Australian mother fed up with rising house prices buys bus and converts it into home

A mother who grew fed up with renting and rising house prices bought a bus on Gumtree and converted it into a home for her two boys.

Tegan Latham, who lives in Adelaide, Australia, was encouraged to consider the unorthodox move by her father after she found renting was becoming too expensive.

The single mother, who is originally from Perth, bought the bus for $28,000 (£16,600) and then spent another $7,000 (£4,100) renovating it.

The bus is now furnished with a fridge and washing machine and has a bedroom and living area.

“The cost of living was just so stressful for me that I thought 'I've just got to do something different, what else could there be?'” Ms Latham told the Australian news programme Today Tonight.

“So my dad suggested a bus and I was like 'really a bus?' I looked into it more and the idea grew on me.

“I just save up a bit over time and do the next project when I'm ready to, so it's been very affordable for me. It kind of feels like you're on holiday most of the time.”

Mrs Latham said her boys were enjoying life in the bus, which is on a caravan park near their schools, and that she intends to drive it around Australia for a family holiday.

She added: “My hope is to find some land that I could be paying even less, supplying my own power.

“Ollie just said the other day, 'I like the house mum but I really love the bus'.”