Your Money Contributors

This guy turned an entire Boeing airplane into a house for $220,000, and now he lives in it

Written by Megan Willett-Wei; edited by Libby Kane

2016-02-23T19:08:00Z

Bruce Campbell Boeing 727 home — Bruce Campbell and his Boeing 727. REUTERS/Steve Dipaola

Most people might dread spending their entire lives on an airplane, but not Bruce Campbell. That's because his airplane, which stays on the ground, is his home.

The former electrical engineer turned a Boeing 727 he bought in 1999 into a home in Portland, Oregon. Reuters has photos of the space. After modifications, 65-year-old Campbell's aircraft dream home cost him $220,000. He spends six months out of the year living there, alternating between Portland and Japan.

In addition to his current home, Campbell is hoping to buy a bigger Boeing 747-400 to convert into his home in Miyazaki, Japan.

"I don't mean to offend, but wood is in my view a terrible building material," Campbell wrote on his website. "But retired airliners can withstand 575 mph winds ... are highly fire-resistant, and provide superior security. They're among the finest structures that mankind has ever built."

Keep scrolling to see more pictures of Campbell's Boeing 727 home.

Meet Bruce Campbell, an electrical engineer who converted a Boeing 727 he bought in 1999 into a home for $220,000.

Source: AirplaneHome.com

The plane sits on 10 acres of land that Campbell paid $23,000 for in his early 20s. He says he's had relatively few problems with zoning and building codes.

Source: Reuters

In total, the cabin and cockpit provide about 1,066 square feet of living space. Campbell removed nearly all of the passenger seats for more space.

Source: AirplaneHome.com

Here's Campbell relaxing on his futon, where he also sleeps. Beside him are his slippers — Campbell requires all guests to wear slippers or socks to avoid tracking dirt inside the airplane.

Source: Reuters

Campbell has converted the plane to have a washing machine, sink, and makeshift shower. He makes most of his food in a toaster or microwave and eats mostly canned foods and cereal.

Source: Reuters

Meanwhile, the cockpit serves as a "cyber office," according to Campbell.

Source: AirplaneHome.com

Campbell kept one of the three bathrooms on the plane as is, saying that he found it comfortable.

Source: AirplaneHome.com

"It's a great toy," Campbell says about his airplane home. "Trick doors, trick floors. Hatches here, latches there, clever gadgets everywhere."

Source: AirplaneHome.com

Campbell spends half of his year in Japan, and is now hoping to buy a Boeing 747-400 — roughly three times as big as his 727 — to make a new home in Miyazaki, Japan.

Source: AirplaneHome.com

"Nothing compares to the exhilaration and satisfaction provided by an aerospace-class home, and many people understand this instinctively," Campbell said on his website.

Source: AirplaneHome.com

One last look at Campbell with his airplane home.

Follow Campbell on his website, AirplaneHome.com.

Megan Willett-Wei

Executive Editor

Megan Willett-Wei is an executive editor at Insider. Her teams span the worlds of lifestyle — including beauty, style, travel, food, and royals — and she also helps oversee Insider's freelance program. Before her role at Insider, she was a lifestyle reporter for Business Insider and a digital culture reporter at Tech Insider. Her work has been syndicated by Slate, CNN, MSN.com, and more. She is a graduate of Wellesley College where she double majored in English and Art History.