UK friends struggling to get on property ladder convert 1995 bus into stunning home

Two pals struggling to get on the property ladder have spent thousands converting a 25-year-old Irish bus into a luxury camper van home. Alex Nicholson and Raife Maddox, both 29, purchased the 1995 Mercedes Plaxton bus from Northern Ireland for £5,500 back in April 2020. They then worked on converting the clapped out vehicle into a stunning house on wheels - complete with laminate-style flooring, a tiled kitchen and even a log burner. Alex, Raife and another friend Alix Keetley, 30, decided to embark on the project after being unable to afford a first home of their own. They planned to rent out the space on Airbnb but have now decided to cash in on their creation after struggling to find a suitable place to store it in Birmingham. The 34-seater bus began life transporting passengers as a public service in Northern Ireland towards the end of the troubles up until 2017. The impressive 8m (26ft)long and 3m (9ft) wide vehicle also now features its own bathroom complete with a shower and a bedroom space, which can sleep three adults. Carpenter Alex, who sometimes sleeps in the vehicle after the pub, said he did most of the work during lockdown after craving a creative project to keep him active. The friends are now selling the camper van on Facebook Marketplace after investing £10,000 in total on creating the stunning mint-coloured machine. Alex, of Moseley, Birmingham, said: “We bought it at the beginning of lockdown in April 2020. "It was planned as a lockdown project. We were a long way off from being able to afford the first home of our home. “It took just over a year to complete from start to finish “We just wanted to make it look desirable. We did have plans to make it an Airbnb and that was part of the plans. “We’ve chucked thousands at it. I would definitely be open to doing something like that again".