Bus to Skoolie Reno
So to be honest...we knew nothing!
Neither of us had any experience doing anything like this. Yes, we did some DIY things around the house we owned. We dabbled in carpentry, masonry, electrical and plumbing, but a skoolie is a whole different task.
We are determined though...
Our family was on board with this idea of ours and we could not be doing any of this if it wasn't for them. You can get pretty far when you have an amazing net of support. They have kept us positive when we find ourselves clueless and loosing hope.
Every step was a new challenge.
With the windows now out we made sure to protect the inside. We managed to get the tarps on together, but the real challenge here was on windy days.
Rustoleum painted.
Teaching myself how to weld.
Welded brackets for the roof raise all completed.
Roof raise in progress.
The daunting roof raise.
Thanks to my three brothers we were able to raise the roof. This required a lot of planning, but we were able to get it done in a day. In fact, the roof raise really only took a few hours. It was the welding and final touches that took up most of the time.
Oh the joys of welding.
It was a huge accomplishment to get the sheet metal hung. There were times when I tried doing in by myself, but I eventually had to call a brother to help with the heavy lifting. There's only so much you can do alone.
Metal work is dangerous, but exciting.
These pieces were needed to fill all the holes after removing the flashers.
I'm no pro at welding, but it is solid.
The best part of teaching yourself a new skill is that you can only get better.
Time to start the floors
We used 2 inch R-10 foam board insulation and plywood to create floating floors. We thought this was the best option as it provides us with the best housing envelope, controlling heat, air, moisture and sound.
But the fun had just begun.
Cutting 6 large holes in the recently hung sheet metal took courage. The entire process took 4 long days of hard work and plenty of sweat, but it was well worth it. Natural lighting is so important to us. Plus, now we had a breeze to keep working.
We had to push our limits.
Speaking of natural lighting, we couldn't go wrong with a couple skylights. The first one that was made is the largest at nearly 5 ft long and stretches the length of the kitchen. The second is smaller, squared and went up in our bedroom.
We called around and had a local company custom cut clear polycarbonate that fit perfectly in place.
With our heads held high...
We managed to mount both the large and small skylight with very few issues. After a few layers of roof coating and some silicone the task was complete.
Framing...
Talk about a stage that felt like it would never end. We needed 20 of these unique pieces carved out of a 2x4. That wasn't so bad considering the next step. I had to pre-drill and screw all of them over head.
No pain - No gain!
Building a false wall
We decided to build a wall in the back of our bus. This gave us a small space for tools and our electrical components. We call it the garage of the house.
Insulation is key, when living tiny!
This task required a huge decision; do we take the risk of spray foaming the insulation ourselves or do we hire someone and have it done professionally? When it came time to make this decision we had a family friend who does it for a living help us. After researching the cost of the materials as well as the gear to do it ourselves it was best to just hire the company he works for. This was a major expense and something we definitley under budgeted for. However, in the end we were extremely satisfied with the decision we made.
With the insulation completed it was time to face more challenges. We were able to move on to bigger tasks such as installing walls, electrical, and solar. With no prior experience it was time to study. I leaned heavily on online tutorials, Youtube, and just about anyone I could ask. I drafted enough schematics to lose count and then finally got the courage to act.
Electrical was our new nemesis!
With the unknown ahead of us we dove deep into the electrical "rats nest" that our bus turned out to be. There were wires for everything; lights, speakers, emergency exits, heaters and some we never even figured out. We removed the wiring that wasn't needed and kept what we thought was necessary.
Shout out to my grandparents for happily accepting all of our deliveries while we weren't there. Here's Grandpa receiving the solar panels.
Solar is Awesome!
After learning all about the solar kit we bought it was simple unit to install.
Wires and Fuses.
Wiring the AC and DC was a great opportunity to level up my electrical knowledge.
Solar mounted.
Our options got limited when it came to ways to mount the solar. With the curvature of the bus we had to cut some unique pieces and get very creative on how to use the little space we had left.
Applying the roof coating took me to the edge of comfort .
Always looking for a good laugh.
Many lessons to learn and family willing to help.
Plumbing is not my favorite task.
Although very necessary, plumbing has been my least favorite stage of the bus build so far. I managed to successfully install the water pump on the first try without any leaks, but the gravity inlet still needed some work.
You can see my struggle with the 100 gallon fresh water tank. It's practically the same size as me! Then I built it a custom crib.
Walls are going up.
Now that we had the electrical in place the next step was to mount the walls. This step boosted my confidence since it was the beginning stages of framing the bunk, bathroom, couch, chair and counters.
The walls proved to be a challenge. With a Thomas bus there's a small curvature going up the sides so they aren't straight to work with. This is where some we had to be creative. I used 1/2 inch thick plywood and in a few places there were some spacers set in place to get the walls level.
Framing of the couch that pulls out into a bed. The total length is about 6 ft and when pulled out it's about the size of a full size bed.
From couch to workbench.
This lovely couch quickly went from a nice place to sit to a storage shelf. With all the construction going on in the bus we started to run out of space for the next task. However difficult it was to work in such a small space it was a great opportunity to learn to live tiny. As each piece of furniture was being built I caught myself saying, "get use to being close." Luckily, we don't mind being in each other's space.
Bunk it up.
Now it was time we to finally start focusing on building the interior. I definitely learned some new skills, as well as got more practice in the ones I already knew.
The bunk was framed with 2x2s with 1/4 inch plywood. We went with the plywood for the ability to flex with the movement of driving down the road. Once the bunk went up I tossed a coat of joint compound on it. We did this throughout the bus so that we would be able to paint it without it all looking like wood. This definitely was not the fun part because after mudding you have to sand and then do it all over again. Such a time consuming process.
Scrub a dub dub.
The bathroom definitely is small as you can tell by the picture, but the window inside helps by making it not feel claustrophobic.
The plan is to have a Nature's Head composting toilet and a custom built shower installed.
Let the painting begin!
Winter came quick
As the cold creeped into the Midwest, I bundled up; layering just enough to be capable of moving around.
Luckily with a small heater the insulation kept the inside warm enough to keep working. With plenty of tasks still to accomplish we were just proud to get the outside finished.
It's not Murphy's bed...
To save on space, we went with a murphy bed system for the master bedroom. This gives us a great amount of floor space to play with Lena or do some yoga.
Storage, storage, storage.
The murphy bed is built on a custom frame. Intentionally, this frame was built as a storage unit for our clothes. With all the doors in place it looks like a custom wardrobe. Underneath the bedframe is even more storage. One area is specifically meant for a cat hideout.
Custom built cabinets
Here's one of those situations where we are so lucky to have family around for help. A huge shoutout to my cousin on helping with these beautiful cabinets. Without his help this step in the build process would've costed us a fortune. Not to mention the time to have a professional build them for us. Plus, I've never built cabinets before so I got the hands on experience to see how much detail goes into them. Whew! What a build in its self. Since we only had weekends to work on this the entire build took about 5 weeks.
Covering the engine
a.k.a.
The Dog House
During our build we're constantly thinking of ways to save on space. With space being a finite resource we decided on a tiered dog house, which adds a little character and also gives us a place to sit on. It's sturdy enough to stand on and still allows enough room to step up and get into the driver's seat. We added a noise reduction insulation layer that is also fire retardant. And boy does it help a ton with the road noise.
With my brother's help we managed to get all the odd angles and heights just right. I used Bondo to fill any gaps or cracks we could find. After it all set we both stood on it proving it could hold more then 300lbs.
With cabinets in we need a top; a countertop.
So, years ago we had two oak trees cut down in our backyard. With us being the crazy people we are we wanted to save the wood. This also saved us a great deal in an unexpected expense because the clean-up was double the cost of cutting down the two trees. We had them slabbed and stored to eventually use them for something amazing!
Wood montage needed.
As a novice woodworker it was a eye opening experience working on wood through the entire process. The amount of sawdust is unimaginable.
It's getting closer
With one final sand on the mudded plywood we decided it was as good as it was going to get. Next up came two back-to-back tasks that really made a difference; paint and laminate floors.
With the paint now dried on the walls you can graze up against them without getting dusty; thank goodness. It was now finally starting to look like a home. With a few more accomplishments like this and we'll be ready to hit the road.
This not only helps not scuff the walls anymore as we move the appliances in. It makes the bus start really feeling like a home. With a few more accomplishments like this we'll be ready to move in.
Entry way work.
Now with our valuables getting moved in it was time to get locks on doors. When it comes to Skoolies I only seen 2 options. Either you make changes to the original door and rehang or you install a prefabbed door. With a time crunch we decided on a screen door that would fit. With the polycarbamate windows it not only is strong, it gives a great view from the driver seat and couch. A built in screen also gives us another window to open to allow more airflow.
With most of the projects finishing up its time to take care of that section I have been walking over daily. I love tile work. It can make a dull corner POP! Or a dirty grummy entry way look welcoming and pristine.
