Victoria

[Lady Franklin]

nickverge said

I think I should be able to do this all for around $3-4k total.

Your cute!!! Dude I find your enthusiasm inspiring, but man I don't think you grasp the full scale of what you have begun. I look forward to seeing how you make out. If you want to see how I did many of the things your talking about doing check out our blog.

http://www.fuzzytravel.com/waalner/6884 ... rsion.html

[the_experience03]

Originally Posted by nickverge

I want to have it looking cheap, to get the lower insurance rates, and then I can upgrade it.

What it looks like isn't going to matter if you're just going to do public liability insurance like I believe the majority of us do. It doesn't matter if the bus cost you five bucks or five million to build because the insurance covers the people you hit, not you. Now if you are wanting to cover yourself against loses things change a little, but no much. In cases of homebuilt vehicles you typically declare a value and pay insurance based on that value. It is common to get vehicles appraised in the case of kit cars, restorations, hot rods, etc. I think you might end up in the same boat. In this case it might not be beneficial to have a "cheap" looking bus, even if you declare a higher value and pay the higher premiums. Why? Because it will look like fraud if you ever have to make a claim.

[paul iossi]

go to the local state police post and ask who ever is on the desk what the requirements are to be a rv, they have to know what the law requires, after all they enforce it.
as Elliot would say, clean yourself up, look responsible and credible, explain what you are trying to do and ask for help so that you don't inadvertantly break any laws, it may take them some time to dig out the information but they have it.

[the_experience03]

Originally Posted by paul iossi

as Elliot would say, clean yourself up, look responsible and credible.

[timbuk]

there is no way elliot is peddaling that thing...look at those eyes!

[nickverge]

Ok, first of all, thanks for everyone's support. Lady Franklin I have actually been following your conversion for quite some time now, before I even bought my bus. I am in awe when looking at your roof raise. If it would cost $8k, I can say that I would never do a roof raise on this bus. I don't have access to or room for a tractor either, although I know you don't recommend that method. Nonetheless, I love your rig, and I will be following your progress on it.

So you all are saying that my insurance will be the same for liability if the renovation costs $2.50 or $1,000,000? I know they charged me varying amounts for liability only coverage on my cars, perhaps because they are all at different risks of an accident, or the damage resulting from one...? I know the insurance I used before state farm said for liability it didn't matter if it was a ford escort or a lamborghini, the cost would be the same, as the vehicle wasn't covered. Now I am charged different amounts to insure different vehicles (only one at a time though). I don't even have coverage on my explorer, as I feel they just try to figure out a way to not pay out anyway, but no-fault insurance is required here in Michigan.

If this is the case, I can finish off most of it. A lot of the stuff going in the bus really is actually left over from other projects, but some stuff I just have to buy.

We are planning on framing the walls (exterior facing at least) tomorrow. Are there any recommendations for securing the wall to the floor? We were thinking just carriage bolts should do the trick. I'm still hoping for some suggestions about the insulation as well.

I will probably just call my insurance agent tomorrow and see how the coverage would work. I may be contacting GMAC too. Please feel free to leave comments and any ideas, as always, would be greatly appreciated.

[the_experience03]

Originally Posted by nickverge

So you all are saying that my insurance will be the same for liability if the renovation costs $2.50 or $1,000,000? I know they charged me varying amounts for liability only coverage on my cars, perhaps because they are all at different risks of an accident, or the damage resulting from one...?

This would be correct. Insurance is purely a numbers game based on actuarials. A small front wheel drive car with ABS and stability control is less likely to cause damage on a snowy day than a 1972 rwd Cadillac with 500 cubic inches under the hood and no safety features besides shear mass.

RV's have a very low incidence of accidents regardless of the driver's sex, age, location, etc. That is why our insurance is so low.

[bbbrt76]

Originally Posted by paul iossi

they have to know what the law requires, after all they enforce it.
.

sorry but I gotta say, the cops know very little about laws and regulations when it comes to anything that they don't see every single day, which is about summed up by speeding tickets and DWI's

[Sojakai]

True, but they always have a "Walking Book" that works there. If he/she doesnt know it by heart, they know where to find it in about five minutes or less... At least thats the way its been at the couple california police stations I have been in. (Voluntarily, not arrested.)

[nickverge]

Well, today we removed the rubber on the steps, the little half wall seat things in the very front of the bus, all the metal strips going around the bus, and the handle for the stairs (which we'll replace later. Half of the time we spent picking up supplies. Tomorrow we'll be putting down a 7/16" osb subfloor, right over the rubber, as we figured the rubber would make for some insulation of the floor. Any Suggestions to change that? I figure changing the color will make the question stand out more. I took a look at the brakes, and the back driver side rotor is vertically split in half . I'll have to get a pic of it when I pull it off to show you all. It's funny because I never thought something could get to that point.

At any rate, we will be framing the exterior walls tomorrow, as I still haven't figured out a floorplan that works without doing the roof raise yet. The wheel humps are a real "pain in the bus". It is hard to plan any kind of shower with adequate ceiling height, unless I make the floor between the wheel humps into a shower pan that looks like a floor with a drain in it (like some class b rv's). To me this seems kind of low end (no offense to anyone who has done it), I'm just not sure I like the idea of a shower head jutting out of the bathroom wall. I have considered a neo angle shower, but that would require me to use up more space that would have been dedicated to the stateroom or the kitchen.

Someone stopped by to look at the bus and recommended I scrap it and double my money. It kinda made me mad, luckily he was inside the bus, otherwise Victoria might have got mad and showed him firsthand how much a 66 passenger bus weighs

Anywho, if anyone has any ideas on incorporating a shower that you can stand up in, and/or a bathtub (which could go over the wheel hump, just most people can't stand up in it), please let me know. I have considered putting the bath in the back, but then the hallway to it would face the same wheel hump. I'll try to figure out more about the laws, but I'm sure it will easily pass as a motorhome when I am done.

Thanks for reading, and as always, thanks for your comments!

[the_experience03]

Everyone has their own opinions about the floor. I pulled my rubber and original plywood up and I'm VERY glad I did. There was rust and rotting wood under that rubber that I never would have seen had I not pulled it up. I also eliminated a lot of that "bus smell" by removing the rubber. I figured I couldn't change what I did with the floor once I started converting so I wanted to do it right. I ended up fixing the rust, plugging the holes, giving it several coats of paint, laying furring strips, insulating between the strips, putting down a vapor barrier, and THEN putting the subfloor down. Of course there are plenty on this board that have just built on the rubber as well.

[Lady Franklin]

nickverge said

more space that would have been dedicated to the stateroom

Stateroom... I like your style.

Have you checked into sprayfoam for insulation? I know its a little more money but it gives you your vapour barrier right way as well, certainly saving you a few bucks in poly and labour. Otherwise rigid polystyrene is best, I remember vaguely a thread on the subject here... um... found it here

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3685&p=29562&hilit=extruded+p olystyrene#p29562

[nickverge]

Thanks, I'll check out the spray foam. I have been calling it stateroom, and now I can think of a reason why... Victoria will be a luxurious land yacht, . Well that's the best I can think of, off for another day of bus work, and work work. I'll try to get a few pics if I can.

[lapeer20m]

did ya see the photo of some guy on skoolie.net that sank his shower pan down into the floor so you would step down into the shower...a lot easier than a roof raise.

[nickverge]

Sinking the shower pan, thats a good idea. I think there would be sufficient ceiling height if I put the shower anywhere on the main floor, it's just that above the wheel wells would make the perfect spot, if the ceiling wasn't so low, that and I can't really lower the floor there. . Great idea though! I had never even thought of that.

[smitty500]

How about a shower in the center that goes down in the floor but when not in use you place a flat cover over the base and the shower curtain and hoses retract to a closet built for them? a portable shower.

[paul iossi]

don't foget to allow room for a trap under the shower drain to keep the smell out,

[Griff]

Originally Posted by lapeer20m

did ya see the photo of some guy on skoolie.net that sank his shower pan down into the floor so you would step down into the shower...a lot easier than a roof raise.

That was Andy B Bus 9 - starts here in the gallery:
http://www.skoolie.net/gallery2/v/Sk...ower1.jpg.html
I thought that was a great idea!

[nickverge]

Well we got most of the subfloor done today. I took some pictures too, unfortunately they were on my camera (not on a card) and I've yet to find the cord to hook it up to the computer. I may just put a card in the camera and retake the same pictures so that I can post them tomorrow. I'm thinking of going with the idea of using the bathroom floor as a shower pan, with a drain in the floor. I figured that instead of putting the shower head above the bathroom door, I could just put it over the tub, and then bend it to face the floor when I want to take a shower instead of a bath. In doing this, I will still be able to put the bathroom where the wheel humps are how I originally planned. My only concern now is whether or not the differential will get in the way of the drain. At worst, I can just put the drain right behind where the differential ends.

I checked out bus number 9 and I was very impressed with the quality of work. I am planning to put a lot of great craftsmanship into Victoria. So far it is going well, and quickly. We plan on having the rest of the subfloor (including steps) and the exterior walls framed by tomorrow morning. Perhaps we can frame the interior walls now that I have basically planned the layout, but I think it might be better to wait until we get the tub and appliances in, so that we know they'll fit.

It is going along quickly, but I suppose since my uncle only works a few hours a day, and I only work a few hours a week, there is a lot more time than most people have to dedicate to it. Anyways, I'm still stoked about it, and I can't wait for the maiden voyage. For the record I have no idea when or where that will be, but the prospect is still very exciting!

[Lady Franklin]

Nick said

So far it is going well, and quickly. We plan on having the rest of the subfloor (including steps) and the exterior walls framed by tomorrow morning.

Oh geeze dude, I got to get going on my bus again. By the time I get my new suspension in you are going to have road stories already! Keep it up. Your doing an amazing amount of work in very little time.