A 6-foot-3 dad was too tall for the shower in his school-bus tiny home, so he and his wife tore out the roof and added a skylight
Couple Jeff and Anna Batterton and their five kids live in a tiny home on wheels.
The family of seven lives and travels on a 270-square-foot school bus that Anna and Jeff bought and renovated for $35,000. Even though their home is tiny, it's filled with fun additions like cubby-style bunk beds and a spacious living room.
The couple even managed to create a shower that's both spacious and luxurious, and it's one of the family's favorite parts of the home.
The husband-and-wife duo told Insider that they designed their shower around Jeff, who is 6-foot-3. Since he's taller than the height of the area where the couple originally thought they'd install a shower, they had to find a creative solution.
Jeff walked Insider through the making of the 9-foot-tall shower
In 2017, the family was eager to travel more, and they realized they could do it if they lived on the road full-time.
That year, they purchased a school bus — an International 3000 model from 2004 — and mapped out the design and layout of their future tiny home on wheels.
Immediately, they knew they'd have to find a solution to a major problem. The family planned to install a shower, but because of his height, Jeff wouldn't have fit in it.
Jeff is too tall to fully stand on the sides of the home.
Since the bus has an arch-shaped roof, this means that throughout the bus, the sides — near the windows — have a lower ceiling point than the middle.
For the majority of the bus, this wasn't an issue. The sides of their home aren't used for standing. Instead, they are spaces for kitchen cabinets and their children's bunk beds.
But Jeff's height became a problem in the bathroom, which inspired the couple to think beyond the confines of the bus and tear up the roof.
"We actually cut out the bus ceiling and roof. We extended that part up, and then put a skylight on top of that," Jeff told Insider.
Today, the shower is about 9 feet tall, and every member of the family fits in the space.
The shower has a skylight and rainfall showerhead
Since Jeff and Anna were doing a large renovation to the bathroom, they decided to add even more luxuries.
Instead of patching the extended ceiling with wood or metal, they used plexiglass, which created a skylight.
They also added a rainfall showerhead and covered the shower in subway tiles.
The bathroom also has a sink and toilet.
The couple's entire tiny home cost about $35,000, which included the cost of the shower extension.
The family has spent the last three years traveling across the country and recording their adventures on Instagram @regainingadventure. Along the way, they enjoy the view and night sky from their shower.
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: An NYC-based artist turns basketballs into handbags