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Living With Rescue Pets In Their Renovated School Bus


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You might remember Rachel and Adam from our interview with them back in 2020. They are an awesome couple who did their own bus renovation and travels with rescue animals — including two bunnies! Well, they contacted us with new pictures since they’ve done some updates to their bus.

This week celebrates four years that the couple has been on the road full-time. They sold their home, got rid of their mortgage, and have enjoyed seeing the country together while working remotely. Enjoy the photos and interview below.

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Four Years on the Road Full-Time

I love the beautiful cabinet in-lays.

They have an oven and a beautiful backsplash.

A handy corner sink.

The bunny hutch is underneath the counters!

They have a large TV mounted over her.

Most of the day, the bunnies have free range of the bus! They are litter box trained.

They have a handy cubby in the entryway.

Their cozy couch area.

The shower with a window makes it feel open.

They have a shoe cubby up front.

And a bookshelf above the bed.

Q&A with the Couple:

What are your name(s)? Adam & Rachel Carbary

Where are you from? Washington State

How long have you lived tiny? September 1st will mark 4 years of being full-time in our bus.

How did you first become seriously interested in tiny homes? We started researching tiny home options about 10 years ago. We didn’t actually start pursuing the tiny house lifestyle until 2017 when we bought our retired school bus. We had considered several options including an RV, a tiny house on wheels (tiny house on a trailer), and of course a school bus.

What type of tiny house do you have or are you working on? We live in a full-sized Bluebird All American school bus.

Why did you go tiny? What are you hoping to get out of it for yourself? We went tiny for freedom. Freedom from the standard way of living, freedom from unnecessary bills, freedom from a regular 9-5 job, freedom to simply live life on our own terms. We know this life has so much to offer, but it’s hard to experience that when you’re wrapped up in a life that the rest of society tells you is “right”.

How long did it take you to finish your tiny house? “Finish” is a subjective term when it comes to a Skoolie. However, we did our initial build in 11 months, but have continually done upgrades and modifications each summer.

Did you do it yourself? Who helped?  We did the entire demolition and build out ourselves. We did have a few weekends of help from family or friends, but the majority of the build was done by us.

How did you figure out where to put it? Do you keep it in one place or do you move around? We did the building on our property before we sold our home. We travel the country, but also stop and stay with family when home in Washington.

What’s been the most challenging part about your tiny house so far? Sometimes it feels like the most difficult part is getting people to understand we choose this lifestyle. We don’t live in a bus out of necessity, but because we love what this lifestyle offers us. Sometimes parking is a challenge, but we have learned how to work with that now.

What benefits are you experiencing from it so far? We love the various places we get to see and experience thanks to bus life. We also love being debt-free, meeting new people, and having the freedom to decide how our days will look.

What helpful piece of advice would you give to others who are interested in going tiny? What mistakes could you help them avoid? The best advice we could give is to have patience. Slow down and enjoy the process. Don’t rush the build and don’t rush the lifestyle once you get there.

Do you have a website, blog, or social media pages where we can connect with you and follow along? We are on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok under Soulfulbuslife (Soulful Bus Life).

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Natalie C. McKee

Natalie C. McKee is a contributor for Tiny House Talk and the Tiny House Newsletter. She's a wife, and mama of three little kids. She and her family are homesteaders with sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and quail on their happy little acre.
{ 3 comments… add one }
  • Liz
    September 1, 2022, 11:56 am

    I can’t even begin to mention everything I love about this AMAZING, STUPENDOUS hope! If I tried it would be an epic length novel. I can tell that everything in this design was carefully chosen. A diesel pusher is very nice but they don’t come close to being this kind of cozy and serenity. I LOVE that the owners rescue animals.

  • Marsha Cowan
    September 1, 2022, 2:28 pm

    Beautiful build! Very warm and cozy with lovely colors and well thought out design. It’s just beautiful!

  • Dean Bensics
    September 5, 2022, 11:08 pm

    Extraordinary – love the kitchen, especially. Well done folks!

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