For Whit Scott, a double-decker bus changed it all.
A longtime videographer turned home remodeler and van converter, Scott was looking for a project that would satiate his creative side when he came across a double-decker bus for sale on Craigslist.
He bought the bus and documented his progress on it on Instagram as he transformed it into an Airbnb, amassing more than 130,000 followers along the way and gaining the coveted Instagram blue check mark, which denotes a user is verified, in the process.
“Working on a project like the bus is so different and unique. There’s a flow in getting to make creative decisions, and everything is wide open instead of so cookie-cutter,” Scott said. “After I bought the bus and converted it into an Airbnb, I was like, ‘How do I continue doing this from here on out?’ because that was fun.”
Scott, who splits his time between Portland, Oregon, and Austin and currently has three operating Airbnb properties on the West Coast, is now embarking on what is perhaps his most creative endeavor yet: an Austin Airbnb concept called the Pilot House that will open this summer and which he describes as an “escape room in reverse.”
Visitors to the Pilot House will receive a traditional Airbnb experience but also have the option of immersing themselves in a story about a lost pilot and accepting a challenge to find a secret room on the property through clues they will encounter during their stay.
“It’s important for people to know that it’s going to be like a standard Airbnb in Austin, and it can be experienced that way, but you can also choose to take the adventure,” Scott said. If they choose the adventure option, they’ll receive their first clue, and the story begins.
As part of the buildout of the Pilot House, which is located in South Austin, Scott cultivated a team of Austin creatives to help him. On a recent Sunday, a group of about a dozen people, including a contractor, a tattoo artist/muralist, and an interior designer, gathered at the Pilot House site for a workday.
“Whit’s very collaborative and creative,” said Scott’s wife, Amber Byfield. “He’s kind of like the connector. He’s always finding ways to pull all of these people in to create something much bigger than just him. I think that’s what will be really special about this project.”
Scott said he definitely prefers working with others and having the opportunity to collaborate over working alone.
“Growing up, I was the kid who would call everyone, and we’d go play roller hockey or football in the street. I think I just like being around people and have a knack for connecting people and getting people together,” he said.
Scott’s first-ever build was a tiny home he created with a friend in his backyard in Portland, which took him about a year to complete. When the pandemic hit, Scott purchased a van that he converted so that he could more easily travel between Portland and Austin and began doing van and Airstream conversions. It was after the double-decker bus conversion, however, that his passions for videography (Scott even produced a documentary in 2012 called “Rolled” about a secret club of kids who toilet paper houses) and building truly collided.
“The filmmaking really started picking back up when Instagram went to reels for me. I started focusing on it more when I saw there was an audience for watching my builds,” Scott said. “This visual storytelling with the building is bringing my worlds together.”
Scott said that as his creative endeavors have expanded, so has his freedom to try new things.
“Sometimes when I used to explain my ideas, I would get this look from people, and I wondered, ‘Am I going in the wrong direction?’ Now it means I’m going in the right direction,” Scott said. “I’m not trying to sell anything I’m building, and that kind of gives me the freedom to do whatever I want. Now, I’m trying to involve as many more creatives as possible.”
Austin creators involved in The Pilot House:
- Anastasia Deasy, tattoo artist and Pilot House muralist - @itsjustpermanent
- Aubrey Byfield, vintage curator and estate sale services - @havenvintageandestates
- Evan Wagner, contractor - @evanwagner310
- Jordan Goetz, custom furniture and design with Growler Domestics - @growlerdomestics
- Lilianne Steckel, interior designer - @designlil
- Morgana Lamson, ceramic artist - @morganalamsonstudio
- Nick Woodall, welder and printmaker - @thespungold
- Rodney Lee and Jake Karpa, landscape and interior designers - @rodneyandjake
"There’s a flow in getting to make creative decisions, and everything is wide open instead of so cookie-cutter."
“I’m not trying to sell anything I’m building, and that kind of gives me the freedom to do
whatever I want"