A FAMILY of eight have revealed how they have managed to keep together in the face of homelessness, as well as saving over £10K a year by converting two double-decker buses into the perfect family home.
Antoni Taylor and wife Emma, both 30, from Helston, Cornwall struggled to find affordable wheelchair-accessible housing to home their five children and Antoni’s sister Hannah, 35, who has Cerebral Palsy.
Although some might say their decision to make an old double-decker bus livable as well as accessible is a courageous move, others have been critical, with trolls saying they must be “off the wall”.
“A lot of people have said we must be off the wall.
“I’ve received abuse online, people think I'm 'mad' and 'eccentric'.
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“Someone recently said I was an idiot for bringing my children up on a bus, saying the decision is unfair on our kids, assuming that they’ll be cold and unsafe.
“But what they don’t know is, I’ve already thought of all that.”
Even though Antoni has decided to live an alternative lifestyle, together with the help of his father-in-law, he has fitted the buses with all the essentials you’d find in a house, as well as adaptations to meet the needs of his older sister who is a wheelchair user.
“I’m no carpenter, but I’m a jack of all trades, and I’ve been watching YouTube videos to guide me on completing all the renovating I’ve been doing on the buses for over five months.
“We fitted a boiler, so we all have hot water and heating.
"I also built in a fire alarm system, as well as camera security.
“The best part is, we also have our family dog onboard who is trained to bark if he smells burning.”
As well as this, adult social care has helped the family install an accessible wet room shower system for Hannah, a supportive bed with a ceiling track hoist, and the bus has a ramp to get Hannah on and off board with ease.
Antoni and his wife’s decision to move their family into a bus has been scrutinised, but they feel that they “had no choice”.
When Antoni’s mum died suddenly from a brain aneurysm in 2019, he had to ditch his nursing career to take over his mother's role of being a full-time carer to Hannah.
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Antoni got the idea to convert not one but two double-decker buses into micro homes after he received a no-fault eviction notice from his landlord.
With the inheritance left for him and Hannah following their mum's death, Antoni initially asked his local council for planning permission to build an accessible home that would meet the needs of both his large family and his sister.
However, the council refused his application due to the location of the proposed development.
DESPERATION
Cornwall, where Antoni and his family live, might well be one of the UK’s most sought-after spots for a summer staycation, but behind the coastal views, there has been a long-running housing crisis.
“Cornwall’s council have failed us, and like many, we were close to becoming homeless,” Antoni confessed.
“Rather than turning up at my council pleading for help, I thought I would try to do something different to avoid our family getting split up.”
“If I don't look after Hannah, the system will, and I don't trust that residential care will support her well.
KEEPING TOGETHER
“That’s why I went for a bus and made it accessible for her because I’m all she’s got.”
Antoni first spotted the buses for sale on eBay and knew this would be the answer to his prayers.
It cost the Taylors over £35K to buy and renovate the buses to a livable standard, but Antoni says it’s still “cheaper than buying and running a house… And a small price to pay to keep us all together.”
Being off the grid and living as minimalistic as possible has helped the Taylors save money on living costs.
“If I didn’t buy the buses, they would have only been scrapped. But now they're a place we can call home, and they're much cheaper than buying a house and the bills.”
The two buses' electrics are powered with solar panels and hot water and heating are sustained via a Diesel heater which costs just £1.40 for 1 Litre which lasts up to four hours.
“I can heat our new homes for over 10 hours for under five pounds, which is much cheaper than my old household bill.”
It costs the Taylors £400 a month to rent the land in which they park their new micro homes, saving them £900 on rental costs.
The Taylor family will officially move into their renovated double-decker homes in just three weeks.
Antoni still worries about how his five children will adapt to living on a bus.
“The kids are making a sacrifice to live on a bus rather than a house, but if I can use this to their benefit and use the bus to travel more, then it will be worth it.
"We plan to take them to Scotland and Disneyland in our new micro homes.”
The Taylors document their journey in transforming their double-decker buses into accessible livable spaces on TikTok @themassivemicrohom.
