A Woman Built the Most Unconventional Home for Retirement — These Photos Will Make Your Jaw Drop

For working millennials, living in a tiny house may seem a more viable and affordable shelter option considering the skyrocketing home prices. Though it takes a lot of time and energy to downsize, it requires less money to convert a vehicle into a compact home or to create a mini abode that you can attach to your car than to pay rent or buy a house.

However, for retirees, it may sound crazy as most of us imagine them living in a comfortable nursing home surrounded by lush greenery. Sure, old people love to travel and backpack around places they’ve never been to, but they always have a reliable home they go to when the adventure ends that’s usually filled with knick-knacks or macaroni artworks from their grandkids.

But, Keri Gailloux is going against the norm, and for her, retiring is best lived with her dog Rhodie in a school bus – one that is converted into a tiny house on wheels.

Medium | The interior of the skoolie is warm with wooden floors and furniture

For someone in their 60s, this adjustment may seem hard but Keri grew up in a military family so she is used to traveling, moving in and out of towns, and living in a limited space. She took this lifestyle change as going back to her roots.

Before deciding to live on the go, Keri had to familiarize herself with living in a tiny house because she wanted to keep minimal belongings to be more space-efficient. However, she finds having an attached home to her car inconvenient.

So instead, in 2018, she shelled out $45,000 and with the help of a builder, they converted a school bus into a home fit for her lifestyle of living on the road.

On the outside, the vehicle-turned-house appears like a typical school bus: it is yellow with the signature black lines but they cover the label school with duct tape. As a tradition of the tiny house movement, Keri named her bus If Wishes Were Horses, which she wrote over the plaster.

Pinterest | Keri makes sure that everything in her bus has a purpose like this work table that also serves as a kitchen table

The inside is a different story. It has Marine-grade wooden floors and light-washed wooden cupboards, drawers, and countertops that come with specialized hardware that keep everything in place whenever the bus moves.

Upon entering the skoolie – as the community calls them — you would be greeted by the warm ambiance exuded by a soft sofa where you can comfortably read a book while drinking your hot tea.

The bus also features a full compact kitchen. With the impeccable craftsmanship inspired by other tiny houses, the retiree made sure to save space by opting for a pull-out refrigerator drawer and utilizing her work table as a kitchen table.

She even has a heater in the kitchen perfect for traveling in winter.

Archyde | The bus even has a compost toilet and shower

The skoolie also has a compost toilet, a shower, and a sink, which is considered a luxury for vehicular homes. At the rear end of the bus is Keri’s bedroom that has an elevated bed frame, which doubles as storage for her clothes.