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A couple converted a school bus into a cozy tiny home, and they now travel around Australia full-time with their 2 children

A couple converted a school bus into a cozy tiny home, and they now travel around Australia full-time with their 2 children

Frank Olito

A family of four lives in this converted bus.Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

Marte Snorresdotter Rovik and Jed Harris live in a converted bus in Australia with their two daughters, Ellida, 4, and Embla, 2.
Their expertly designed home has a cozy living space, a kitchen, a master bedroom, and a children's room.
The family travels around Australia, often staying in one place for a month or so before moving on.

While some families only have one or two vacations a year, Marte Snorresdotter Rovik and Jed Harris decided to live on the road permanently with their two daughters.

Rovik, who is a sleeping consultant for families, and Jed Harris, who is a stay-at-home dad to Ellida, 4, and Embla, 2, decided they were over struggling financially and instead converted a former school bus into a tiny house on wheels.

Take a look at how the family of four turned the bus into a cozy home on the road.

When Rovik and Harris were expecting their second daughter, they were living in a three-bedroom house in Western Australia, but they weren't happy.

The whole family. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

"We were already living quite modestly and felt extremely worn from having no family around us and Jed away all the time," Rovik said. "We were struggling to accept that this is what young families have to do to get ahead these days. It just didn't feel right. We were constantly trying to figure out how we could make enough money to afford to have him at home with us and to be together like families should be."

In order to be together more as a family and worry less about money, they knew they had to think outside the box.

Rovik and her daughters. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

"Rather than trying to make more money, we started looking at how we could need less money," Rovik said. "If we built an off-grid home in a school bus, we wouldn't have a mortgage, rent, or power bill, and this would allow Jed to come home from work and be with us."

Once they decided that was the route they were going to take, they started selling most of their belongings to downsize their lives.

They called their local transport company and bought a $7,000 school bus directly from them, which turned out to be a smart decision in the long run.

The day the family bought the school bus. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

Rovik said purchasing the bus was the "most nerve-racking thing of the whole journey but we got lucky." The company cut the couple a deal and only charged them AUD $10,000 — or a little over $7,000 — for the 61-seater bus.

It took Rovik and Harris 18 months to renovate the school bus, but they were lucky to also get help from people at the transport company.

Renovation of the school bus. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

"The guys at the transport company also took us in with open arms and let us convert the bus in their yard, which was so fortunate as they ended up helping us a lot," Rovik said. "We are still forever grateful about that."

The first step was to take all the seats out of the bus and strip it all the way down to its bones. From there, Harris worked on building their home 50% of the time.

In the end, it cost the couple just over $28,000 to buy and renovate their bus.

The finished schoolie. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

"Every expert we spoke to about motor homes laughed at us when we told them how much — or should I say how little — we wanted to spend, but we did it and we are super proud of it," Rovik said.

The family officially moved into their bus in August 2019 with their two daughters.

"We actually found it so incredibly rewarding to finally move in and for Jed to finally quit his job," she said.

Inside, there is a cozy living space, with a quaint kitchen and a hallway that leads to the back of the bus.

The living space. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

"Most of all, we love our big windows running all through the bus and providing us with ever-changing, beautiful views," Ravik said.

The kitchen is simple but expertly designed.

The kitchen. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

The kitchen has a full-size fridge with a freezer, a sink, and a stovetop.

The bathroom is designed with wooden features as well.

The bathroom. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

In the bathroom, there is a shower, a bath, and a toilet. There is also a small bath for the children.

"We do love the little bath that we put in, as the girls have used it every single night since we moved in," Rovik said.

At the back of the bus, there is a master bedroom for Rovik and Harris.

The master bedroom. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

Around the bed, there is space to hang up clothing.

"We are very minimalistic in what we own and carefully planned how to build enough storage to fit what we need," Rovik said.

The children have their own room, which is cleverly designed for maximum space.

The children's room. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

The bunk bed over the crib for the younger daughter is the perfect set up for the family. The room also has a play area for the children.

Rovik said her children love living in the school bus, especially since they get to see the entire country.

The children. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

"They are constantly surrounded by other children we have met traveling and are blessed with a very fortunate lifestyle where they spend most of their time outside, on a beach, or in the bush," she said.

In the past year, the family has traveled through Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, and New South Wales.

The bus on the road. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

Currently, they are located in Byron Bay, but they won't be there long.

"We like traveling for a few days, finding a beautiful spot, and then spending a few weeks there before moving on," she said.

The couple does plan on settling down permanently in the future as the girls grow up and need more space.

The children. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

"When we are ready, we plan to purchase a little plot of land where we can park the bus and make it more stationary and then eventually build our off-grid house," Rovik said. "Which will probably be a little bit bigger than the bus as we will need more room for the girls, but we do love living tiny so we imagine it still to be quite a modestly sized house."

For now, though, the family is enjoying the open road inside their tiny home on wheels.

Rovik and Harris. Courtesy of Marte Snorresdotter Rovik

"The freedom is by far the best part," Rovik said. "Our much-beloved home is mortgage-free. We have no bills, all the time in the world, and the freedom to live wherever we want."