Have you ever considered renovating a practical vehicle into a mobile home? Like a school bus? Maybe you have, and if you haven’t, trust us, there is more to it than you may think.
Enter the world of skoolie conversions! A skoolie is a renovated school bus that is made into a mobile home, like an RV. Join us as we discuss skoolie conversions and see where you may park on the matter.
Learn about the 6 Key Benefits of Speciality Vehicles
What is a Skoolie Conversion?
Imagine the yellow school bus you used to take to school each day. Remember the cramped aisle down the middle of the bus, the uncomfortable seats with no leg room, the seat belts that nobody used, maybe even the cameras bolted to the ceiling.
Now, imagine the same space, but without the seats, the dingey floor, the cameras, and so on. Instead, in that space, there is a nice tile floor, with rugs, a couch, a lofted bed, a desk, and all the amenities you would expect in a small home. This is a skoolie.
A skoolie is a renovated school bus made into a home to become a cross between an RV and a mobile tiny house in an example of upfitting at its finest.
Skoolies take a lot of conversion work. After obtaining a school bus, often a retired bus from a school system, the following steps occur:
- Demolition: Gutting the interior of the bus.
- Sealing & Securing: Sealing the windows and the roof to combat any leaks. Secure a door lock too.
- The Floor: Install your new floor. It’s also a great time to repaint the driver’s seat if desired.
- Exterior Painting: Painting the bus to the color you want. May wait if you are considering rooftop installations.
- Rooftop Installations: Mount anything on the roof if desired. This should be done before any ceiling work.
- Electrical & Plumbing: Frame walls and plan the electrical and propane. It’s recommended that you hire a professional to install these.
- Insulation: Insulate and finish the walls and the ceiling.
- Decorate: Design and decorate your new skoolie.
Skoolie conversions can be quite the project, but they have a lot of potential!
Pros and Cons of a Skoolie Conversion
With this enhanced understanding of skoolie conversions, and how they are made, let us explore the appeal and drawbacks of skoolies.
Pros
What are the key benefits to skoolie conversions, especially compared to other mobile living?
High safety standards. School buses are made to transport children safely. They are made to be durable, sturdy, and to withstand extreme weather. Additionally, most school buses are retired after around 100,000 miles, so it is not too difficult to find a bus in good condition to upfit.
These buses that are retired still had regular maintenance throughout their lifespan in the school system, including oil changes, inspections, and repairs. Compared to used RVs, which may come with problems, school buses are often a safer investment.
More living space than tiny homes. Skoolies are much more spacious than most tiny, shipping container homes. For comparison, the inside of school buses range between 245 and 300 square feet inside, and regular shipping container homes have around 160 square feet. This enables skoolies to bring the joy of minimalist living, but with the perk of extra space.
The joys of tiny living. A lot of people find joy in tiny living. Whether it be the smaller price tag than traditional living, eco-friendly lifestyles, the freedom of mobile living, or the minimal clean up in less space, there are plenty of perfectly legitimate reasons to choose tiny living. Skoolies are an option for tiny living that bring all of those benefits and more.
Speaking of price, depending on if you can buy a retired bus at auction, school buses may be bought at as low as 10% of the price compared to used motor homes or tiny houses. In other words, there is a chance that obtaining the foundation of your new home will be very affordable.
Cons
Skoolies sound great, but what are their drawbacks?
Requires significant demolition and renovation. As described before, skoolie conversions take a lot of time and work. Even if you were to try to tackle most of the project yourself, you would still probably be wise to have professional help with installing electricity and gas, at the very least. This will deter some from the project. However, with the services provided by TWR Specialty Vehicles, we can take the hassle and challenge of upfitting out of your hands.
Driving challenges. As is the case for most homes on wheels, driving a skoolie can be difficult. Driving and maneuvering such a large vehicle can be daunting for some and may be a tough learning curve.
Additionally, it would be a good idea to make sure your state does not require any special licenses to drive your skoolie, just to make sure you are covering all of your bases.
Depending on your living plans, you will need to plan for parking. Most large centers, like Walmart or truck stops, allow overnight parking for a short-term solution. For long-term, though, you should consider a nice RV park or motorhome lot.
Upfit with TWR Specialty Vehicles
Skoolie conversions are a really unique renovation of a school bus into a mobile home. As amazing as they can be, the demolition and renovation is a key drawback. With TWR Specialty Vehicles and their experience in upfitting to customize your needs, your dream skoolie can be a reality. Contact us to discuss your ideas!
