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5 Tips for an Airplane Home Conversion, From the Builder of the 727 Airplane Home

What if, instead of spending money on building new structures, we’d spend it on converting existing ones, and thus reduce waste and upcycle? What if, instead of houses, we lived in airplanes?
Bruce Campbell has been living in his Airplane Home for over 20 years 15 photos
Photo: YouTube / CNBC (Composite)
Retired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woodsRetired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woods
The idea is not new – in fact, it’s been around for decades, with many followers convinced that it would be one way of discouraging waste and leading to more sustainable and affordable lives. Decommissioned aircraft are now rotting away at junkyards, if they’re not torn down for parts, and they could be used as homes – “used multimillion dollar aerospace quality homes,” as Bruce Campbell says.

The current frenzy around downsizing, fueled by the housing and economical crisis, brought an old housing alternative back into the spotlight: the airplane home. Bruce Campbell’s Boeing 727 conversion, aptly called the Airplane Home, or the airplane home in the woods, is one of the original conversions to capture the attention of the U.S. and international media.

Even today, it remains a solid example of affordable housing, even if it’s not exactly the most visually striking conversion. That last part is by choice, because Campbell never went through with a complete remodel of the interior, opting instead to keep most of it as it was – and dedicating only a small section to accommodation arrangements. Even today, his home looks like an improvisation of some sorts.

Retired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woods
Photo: AirplaneHome.com
To be honest, the Airplane Home, based on a Boeing 727-200 passenger airliner, is far from what you’d call a comfortable or a very nice-looking home, but it IS a livable space. More importantly, it’s a good example that discarded jetliners can be excellent homes, because Campbell has been living in it for almost two decades.

Campbell bought the jetliner in 1999, paying $100,000 for it and then another $120,000 to have it transported from the nearby airport to the 10 acres of land he already owned in Hillsboro, OR. The latter amount also included securing the aircraft in place on the land, but did not include the $15,000 he spent on modifying the interior so it would serve as his home. To this, you add the $25,800 he paid for the land.

Campbell and his Airplane Home were recently featured on the new Unlocked series on CNBC, where it was revealed that he currently spends only $370 a month in property taxes and electricity. Water comes from a well, and the entire cost of the aircraft and conversion was paid for in cash. There’s no financing for such a home, the 73-year-old former engineer and forever-nerd says with a smile.

These are the five lessons that he learned from the conversion, which he’d tell his younger self if he could. Since that’s impossible, he’s hoping others looking to transition to such a house might find them helpful.

1. Don’t go through a salvage company

That’s what Campbell did, and it now counts as his only regret because it tripled the cost of the aircraft. Campbell says that he was too young and inexperienced at the time, so he used a salvage company to track down an aircraft suitable for what he had in mind. In hindsight, he knows he could have done that himself, and it would have saved him a lot of money.

Retired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woods
Photo: AirplaneHome.com
Campbell ended up paying $100,000 for an aircraft he could have gotten for $30,000, and that’s the main takeaway here. Tracking down a plane for conversion will be stressful and very time-consuming, but it will be cheaper.

2. Get the aircraft in airworthy condition

He did it, and he didn’t regret it. His Boeing 727-200 was 30 years old when he bought it, and it flew from Greece to the Hillsboro Airport, where they took out the engines and prepared it for him. Campbell had it then transported by carrier the 20 miles (32 km) to its final resting place.

A new, still airworthy aircraft means a longer lifespan and less work to make it suitable as a home. This allowed Campbell to do with it exactly what he wanted.

3. Get a smaller aircraft

In Campbell’s case, this one goes hand in hand with the fact that he worked with a salvage company, which probably means he had to take what was given to him. It’s true, his aircraft came with an incredible history, as the plane used to transport Aristotle Onassis’ body on his final journey, but that’s something he could have done without. The Onassis association is not worth an extra $70K.

Then, there’s the issue of heating and space usage, which came later. Campbell doesn’t need such a large space, which it’s obvious from the fact that he lives in just a section of the plane, closing it off with a thermal wall during the winter to keep some warmth inside.

Retired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woods
Photo: AirplaneHome.com

4. Plan and budget accordingly

This one is a no-brainer, regardless of the project but especially with one of this size. You can buy an aircraft on the cheap these days, but transport fees and the conversion will make the budget explode. Since no bank will offer financing for such a home, so you have to have all this money before you get started – or some other source of funding.

You’re building your forever home, so act like it. Consider the location, consider the costs, and prioritize everything according to your lifestyle up to that point. This is not the kind of project you can casually walk away from or sell off.

5. Do it!

Bruce Campbell has no regrets about his Airplane Home. He’s fully aware of its downsides, but at the same time, he is convinced that the future of sustainable, affordable housing is in decommissioned airplanes.

Retired Boeing 727 is a fine example of upcycling, after Bruce Campbell turned it into his home in the woods
Photo: AirplaneHome.com
He’s still working on another conversion in Japan (a 747, this time), and he hopes it will lead to a third, and fourth, and 999th project. Campbell opens the doors to his Airplane Home whenever he’s at home, welcoming tourists and, he hopes, future airplane home residents inside, to show them what the future might look like.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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