
- #Shuttle bus conversion how to#
- #Shuttle bus conversion full#
- #Shuttle bus conversion trial#
- #Shuttle bus conversion professional#
“We guide our clients in creating a floor plan that will work for them. “We do not use a standard floor plan.” Jeff explains. They are easy to find for sale online from places like Craigslist, eBay, and forum classifieds.īlue Ridge Conversions then rips out all of the seating, insulates the interior, runs all of the electric and plumbing, and builds it out with a floor plan based on your preferences. To start, a client will need to obtain an old school or city bus.

We asked the owner Jeff a few questions to learn more about their process for converting buses into tiny homes.
#Shuttle bus conversion trial#
It can still be done with enough research, but you risk not doing everything correctly and much of the time it will be trial and error.īlue Ridge Conversions is a small family-owned business from Hot Springs, North Carolina that does all of the hard work in building out custom bus conversions. Gutting out all of the seats and building out the bus yourself can be intimidating if you don’t have any prior experience. But ask anyone who has completed a skoolie and they will tell you that it is no easy project. We’re looking for a space to rent or small piece of land to buy where we can park her semi-permanently.Many people prefer converted buses over manufactured RVs because they feel more spacious and homey.

We’re currently focusing on creating income sources that will be feasible to maintain on the road, because we will definitely still be traveling! We love the community and all this area has to offer. We recently decided we’d like to settle down in Emerald Isle and sink our roots in a bit. But, as most things with bus conversions go, the plans have changed! Our vision was to travel north from North Carolina and see all of the New England states, Canada, the PNW, and eventually relocate to San Francisco. Well, that’s the fun thing about Bus Life: We don’t really know where we’ll be in 3 months! Maybe we’ll take a trip out west, maybe we’ll go south and visit friends in Florida, or maybe we’ll still be in Emerald Isle figuring out our income streams and enjoying the beach life!
#Shuttle bus conversion full#
We have a whole notebook full of diagrams we have drawn for each other to explain our individual visions and allow for collaboration and communication. We worked on being on the exact same line of the same page, all the time. Things like how the bus will look, how many drawers this cabinet will have, where the toilet will go, when and what color we’re painting that piece of wood over there, do I need to do X before you can do Z, etc. We were both working full time on Wanda for a majority of the build, and realized that we need to communicate about EVERYTHING. With the bus, we’ve definitely had some control issues. Our relationship has evolved quite a bit since we began dating in 2013. Has your relationship changed since you bought the bus? Whatever skills or knowledge we lacked, we learned through watching YouTube videos and reading endless product reviews.
#Shuttle bus conversion how to#
What skills, if any, did you have going into the build?īrandon had engineering and some woodworking skills prior to the build, and Jen knew how to sew, research, and keep track of money spent.
#Shuttle bus conversion professional#
Having an amazing network of skilled builders from whom you can draw tools and professional advice is very helpful as well! We also borrowed tools from my dad and close friends whenever we could.


We got by using a skill saw along with a clamp guide for long, straight cuts. Speaking of man-made, what tools have you found to be most helpful?ĭrill, impact drill, miter saw… Although we didn’t have one, a table saw would have been very helpful. and that we really appreciate nature-made things rather than man-made. We took a cross country road trip a few years ago, living out of a conversion van, and decided we want to focus less on cities, restaurants, etc. Hopefully lots of parks, public lands, and nature. What do you think your day-to-day life will look like once you’re living in the bus? We plan to live in her full-time as soon as possible. Currently, we’re still finishing up the solar system, propane, and grey water tank so we’re living in Wanda part-time. Towards the end of the build, we did have to figure out where smaller things (like trashcan/recycle bin) would go. We have a pretty small space, so all the bigger appliances had to go in certain spaces. Has your original vision/layout changed throughout the build?
