Del Rio. Five thousand dollars and five hours of driving later, the couple had the bus on Morales’s family’s property in Aransas Pass. Then they got to work.
“So far we’ve just done flooring, walling, frame work, electric, and plumbing,” Miller said. “We’re trying to finish plumbing, but we’ve started electric.”
Internet videos are teaching the couple to do some of the work. Their friends are providing skilled labor at little or no cost. Even with that help, the couple wouldn’t mind a little more assistance.
“If anyone wants to come volunteer, we’re here,” Miller said laughing.
The goal she share’s with her boyfriend is to be able to move into the skoolie when their current lease at a home in Portland ends in June. At that point they plan to travel for fun, but they realize having a bus for a home will have other advantages.
“We decided that we need to do something where we can have all our stuff in one place and just leave when the time comes, if a hurricane ever comes again,” Miller said. “That’s why we decided to do a skoolie.”
