Buying an already converted bus

[raerocks]

So we went and looked at a bus that had already been converted today. They used the interior of an RV to convert it. Issue is I am not sure how much of a hassle it is going to be for us to make it four seasons. It has air conditioners (2) but no heat. We live in Michigan and intend on living in it. I'm thinking I could skirt it and somehow insulate it underneath when it's parked but we don't want it parked all the time. It has a small black water tank hooked up to the toilet but no shower. The gray water goes into a barrel that they use when parked but isn't attached. They also have a fresh water tank (about 15 gallons inside the cabin) but the area would fit maybe a 50 gallon tank. It has a hot water heater as well. I'm thinking we can use a ventless propane heater for the cabin area but how would I insulate the underbelly to allow for travel in winter? They only want 5k for it and it is probably worth 8 or 9k. Thanks for any advice!

[JA Savage]

Things are worth what people are willing to pay for them. If somebody had offered 8 or 9k for the bus conversion then he would have sold it and it would not be available now. If you want to fulltime in a bus conversion and it has no heat or insulation then it may not be worth very much to you. You might take a look at the Big Bertha thread on this site. At the end of the thread he talks about some things he would change in the build (they have been living in it for awhile) and if I remember right fresh water storage was an issue.

[raerocks]

I appreciate your opinion- the bus isn't publicly for sale- they are offering it to us cheap because they want a family to have it and so after meeting us said 5k. We expected them to ask 10k because of the condition. My question is more how do I insulate the underbelly.

[c_hasbeen]

We looked at a bunch of buses other people had built, we found that to get what we wanted we would either rip out what they did and start over or buy a bus and built it from scratch.
Insulation was the big deal for us, along with not knowing for sure how the electrical was actually done.

usually a lot of these we looked at had 15 gallon of fresh water but huge balck and grey tanks, one did not have a shower, we found that out after driving all the way to the west coast.
just my experience.
good luck

[Dragonpop]

As I recall the wanderlodge motorhomes had a sprayed on insulation under the floors.
I remember in my younger years driving potato trucks that had a sprayed on insulation
in the beds to keep the potatoes from damage of being dropped on a hard surface and
it held up for many years but it was in a dry climate.

[Scooternj]

Originally Posted by c_hasbeen

We looked at a bunch of buses other people had built, we found that to get what we wanted we would either rip out what they did and start over or buy a bus and built it from scratch.
Insulation was the big deal for us, along with not knowing for sure how the electrical was actually done.

I was looking at a bunch pre-converted buses too, and after some research felt that while the difficult parts were already done, I'd basically wind up tearing out and rebuilding to what I wanted in it.

[superdave]

start over, what model bus, engine, tranny, date code on tires,new windows, has the ceiling been pulled or is it still metal?

[raerocks]

After consideration we decided to pass on the bus....seemed like we would have to redo most of it to make it four seasons for Michigan weather.

[Scooternj]

Originally Posted by raerocks

After consideration we decided to pass on the bus....seemed like we would have to redo most of it to make it four seasons for Michigan weather.

Good choice. Sometimes its best to find a decent bus, just out of service, and use it as a clean palette.

[nat_ster]

You made the right choice.

A build from scratch is the only way if you need insulation.

Adding insulation outside of the steel has vary little benefit. Insulation needs to be between you and the metal.

Nat