What do you consider done enough to hit the road

[jjhwick119]

I know some people hit the road and finish building as they go. At what point do you say the bus is done enough and i can finish on the road? I was thinking after electrical and plumbing are set up and I have a bed and A.C.. electrical doesn't have to be completely done as long I have my genny I don't necessarily need a battery bank right away.

Just wondering what other people's opinions are as I'm considering this as an option

[cadillackid]

to me alot has to do with what you need big tools to do. and also exterior work... exterior work is goping to be tough to do in a parking lot or along the road as it draws attention.. interior work can be done stealth as long as you arent making a mess.. id want any bus mechanical work done as well as outside paint, window skinning, and infrastructure (rough in plumbing, tanks, electrics, vents cut into bus, etc) At a minimum..

-Christopher

[jjhwick119]

Gotcha. Painting I was planning on waiting til I got to new Mexico anyway, get that done on my buddy's land. He's also hooking up his solar setup this summer out there so we will have electricity on site, not counting his and my generator.

I think I just need to get the plumbing installed (tanks, water heater and pump, all hooked up), then set it up to run just from genny for now, but I'll probably still buy batteries before I leave town. I think I'll just focus on getting electrical, plumbing, and gas set up and then I should be mostly good with how it is now honestly. Have to finish shower and build the composting toilet, but outside of that I have the fridge and oven, just need a mattress really and I can live in it. Oh, and a.c..

[JDOnTheGo]

I agree with Christopher. Adding to his comments, a lot depends on what you are comfortable with.

Looking at the house side of things. My 'comfort' required a plastic utility sink, fresh/black tanks (and ability to fill/dump), toilet, small battery bank/monitor, inverter, window coverings (cheap material hung with sticks/screws), mattress on floor, refrigerator, microwave. The plumbing and electrical systems were built with the big picture in mind, from the start. That included shore power cord, automatic transfer switches, breaker panels, etc.

I very quickly grew tired of living out of boxes and that served as a great motivator to keep moving forward with things. The negative of this approach, as you probably already know, is having to do work out of order. There are many things I would like to do over again because of this.

I can imagine that this 'build as you go' approach does not work well for many. I am lucky to have basement space to carry a table saw, radial arm saw, lumber, chop saw, small welder, and a bunch of other tools. I am also able to power these items from the coach/battery (not the welder) while sitting in the middle of the forest. Oh, also... I spent a good part of the first several months (of living like this) sitting on the property of family and friends so I often had a shower and shore power.

I still don't have heat or A/C installed.

[dan-fox]

I'm sure that everyone has their own balance point between the urge to get out there and the need for creature comforts. This puts me in mind of the Bachelor's First Law of Cuisine - "If you're willing to eat it, it's done. "