Gianna and Jake Bachowski had an idyllic life in Sarasota, Florida. “Once upon a time,” says Jake, “we had the typical lifestyle—we worked, dated, married, purchased a house, and had our first baby girl, Luna. Yet something was missing.” Gianna, who worked in real estate, and Jake, a chef, decided to shake things up and “figure out how the hell we were going to achieve our dreams of feeling fulfilled.”

$250 Demolition	$3,000 Water Tanks	$2,000 Kitchen
$1,200 Insulation & Flooring	$4,000 Electrical & Solar Panels	$1,925 Bathroom
$14,000 Framing & Woodwork
Grand Total: $26,375

Like many families seeking adventure, the Bachowskis decided to give #vanlife a try. In 2018, over the course of five months, they sold their car, four-bedroom home, and extraneous things in a series of yard sales. They purchased a 2011 Sprinter van (which they named Vanessa) and drove it up to New York to stay with Gianna’s uncle, a woodworker and owner of Jeffrey Little Fine Carpentry.

On top of Jeff’s invaluable expertise, Jake drew on his general knowledge of plumbing, mechanical, and electrical work—plus YouTube tutorials—to convert the van. When it was ready, they took Vanessa on the road, traversing the country until November 2019. “By this point, we had not only solidified our passion for this nomadic lifestyle, but also had met so many wonderful people while exploring 25 incredible states,” says Jake. It was also around this time that the couple discovered Gianna was pregnant with their second daughter, Capri.

In early 2020, the couple returned to their home base in Florida and bid farewell to Vanessa. Initially, having built up a sizable social media presence, the Bachowskis had planned to work with a dealership as brand ambassadors for a family-size van, but COVID-19 ended that partnership. Instead, they put the cash toward a 2005 Thomas Freightliner school bus that they found on Craigslist for $5,000. “For a 15-year-old vehicle that had 175,000 miles on it, the bus was in great shape,” says Jake. Their new ride, Buster the Bus, was rust-free, and came with a quality maintenance record from the state of California.

Jake and Gianna got to work in April of this year. “Based on what we learned the first time around, we knew exactly what our needs were for this bus,” says Jake of restoring Buster in the middle of a pandemic.

Jake documented the demolition, which took six days, on Our Van Quest’s YouTube channel. “It took a lot of elbow grease, but once we hollowed everything out, we could envision and then draft out our floor plan,” he says.

With a toddler in tow and another baby on the way, the couple needed to figure out a safe, secure seating configuration. They scored car seats from a Ford Transit van on eBay, which Jake installed on mounting tracks with child seats.

Moving on to the bathroom and shower, the couple decided to splurge on a C-Head composting toilet, which came with a relatively hefty price tag of $725, instead of the conventional RV toilet they had in their Sprinter. “Not to get into the gross details, but for those who are unfamiliar with a black tank toilet, when you flush your waste, it goes into a holding unit until you find a proper dumping station to dispose of it,” Jake explains. “Unfortunately, if you happen to be on extended drives and under the hot sun for numerous hours, with all the gases and sloshing around...well, let’s just say it can get really smelly.”

With Gianna leading the interior design, the bathroom features white subway tiles and matte-black fixtures, creating a monochromatic look that gels with the Buster’s minimalist aesthetic.

Next, the family installed the water tanks (which involved running plumbing lines), tackled the electrical work, and mounted the solar panels for off-grid outings. “We had such great experiences with Renogy,” says Jake. “Not only for their terrific customer service, but they also offer their products at affordable prices and are considered leaders in the bus and RV industry.”

At $14,000, the custom woodwork and framing was the biggest investment. “We sought out the expertise of a company called Vera, based out of Palmetto, Florida,” says Jake. “They transformed our dreams into a reality with all of the cabinetry work, framing, general seating, benches, and tables. Everything is built out of high-grade maple wood, so it’s not only beautiful, but will last a lifetime.”

Since Jake was a chef (at the height of his career, he worked at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Mercer Kitchen), it only made sense that they have a “proper” kitchen. The couple installed a three-burner gas oven range by Furrion and a sophisticated, fireclay sink by American Farmhouse. Both items were more on the costlier side, but they were well worth the price tag for the family.

The bedroom was the most cost-effective part of the project. The couple were gifted a custom-made memory-foam mattress made of all-natural sheep’s wool. Just underneath, Vera created a living and sleeping space for their daughter, Luna. “We love it for her,” says Jake. “It’s her cool cubby and playing space that’s decked out with twinkle lights.”

All that was left on the to-do list were the final touches: organization, a hatch laundry system, non-slip liners, struts to keep the bench storage open, double-sided tape to secure decor, latches—most of which the family sourced from Amazon. The timing of Buster the Bus’s completion couldn’t have been any more ideal: their baby girl, Capri, was born shortly after on July 16th, 2020.

With the pandemic still in full force, the family have placed their long-term travels on hiatus, keeping to local day trips. They’re currently stationed in Hudson Valley, New York, close to Gianna’s family. Once travel is possible again, they hope to visit Maine, the South, and then venture toward the West Coast.

Overall, the experience has been an incredibly enriching one for the family. “We went slightly over budget by about $3,000, but there were so many more positives to be gained—being parents to two amazing kids, strengthening our marriage in doing this build together, and connecting with so many people around the world while sharing our lives on social media (and in real life) with them,” says Jake. “I’m incredibly proud that we transformed our dreams into a reality.”

The van- and skoolie-curious have begun reaching out to Jake and Gianna for advice, prompting them to launch their On-the-Road consulting company. The business strategy—a pandemic pivot—has been a crucial source of income.

Learn more about the Bachowskis online, on Instagram (@ourvanquest), and YouTube.

More Budget Breakdown:

An Architect Couple Build a Net-Zero Home and Studio for $250 Per Square Foot

Two Couples Turn a Dated Cabin Into a Dreamy Mountain Retreat for $39K

A DIY Couple Turn a Bus Into a Dreamy, Off-Grid Home for $20K

Project Credits:

Cabinetry Design: Vera Custom Woodworking