‘Live simply’: Elon student renovates a bus into a tiny home in honor of her brother
Megan Donahue stares at the old Chevy bus that is now her own. To most people, the 22-year-old bus is a piece of garbage, but to Donahue, it is a blank canvas.
She remembers picking it out at the Wheely Mart in Graham over the summer. She had been looking around Alamance County for the perfect bus for her project. When she came across the 1996, 11-seater Chevy activity bus in Graham, her first instinct was to purchase the bus and get to work right away.
Donahue plans to renovate the bus and turn it into a tiny home, complete with abed, fridge, stove top, couch and seating and bar area.
“I know nothing about cars,” Donahue said. “I would’ve bought a tent on wheels if I had the opportunity because I just wanted to do it so bad.”
Donahue has always had a passion for interior design. She has never had a shortage of dreams or ideas, but what she needed was a place to start.
“I want to flip houses,” Donahue said, “but I couldn’t afford a house and my mom said, ‘find something you can afford and we’ll back you up,’ so I found a bus.”
Although the project seems like it is just a renovation, the bus will serve two very important purposes for Donahue. It will allow her to jump start her career, and it will be a tribute to her best friend and brother Michael, who always believed in living simply.
From a very young age, Donahue has always had a passion for creating and designing. She has never been interested in a traditional career path. A desk job was never an option.
“I have this whole idea of living life simply and there is no other way to live more simply than in a bus.”
Her love of interior design and creating runs in the family. Donahue’s mother Lisa Donahue works in interior design and is a large source of inspiration for Donahue.
“I’ve grown up around it,” Donahue said. “I was actually in her stomach when she was taking the classes [interior design classes] so I overheard. That’s my theory. I was listening.”
Her mother has always supported Donahue’s passion and has let her help out with her own projects. Donahue saw her mother use interior design to help people and to create spaces that foster a positive lifestyle.
“She worked with one client who hoarded clothes hangers and filled her garage,” Donahue said, “so everyday my mom would give her a job like, get rid of a trash bag of hangers and the woman would have mental breakdowns. Then she would change the house and the woman would be so happy. After I saw that, I really got into it because that was so cool.”
Donahue was fascinated by every aspect of the design process. Lisa Donahue was happy to have her daughter help her with projects and explore her passion.
“She’s always wanted to help me,” Lisa Donahue said. “Even though I’ve been doing this for years, I really value her opinion.”
Lisa Donahue fondly remembers projects that her daughter would help her with back where Donahue grew up in Cape Cod.
Before moving to Graham, NC in 2014, Donahue was born and raised in Eastham, MA with her brother Michael. Donahue loved growing up in the small community. The ocean was never too far and her summers beach days were never long enough.
“You can hear seagulls everywhere,” Donahue said. “Seagulls and hydrangeas are a huge thing. It’s a lot of happiness. Everyone is so happy in the summer. That’s my favorite part. Everyday is a beach day.”
Donahue spent her days with her brother Michael and their friends, running around town and making up games and traditions that would carry them through the summers.
“When it was low tide we would go and find scallop shells,” Donahue said. “That was our huge thing, we really loved doing that. We would go out, walk on the flats, take our dogs out there. Every night we’d have a bonfire in the park that was an empty lot. We’d pull up picnic tables with Christmas lights. We still do it every night I’m back there.”
Donahue recalls how close she was with her brother. The two were only two years apart and were always spending time with each other.
“They had been inseparable since the second he was born,” Lisa Donahue said. “They were best, best friends. They did everything together.”
Lisa Donahue felt lucky to have a son and a daughter who loved each other so much and were both so considerate of one another and their family.
After moving to Graham, the Donahues returned to Cape Cod every summer. Donahue and her brother were free to return to their treasured beach days.
On their last day in Cape Cod in 2015, Michael took his moped out for a ride during the day. He was headed to the beach to meet some of their friends.
Michael was hit by a car at the end of their street on his way to the beach. He died on August 14, 2015. He was 15-years-old. The family was devastated.
Michael was a kind and free spirit, Donahue said. He was always outside and constantly looking for new adventures.
“We think the world didn’t have enough to offer him,” Donahue said. “The thrill was never enough. He had no fear. He was the coolest kid in school, but he’s also the kind of person who would go sit with the person alone at lunch.”
He never asked for much and enjoyed the simple things in life. While other kids his age were focused on their phones, Michael found comfort and happiness sleeping outside in the woods or just sharpening a stick, Donahue said.
Michael’s last tweet, posted a day before his death, said, “It’s the simple things in life that make life worth living.”
Among the grief and pain, Donahue found solace in this thought. She carries this mantra with her everyday. This was the catalyst and the ultimate reason why Donahue found herself buying an old bus at the Wheely Mart in Graham.
“Even though it’s a small dream, it’s actually huge because it can transform into something big.”
“I have this whole idea of living life simply and there is no other way to live more simply than in a bus,” Donahue said. “So I bought the bus and I’m going to make the bus titled, ‘Living simply.’”
For the next few months, Donahue will devote her free time to turning this bus into a fully-functioning home on wheels in honor of her brother.
“We were super close,” Donahue said. “He was like my best friend, so if I can honor him in any way or making him proud it would be through something like this.”
The bus has acted as an outlet for Donahue. It helps get her mind off of the pain. The project has become a type of therapy for her, allowing her to focus on her passion and feel more connected to Michael in the process.
“It’s just one more thing to keep her mind off of what’s going on around her,” Lisa Donahue said. “Megan puts on a happy face but there is a lot going on.”
Donahue plans on finishing the bus this summer and hopes to sell it at the Saxapahaw bluegrass festivals. Her parents support the project completely and are proud of Donahue’s drive and passion.
Donahue will work on the bus throughout the spring and is looking forward to seeing the space come together and to see what comes next.
“Even though it’s a small dream,” Donahue said, “it’s actually huge because it can transform into something big.”
She is excited to do this for her brother. With every step of this project, she thinks of her brother, his spirit and how she can best incorporate his ‘live simply’ message into the bus. She knows he would love the project.
“I think he’d think it was awesome.” Donahue said. “That’s the one thing I wish he could see. That’s probably the reason why I haven’t gotten so into it because I wish I could do it with him. I really want him to be a part of it.”
