"Gonzo"

[bansil]

Great progress, keep pics and stories coming, it helps to relieve the tension from working on the bus

[GetTheFunky1]

all the glass back in and all metal cut for the cover ups. need to rivet down both sides and a few brackets in the middle of the top and bottom to keep for flexing in the wind. and goop the heck out of the top and bottom to keep the water out. i use quad brand silicone because i have had good experiences with it.

can see we taped the floor plan down to see what kinda butt funnels we'd have and two skinny people can walk right by each other with out trouble. also wrote on walls to get a better feel for the layout. will post the new blue print or something when i get the gusto.



my girlfriends solution to the holes in the floor was to silicone spare change down. i think it cost us about 2.49. wow 250 holes? i think she used some dimes haha

[bansil]

Originally Posted by GetTheFunky1

can see we taped the floor plan down to see what kinda butt funnels we'd have

I saw this and immediately pictured Beavis and Butthead

[GetTheFunky1]

two days after we got 20+ inches over night!

i thought it was cool how far down the door the overhang went.
can see some insulation waiting to be put on the floor and we got the windows sheated before the storm thankfully

[proconsul100]

Originally Posted by GetTheFunky1

two days after we got 20+ inches over night!

i thought it was cool how far down the door the overhang went.
can see some insulation waiting to be put on the floor and we got the windows sheated before the storm thankfully

thats alot of snow, at least you aren't blocked from getting to the door.

[sweetfarm]

"Brought er back home today. a 1993 tc2000 blue bird. 344k miles, 5.9 cummins, 545 at Allison, 78 passenger 6'4" ceiling hiegth?. bought from Redmond school district of a craigslist ad"
That Is one of the highest mileage buses I have ever seen from a school district. Most of the buses for sale out here have less than 200,000 miles. Maybe they last longer on the west coast!

[EastCoastCB]

They must, Sweetfarm. I see western buses with 300-400k on occasion.
Not so much here on the east. Mine has 248k, though and I will say it runs a lot better than some much newer, much lower mileage buses.

[The Nebuchadnezzar]

Looks like here in CT, not lovin it!

[GetTheFunky1]

hello interneters. i guess i found out that taking pictures of progress isnt really my kinda thing but i do have updates that show leaps and bounds and i now feel experienced enough to answer any questions and help brainstorm solutions. i still pop on from time to time to see what people have come up with to deal with similar problems as mine so thank you!

but now for the reason i came to the site its the pictures, they poke the brain with inspiration.

ill write a blurb describing the picture below the blurb.

after insulation was finished and plywood put up on walls the cieling was covered in 1/4 in sheeting



looking forward. cheated and bought some prefab cabinets because theyre purdy still wrapped up..



same day through the front door first peak at them cabinets. stove is a magic chef 4 burner i picked up off craigslist stainless no blemishes



first night after i installed the cieling lloking through the front door. seems like all busses look better in the dark under lights.



more first night roof glamour shots...



looks like i lied i still have one row of cedar to put in before the passenger side meets the wall





passenger side as she sits today. you might have noticed the graffiti by now once i doodled one school papers now i doodle on a bus.



everything from here on is from a 3/3/15 photo shoot approximately a year and a half after purchase. work life stress and learning as you go takes up more time then you think.

front door kitchen shot. sexy cabinets unpainted bead board wall and untill we move in our temporary beer fridge. fridge was a p.i.t.a. to physically get into the bus i had forgot to measure the front door opening before purchasing it which means it could only go through the back door. however i had already framed and mounted my "hallway" and the back wall of the bedroom. 1 step forward two steps backward....



standing on the dog house engine cover looking backwards.



the cabinets are fixed where they will end up the stove positionally is where it will end up just flush with the top and front of the cabinets and to the left of the stove will be more oak cabinets covering the rest of the wheel well



moving past the kitchen to the front edge of the living room. that cabinet will be in the kitchen over the wheel well. left (passenger) side will be a couch right side will have the wood stove tucked into the far corner where the chopsaw is.



living room back towards the kictchen and front. a small table will be next to the fridge with a swivel car chair. tv stuff in between the table and the woodstove.



past the living room towards the hallway and bedroom. anyone had experience with Natures Head composting toilets? pooper room on the right shower in the un-walled portion on the left.



trying to look at the restroom.



behind the pooper room is the utility closet batteries lectronics water heater kind stuff in here



standing at the end of the hallway looking at the back wall is the bedroom. queen bed night stands in progress will finish the back wall with the beadboard up to the pink then cover what i call the rear cap with the same cedar thats on the roof. left room for a fancy headboard all room under bed is usable storage with compartments



on the bed looking forward showing our closets the bus layout order is like:

------------------------Front of bus-------------
pooper--------------]walking room[----shower
utility closet--------]walking room[----linen/seasonal clothes cabinets
his clothes closet--]walking room[----her clothes closet
------------------------rear of bus--------------
left closet is 26 inches wide right closet is 36 inches wide hallway is off center.



another look at the hall way that shows the layout a little better.



one last looking forward shot was trying to show my "mock" tv structure i have up the left so i could get an idea of how high i wanted to sit on the sofa i need to build




well thanks for looking.

if you feel kind enough to leave your thoughts:

i still am clueless as to what parts i need to buy to get the rv components hooked up to shore power and run the general electrical in my bus. if not ill be on here searching through old posts till i find an idea starter

i like the idea of composting toilets who has done it what brand did you go for and have you found it to be everything you were hoping for? currently looking at the natures head brand because of the price


wooo hoo i did it! my goal i to be living in this thing by the end of april most of the work done has been since november 14 so when i get to another major picture day ill fill you up with a more "show ready" interior

[EastCoastCB]

Lookin good!
I don't know much about composting toilets. For me they are cost prohibitive. And I suck with electrical stuff.
But I like what you've done with your bus a lot.

[wauto]

Excellant workmanship. Great pictures. We built our own composting toilet and really like it. The initial razing from visiting friends and relatives was short lived. Nobody can believe, zero foul odors, even in July heat. I used a home depot 5 gal bucket and a screw on lid attachment. Built the box and lid to fit over it. When full just screw lid on and take bucket out to the composting pile, rinse and repeat. We have a second bucket and lid to store the potting soil/cedar chip mix. Smells wonderful.

[claydbal]

i built our compost toilet. i just copied the cabin can. well, sorta, my carpenter skills sukk.
Composting Toilet Trash Treasure Cabin Can Born

[HolyBus]

Originally Posted by claydbal

i built our compost toilet. i just copied the cabin can. well, sorta, my carpenter skills sukk.
Composting Toilet Trash Treasure Cabin Can Born

I think I have decided to go with a very similar design. My slats will run horizontally around the bucket and will include a urin diverter by Freerange.

Reclaimed Furniture from Free Range Designs

[GetTheFunky1]

hmm i guess i hadnt given the homemade composting toilet any thought. i feel like if every time you go you have to cover your deposit with more organic material that bucket will fill up faster and after a buying years worth of organic substrate (sawdust peat moss coco coir) you could have paid for a more efficient system? do you full time in your bus or is the pooper more suited for the weekend warrior?

and i have used this fundamental system (a hole with waste covered by sawdust or peat moss or even lye) in out houses and they have always reaked of sewage. is it because you seal the bucket after each use some what trapping the smell inside or are you just more edjucated on proper use?

the only way ive found to eliminate that sewage smell is to seperate the liquids from the solids and vent that sucker 20 feet in the air so the stink is above nose height.

thanks for your input guys!

[nat_ster]

I never allow my liquids to mix with the solids.

I remove my waste each time I go. I either burn it in my wood stove, or chuck it into the trash bin.

There is no way I'm leaving a weeks worth of poop in my bus!

Nat

[claydbal]

Originally Posted by GetTheFunky1

hmm i guess i hadnt given the homemade composting toilet any thought. i feel like if every time you go you have to cover your deposit with more organic material that bucket will fill up faster and after a buying years worth of organic substrate (sawdust peat moss coco coir) you could have paid for a more efficient system? do you full time in your bus or is the pooper more suited for the weekend warrior?

and i have used this fundamental system (a hole with waste covered by sawdust or peat moss or even lye) in out houses and they have always reaked of sewage. is it because you seal the bucket after each use some what trapping the smell inside or are you just more edjucated on proper use?

the only way ive found to eliminate that sewage smell is to seperate the liquids from the solids and vent that sucker 20 feet in the air so the stink is above nose height.

thanks for your input guys!

no way a years worth of cover material will equal the price of a manufactured shitter. and, who says a manufatured shitter wont stink? got one?

[JA Savage]

I agree with both Nat and Clay. We are not fulltimers, we use our bus for camping for 3 days to 2 weeks at a time. We use wood shavings and sometimes some kitty litter, we have never had any odor problems. We empty out when we use it frequently and the cost is minimal.

[HolyBus]

Originally Posted by JA Savage

We empty out when we use it frequently and the cost is minimal.

I empty out every time I use it. If not, I will just have to use it again. Me not the bucket.
Ours is to be a full time lifer. However, I am just guessing here, but diet may play a part in the smell concern as well. I am not a beer drinker (medical reasons) and usually avoid things like chili, etc. Does my bathroom always smell like roses? no, but I will be using a separator for liquids and coffee grounds and sawdust with the sphagnum moss. We also plan to have a 12v fan and vent for the area under the seat where the bucket will be. The liquids will run in a tube to a container/tank under the bus.

[GetTheFunky1]

nah i dont have any thing other then a porta shitter in the van and its good for the weekend but stinks during the dump and when the trap door opens to flush. works great for its emergency purpose!

anyways i was hoping for a more bi weekly purge of my poop as opposed to every time i go finishing up by flinging it at the neighbors. they have more to fling back. plus fine plastic and overpriced convenience is what separates us from the primates.

i do like the idea and the confidence of ya'll.

i shall try shitting in a bucket for a week gather strenuous smell data and have a more informed view. haha

what about that electrical? i feel a picture of a battery bank with wires leading to converters invertors breakers ect if im lucky with a few make and model numbers of the equipment with a crudely drawn ms paint diagram followed by "skoolie electrical 101 for dummies" would answer my questions.

need to be able to run 12v not plugged in and run 120/charge batteries/run 12v when plugged into shore. it doesnt matter if shore is 50a 30a or from someones outdoor outlet the only strain is the a.c. in the summer. a separate line to charge the house batteries from the running motor is a plus but i look at it as a project for when i live in the sucker.

[claydbal]

funky, what instrument will you use to collect the "smell data" ? lol