ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It’s been said that home is not a place, it's a feeling.

For Nicki Jones, home is also one big do-it-yourself project.

“I did this myself," said Jones. "I really had no help doing it, either.”

A lot of people consider themselves to be handy. But Jones says up until a few years ago, that wasn’t her at all.

“I came into this project with no experience at all," she said.

It's an admission on the inside that’s even more amazing when you see her home from the outside.

“I travel a lot," Jones said. "I love to be on the go, I love to drive, so why not, you know, get my own van or bus and do the same thing."

Jones paid $3,500 for what was a black and yellow school bus.

“It’s technically vintage," Jones said. "It’s a 2005 Ford E-450.”

The Rochester native, who is a sportscaster in Philadelphia, stripped it down.

“From there I just kept going, literally every day," Jones said.

And over the next year, with the help of Google and YouTube, she got it done.

“People are surprised and they're excited," Jones said. "I've had so many people tell me that they're proud of me and you know, they don't even know me. This makes people happy and I think it's so interesting.”

In the year since she started living in her bus-turned-home on wheels, Jones has driven it about 10,000 miles.

“I like the part of driving where it’s just me, in my own space, listening to music, enjoying the scenery," she said. "I think it’s very refreshing for my mind.”

She calls her bus Autumn. It's a name inspired by a trip between Rochester and Philly.

“When you’re driving through the Poconos in fall, it’s so pretty," Jones said. "I thought of the name Autumn.”

When she’s not on the road, Jones says she parks and lives in a safe place with all the modern comforts. She says fuel is expensive, but that’s OK.

“It costs about $400 to fill it up, but I’m also not paying rent,” said Jones.

Her home-on-wheels also has a built-in tool shed. And she has more plans.

“Once this comes down, I’m going to put wood planks on it and turn it into a deck," she said.

For the woman with so many ideas — the one who carried them out all on her own — there’s no place like home.

“It's my home, it's something that you know is, you know, you go around the room and someone's like, 'oh, what's your fun fact?' and this is mine,” Jones said.

She started her project during the pandemic and it took her about a year to finish it. Jones doesn’t take the bus everywhere. She also owns a car. But that bus is home.