Bathroom location?

[ameanderinglife]

Hello all,

I went from planning for a full size 40' bus to something between a 6-9 window bus for full time living due to costs and camping space considerations. This will be my starter bus to see if a larger bus is feasible. I'm struggling with layout. Where does everybody put their bathrooms in short buses? I want the bus to be very open, not clausterphobic. I want to install a swiveling drivers seat to increase seating, but right behind the drivers seat is a popular place for bathrooms. Has anybody fit both a bathroom and a full size bed towards the back of the bus? Also, scale wise, do big tiles make a small space look bigger or other way around?

Thanks,

Rachel

[cowlitzcoach]

I would vote on tiles if they are ceramic. Not only are they heavy (any weight inside the bus has to be drug around by the engine--the heavier the load the more fuel you will use) but it is difficult to find adhesives that will keep a tile stuck while going down the road.

Most high end moho's that have tile use the little itty bitty tiles as they stay stuck better than the big ones.

Now if you are talking about vinyl tile on the floor, I think it makes a difference as to the pattern you make with the tile.

As far as the bathroom location is concerned I would suggest you take your bus out camping once all the seats are removed. Install cardboard walls and tape outlines on the floor to get a feel as to how things will look and feel once everything is installed.

With a shorter bus you may have to get creative and do things differently so that you can better utilize the space you do have. Using a swivel mount for your driver's seat allows you to use the driver's compartment as a part of your living area, an area that in most buses is not used except for while going down the road.

You may want to consider Murphy type beds. They can be up and out of the way during the day giving you a different floor plan than what you have at night.

[Phatman]

Rachel, I have an 8 window Carpenter bus. (9 if you include the drivers window.) I am only at the cabinet building stage and framework, but if you look at the thread BLUTO update, you can get an idea of where my bathroom is. I opted to install my bathroom at the very back of the bus because I wanted to keep an exit available just in case. I have a full size shower with toilet and sink opposite of the shower. My bed is actually in the middle of the passenger side. I wanted to have as good a sleep as being at home, so I am building a trundle XL twin. ( 2 XL twins make a King Size bed.) I'm not sure on the idea of using any kid of ceramic tile. I believe you're just asking for trouble on many levels. Weight would be my first thought, then comes grout. With the bump, bump of a short bus, I just wouldn't trust it holding up.

[superdave]

my shower is going in the back over an area i can fit the gray tank, my composting head is going next to the side door so it can be accessed from inside or out. when figuring out your layout look under the bus to see if it works plumbing wise.

[Perfesser]

I still need to get into a real bus with a measuring tape, but I'm hoping I can put a fairly narrow "head" back left (seat faces fore-and-aft), maybe next to an abandoned chair lift (if I'm lucky), slip in a wall, and lay a full size bed (also for-and-aft) next to the head.
No sink (use the "kitchen") and no shower (rig an outdoor camping shower outside the lift door or emergency exit.) The shower is enclosed, and it's only cold until you get dressed again. (Some call it invigorating.)
And, use the shower at the campsite, when I can.
Having the toilet near a door lets me empty the composting waste more easily every couple of weeks.
I'm thinking back and forth between a 39 seat and a 48, so sort-of-short and pretty-much-medium.
But no decision until I actually measure an actual bus.

[Robin97396]

I haven't seen a bus with a bathroom behind the driver's seat. There's no place to put the tanks in the front of the bus.

On the other hand for us old guys it would be advantageous to have a bathroom that close while we're driving.

There have been a couple of build threads here on the larger coaches that used ceramic tile. There's a different way of attaching tile to surfaces that allows for flexing and vibration, but if I remember correctly it's relatively expensive compared to normal residential installations. Look for builds on the large fancy coaches.