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Old 03-22-2015, 09:21 PM   #1
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Family of 6 ready for a Skoolie!

Hey guys!

I wanted to introduce myself. I'm Amanda and my husband and I have 4 kids. We have recently decided we wanted to go the Skoolie route, but I guess not your average skoolie. My husband is in the Navy so we can't do much traveling, but the one the we HATE is when he is stationed somewhere else we can't take our home with us.

Our Skoolie will be a bit different. Here is a break down of our plan.

We are buying a few acres of land to live off of. We are going to buy 3 buses and position them into a triangle. We are going to build a deck in the middle to connect all 3 buses. We will have a nice outdoor space. One bus will be the kitchen, living room and bathroom, one bus will be the kids room and bathroom (4 kids) and one bus will be our room, bathroom and office. When he gets stationed somewhere else we will be able to move the buses to the next place and buy land there. We would just have to reduced the deck.

so wdyt? I know it's not the normal skoolie but we live the idea of not having a mortgage and living off grid.


Any tips for a newbie? We are in the research and buying land phase. I'd love any input. We are thinking of doing a composting toilet, solar panel etc. Haven't decided on water yet.

Thanks for any tips!

I should add that I grew up in a Skoolie. Born and raised on the carnival ;) I'd love to travel everywhere again but since I can't this is t he next best thing

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Old 03-23-2015, 02:23 AM   #2
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Just make sure the zoning of the land that you purchase will allow the busses. Many places will not.
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Old 03-23-2015, 03:37 AM   #3
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Just make sure the zoning of the land that you purchase will allow the busses. Many places will not.
Yes, very simple but GOOD advice.
I learned the hard way that even "legal" you can have some major headaches and pita's.
Best to have a backup plan and a backup to that plan. Just in case.
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Old 03-23-2015, 03:58 AM   #4
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Welcome, besides what has been said above, most navy bases are in highly populated areas, not wanting to discourage you

To move 3 loaded buses will not be cheap every three years( tags,ins and fuel as well as maintance)

You will have to find land and then pay for utility install every 3 years (electric, water and sewer or septic tank and drain field)

That could take a month or three, where will you park or live during that time?

Keep us posted on this project and pictures will be great!

Being in the military and moving is tough enough, w/o added stress
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Old 03-23-2015, 09:04 AM   #5
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I like the plan, and I have had a similar idea myself, but I think it would be much better if it were dropped down to two buses, with a trailer behind one and a toad behind the other. Makes the moving a simple one way trip, and unless you have grand plans, galley kitchens are pretty small, leaving plenty of room for bunks.

In my case, I have an old "Tow-Low" hard sided pop-up camper that I'm remodeling as a bunk room for the kids, with HVAC and electricity that will be supplied by the skoolie it is attached to, and the other will house our street bikes in the bedroom while traveling, and a toad for family mobility. All in all, we will actually have more space than we need with just the two buses and a pull behind camper, but everyone's needs and desires are different, which is the best part about building it yourself.
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Old 03-23-2015, 09:19 AM   #6
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Huh, that's a cool idea. Pulling a camper behind a camper?
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Old 03-23-2015, 10:02 AM   #7
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I would agree with the difficultly in moving three buses every few years.

I would also agree that two buses, one of which was towing a bedroom/bathroom and the other towing a toad, would be much more efficient.

I would also agree that finding land near to a naval installation that would allow the semi-permanent use of old buses as living arrangements might be problematic.

Right now we have in our inventory four identical rear engine buses, two of which that have nearly new engines, that might fit your needs very well.

http://showroom.auction123.com/thebu...8M1777486.html

Let me know if I can help you on your adventure.

Good luck and happy trails!
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Old 03-23-2015, 05:58 PM   #8
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I like the idea of using more than one Bus / unit.

After I complete my bus, I will be building a massive stacker trailer for behind, complete with telescopic slide outs.

My bus will provide the heating and electricity.

I will have a modular deck system for between them when parked. This will include a ridged modular roof to span between as well. This will keep us out of the grass and mud.

Looking forward to the build.

Nat
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Old 03-24-2015, 04:33 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
I like the idea of using more than one Bus / unit.

After I complete my bus, I will be building a massive stacker trailer for behind, complete with telescopic slide outs.

My bus will provide the heating and electricity.

I will have a modular deck system for between them when parked. This will include a ridged modular roof to span between as well. This will keep us out of the grass and mud.

Looking forward to the build.

Nat


HOLY CRAP BATMAN! Before this is over you're going to have your own modular city. I think you've been watching too many transformers movies, lol. BUT, I can't wait to see the outcome.
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