Craig Gordnier, a 27-year-old US Coast Guard veteran, found himself back home on his parents’ couch after a failed business transaction at the start of the pandemic. He tried to locate work, but the search was more difficult than ever. “March, April, and May were very challenging. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get work because to COVID. “The way things were going, I had everything taken away from me,” he told Insider.
Craig, who served for eight years, had hoped to spend his retirement years traveling around the country in an RV. When he began to plan his life, he found he could shave 40 years from his initial plan and start working on his dream RV right away. So, in May 2020, he took the plunge and purchased a 1999 Bluebird TC 2000 school bus.
Craig then spent the next six months and another $40,000 transforming the van into a mobile home. The Coast Guard veteran purchased the bus from a man in South Dakota who had already raised the roof and installed spray foam insulation. With the support of his father, grandfather, and a few family friends with welding experience, he took over from the point and restored it into a living home.
Craig said he wasn’t worried at all about downsizing. In fact, he found the entire process to be “liberating.” He now lives a clutter-free life and has completely embraced the minimalist lifestyle. He has no storage locker; everything he owns is on the bus with him. Craig designed his home with an open layout, modeling it after a studio apartment.“Just because houses have rooms does not mean that a bus needs to have rooms,” he said.
Craig kept the original driver’s area at the very front of the bus to preserve its history. It contrasts with the rest of the home’s modern decor, but it’s his “absolute favorite thing” about the whole build. Near the driver’s seat is the kitchen area, which features a faux-marble countertop made of two pieces of 3/4-inch recycled plywood. With the use of epoxy, Craig was able to give it a marble countertop finish.
Craig’s bedroom and bathroom are located at the very back of the mobile home, with a wall separating the two areas. The bed size is somewhere between a queen and a full and sits on a slightly raised platform.
The skylight above provides Craig with a full view of the stars at night.