Colin and Ashley were once the proud owners of Stray Leif, the 1999 Bluebird Bus, a former school bus that they lovingly transformed into a house on wheels for themselves at their young son.
While the couple enjoyed their bus transformation journey together, Stray Leif wasn’t Colin’s first rodeo. In 2016, before he had even met Ashley, he owned a bus that he performed a roof raise on before selling it. Later, he purchased a 1994 Dodge van that he converted.
As that van was nearing completion, Colin met Ashley, and their relationship started with a bang as the pair set off for three weeks of traveling in North Carolina. The couple eventually decided to settle down and purchase a home, but despite now having a beautiful two-story, three-bed, two-bath home in North Carolina, they still dreamed of traveling. Knowing their futures lay on the road, Colin and Ashley decided to buy a 1999 Bluebird bus and sell their home.
They ended up selling their home as the COVID-19 pandemic reached American shores in February 2020. This led them to move in with Ashley’s parents in Florida, where they would spend countless hours turning their 1999 Bluebird bus into a luxurious house on wheels.
Ashley said that when they purchased their bus, people likely thought they were crazy. They had a beautiful home and sold it with nearly all of their belongings. Now, all they were left with was a bus, a long trip to Florida ahead of them, and big dreams of being with family, having a baby, and starting this exciting new project.
Ashley said it was likely hard for people to wrap their heads around because they had everything they needed – a beautiful house and great jobs. But, according to them, they were drowning in the American dream. They knew they had everything, but they had lost themselves along the way. Something was missing: Happiness.
After Colin and Ashley spent countless hours transforming their bus, they were ready to hit the road. However, it wasn’t long until they realized that making money on the road was much more difficult than they expected.
Colin was a welder, and while travel welding was possible, most jobs he could obtain would see him away from Ashley and their new son for seven days a week, 12 hours a day. Often, these jobs were also in areas that weren’t family-friendly.
The couple agreed that his being home as a father and husband meant more to them than their bus. Putting their son first and knowing they needed to provide him with stability, they decided to sell their bus. Stray Leif is now ready to start a new chapter with new owners.
Choosing a 1999 Bluebird bus was an easy choice for North Carolina couple Ashley and Colin. It had low miles, with just 136,000 on the clock, and boasted a six-speed manual transmission and 24-valve Cummins diesel engine.
A faded yellow school bus paint scheme was never going to be Colin and Ashley’s first choice. One of the first things they did was give Stray Leif a fresh coat of paint. It’s now beautifully presented with a green-gray shade they call muted sage. They also applied Ames elastomeric paint to the top to help keep the interior cooler in the summer months.
Perhaps the most standout feature of the entire paint scheme is the pattern design through the center. While time-consuming, it was a rewarding project for Ashley. They also loved the addition of the cedar shake siding on top of the shower roof raise section and the outdoor dining area.
Entry areas into buses can often be forgotten, but Ashley and Colin made their bus’s entrance a feature. They covered the entire stair area with stones and used doormat-like material for each step. The same stones can also be found in their shower and around the toilet.
Just as you would heat a traditional home, you must also heat a house on wheels. Originally, Ashley and Colin had their Cubic Mini Grizzly fireplace on the ground, but with a dog and child, they decided to elevate it.
The fireplace works beautifully with a thermal fan and takes pride of place in the living space with a gorgeous mosaic backsplash and cedar mantle. They also incorporated small leaf tiles into the design and installed a stainless heat shield for safety. While the fireplace heats the central part of the bus well, it doesn’t reach the back as well as they would like. As a result, Ashley and Colin chose to install a mini-split with a heat pump in the rear.
Elevating the fireplace gave them more floor space to work with, so the area below the fire has become their son’s play area.
The Living Area
No living space is complete without a sofa, and Ashley and Colin opted for an L-shaped couch in their bus. Not only does it provide separation from the kitchen, but it can almost function as a full-sized bed. This L-shaped sofa also has flip-up ends for storage underneath and is in the perfect spot for their son’s car seat while they travel.
The living area can be a functional and comfortable space to relax during the day, but it can also be transformed into a luxurious dining area. Ashley and Colin installed a beautiful wood grain dining table that can be removed from the floor when it’s not needed. Its location by the sofa means the L-shaped couch forms part of the makeshift dining booth.
The kitchen inside Stray Leif is as practical as those you’d find in the average apartment. They have gorgeous white cabinetry with wood countertops, striking black handles, and a modern black apartment-sized fridge with a top freezer. According to the couple, it’s more than suitable for their needs. They also installed child locks that keep the contents secure while traveling and stop their young son from opening it.
While their kitchen doesn’t have an oven, they have a five-burner stove top and a toaster oven. The toaster oven is more than suitable for anything their stove top cannot cook.
A five-burner stove in a house bus might seem excessive, but there was a method to their madness. According to Ashley, Colin does most of the cooking, but they all like to eat different foods. Having five burners meant they could cook meals they all love.
While the sink size might seem excessive, given the size of the kitchen, they opted for a generous-sized sink for a reason. Not only would it be a practical place to wash their dishes, but it would also be a makeshift bath for their son.
According to Ashley, their son loves sitting in the sink, stretching his legs, and playing with his bath toys. They store all his bath toys under the sink for easy access. The sink also has two faucets – one for normal sink water and the other for drinking water with a separate filtration system.
Clean, quality water is important for Ashley and Colin, so they installed a reverse osmosis system. The three-stage tankless system is tucked away in the cabinet under the sink and filters water that goes through the original filtration system first. They keep their 135 gallons of fresh water and 110-gallon gray water storage system in the storage area under their bed with the rest of the bus’s plumbing.
Safe and Functional Space
The bunk area is one of Ashley’s favorite parts of the entire bus. According to Ashley, it was important for them to give their son his own safe and functional space.
The attention to detail in Ashley and Colin’s son’s bunk area is incredible. Rather than make his crib look like a traditional children’s bed with bars, they made it more fun for him by turning it into a beautiful wooden mountain scene, complete with a rising sun. They keep the door up when he’s sleeping, with locks to stop him from opening it, and slide it down when he’s ready to get out of bed.
Having Colin and Ashley’s son’s bed elevated means they have plenty of storage space underneath. They installed a dresser with shelves underneath, which has plenty of room for everyone’s clothing. There is also a large drawer that functions as a clothing hamper.
Ashley and Colin didn’t like the idea of a wet bathroom, which is common in many bus builds. They decided to opt for a split bathroom concept, putting the toilet and sink on one side and the shower on the other. They only have a small sink, which works well for their needs, and they store everything up high. There is also a convenient cabinet underneath the sink.
While many people told Ashley and Colin that a compost toilet would be hard to get used to, they are more than satisfied with their DIY compost toilet. They found it easy to use. It also helps that they’ve created a beautifully serene toileting space with a stone surround on the toilet, warming green walls, natural wood features, and a window allowing plenty of natural light and ventilation.
Ashley and Colin also made the brave decision not to put a door in their bathroom. Instead, they installed a curtain and a slanted half-wall. It maintains their privacy while helping them enjoy a more open-feeling environment.
The shower is easily one of the most luxurious areas of Stray Leif. Wanting to enjoy more space, they raised the roof in this shower nook and installed a large 30-inch skylight to bring in plenty of natural light.
The white walls and stone floor add additional light to the area and look beautiful with the contrasting black Nebia Spa showerhead. According to Ashley, it’s a great water saver.
The honeymoon suite, as Ashley describes it, is a serene sleeping quarter at the rear of the bus. It has plenty of space for a queen-sized mattress and a skylight overhead to let in plenty of natural light. It’s also easy for them to watch the beautiful night sky. As their mattress folds up, they decided to include storage space underneath.
There’s also more to this bedroom nook than meets the eye. The footboard of their bed has a TV inside it. When they want to watch something, they can bring the TV out of the footboard and enjoy watching it while snuggled up in their blankets.