{"id":2562,"date":"2021-10-29T08:00:49","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T13:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/?p=2562"},"modified":"2021-10-26T03:16:56","modified_gmt":"2021-10-26T08:16:56","slug":"converting-bus-into-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/converting-bus-into-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Converting a Bus Into a Home: Everything You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The average school bus doesn\u2019t usually see much excitement beyond perhaps a near-accident, nor does it usually travel farther than its daily route and wherever it happens to be parked. But because of how long they\u2019re expected to run, and because of their primary purpose of shuttling students to and from school, school buses are typically built as sturdily as possible. This usually means steel paneling and a steel-framed body over a commercial truck frame.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, people have started using buses for something other than ferrying students &#8211; as a tiny house on wheels. While it\u2019s possible to use, say, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/right-truck-mobile-business\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a truck from a mobile business<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or even other kinds of buses, there are those who prefer to use a school bus. Hence this kind of converted tiny house is also called a \u2018skoolie\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve wanted to try the tiny house life for any reason, don\u2019t head out the door and look for a retired school bus just yet. There are a few things you need to know about converting a bus into a home. Here are the most important ones.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"border: 3px solid; padding: 10px; width: 100%; border-radius: 25px; border-color: #F4A70F; color: #007bff;\">\n<strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #007bff;\">What&#8217;s Inside<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#engine\"> Decide whether or not you need the engine<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#funds\"> Set aside funds<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#buylocal\"> If possible, buy local<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#prepare\"> Prepare the bus for conversion<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#floorplan\"> Go over your floor plan<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"#bepatient\"> Be patient<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"engine\"><strong>Decide whether or not you need the engine<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retired school buses typically have engines that are still in decent working condition, since schools typically retire buses when they reach around 100,000 miles. However, you don\u2019t have to get one with the engine still intact. If you\u2019re looking to convert the bus to a mobile home, then by all means get one with an engine. However, if you\u2019re not really after mobility, then it\u2019s perfectly fine to get a bus with just the frame and shell.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"funds\"><strong>Set aside funds<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are several factors that will affect how much you\u2019ll pay for the bus that will eventually become your new home. On top of whether or not it has an engine, there\u2019s the type of bus, its condition, age, and mileage to consider, too. All told, you can expect to pay anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 for a used bus, on average.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"buylocal\"><strong>If possible, buy local<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As with buying and selling trucks, you can search online for people selling a used school bus. As much as possible, find sellers you won\u2019t mind driving out to meet. This way, you can talk with them about the condition the bus is in, and if necessary, what state the engine is in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides talking with the owner, you\u2019ll also want to inspect the bus before agreeing to buy it. You need to make sure the frame and shell are strong enough to handle the conversion work from start to finish. Are there any places where the shell has rusted? Are the floors sturdy enough to support a bed as well as any furnishings for a kitchen and bathroom?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a good time to see how big the bus is, so you\u2019ll know how much space you\u2019ll have to work with, so you can keep that in mind when you finalize your floor plan.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"uv-lst\" data-category=\"172\" data-count=\"6\" data-type=\"new\"> <\/div>\n<h2 id=\"prepare\"><strong>Prepare the bus for conversion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve chosen and bought the school bus you\u2019ll be converting, it\u2019s time to gut the insides and prepare it for conversion. If you\u2019re happy with just removing the chairs and installing the furniture you need around what remains, then you could stop there. However, if you really want to make the most of things, consider demolishing the walls and ceiling, and perhaps the floor as well &#8211; especially if you\u2019re not too sure it\u2019s sturdy enough to last another two years or so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of how far you go with the pre-installation and conversion, you\u2019ll want to make sure your soon-to-be home is free of mold. Then, you can begin insulating and installing the walls, floor, and ceiling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to skip all the hassles? Check out these renovated motorhomes and pre-customized <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/buses-step-vans\/conversion-buses-for-sale\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">conversion buses for sale<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"floorplan\"><strong>Go over your floor plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may have already had a rough draft of a floor plan even before you got the bus, or maybe you started drafting it after gutting the bus and preparing for installation and conversion. Whether your floor plan is the first draft or the tenth, make sure you go over it a few times; no matter the base of a tiny house, every inch counts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pinpoint what furniture and appliances will go where, and how best to make the most of the available space. As much as possible, you\u2019ll want modular furniture that you can fold and store when not in use, but with the right floor plan and the right pieces, you can make it work even if not every shelf or table is modular. Remember that you\u2019re also working toward a comfortable living space, not a cramped tiny house where you\u2019re simply making do.<\/span><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"bepatient\"><strong>Be patient<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b><\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even with the perfect floor plan and the right materials, installation and conversion can take months &#8211; especially if you\u2019re turning it into a big DIY project. After all, this project involves everything from floor to ceiling, from countertops and cabinets to air conditioners, toilet and shower, chairs and bed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While you could go DIY for most of the conversion, it\u2019s still a good idea to get a professional to take care of installing your electrical system, and water and gas lines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you plan on driving around in your new mobile home, you\u2019ll need to register it as an RV or tiny house on wheels. So check with the DMV what you need to have in your home in order to register it as such; otherwise you could end up paying more in unnecessary fees. That could add to the time needed to convert your bus.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The average school bus doesn\u2019t usually see much excitement beyond perhaps a near-accident, nor does it usually travel farther than its daily route and wherever it happens to be parked. But because of how long they\u2019re expected to run, and because of their primary purpose of shuttling students to and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191,"featured_media":2564,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[784],"tags":[816,817,801],"class_list":["post-2562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buses","tag-how-to-convert-school-bus","tag-how-to-convert-school-bus-into-a-home","tag-school-bus"],"modified_by":"Titus Asher","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/191"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2562"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2586,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2562\/revisions\/2586"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usedvending.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}