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Today, a single mother of four shares how she traded nomadic life in a converted school bus (or skoolie) for 15 acres of off-the-grid living in New York state.
The basics
Age: 40
Household status: Partnered with four kids
Occupation: Serial entrepreneur
Household income: $50,000
What was your home experience growing up?
My parents owned the home I was raised in. They taught me that homeownership is just what you do. So I did, checking all the boxes before age 30.
How did you end up living in a school bus?
When the pandemic started, I was living the life I thought I wanted, with a big home and expensive cars. Around that time, my mom passed. Something shifted in me, and I realized that all I wanted was to travel. We had never been able to do this before because my kids play sports.
What happened next?
I got divorced, and we sold our house. I took $28,000 of that to buy and build out a bus. For four years during COVID, we lived in it and traveled the country.
What made you want to buy a home again?
After four years of bus life, we were ready to be back home in New York with family. But I didn’t want a traditional house. I wanted to buy land and build something unique.
Did you have any non-negotiables?
I wanted a minimum of 5 acres in a rural area. I didn’t want to be on busy roads. I also wanted the land to be interesting—to have ponds, ravines, and unique trees. We also needed flat, open fields so we could build.
How many pieces of land did you see in person?
About 20. I called the listing Realtors®, and they said I could go walk the properties on my own. With every other piece of land, something was always wrong.
Did you make any other offers?
We initiated a couple offers, but then as we learned more, we backed out. With one, the cost to remove two run-down trailer homes was too high. One was wetlands that we couldn’t build on. Another had a problem with ground contamination.
How did you find out about the ground contamination?
It wasn’t disclosed in the listing, but we found out from a neighbor. The contamination would have affected the well and our drinking water. After that, we questioned everything. We learned we had to do our own due diligence with every property.
What was the due-diligence process like?
We went to county offices and pulled old maps. That’s how we found out that that one parcel had protected wetlands. We learned we couldn’t make an offer without talking to zoning and gathering data. Surveys can have discrepancies, so it’s good to double check.
We also needed all the documents to tell us if we’d own the mineral rights to the land, and if the land had been timber farmed. We couldn’t just rely on someone else’s word.
How did you know this was the one?
It was further out than I wanted, but I went to see it anyway. Right away, we just knew. The land had an amazing view and a pond. The pictures didn’t do it justice. We slept on the decision just to be sure.
Where did the cash for the purchase come from?
Back in 2020, when we had sold our house, I invested that money. When I decided to make the offer, I pulled it out.
How much did it cost to build the homes?
The total cost for all three tiny homes was just $85,000. My boyfriend designed the homes, and we did all the work ourselves. It took almost exactly a year to finish.
What are the houses like?
We built three separate tiny houses around a central courtyard. The main house, which I live in with my boyfriend, is 600 square feet, which felt like a mansion after years of skoolie life. Our tiny home has a kitchen and living space, so there’s room for my kids to spend time with us. We built two other tiny houses. Each is roughly 400 square feet and has two bedrooms, a common room and a bathroom, and two of my kids share each one. It’s a very nontraditional way to live, but it works for us.
Is there a longer term goal for the land?
The plan is to build two more tiny homes so that each of my kids has their own home. I really wanted to offer my kids affordable housing. My oldest are 17 and 19, and they’re just starting out. Housing and rent costs have skyrocketed since I was that age. I wanted to give them a way to live on their own and have privacy, but still have help and support if they need it.
The only catch is that if they choose to live here, I’ve told them they have to be actively saving. This way, when they’re ready to move out, they have cash to afford options. If they leave, I imagine I would rent out their home as an Airbnb.
What do you do for water and electricity?
We live off the grid. When I built the bus, I invested up front in solar, and we learned to live sustainably, cutting back significantly on water and electricity use, so we were already comfortable with the technology and the lifestyle. I liked the idea that we will have power even when the town has storm outages. The local power company also charges a lot for winter use. With our own power storage banks, we avoid expensive bills. Having consistent monthly costs has also helped with budgeting.
What has the response been to your setup?
People kept telling me: “You can’t do this.” First they told me my house can’t have wheels. Then they told me my house can’t be a bunch of tiny houses. Even the town assessor couldn’t believe we chose solar. He kept asking us when we were going to connect to the city’s power. People forget there’s more than one way to do things.
What’s next for you?
My partner and I believe so much in bus life and living off grid that we’ve started our own company, Southern Tier Tiny Homes. We build tiny homes, buses, and other efficient housing to make this dream within reach of everyone.
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