Wall Panel and Window Removal Tips
Removing the wall panels and windows may seem like a pretty daunting task to someone who has never done a job like this before, but I’m here to tell you that it is very easy and doable even for the absolute beginner bus converter! Wall Panels Whether you take the wall panels or the windows out first depends on the way your bus is put together. You should be able to figure it out pretty easily by looking at it. If your windows are hanging over your wall panels, then take your windows out first. If you are lucky, the wall panels are fastened to your bus with simple Phillips…
Bus Conversion Seat Removal Tips
Removing bus seats sounds like something that would be fairly straightforward. However, it can be a lot harder than it sounds. There are a lot of tools involved and it’s always helpful to have a system in place. In this article, we will discuss how we removed our seats and what tools were used. We started at the back of the bus so that we could begin throwing the seats out of the rear emergency exit. The back door is wider than the front door and required less maneuvering. Bolt Removal When it came time to remove the bolts, we had one person inside of the bus with an impact…
9 Tips for First Time School Bus Drivers
Driving a school bus seems extremely intimidating if you’ve never driven one before. It is definitely a learning curve but if you apply the following tips, you’ll be on the road in no time. 1. Check all of the mirrors. Make sure that the mirrors are properly adjusted before every trip. Every mirror is like another set of eyes. Make sure to get a good idea of where your blind spots are and what your range of vision is. A good rule of thumb while driving is to check every mirror every 5 seconds and before you slow down. 2. Make sure to perform pre and post trip inspections. Pre & Post…
5 Mistakes to Avoid when Buying a School Bus for a Bus Conversion
Are you considering buying a school bus to convert? When we decided to buy our first bus, we were way too excited and overlooked parts of the bus that were concerning, to say the least. We came up with a list of 5 mistakes that we made in the process of buying our first bus. The first bus that we bought ended up having so many problems that we had to get rid of it altogether and completely start over. It was horrible at the time but a lot of valuable lessons were learned from that situation! That being said, we decided to share our mistakes so you don’t have to…
6 Reasons Why We Chose to Live in a Skoolie
Making the decision to live full-time in a skoolie was definitely not easy. We really had to weigh out the pros and cons of what we were doing. After months of serious emotional struggle, we finally came to the realization that this big life-change was a no-brainer. The way that the stars lined up really pushed us in this direction and we’re very happy it did! Outlined below are the main reasons why we decided that this lifestyle was for us. 1. We accidentally discovered that we prefer minimalism. A couple of years ago when we had baby number two, our daughter Avery, we began to feel quite claustrophobic in…
7 Must-Have Safety Items before starting your Bus Conversion
Believe me when I say that protecting yourself is the most important thing to keep in mind when converting a bus. Here we’ve compiled a list of 7 things that we’ve found to be very useful in regards to preventing any unfortunate mishaps. I don’t know about you, but a tetanus shot does not sound like my idea of fun. 1. Eye Protection I definitely can’t express how important eye protection is! This is probably single-handedly the most important piece of safety equipment and the most essential. When working on a bus conversion, stuff goes flying everywhere. Believe me, it’s not pretty, and if you go blind from getting hit…
Parking the Bus – an Unexpected Challenge
As brand new bus owners, I can tell you there isn’t anything very much more exciting than bringing the brand new bus home; unless your neighbors are the worst. In hindsight, we probably should have had a better plan set in place for when we brought the bus home, but the excitement overcame us and once again we jumped the gun. In my defense, I did call the local police department ahead of time and ask what the parking laws were for the school bus and was told that according to our city ordinance, we could not park anything over 22 feet long on the street. He then mentioned that…
The Tiny House Movement – Why We Chose a Skoolie Instead
Last summer we spent a lot of time visiting our friends in Missouri who live in a small tiny house community on 35 acres of land in the Ozarks. Seeing what life was like and being able to have a taste of that experience was truly quite inspiring. They even offered us a space on their land, which is absolutely breath taking! This is what began to open our eyes to the possibility of living in a tiny home. How Our Conversion Came to Be We proceeded to research the cost of building a tiny house, how to get started with the building process, and basically everything remotely related to…
We bought a school bus!
Life these days is full of stress and anxiety. Working a 9 to 5 job, trying to make ends meet, raising a family, while also meeting the demands of society could easily cause a mental and emotional breakdown for anyone. It’s tough! But does it really have to be that way? What if I told you there are alternatives to falling in line with the status quo? Last year my husband and I were helping my sister-in-law find a van to drive and dwell in while spending the summer traveling abroad. We ended up accidentally discovering a post on Craigslist advertising a school bus for sale. Of course we…
