Floor plan for medium/short bus

[ChrisHieronimus]

Hey guys,

still haven't decided on what size of a bus to get, but I narrowed it down to a five or six window school bus. Still not sure if cutaway or full size, but that's for later to decide.
For now, I know that a four window bus is too small, since we wanna fit both a kitchen and shower.

So here's what I did. I measured things at home and thought about how much to downsize it for a bus. Bed, shower, stove, sink etc. Then took the measures I found in another thread here (2,5ft for each window without the entrance/driver's area) and started sketching. Super rough and half-assed. Things like the wheel arches not considered. I'll probably build cabinets/bed/couch/whatever around those.

For now, I'm thankful for every feedback I get, especially from people who have experiences in similar sized busses.

(No fancy software, it's just photoshop, because I wanted to be able to move things around without erasing and re-drawing on paper)

And I know it'll be so much easier once I've actually taken a meter stick with me to a bus dealer. Not gonna happen for now. I'm still in Germany, moving to California soon and start building.

Thanks!

[Jdawgsfanasty]

Originally Posted by ChrisHieronimus

Hey guys,

still haven't decided on what size of a bus to get, but I narrowed it down to a five or six window school bus. Still not sure if cutaway or full size, but that's for later to decide.
For now, I know that a four window bus is too small, since we wanna fit both a kitchen and shower.

So here's what I did. I measured things at home and thought about how much to downsize it for a bus. Bed, shower, stove, sink etc. Then took the measures I found in another thread here (2,5ft for each window without the entrance/driver's area) and started sketching. Super rough and half-assed. Things like the wheel arches not considered. I'll probably build cabinets/bed/couch/whatever around those.

For now, I'm thankful for every feedback I get, especially from people who have experiences in similar sized busses.

(No fancy software, it's just photoshop, because I wanted to be able to move things around without erasing and re-drawing on paper)

And I know it'll be so much easier once I've actually taken a meter stick with me to a bus dealer. Not gonna happen for now. I'm still in Germany, moving to California soon and start building.

Thanks!

Looks good...you're thinking about what's needed

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[Jolly Roger bus 223]

It is simpler to add they grey and black water to the same tank but the solids going into that tank are going to effect the amount of water that the tank will hold.
Side note I meant to add in a recent thread/post is that regardless of what tank we are discussing the tank itself regardless of what is contained needs to have a vent so that it can accept what we are putting in it and can breath when we are draining whatever is in in the tank itself.
The tank has to breath or you could?
Example.
End up with a 50 gallon tank that will only hold 30?
Because it has NO way to release the air that is in it or worst case scenario of your toilet or sink's bubbling all the time? Either it takes your tanks hours to drain or you have a drain line sucking air and your tanks start failing/collapsing cause they can't breath.
Just food for thought and I have experience and the tanks I salvaged off of an old Winnebago didn't have it but on a larger scale I have seen 500-gal plastic tanks and 5000-gal steel tanks implode or explode because they weren't vented properly.
Long story short the top of your tanks need to be vented so the tank can inhale and exhale.
Many speedy options but an a check valve stood straight up with a vent cap will do the same thing as a vaccum breaker that cost more.
I have cheaper options but require more physical work.
I don't want to install any replaceable parts where I can't walk up and put my hands on them. Access doors are fine if I build/size them to fit my hands and wrenches to undo what I have done and cuss myself for lack of room.
Happy with that cause it's me verses me instead of what I deal with at work.
For a schoolie Your decisions only hurt you.
Others opinions/decisions hurt sometimes but it doesn't define you are your aspect of your intentions?

[Jdawgsfanasty]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

It is simpler to add they grey and black water to the same tank but the solids going into that tank are going to effect the amount of water that the tank will hold.
Side note I meant to add in a recent thread/post is that regardless of what tank we are discussing the tank itself regardless of what is contained needs to have a vent so that it can accept what we are putting in it and can breath when we are draining whatever is in in the tank itself.
The tank has to breath or you could?
Example.
End up with a 50 gallon tank that will only hold 30?
Because it has NO way to release the air that is in it or worst case scenario of your toilet or sink's bubbling all the time? Either it takes your tanks hours to drain or you have a drain line sucking air and your tanks start failing/collapsing cause they can't breath.
Just food for thought and I have experience and the tanks I salvaged off of an old Winnebago didn't have it but on a larger scale I have seen 500-gal plastic tanks and 5000-gal steel tanks implode or explode because they weren't vented properly.
Long story short the top of your tanks need to be vented so the tank can inhale and exhale.
Many speedy options but an a check valve stood straight up with a vent cap will do the same thing as a vaccum breaker that cost more.
I have cheaper options but require more physical work.
I don't want to install any replaceable parts where I can't walk up and put my hands on them. Access doors are fine if I build/size them to fit my hands and wrenches to undo what I have done and cuss myself for lack of room.
Happy with that cause it's me verses me instead of what I deal with at work.
For a schoolie Your decisions only hurt you.
Others opinions/decisions hurt sometimes but it doesn't define you are your aspect of your intentions?

Yep...when the pump works but the vent fails...yep need vents

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[Twigg]

Typically, RV tanks don't have vents, except for the fresh water tank.

Waste from grey water goes down a 1 1/2" tube that has plenty of room for the displaced air to exit at the same time. It may "glug" occasionally, but sinks and showers empty pretty quickly.

Black water drops vertically from the toilet straight into the tank through about a 4" hole. No vent needed there. Indeed, if you do vent it you have to go way above the roof-line to avoid unpleasant smells.

Emptying the tanks ... No issue with the grey. It might suck the water from the traps, but that gets quickly replaced. For the black tank you can crack the toilet before opening the valve to empty it.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

Would it not be easier to plan a dedicated vent into your build?
One single vent to atmosphere or two if needEd for your design.
A STUDOR or Island vent will work for a little.
I can guarantee you want to have access to replace them.
It might be 10- years from now depending on you choice of your plumbing or it could be a week after you hit the road and or at a campground ?
I will only give an opinion
Please accept it as that?

[Jdawgsfanasty]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

Would it not be easier to plan a dedicated vent into your build?
One single vent to atmosphere or two if needEd for your design.
A STUDOR or Island vent will work for a little.
I can guarantee you want to have access to replace them.
It might be 10- years from now depending on you choice of your plumbing or it could be a week after you hit the road and or at a campground ?
I will only give an opinion
Please accept it as that?

To clarify my post...as long as there's a vent in the system there will be issues...it's almost impossible not to leave out vents...even if you're not purposefully putting them in...as mentioned, if you have a trap on a sink it will work as a vent since the water( in the trap) will offer less resistance than the tank...and black tanks are generally gravity emptied...fresh water tanks will need a vent...for air to escape when it's being filled

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[roach711]

Your shower is likely going to be right over a wheel well and the passenger seat location may be a bit awkward. Wheel wells and drains are the major roadblocks in bus floor plan design. We avoided having to install a black tank by using a porta-potti and setting it right on the wheel well.

The floor measurements of our 6 window shuttle bus and our final floor plan (I didn't install a sink at the shower). Our passenger seal doubles as a dinette seat.

[ChrisHieronimus]

Thank you everyone!
It's going to be a composting toilet, so no black water tank. That kind you for the comments in venting tanks, actually never thought of that, will add valves.

Yes I am sure I will have to move around because of wheel wells, but I can always switch sided of the kitchen isle and shower.

Super helpful here!

[ChrisHieronimus]

Oh and the passenger seat. We just know that we wanna install one. Where have other skoolies put it? Next to driver? Next to door?

[dbhost]

It sounds like you're trying to do the same thing I'm trying to do which is squeezed in a comfortable sleeping area or bed a good bathroom and a decent enough kitchen. The four window Shorty's are simply put too short to have a full-on bathroom however you can always stash a porta pot under the bed and just slide it out on an as-needed basis. Not my idea of an ideal situation though.

What I had considered doing and I am still trying to figure out how to accomplish this is assuming a full-width bus putting a well for lack of a better term convertible king bed that turns into a full with couch along the back wall of the bus this would allow for a dining area and a nice large bed sort of a multi use space area just slide in a small movable table and you've got it all sewn up.

I am looking myself for what buses are available and what the actual interior dimensions are of them so I can work out interior plans and see what works and what doesn't

[Tango]

If you are OK with sitting down while you shower off, a "wet bath" combination toilet/shower can be squeezed into very little space. Pretty common even in some small factory RV's. My whole arrangement will take up 30" of wall space x about 36" out (using either a conventional or composting type toilet).