Some homes have five bedrooms, a jacuzzi, and walk-in closets. Others have hanging gardens, spiral staircases and kitchens with kilometres of granite counter tops.
And others are smaller.
Much, much smaller.
Like living-in-an-ambulance-small.
Bill Smyth and Logan Miller have converted a 1994 Ford E350 ambulance into their new home. After New Years, they plan to drive it to numerous ski hills across B.C. In March, they鈥檒l continue to Mexico and when they drive back to Canada next spring, they aim to visit all the national parks along the way.
鈥淚鈥檝e always known I want to do a long trip, it was just where and how,鈥� says Miller.
鈥淪pending money on hostels, rentals, or whatever else felt like a waste of our income that we worked so hard to get so it made more sense to put that into our own home.鈥�
They say they chose an ambulance because of the cost and potential for personalized space.
The couple bought the ambulance off Kijiji in Cranbrook for just over $6,000. After some research on the vehicle, they discovered it was originally from Beartooth, Montana and before that, New Jersey. It was also in New York during 9/11.
Thus, they鈥檝e called their new home Beartooth.
Turning Beartooth into a home hasn鈥檛 been easy. The couple have redone the ceiling with wood, put in laminate floors, wooden countertops, tiles, a wood burning stove, a sink, solar panels, and wallpaper.
Looking at it now, it鈥檚 hard to imagine that Beartooth may have once been engulfed by the dust and remains of the World Trade Center 17 years ago.
The ambulance is now bright, cozy, and stylish. There鈥檚 even hanging plants.
Miller owns an interior design company in Revelstoke.
鈥淚t hasn鈥檛 been easy working with a space that鈥檚 so small. There are so many things to consider,鈥� says Miller.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want tiles too big that break when you go over a bump, you have to use a special grout with the flooring, you can鈥檛 use anything that鈥檚 too thick because then your head space is wrong.鈥�
They even sliced a hole in the roof for the wood stove and chimney.
鈥淚t was very nerve-wracking,鈥� says Smyth with a laugh.
Impressively, the roof has yet to leak.
There are some laws when it comes to buying and using an emergency vehicle. For example, the words 鈥渁mbulance鈥� cannot be displayed and the driver cannot run the lights or sirens.
鈥淎s far as insurance goes, it鈥檚 basically insured as a cube van,鈥� says Smyth.
The couple says that people have a multitude of reactions to Beartooth, such as confusion, excitement, and intrigue.
鈥淎 lot of people when we鈥檙e driving will pull aside and kind of question if we鈥檙e an ambulance or not. We get a lot of people noticing from behind that we鈥檙e not an official ambulance anymore. Then they try to pass us to see what鈥檚 going on and who is driving,鈥� says Smyth with a laugh.
The couple says their upcoming travels will be an opportunity to experience different cultures and appreciate what they鈥檝e left behind.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have to be really conservative with our water usage as we only have jugs,鈥� says Miller.
鈥淎 lot of other countries have to do that on a daily basis. We鈥檙e so lucky in Canada that you don鈥檛 think about it. It will be a good lesson on how to live with less.鈥�
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If Beartooth survives this adventure, the couple says they have others planned. Next fall they hope to drive back to Mexico and on to Central America.
鈥淭hat trip is a lot more open-ended,鈥� says Smyth.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have an end date. It all depends on our money and time.鈥�
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