Ally wanted to name one of her children Radley, but instead, she gave the name to the school bus her family turned into a mobile home.
“We bought the bus in upstate New York,” Ally said. It was still yellow, just like a regular school bus, and all the seats were still inside.
Turning the bus into their dream home wasn’t easy. “We tore out everything and fixed the holes in the metal floor,” Sean explained.
“I have some construction experience, and that really helped with the project.
We tried to follow Ally’s blueprint exactly, but some things ended up an inch bigger or smaller than planned.”
They removed all the stickers and reflectors from the bus and got it ready for a fresh coat of paint. Then, they painted it a gray color called Radley Rust-Oleum.
Sean is the lead singer and guitarist of a band called Sean Hetrick and The Leftovers.
He often had to travel for music. But with their new mobile home, he can now spend more time with his wife Ally, their 10-year-old son Kaiden, their 3-year-old daughter Coco, and their dog Walnut, even when he’s on tour.
Sean found a great way to keep his family close: he takes them on the road with him.
The couches in the living room were old ones from a music venue in Annapolis. They were going to be thrown away, but Sean brought them to the bus instead. He trimmed them to fit and Ally covered them with colorful fabric. They added seatbelts to the couches, which are connected to the bus. The back of the couches can be taken off to make a guest bed.
They bought the refrigerator from Amazon. “It had a small dent, so I got it cheaper,” Sean said.
They found the camper stove and the kitchen cabinets on Facebook Marketplace.
The washing machine and dryer combo is tucked in a corner near the oven.
“Having this is really important with two kids,” Ally explained.
Next to the kitchen, there’s a table that folds up and down. It’s made from the same wood as the kitchen counter.
“I used thicker wood for this,” Sean says.
They stained the dining table and kitchen counters with a cherry color and added a shiny coating to protect them.
There’s a big mirror on the wall that makes the small space look bigger and brighter.
They couldn’t fit a king-size bed in the bedroom, so they chose a queen-size bed instead.
Above the bed, there’s a wooden shelf for books and decorations. There’s also a TV in the bedroom for watching shows.
A folding door separates the bedroom from the rest of the home for privacy.
The kids’ beds are regular twin beds from their old house. They fit twin mattresses perfectly.
Under the beds, there are baskets for storing books and toys. Kaiden sleeps in the top bunk.
“It’s probably the best bed in the bus because Coco and the dog can’t climb up and wake him,” Sean said.
Each kid has their own TV screen too.
In the kids’ bunk area, there’s a small desk that’s just right for writing.
A little pot with a plant in it brings some green inside.
The bathroom is built around the toilet, which fits into a small space called a water closet.
There’s also a small sink, which is very important. The bathroom may be small, but it has everything needed, including a towel rack, a cabinet for medicine, and a light.
The shower has warm water because it is connected to a water heater.
Ally found some free tiles on Facebook Marketplace and used them to make a crescent moon design on the bathroom wall.
The bus still has its original windows. “We added insulation to some and covered them up.
The ones we kept, we made look nicer,” Sean explained.
The skylight lets in a lot of sunlight inside the house. Kaiden enjoys sitting on top of the bus to get some fresh air.
Sean is pleased with their new 400-watt solar system from WindyNation. It was easy for him to set up.
They have a regular power hook-up, a generator, and now solar power too.
“Figuring out the electrical work was the hardest part for me,” Sean said.
Now, they are all set to live off the grid.