Show me your Loft?

[Jaybus]

Can any one show me your loft?
Im thinking the rear "Birth" to be an open loft with wooden ladder.
When in use, bed, when driving, storage for my gear/guitar.

Assuming a forward loft over the driver would be to small?
Im a small person any way, 5 foot 8

I have a full size blue bird.

Show me yours please.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by Jaybus

... rear "Birth"...

I'm sorry but it's so funny. If men could give birth, would it be a "rear birth"?


BTW, the word you are intending to use is "berth". Sometimes spell check leave a lot to be desired.

[roach711]

I think that he means "berth" as in bed.

[chev49]

i even got that one... and im totally ignorent..

[Jaybus]

/golf clap

[somewhereinusa]

/golf clap

???????

[Jaybus]

golf clap (plural golf claps). A sarcastic form of applause

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by Jaybus

golf clap (plural golf claps)....

the sound golf shoes make when walking on a tile floor.

[chev49]

ok... i'm not going there...

[mysty]

OK, I'm resurrecting a year old thread, because I'm trying to figure out how to accommodate the family so that everyone has their own "space" to retreat to. Since length is constrained to 40' at most (and I've read some advice from full timers that you might want to stay closer to 35' if you plan to stay at state parks and such), I'm thinking there might be some play with height. I know that interstate bridge heights give a vertical constraint of 13.5', and we'd like solar panels on the roof, so we need to leave room for those... Are lofts feasible? Have folk done them? Without welding a whole other vehicle to the top of the bus? (I've seen a few of those, but I don't really like them. I'd rather keep the clean lines of the original bus roof and do a lift.)

How high does a typical bus floor sit? How much vertical space is typically lost to insulation - both above and below the living area? And how much height should we plan to leave for the solar panels? I'd LOVE to see pics if anyone has pulled this off!

[Robin97396]

It sounds like you need bunk beds about 3 high, plus one across above the back door. You're discovering how much room that many beds take up, aren't you? That floor space is valuable.
I hate to say it but a cheezy futon makes a pretty comfortable double bed and a decent couch during the day. Like your idea of using the bed spaces for storage during the day, everything needs to have more than one use if possible.
I think I heard about a 40' limit for vehicles crossing the border into Canada. Every choice has some disadvantages. With your space concerns I'd go for the 40'r.

[Robin97396]

Some people here are lifting their roofs 2'. That obviously gets a little more complicated, but if you're stripping the interior anyway... and with your space concerns.

How much floor height you use up is up to you basically. It kind of depends on the "R" value you want in your floors, walls and ceilings. Decide if you're going to loose some of the windows before you insulate.

Sounds like fun.

[scootie]

this is from my first bus. A super short 4 window. futon on bottom, bunk on top.
I found that it was pretty useful for storage ect. but there was little to no head room on couch without your head being carefully positioned in between the joists of the upper bunk.
And although I slept up there a few times, my better half never did, and she said it was way to cramped. The kids loved it though.
I did not build one in my current bus, a 9 window Blue bird.

[scootie]

there is a better one.

[Robin97396]

Functional utility over fashion. The other are just putting lipstick on a pig.

[mysty]

Good design is incorporating form and function. I like to eat the cake I have!

I do love the loft in this one:


Since you don't need to stand up in a bed, they were able to use a lower height for the loft. That way, the bus didn't have to be lifted as much (although they did still lift the roof somewhat).


This one is in a tiny house built on a trailer, not a bus, but I think the design could be modified for a bus pretty easily. They have used a trundle to create a bed that doubles as a couch, and can be stowed away completely when more floor space is desired. Then there's a master bedroom that can be easily closed off for privacy, and a loft above that would support two more twin beds, all in a footprint of about 8'x7'.

I'd be a little worried about headroom on that second one. Might have to duck in the master bedroom to make it work, but it's possible you might be able to squeak it with enough of a roof lift, assuming you're not tall people.

[Robin97396]

That bus looks so nice. Looks like a hobbit doll house.

The tiny house looks more spacious inside, but I think it's probably got a height problem compared to a bus.

I wouldn't turn down either one of them.

[mysty]

Oh yes, the whole build is gorgeous. There's a video tour here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6755UrjCT0

(Part 2 is the next up video that shows the kitchen, bathroom, and cab of the bus)

They obviously put a lot of thought into the design, and the craftsmanship appears to be top notch. It's one of my inspiration buses for sure!

I love how the front door is at the center of the bus, the floor plan is nice and open, and they turned a wheel well into the hearth for their wood burning stove. I'm planning to steal several of their ideas. ;)

[Robin97396]

That is really cute, but has anybody noticed the roof line? I hope it's supposed to be that way.
It would be funny to make it look like the bus was coming out of the garage. I like how they purposely left the front of the bus yellow and black.

[mysty]

I did notice the curve, but I assumed it was intentional. (I think they were going for whimsical cottage roof?) It looks like they left the steel ribs in place and just built an exterior roof over the top of it, so it should still be structurally sound. Not particularly aerodynamic, but I don't know how often/if they move the bus, although they did reply to a youtube comment asking if the engine works, and confirmed that the bus does run.