Living in a Converted School Bus

Converted school buses (skoolies) seem to hold a special mystique. Maybe it’s because so much of our history was spent bumping along, jostling our backpacks and dodging the bullies in these old yellow tin coaches. Perhaps it’s the new owner’s artistry blazed out in purple or polka-dot paint jobs. Whatever their new incarnation looks like, it’s bound to be unique.

What isn’t new is the reality that old school buses have been converted into alternative housing for some time. They seem to work well for some people. Are you one of those people? When you watch the YouTube videos, do you think you could put in the time, money, and effort needed to make it happen? Do you think you could really do the lifestyle? Do you think you could live full-time in a converted bus?

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of skoolie renovation and lifestyle.

Skoolie Pros

• They have an engine capable of moving the vehicle so you don’t need to buy an additional tow vehicle.
• A converted school bus is solidly built. They drive like a truck, but are very stable on the road.
• The shell is already constructed. You’ll just need to stop the rust, plug the holes, and paint it nice.
• The chassis can handle a lot of weight, which is perfect for hauling water and other off-grid necessities.
• You can easily tow a vehicle or trailer behind a converted bus.
• Lots of windows bringing in tons of natural light.
• School buses can be purchased from sites like eBay very inexpensively.

Buy a bus similar to this from eBay

EBay is actually a good source for used school busses. EBay Motors has a buyers protection plan which can add a layer of confidence to your buying decision.

Click on the image to see many school bus listings on eBay.

Skoolie Cons

Used buses have old engines. Buses are sold off after they have served their designed useful life. You will need to spend a lot of money having the engine  renewed to be reliable. Other parts of the drive train will also need to be overhauled. If you do not have mechanical skills, you will be paying someone to do this work for you. They always leak oil.

You should expect the gas mileage from a converted bus to be about eight MPG.

• • Some buses can be very under-powered and overheat on mountainous roads and highways.
  • Rust will be an issue that will need to be addressed because they are made of steel.
    • • Krud Cutter has a great line of products to deal with rust. Krud Kutter Rustex is a rust-inhibiting coating which converts rusted metal overnight into a rust-retarding, paintable surface. When applied, rust (iron oxide) is chemically changed to a hard substance that becomes a paintable surface. Increases paint adhesion and durability of the coating.

    

    • Corroseal: Paint, prime, and convert rust in this one-step water-based rust converter with latex metal primer. Restores metal surfaces and extends the life of metal equipment by protecting it from rust and corrosion. Non-flammable, non-corrosive, water-based formula cleans up with just soap and water.
  • The windows are substandard and often leak. Some replace then with RV windows. See source on this page.
  • Skoolies can be hard to get insured.

• A converted school bus will be re-titled as an RV, not a tiny home. So far, per the RVIA codes, an RV can only be certified for temporary housing.
• Tires are expensive, huge, and hard to change.

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Anti Corrosion and rust products skoolie owners recommend

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Favorite skoolie interior

Look at this beautifully decorated skoolie interior. Kat Lange has a real knack for decorating. To see more pictures visit her Facebook page. She’s about to paint the exterior. Looking forward to see how that turns out.

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Skoolies are a Cross Between a Classic Tiny House and a Motor Home

As you convert your school bus into a home, you will need to create the infrastructure found in a house but engineered more like an RV.

You’ll need to create a fresh water system, water heater, a heat source, fresh air ventilation system, possibly an air-conditioner, and a wastewater management system.

 

Here’s some pages that will help you with that

Waste Water and toilets

Handling Gray Water

Best ways to heat your tiny house.

Properly Venting a Tiny Home

Moisture Control In An RV

Wiring Your House for TV and Network

Solar Power for a Tiny House

Tiny House Kitchen Appliances

Best Off Grid Energy Sources

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Skoolies aren’t always accepted in RV parks or tiny home communities

The biggest problem getting converted school buses to being accepted as housing is that they’re ugly. Plain and simple. The owners are frequently stretching their finances just to get the interior livable and the engine running. Even painted, they still look like old school buses, and most people don’t want them parked in their neighborhood.

Many RV parks will turn skoolies away. Ostensibly, they say the problem is with the age of the vehicle. Then they blame insurance reasons. But the real fact is an old bus will never look as luxurious as a $100k motor coach.

What’s the answer to snobbery? Hopefully people are becoming more understanding of the need for alternative housing. We can help things along by:

• Spending some cash on the exterior as well as interior. Make it look cozy and inviting.
• Have a plan to finish the project before you begin.

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Here’s a time-lapse YouTube® video showing a beautiful school bus conversion that took eighteen months:

I like that they built almost everything out of regular 2×4’s and plywood (available almost everywhere), but they made it look really good.

Here are some of the other parts they used to complete the conversion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Adding a Diesel Heater Makes Good Sense

If your bus is diesel-fueled, adding a diesel heater is easy and efficient. These heaters are fairly inexpensive so you can add one in the front and back of the bus if you need to.

Comes with everything you need to install it. Includes a fuel tank. Will run for 10 hours on one tank of fuel. Perfect for buses and trucks. Many models to choose from. You can vent the heat to several locations.

Here’s a YouTube® video showing how to install this diesel heater:

Visit this page for more information on heating your bus.

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Here’s a YouTube® video of a really well-done bus conversion

Their description of the video: “This school bus conversion was built and is owned by one of Tiny Home Tours team members. Chris picked up his bus in Florida and spent the last 3 years building out this skoolie build. It was built to be 100% off the grid with 200 gallons of fresh water, 1700 watts of solar, 900ah of lithium battery storage, 29 sq/ft of fridge/freezer storage, and so much more. It took a little extra time as Chris lived in the bus while it was still under construction, and traveled for a year in the bus before the final stages of the build was complete. The main reason for this was he was building online brands and had to travel to do so. This video gives you a decent idea of what it takes to build a complete custom school bus conversion. ”

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Families Living On A Skoolie

Here’s an interesting video of a family of seven that live comfortably on a converted school bus. When this large family needed more room they built a second story for the kids. Jeff, the dad, incorporated some great design features that make this home work.

Great Products They Used On Their Skoolie

They also had an EcoFlow, DeltaPRO portable power station which greatly simplified the electrical system. For more information on portable power systems see this page of our website: Portable Power Centers How To Choose

 

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Other pages of this website you’ll want to visit

Best RV and Tiny Home Mattresses

Flooring

Tiny House Water Heaters

Replacement RV Appliances and Parts

Sofas Recliners and Chairs for RVs and Tiny Houses

Best RV and Tiny House Mattresses

Tiny House Kitchen Appliances

ECO Friendly Products Lower Your Carbon Footprint

Composting Toilets

Cassette Toilets Alternative to Composting Toilets

Making Money on the Road