School bus turned tiny home for Chautauqua Charter School

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Turning a school bus into a home.

“The project is to turn the school bus you see behind you into a motor home or tiny house,” Jason Rodgers, the Construction Technology Teacher at Rutherford High School, said.

Rutherford and Chautauqua Charter School students are putting their tools of the trade to work.

“Just completely gutting the bus down to the bare metal,” Bryan Lackey, a Rutherford Construction Academy student, said. “Then from there, we put down a new 16-gauge seal along with the plywood that’s on the floor now. Getting it ready to seal back up.”

A bathroom, bunk beds, living room, and kitchen area will be available for whoever stays in the bus.

“The plan is to put at least one sleeper sofa, potentially, if we end up with the right space potentially two,” Rodgers said. “It’ll sleep six to eight when we’re done.”

This tiny home’s initial purpose will provide housing to foreign students and social workers from Ireland while they visit Chautauqua. The vision doesn’t stop there.

“As we get that program more sustained, we think it would be something the faculty and students could take off on the weekend, use it, see how to live on your own,” Cynthia McCauley, Chautauqua’s Principal, said.

Saws, drills, and hammers in hand, Rutherford students are taking what they’ve learned in the classroom and nailing a final product alongside help from the hard-working students at Chautauqua.

“Everybody will help. We’re good workers,” McCauley said.

Making a dream become reality no matter your age or capabilities.

Rodgers said he expects the bus to be finished by the first nine weeks of the fall semester.

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