A Bus Named Her

04/27/2022

At long last, Her Video Tour is complete! Please subscribe, share, like, and spread the love!

Welcome to our tour of A Bus Named Her - our non-toxic, healthy, happy tiny house of wheels. When we first decided to build Her, we felt what many had been f...

04/26/2022

Finishing the script for our bus conversion video tour, reflecting on the mind bending experience, and wanting to offer what we can to those also searching for the way. This build was significant for me, not because I am a woman, and it bothers me that some make a big deal of that, but because I had begun to attach to a story - that because of my pain, I was incapable, I was weak, I would never…. Wounding works it’s way through our lives in a myriad of unanticipated ways, as does healing, and I know this is a reality that resonates with many others, in whatever language you use to describe your reasons for seeking a more peaceful, loving, and healthy life. We hope our story serves as a light to your path, and are grateful to those - those seekers, those healers, those teachers, those learners, those and - all those who came before us.

04/18/2022

We chose a certified organic cotton and wool Japanese futon mattress from Soaring Heart Natural Bed Company, a wonderful crew based in Seattle. They have nearly 40 years of experience in hand crafting high quality organic bedding, and their customer service team is a pleasure to speak with. We have slept on their organic pillows for years, and are grateful for their passion for helping others discover restorative and rejuvenating sleep using the best natural materials the Earth had to offer!

abusnamedher.com

04/18/2022

We are very appreciative of Nate Yarbrough and his AMAZING resource and blog EXPLORIST.life He generously teaches people how to build DIY campers, having done a couple himself, and he specializes in electrical systems. I was overwhelmed by the task, and learned everything I needed to know from his posts and videos. Truly could not have done this without his guidance!

abusnamedher.com

04/18/2022

A Bus Named Her's heating aid comes from Tiny Wood Stove. It is a genius little stove - a 4 Kilowatt wood burning stove. It was designed specifically for tiny houses and tiny houses on wheels. Tiny Wood Stove offered much needed and very appreciated support for the install and as one of the projects we feared most, it turned out to be one of the easiest. With built in heat shields and positioned to permit more heat clearance than recommended, the wood stove rests on a slate hearth which “floats” above a three inch solid wood walnut frame. We bolted all four legs of the stove through that frame to the steel floor of the bus, and the chimney to the steel roof - it doesn’t budge! Everything we needed was provided by Tiny Wood Stove, and we also have the option of installing Tiny Wood Stove’s rain cap for the chimney, as well as their air intake, which allows fresh air from outside to be piped into the stove for combustion, which keeps the warm air in the bus instead of sending it up the chimney to be replaced by cold drafts entering the space through a leaky window. As a dry and clean heat, unlike propane or diesel, this stove keeps the space cozy and comfortable. Tons of gratitude to Tiny Wood Stove for filling a gap in tiny home building!

abusnamedher.com

04/18/2022

The process of choosing insulation was one of the most important decisions in this build, as it largely dictates the comfort and health of the home. Most insulation is chemical laden, and an eventual haven for mold growth. We chose to insulate the floors with an inch of natural cork - non toxic, mold resistant and very breathable. For the walls and ceiling, we chose New Zealand Sheep’s wool, sourced from the brilliant company Havelock Wool. Please check them out, they are a great team to work with, and have filled a much needed void in the industry with healthy, high performance insulation for both van and residential builds. One of our favorite bits about the bus is how we can see the wool peeking out through the knots in the wood, reminding us of how healthy the entire space is. Unlike spray foam, foam board, rock wool, or fiberglass, sheep’s wool is nature’s design to properly insulate in any environment, and Havelock Wool is a natural, antimicrobial, fire proof insulation that does not mold, improves indoor air quality, absorbs sound, and is the only insulation capable of managing moisture. If we ever build a house (one that sits permanently on the ground), we will be using Havelock Wool!

abusnamedher.com

04/18/2022

Sending a very a very special thanks to the crew at Colonial Hardwoods in Springfield Virginia, where we purchased ALL of our hardwood, with the exception of our floors, for the bus build. They very often served as my brainstorming sounding board and I don’t know how I would have done this without them!

abusnamedher.com

04/18/2022

Justin and Juby We finished our school bus conversion recently and want to extend a huge thanks to you especially, for documenting your build for the rest of us to learn from! It is an enormous undertaking, one that us more private folk could not imagine, and for which everyone of us is grateful! Your conversion was the first to inspire us, and remains one of our favorite. You've been a delight to watch over the years, and it looks like you have recently moved on to yet another home-building adventure - we wish you the very best!

abusnamedher.com

04/18/2022

We want to thank Corinne at My Chemical-Free House for all she does to help others navigate the world of toxic and non toxic products. We finished our tiny house bus conversion about six months ago, and have truly no idea how we would have done it without her resources. I also experienced severe illness as a consequence of mold and chemical exposure, and I share a little bit of my story on our website abusnamedher.com

For us, a non toxic, healthy, long living home was the priority, and our interior design philosophy focuses on an open, graceful, healthy, and comfortable space. We were able use almost 100% non toxic products. It is difficult to describe, but when we step into the space, we are overwhelmed by how lovely it feels inside - clean, dry, healthy, happy, sturdy, and peaceful. It feels like it brought us closer to a connection to the natural world, the way we are all meant to live!

Again, we can not thank you enough Corinne, and are ever grateful that you are so passionate about not only creating a healthy option, but making it accessible to folks endeavoring to create a healthy, and comfortable life!

abusnamedher.com

04/18/2022

When we first decided to build Her, we felt what many had been feeling - financial instability, anger over the chaos that consumed our community, helplessness in our ability to feel like we had much control over our lives, and over our environment. We were both born and raised in the wild and natural parts of America, and had been longing to return to them. As individuals, but also as health care practitioners, we were very familiar with the stress and dis-ease that can result from living in an urban environment and/or a home built with toxic materials, and how healing it is for the physical and emotional body to be in the quiet of nature.

With one of us a self employed Chinese Medicine practitioner, and the other in medical school, whose training may take us somewhere different every few years, we wanted to make a wise financial decision, and a mobile tiny house seemed a perfect fit - ours being a school bus conversion. Though owning the home outright would still be costly, rent for a spot of land to park would be low. And owning a tiny home meant we could take it anywhere we go in the future. Most importantly however, we would be in control of the products used to build the home we lived in, and for us, a non toxic, high quality, long living home was the priority.

04/13/2022

A Bus Named Her ...