We are a combination of both. We started with a basic plan in mind. It was a slightly modified floor plan that I had laid out years ago for the Eagle. That floor plan was drawn up and then refined over our first year of fulltiming in the Class C. A few modifications were made to accommodate the structural differences of the Bluebird. Also we added a few "new" items (like the fireplace mantle). We first started with the exterior since we had the bus sitting in my daughter's back yard and could do things like paint, pull the windows out and some minor body work. Next our goal was to get the bus to the "metal tent" stage so that we could live in it while we finished the conversion. This included hanging tanks (but not used) along with a hooked up vintage Mansfield Traveler 910 toilet and a cold water only vanity sink. The toilet still needs a
gasket (leaks) and a
vacuum breaker installed.
Since being in the campground we have gotten most of the insulation installed, "paneling" on the walls, part of the galley installed, the shower installed, the fresh water tank installed & most of the plumbing hooked up, most of the hydronic heat system installed, and we are still quietly working on completing the bus to what we consider the basic conversion which is pretty much liveable with out the "extras". Complete conversion will include a dishwasher, finished/heated water & storage bays, our air compressor installed under the bus, washer & LP dryer and a generator (size & fuel to be decided on). And we make changes the whole time. Until a thing is installed, it can be changed. That's no guarantee it won't be changed. We did redo the black tank drain & waste valve. It's now all 3" including the ball valve (had to order one)