Facing an unaffordable housing market, Scott and Emily bought a retired Denver city bus at auction and rebuilt it as a spacious home for themselves and children. With no building experience, they relied on help from family and online resources.

They designed DIY transforming furniture to make the “rooms” serve double duty. Using a kit, Emily and her father built a murphy bed so the largest room in the bus can transform from kids’ playroom to master bedroom.

Scott and Emily hacked IKEA beds to create “living room” couches that transform into a large guest bed. Since Scott works from home, the back of the bus serves as kids’ bedroom (with one lofted bed) as well as home office.

The couple had already downsized their stuff before buying the bus when they spent a year living out of 36-liter backpacks. The bus was an upgrade, though they continue to live with tiny wardrobes and fairly limited belongings.