The Strugglebus
Hello Friends,
I have finally started this progress and, thus, am starting a thread so I can document this conversion. I'll give a quick synopsis. I bought this about a year ago instead of building a tiny house because this just appealed to me a bit more. This caused a pretty big problem from the beginning- did I want to convert this into more of a home or more of an RV meant for cruising the highway? In light of the fact that I'm kinda lazy, I decided to use the bus as is until I had to decide. That time has come and gone and now I begin with the intent to build a bus that sleeps less than no more than 6 people and is powered mainly by shore power.
Here is what we started with-
Mechanical- Cummins small cam engine with Eaton manual 9 speed split. Live Tandem axle, air brakes, large diesel generator
Heated and cooled by three rooftop RV units in the neighborhood of 45k btu
AC and DC systems- Dorman fridge, tankless water heater, various lighting systems that may or may not work
one big tank for grey/black water
an interior in need of thermal and noise insulation
a roof that needs a little sealing
lots of updating.
Here's where we are headed-
18" roof raise, patching all holes in the roof, reskinning the exterior, removing all (thankfully surface only) rust in interior ribbing, primer and paint both interior and exterior surfaces to prevent rust
new windows (leaning toward tempered residential for cost savings/availability)
3" sprayfoam insulation on sides and roof, at least 3" on floor but potentially more, as i will be putting my floors above the wheel wells.
rewire the 110 system completely, add in 12v powered lighting and accessories as needed
mini split AC/Heating system
new plumbing, since I'll be there
updated, somewhat modernish interior
I can't seem to find the original photos of the interor at the moment but I will add them when I get them
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