How long would you guess it takes to turn a 36 passenger school bus into a comfortable vacation home? A month? Several months? How about 10 days? That is how long it took Marco Khalil and Caroline West from Canada to entirely renovate their 1979 GMC / BlueBird school bus into a lovely skoolie capable of following the pair across the country.
After buying the bus in 2012, the couple made plans to use the bus as a combination pop-up shop venue for their vintage company Eight Inch Rule and open-plan mobile lodge. So, they tore out everything they could and began the process of turning their little bus into the perfect skoolie.
They started by recovering the floor in vinyl tile and installing features such as a timber daybed and cubby space which are able to be easily removed when needed. The skoolie lacks many of the advanced features when compared to some of the more lavishly converted buses, but the lean approach allows the vehicle to look and feel more spacious than the vast majority of similar projects.
Now, the skoolie acts as a backyard cabin for the couple, who also regularly take the bus to seaside resorts and campsites. No matter where the couple go, they will always have a comfortable place to call home as long as they have their bus.
