Couple builds Adobe-style Tiny Home Skoolie
Meet Felicia and Jake, who built their tiny home skoolie after the pandemic inspired them to make a significant lifestyle change. They designed it to feel like a New Mexican adobe casita, like what they both saw around them or lived in growing up.
Jake is a remote worker in the architecture field, and Felicia left a stressful first responder job to explore her creative side. Together, they are prioritizing their happiness while exploring on the road.
"Felicia is really creative, so her creative side really pushed like the boundaries of what we could do with this thing. And we kind of bumped heads a lot because I was like, that cannot work.
Having a practical brain and a creative brain, it's an interesting cocktail. Like, we definitely are. I'm definitely the dreamer when it comes to the bus. We tried, very much so, to bring a piece of our home, which is New Mexico, with us into the bus, into the design, and we try to make it feel like you're walking into, like, a New Mexican casita.
It feels like home. The turquoise color outside of the bus, the Mexican tiles, and the wood floors, it feels like the homes that we grew up around and in New Mexico. And no matter where we end up going, we feel like we're able to bring a little piece of New Mexico with us on the road."
-Jake, @zia_thebus
Inside their Adobe-Style Tiny Home Skoolie
Felicia and Jake have been living in the tiny home skoolie for about two years. They converted a 40-foot-long Bluebird International 3800 school bus while living in their beloved home state of New Mexico. On the exterior, their paint choices—turquoise with a red and orange stripe down the side. Practical details include five storage boxes and 800 watts of solar on the roof.
As you step inside, it immediately feels like being transported into a charming New Mexican casita. They took a lot of inspiration from Adobe-style houses, from the overall color scheme to the use of lime plaster on the walls and ceilings. Additionally, they added curves and arches throughout to give it a more cozy, organic feel.
Home-cooked meals play an important part in their relationship. They each cook for each other regularly, so their kitchen is truly the heart of their tiny home skoolie. It's roomy and well-organized with smart small space solutions like a pull-out pantry. Importantly, in lieu of a dishwasher, they chose a massive farmhouse sink. It doubles as storage when they're driving— a place to stow breakables.
Their plant-filled bathroom feels luxurious. Largely due to their unique tiled bathtub built partially over the wheel well. However, due to water conservation needs while traveling, they only use it when they park at the occasional RV park with unlimited water access.
Nestled in the back of their tiny home skoolie is their bedroom. It's a hardworking room with a closet, laundry machines, and an electrical hub. The bed platform has a storage compartment for its 125-gallon water tank and 100-amp solar battery system. Similarly to the bathroom, they found that the washer and dryer aren't practical for off-grid life on the road. Like so much of nomadic life, you live, and you learn along the way!
Watch their tiny home skoolie tour to see more!
Thanks to our video sponsor, Patiowell! Save 10% off any Metal Outdoor Shed with code: THE10OFF.
