Timeline, how long does it really take?

[Maeko]

Hi everyone!
We are still searching for the right bus but looking to get a 40 footer and hoping to have it "complete" in 3-6 months. We will be working on it about 5 days a week.
Is that timeframe remotely realistic? We wanna do king bed, 1 set of bunk beds, bathroom and kitchen and have a couch and tv, keeping it pretty minimalist design wise.
What were your guys' timelines like from when you got your bus to when it was finished?

[Njsurf73]

Time line... Well u bought the bus in April... And it is 3/4 painted and the seats are out.
That's as far as I have gotten in my spare time.

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[New2Skool]

Time frame depends completely on you.
If, you are able to put in a full days work on your bus it can be done very quickly pending what you want it to be in the end.
If, you are like most of us and work. You will focus on weekends and the rare mid-week evening to hammer away on projects.
My skoolie started out roaring, I bought it in march and finished one major project per month for the next spring, summer and fall before packing up for the northern minnesota winter.

I reskinned my entire bus, fabricated an entirely new rear end, I lifted the roof, I lowered the skirt, I had to replace sections of bare metal flooring, removed windows, skinned over the windows after the lift, the list goes on and on. Plus, I gave it a full coat of protective primer between March 2016 and November 2016.

This summer has been a different story, I bought a surplus Humvee and restored it to a customized state which basically robbed six months of work and nice weather from my skoolie. Since July, I have installed conduit, roughed in windows, lined the ribs with cedar, installed the sub floor and rough floor and enclosed the rear service entry. It has been a busy month.

I will have the wiring, plumbing, electrical, windows, temp interior walls and major builds done and ready for next spring when I can spray foam.

At my prior and previous rate, I will have my bus done in about nine years. Just kidding, I would say by Spring 2018. It is basically a frame up restoration so, I am not a quick fix, lets rock it out so we can rocket out of here kinda guy.

Based on your $4,000 budget I would say you could have it done in a couple of months. It would be pretty rough, pretty wide open but, you and your family could adjust and live out of it. It might not be comfortable or have onboard dry cleaning but, damn it you can make it work.

[Iceni John]

Originally Posted by New2Skool

At my prior and previous rate, I will have my bus done in about nine years. Just kidding,

I've been working on my bus for almost nine years now, and I've only just started on the interior! I've installed a slide-out generator, four large tanks and all their plumbing, slide-out battery trays for ten batteries, a roof-full of solar panels and all their associated gubbins, a slide-out for two propane cylinders, a spare wheel mount under the front, and umpteen other jobs including completely replacing the entire cooling and hydraulic system. Only now is the bus at the state I want it to be in for a serious conversion - there's no point converting a bus without first taking care of any mechanical issues, and it makes sense for me to install all the support systems first before building the interior (to ensure that toilets and poo tanks line up, for example). Whatever your timeframe estimate is, be prepared to change it, a lot!

John

[Maeko]

Originally Posted by New2Skool

Based on your $4,000 budget I would say you could have it done in a couple of months. It would be pretty rough, pretty wide open but, you and your family could adjust and live out of it. It might not be comfortable or have onboard dry cleaning but, damn it you can make it work.

$4000 is our bus budget
10k is the conversion budget

[Greatestrr]

Its possible. Your budget sounds adequate. One thing I've discovered is the more i do, i discover more that needs to be done. So many things i didn't think of, or change my mind. Problem with doing it in a hurry is you need a good plan to start. I thought i knew what i wanted then. After i built it, turns out not to be what i wanted. Take it down and start over. So you can save yourself a ton of time by having a solid plan and sticking to it