"Lady Lavender" Is a Cheap yet Charming Tiny Home/Art Studio on Wheels With a Bathtub

Meet Alexa and "Lady Lavender," her 1995 Ford B Series bus, which doubles as a home and an art studio. Alexa describes herself as "really frugal," so she wanted to invest as little as possible into the bus while also making it comfortable.

If you're interested in building a budget-friendly mobile home, you should consider converting an older school bus, as they're much cheaper than camper vans, which are typically the go-to option when it comes to camper conversions.

Another option is an ambulance. In this article, which I wrote not too long ago, I explained why skoolie and ambulances are worth camper van alternatives. What's more, I also wrote about what it takes to convert a school bus into a tiny home – check the article out if that's something you're interested in.

Now, getting back to this bus, Alexa found the base vehicle on Craigslist, which was only an hour away from where she lived. She spent a mere $3,300 (€3,038) on it. Furthermore, she invested an additional $4,400 (€4,050) into the conversion, bringing the total cost to just $7,700 (€7,088) - that's an excellent deal. Some people spend this much (or even more) on the utility systems for their camper vans.

On the outside, this rig is finished in a beautiful lavender color, hence its name. There aren't many exterior features – you'll notice an under-mounted greywater tank and a cat ladder allowing Alexa's cat to roam around the bus and get back inside whenever it wants to.

The significant transformation happened inside the bus. Alexa painted it all around in bright colors, mainly lavender, blue, and purple. The space is very well-lit due to the many windows on both sides of the bus.

What's more, she chose an open layout for the interior, which makes it feel even bigger than it already is. It also enables her to hop inside the bus either through the front side door or via the rear door, which used to be the emergency exit.

In the driver's cabin, she added various decorative items, mostly pictures of her and her family and friends. The most expensive item in this rig was also installed in the front of the bus, above the driver's cabin: a mini-split – it cost her $538 (€495), as she got it second-hand off eBay.

Step deeper inside the bus, and you'll discover the kitchen on the driver's side of the interior. It's a straightforward setup, but it does the job. It features a used sink and a used three-burner stove, both integrated into a wood cupboard – Alexa bought it for a mere $30 (€27) from a thrift store, painted it white, and roughed it up to give it a vintage look. What's more, it has multiple drawers and cabinets, one of which houses the rig's breaker box.

By the way, since Alexa wanted to keep costs down, she didn't install a freshwater tank or a battery system, which most people consider essential in their camper builds. So, if she wants water and power, she needs to hook up to shore power and water. That makes off-grid camping impossible, but she doesn't seem to be bothered by that.

The kitchen continues on the same side toward the rear of the bus. Alexa fitted a huge butcher-block countertop with more than enough space to prepare meals – of course, just like most of the stuff inside this rig, it's recycled. Underneath it, you'll find two spacious drawers (one of which houses a water heater), a small slide-out oven, and a fridge/freezer.

A cool design touch is an arched cabinet just above the floor – Alexa devised it this way because a wheel well sits underneath it. Moreover, she made a rainbow design to the wheel well, so it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb in this bus's colorful interior.

Opposite the vintage cupboard I mentioned above, you'll discover Alexa's bed. It has a dual setup, meaning it can also be transformed into a couch. Next to it, she fitted a dresser, followed by the "studio part" of the interior.

It consists of a long desk with three drawers holding art supplies and a cabinet with a tongue-and-groove door made from the wood of an old barn. Open it, and you'll discover Alexa's basic composting toilet that she built herself.

The upper rear part of the bus is occupied by an L-shaped bookshelf. And finally, the rear corner on the driver's side houses something you don't typically find inside mobile homes: a bathtub. It's relatively small and features blue-and-white tiles on its side, which Alexa repurposed from her grandmother's bathroom. For privacy, she added sticker decals on the windows around the bathtub. Moreover, when the sun shines through them, they create a cute rainbow effect.

All in all, even though this no-frills bus is full of repurposed features, it's still a fantastic tiny home on wheels. It's got the bare essentials, a colorful design, and a rustic and calming charm. Props to Alexa and her dad, who helped her build the tiny home, for making all this on such a meager budget.