Buses, small houses, and shipping containers have all seen a surge in appeal as potential building materials for one-of-a-kind dwellings.
These alternatives to standard lodgings offer the same level of comfort at a fraction of the price and with a wide range of personalization options.
But Jo Ann Ussery made her own unique house long before it was cool.
She bought a decommissioned Boeing 727 and transformed it into a lavish mansion.
(video of the plane can be found below)
One-of-a-kind housing
In 1993, Ussery’s home in Benoit, Mississippi was destroyed, marking the beginning of her journey.
Her husband had recently passed away, so she and her two kids needed a place to live but had very little money.
She had hoped that getting a trailer would solve all of her issues, but she soon discovered that she couldn’t afford a house that was big enough to accommodate her family of three.
Ussery’s brother-in-law, Bob, is an air traffic controller and proposed that they try living on an airplane.
Ussery was receptive to the concept, so he went to examine a Boeing 727 that was about to be broken up for parts.
She fell in love at first sight, and the price, including shipping, was only $2,000.
Ussery gave her Boeing 727 the moniker “Little Trump” after learning that Donald Trump also had a private Boeing 727.
She jumped right into her expensive and time-consuming home improvements.
Major refurbishment
She put in less than $30,000 (around $60,000 in today’s money) on the makeover.
She needed to make sure it stayed put in its current location while she worked on the inside.
Ussery made use of the lake that was already present on her property by parking the plane such that the nose pointed out over the water. Because of this particular reason, a substantial amount of concrete was used to secure the tail. She then started demolishing the nearly 1,500 square foot interior.
The plane measures 138 feet in length and has 76 windows.
The windows did not open, as is standard on commercial planes, but that was not a problem on the Ussery because the plane was equipped with air conditioning.
She upgraded the insulation and laid new flooring as well. What exactly from the original 727 has been preserved?
Having only one airplane lavatory and the overhead bins to store your belongings is a brilliant answer to the problem of limited space.
Interior features
Ussery was able to move on to the finer touches and extra comforts after the major renovations were finished.
There were three bedrooms, a living area, a kitchen, and even a laundry room in the updated plane.
It also had an oven and a phone in addition to the washer and dryer.
What Ussery did with the cockpit looking out over the lake was unquestionably the best improvement.
She renovated it into a master bathroom fit for a king, complete with a soaking tub.
She planned the room’s layout so that its occupants would feel as though they were floating in midair.
Most notably, Ussery did all the remodeling work by herself.
Between 1995 until 1999, she called her converted jet home before deciding to open it to the world as a museum.
It was being transported a short distance when it tragically fell off the carriage and was destroyed.
It’s a good thing we have these breathtaking snapshots below:
Abandoned dog left tied to fence on side of I-75 hours before Hurricane Milton hits
‘Please don’t do this to your pets,’ police said after finding the dog
Florida police found an abandoned dog tied to a fence on the side of a major interstate as Hurricane Milton races toward the state.
The Florida Highway Patrol in Tampa found what appears to be a bull terrier tied to a chicken-wire fence near Interstate 75 on Wednesday. The dog was already knee-deep in water when officers arrived, according to video shared by the Florida Highway Patrol.
“FHP Troopers rescued a dog left tied to a pole on I-75 near Bruce B Downs Blvd this morning,” the agency wrote on X. “Do NOT do this to your pets please.”
The animal is now safe with police.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis said anyone abandoning their pets in the face of the hurricane would pay the price. He tweeted: “It is cruel for anyone to leave a dog tied to a post in the middle of an oncoming storm. FL will hold anyone who mistreats pets accountable.”
Pictures released Monday showed a mother and baby orangutan huddling together, as well as workers lifting a porcupine named “Chompers” into a crate. The zoo’s flamingos were also put into the back of a truck and moved as a herd.
“The zoo has a comprehensive severe weather plan in place to ensure the safety of our animals and team members and will take all precautions as conditions warrant,” it said in a social media post on Monday.
Larger animals such as elephants, giraffes, panthers and bears have barns or night housing that are hurricane-proof, but birds and smaller animals are being moved to kennels, Sandra Torres, vice president of marketing and communications for the zoo, previously told The Independent.
Hurricane Milton is just hours away from making landfall in Florida. The storm’s intensity has fluctuated in recent days, weakening to a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday afternoon.
However, the National Hurricane Center predicts it will be “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”
High winds and storm surge are predicted to devastate the state. Many residents are under evacuation orders as the state braces for 18 inches of rainfall and up to 15 feet of storm surge.
Video below:
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