This 1968 Ford Bus Conversion Was Done Using Recycled Materials
You might think that tiny home living would be difficult for people with physical handicaps. But, Rickey Irvin has been living in a 1968 Ford bus for five years. He loves the freedom, the tight tiny home community, and living near the outdoors, and living tiny is convenient for him as a handicapped man.
Rickey shows off his 1968 Ford bus named the Angry Bird Hotel. He painted the outside of the bus orange, himself, and a friend in the tiny home community painted the angry bird eyes on it.
Inside the 1968 Ford bus is a small kitchen, with a movable stovetop attached by velcro. Rickey has a 40-gallon water tank and uses solar energy, with a capacity of 340 watts — more than enough for him. The kitchen also has a retro refrigerator and a washer-dryer combo.
Rickey uses a combination of fans and air conditioning to keep the 1968 Ford bus home cool and comfortable. He uses a nail placed at a 45-degree angle to keep the kitchen cabinet doors closed while traveling.
In the bedroom, Rickey shows off how tiny living is convenient for his disability. The bathroom is right near the bed, so he doesn’t have to walk far to use it. The lights are also close by. The bedroom is where the driver used to sit.
Near the bedroom is a small living room with a glider rocker. Rickey likes to relax and drink coffee there. He also enjoys relaxing on his back porch. Everything on the back porch was built with repurposed materials.
Actually, most of the 1968 Ford bus build was done with recycled materials. Rickey’s countertop was a rescue for Habitat ReStore. Same with an antique rotary phone he keeps on the counter, and his lights.
Angry Bird Hotel is pulled by a modified, handicap-accessible 1929 Ford, sitting on a 1994 Ford, with a 307 Chevrolet, and heavy-duty chassis.
Rickey used to be a teacher. Then, he drove trucks for 20 years. When his children and grandchildren moved in, his house became too noisy, so he moved out to his van, and loved it so much, he decided to go tiny for good.
1968 Ford bus conversion
Rickey loves the freedom of living in a 1968 Ford bus. Let us know in the comments whether you would want to move to a bus and how you would design it.
For more alternative living stories, discover why this couple is retiring in a tiny house or how they built out a DIY camper van.
To see more videos, check out the Tiny Home Tours YouTube channel.
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I love this.
I couldn't do a bus, my disability limits how I can access stuff. I'd love to move into a tiny house. I'm kinda living tiny now, 400 square ft apt.