New Conversion Idea

[Rob_D]

Hey y'all. Wanted to get some thoughts/ideas on something I've been thinking about for a few months. This will be my second conversion project, my 1st being a shorty into a food truck.

I have details on pen and paper, but I'll describe it best I can. Think of it kinda like a space station, a permanent structure that can be visited by a smaller unit. Now, the permanent structure I'll describe as East and west. East and West will be 2 long busses facing north, back doors on the south end. The "shuttle"will be a short bus that will be drivable and dockable when pulled in. So the back door of the shorty would align with the back door of the east bus. The entrance door of the shorty would align with the back door of the west bus. Confused yet?

The shorty would be for travel, and in the non travel times it would be "docked", making a house. I would have to build decks on east and west to make the connection, and practice backing up 😋. The shorty would be pretty much an RV without a bathroom. The east would be the living area, living room and sleeping area. West would be the kitchen and dining, alot of space for a kitchen but I love to cook.

Lots of ideas for the outside, but for now I'm focusing on the busses. Thoughts and ideas appreciated.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

Would have to have all three there to work out the deck elevations to match the docking unit/short bus front door and back door to the east and west elevation of there doors and also the spacing of east and west to accommodate the shorty properly for your intended purpose. Any idea is possible. But the more involved it is meens the more time planning and playing jigsaw puzzle with the three key pieces to get a decent idea of exactly how to work it before you actually build to save some time and money in the oops it ain't right like that section.
Good luck

[Mark_In_MA]

Its an interesting idea, but for me, I think it gets awfully close to that point where it's more complicated then it's worth. That's 3 buses worth of windows to seal, insulate, heat, and cool. At that point, is a bus really the best thing to be starting out with as a dwelling?


Practically, it's also going to be a rather odd interior layout - I might be (sideways) only a few feet away from something - but to get it, I have to walk all the way down one bus, cross into the other bus, and then walk all the way to the other end to get the thing. (Then I have to walk all the way back.)

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Having a full-size master bus and a shortie that parks next to it could be kinda cool - like having a living room that you could just drive away.

[Ronnie]

Neat idea.

Heating and cooling would be interesting, as you would likely need 3 heating and a/c systems. As already mentioned a lot of windows, but also a lot of wall space compared to floor space, very inefficient for heating and cooling.

Just some thoughts.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

I was thinking of two 53' storage containers insulated inside and ceramic paint coated out and whatever spread you want in between then build a full roof between the two.
Cut doors and windows in where wanted.
They company I work for has two set ups like that.
We move them around from big job to big job as needed but when set up they are full 53'long x20' wide in between the containers for a full sheetmetal shop in one and a full pipe fitting welding shop in the other.
When it's time to move each shop the containers hold the building.
The trusses and roof metal in one and the walls and roll up door in the other.
Takes a little bit of prep/ time to get the containers dropped square at the right spacing and a few loads of gravel spread out in between.
But then with the right doors you could pull the short bus right in between the two under a roof until your ready to hit the road.
That's what I was thinking the whole time I was typing my yesterday comment but I was trying to support ROB D's idea instead of say what I would do instead.
I can get/buy used containers around here for average of 18-2800$ depending on there condition delivered and dropped where I need them.
good luck

[johnforrest]

If you parked your biggest bus then build a yurt up in a tree house over the front 1/2. Then suspended two short buses over the back half You could wear a captain Kirk shirt.