Hiya From SC!

[Scallywagon]

Hello lovely Skoolie people-

My name is Katelyn, and last week I purchased a Thomas 1992 school bus. I purchased it partially converted, but it still has quite a long ways to go.

My plan is to finish the conversion and make this my full-time dwelling. I'm young and single, and my friends have a backyard that they've graciously allowed me to take over with my massive bus. That, my friends, is the life.

I'm definitely feeling overwhelmed with this "little" project. I have practically no building experience, and a $10,000 budget. Luckily, I have some dear friends who are very excited to help me along.

I'd love to hear how others began their process. Particularly, in what order did you complete the tasks? Ex. insulation, electrical work, plumbing, etc.


I'm extremely excited to join the skoolie community! Thanks for the support!

[bansil]

Welcome
My advice is this:

Always make sure it can be made mobile in 24 hrs max, you never know when you will have to move it

Decide what you need first to live in it, use it as a steel tent at first and then decide what is the biggest PITA to deal with

[proconsul100]

welcome, hopefully you can reuse some of the stuff from the partial conversion.

[Tango]

Welcome! --- Sounds like you have a good support network. Just start by reading as many "build threads" here as you can cram. Since no two Skoolies are the same, they have probably all gone together differently. And given that your rig has already been started, that is going to somewhat dictate what comes next. That said, if you plan on full-timing and traveling, I believe most folks here would say to begin with insulation. The spray in urethane is far and away the best and, naturally the most work & cost, but will make a huge difference long term. That and making sure the engine/drivetrain (including brakes) are all solid and road ready.

From there, it mostly comes down to executing whatever design you come up with in a logical order, so spend some pencil time laying out what you want.

You came to the right place as there is more real world experience to tap into here than anywhere else on the planet. Bit please...understand our one overriding principle regarding building...

...without pix, it didn't happen."

Best of luck and do feel free to ask anything here.

[M1031A1]

I concur with Tango. Begin with a good foundation in the build. Since you've said you plan to live in it full-time, spray-foam insulation is very important. The process will also help you find leaks in the seams in the sheet-metal. Remember, water is THE enemy of steel. With removing the interior steel and fiberglass insulation (treat it like hazardous material - the microfibers will get into the air) you can find and seal up the leaks and be assured your bus will, for the most part, last longer and be more comfortable to live in.

My wife and I are doing the same thing in our build. I've had the bus for a month. In the Texas heat this process is slow, but I am making headway. Check out my thread for more details.

Best of wishes. Welcome to the mayhem and insanity!!!!

M1031

[The-Breeze]

Welcome...look forward to you bus story & pictures

[Scallywagon]

Well, I'll go ahead and share some pictures, then! (A few of them are upside down... whoops. Thank you guys for the advice so far. I'm extremely appreciative.

[EastCoastCB]

Cool. So the bus does exist!

[Tango]

Looks almost finished to me. A little sweepdown, some curtains...

[bansil]

Hello Barney