Who hasn’t dreamed of packing up their belongings and letting the open road lead them someplace new? The only problem is inevitably you have to worry about where to eat, clean yourself, and sleep. A converted school bus allows you to start your adventure without any of those worries.
Converted school buses combine the freedom of living on the road, going where your heart desires, with the comfort of always being able to sleep in your own bed, cook what you want to eat, and live how you have always wanted.
The only thing keeping many people from making the leap is fear. It can be scary to leave a more typical living situation behind, and converting a school bus into a mobile living space can seem daunting, to say the least.
The good news is transforming your bus into the home you always wanted is easier than it looks, though it still requires a fair amount of hard work. There are countless guides found online to help walk you through any aspect of converting your bus you could want, and if you feel out of your depth, there are always professionals willing to help you get the job done right.
The key to making sure your converted school bus turns out the way you always wanted is planning and learning from others who have already been through the same process. Curtis Carper is one such person who has been involved in converting vehicles into RV’s for over 40 years.
Carper has shared a highly useful guide to help you determine if turning an older school bus into a new home is right for you. You can view the whole guide here, but here are a few tips from Curtis to help get you started:
- Choose wisely between a school bus platform and a highway coach platform. They both have good and bad points.
- Buy the newest, best-maintained bus you can find within your budget.
- Maintenance records are like the Bible for your RV bus conversion. The more you know about the bus you’re starting with, the easier your decision will be.
- Take lots of time planning a layout that will best suit your needs.
- Do the highest quality of workmanship you can. Your RV bus conversion will be a sizable investment that, at some point in time, will be sold. The higher the quality, the better the return.
- Fuel is going to be expensive in an RV bus. You can expect to get between 6 to 8 miles per gallon.
- Check with your local authorities first. Buses under construction in the backyard are something that many urban areas will not tolerate. Check your local ordinances.
- Buying the bus is only a small part of the expense for your project. A good RV bus conversion can cost as much as a late model Class A motorhome.
