all the help please and thank you

[HamSkoolie]

Originally Posted by 05FrieghtlinerThomas

totally depends upon the comforts and features you build in to it but my 40 bus full featured conversion was $100K, all in. $40K is not going to get you much more than a bus and a place to sleep with bare essentials.

40K is well over what we're looking at and while we know there are things here and there that we didn't budget, we'll be WELL under 40K.
That includes spray foamed walls and ceiling, 200 gal fresh, 65 gal black, 50 gal grey, water reclamation system to reclaim grey to shower and washing machine. A splendide all in one washer/dryer, gas stove, residential fridge freezer, microwave. Victron multi plus inverter/charger/transfer switch, 2500 watts of solar, 10.52 watts lithium batteries, 110 and 12 volt distribution. Sheet metal to delete windows, rivets for the sheet, insulated floors, plywood sub floor, plywood walls, 2 propane tankless water heaters, diesel parking heater, mini wood stove, Mr Buddy backup propane heat, 29 Gallon (not pound) ASME propane tank, 2 mini split air conditioners....AND MORE


Hardly bare bones

[maddmaxx]

"Apparently…. He did not. Don’t be an ass."


Ahh... making friends already

��

[jacob McD]

Originally Posted by 05FrieghtlinerThomas

totally depends upon the comforts and features you build in to it but my 40 bus full featured conversion was $100K, all in. $40K is not going to get you much more than a bus and a place to sleep with bare essentials.

If you don't mind me asking what is your build like that made it 100K. My line of thinking of why people were doing this is because you can do it for a lot cheaper and still end up with a nice product that can rival what you go buy off a lot.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by HamSkoolie

40K is well over what we're looking at and while we know there are things here and there that we didn't budget, we'll be WELL under 40K.
That includes spray foamed walls and ceiling, 200 gal fresh, 65 gal black, 50 gal grey, water reclamation system to reclaim grey to shower and washing machine. A splendide all in one washer/dryer, gas stove, residential fridge freezer, microwave. Victron multi plus inverter/charger/transfer switch, 2500 watts of solar, 10.52 watts lithium batteries, 110 and 12 volt distribution. Sheet metal to delete windows, rivets for the sheet, insulated floors, plywood sub floor, plywood walls, 2 propane tankless water heaters, diesel parking heater, mini wood stove, Mr Buddy backup propane heat, 29 Gallon (not pound) ASME propane tank, 2 mini split air conditioners....AND MORE


Hardly bare bones

I think a lot of the budget depends on a person's skill set.. you have a wide array of useful skills that allow you to save $$ by doing things yourself.. im also guessing you have a lot of tools.. tools can be a huge investment towards a project if you dont have a good array of them (or access to them) already.. having the right tools also allows a person to do parts of a project with more ease than someone struggling without the right tools..

[05FrieghtlinerThomas]

Pics are posted under my account, you should be able to pull them up. My number was assuming you were going to have the bus professionally customed, a DIY would obviously be cheaper. If you knew so much about the build out I’m curious why you were even asking for advice on the site.

[jacob McD]

I'm simply asking for advice in order to make the best decision for myself possible. many people have good knowledge and things to avoid if anything I want to know that. The pitfalls that got people into a pickle halted their progress or made them spend more money than they thought they would. I'm also the type of person that likes to hear people's opinions and get a general consensus on what a project like this is really like.

[HamSkoolie]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

I think a lot of the budget depends on a person's skill set.. you have a wide array of useful skills that allow you to save $$ by doing things yourself.. im also guessing you have a lot of tools.. tools can be a huge investment towards a project if you dont have a good array of them (or access to them) already.. having the right tools also allows a person to do parts of a project with more ease than someone struggling without the right tools..

Good points and yes, I have useful skill sets for conversion and most of the tools needed.

The tools aren't really that expensive though when compared to the total build, unless you want access to a sheet metal brake and shear, wood planer, and all the other really nice to have tools.
I'll be making up a list of tools NEEDED and the NICE TO HAVES to post on our website along with the costs (and the date it was written because inflation you know).

[HamSkoolie]

Originally Posted by jacob McD

I'm simply asking for advice in order to make the best decision for myself possible. many people have good knowledge and things to avoid if anything I want to know that. The pitfalls that got people into a pickle halted their progress or made them spend more money than they thought they would. I'm also the type of person that likes to hear people's opinions and get a general consensus on what a project like this is really like.

1) Don't cut, unplug, or otherwise manipulate ANY wiring unless you know what you're doing, you are under the supervision of someone that knows what you're doing, or you've watched a ton of YouTube university videos about how to go about it.


2) Watch some build videos. Those already built for ideas of what works and doesn't as well as under construction videos which will teach you a lot about what does and doesn't work as well as just how much work there is. BeAdventurePartners and Beginning from this morning on YouTube are two well detailed builds.


3) Assess your Needs, Wants, and Desires as well as the "mission" of the finished build. You DO NOT need air conditioning but it's likely to be a want or desired feature. You NEED cooking and sleeping accomodations of some sort as well as heat. Do you plan to live in the bus full time? Will you be touring a lot of spending weeks, months, or even year(s) in one location before moving?


Lots to consider.

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by HamSkoolie

1) Don't cut, unplug, or otherwise manipulate ANY wiring unless you know what you're doing, you are under the supervision of someone that knows what you're doing, or you've watched a ton of YouTube university videos about how to go about it.

YES, this. There are countless threads on here where people starting hacking away at wiring and now their bus won't start. Tracing things back ain't easy.
Also, a LOT of people seem to get burned out after ripping out the seats, floor and walls...the stuff that needs to happen before the fun begins. They usually list their bus with the selling point of "I've already done the hard work for you" and the ads usually state "selling because of life changes" or some such thing. If you can find a bus with the demo work already done, all the better.

[HamSkoolie]

YEP
Ours came with the seats already pulled and I was SOOOOO happy to not have to deal with that.

[56MkIJag]

Actually, you can go far with $40K. I think you should consider two other dimensions first, that will then give you a good starting point.
First: for the life you intend for the bus, do you have a desire to spend time off pavement? If yes, that will dictate (somewhat) your chassis and suspension. Some busses that are very comfortable to drive do well only on pavement.
Second issue, do you believe you spend significant time in an urban area? If yes, I would plan on a shorter bus (say 30' or less).
Neither of the above is hard and fast. I have a 36' and go into urban areas, but parking is a chore and traffic is a nightmare. I had wanted a retired greyhound chassis, but they do not travel well on the roads I like to camp on.
I have a bus that is nearly as old as I am with an engine/trans combo from the early 90's. It is economical and comfortable (up to about 62mph). I have a queen size walk around bed, kitchen, bath, living area and enough electrical power for all that I need. When I go on the road, I am warm, dry and comfortable.

[LargeMargeInBaja]

Originally Posted by HamSkoolie

[edited for brevity]
Oregon (bureaucrats) are notorious...we can't live in an RV in the state of Oregon...unless you're in an approved RV park...

.
[Proofing this, I realize it is all over the place. Forgive me, my intention is in the right place...]
.
.
Eugene, Oregon.
My experience:
People needing homes exceeds available housing by a long-shot.
.
Accordingly, Eugene bureaucrats promote 'alternative housing', such as attic or basement conversions, granny-in-law 'auxillary dwellings', TinyHomes, and full-time live-aboard RecreationVehicles parked alongside homes.
For a semi-permanent home, inspections and fees are waived for a square-foot foot-print of hundred sf most of the time, and a couple hundred sf other times.
Keep quiet, make friends with the neighborhood, and you could live there for decades... nobody cares.
.
You might notice the preceding paragraph discussed 'square foot' as a generally recognized value in traditional structures.
By working within the Oregon Buildings Code, an astute designer can easily double the size of the *CUBIC* living space... while staying within that arbitrary square-foot limit on living without permission.
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My contractor friends Keith and Olivia operate Bohemia Concepts, focusing on backyard aux dwellings in and around Eugene.
They are booked for the next decade and beyond.
They are frequent presenters at TinyHome forums and workshops.
Bohemia, and folks like them, are in the process of teaching the bureaucrats about shifts in housing needs.
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I hope most everybody on skoolie understands -- the 'old normal' is gone.
A few bureaucrats are opening their eyes and ears to working with community needs instead of forcing the 'old normal' of one-size-fits-all onto today's survivors of 2020-21 cascading Black Swan events.
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Speaking to skoolie members and guests:
* As community leaders and innovators, part of our duty is smoothing the path for those coming behind us.
A few subtle nudges now can make a yuge improvement later.
Ripples.
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In Eugene, the underground and black markets support substantial numbers of carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and independent concrete folks.
Anybody willing to work always has an income in this area.
One example -- a station-wagon towing a pick-up bed trailer doing yard clean-up can literally 'clean up' in the cash-for-labor department.
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Occasionally, these auxiliary dwellings use a dedicated electric service, but a good working relationship between landlords and tenants goes a long way.
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In our situation, networking back in 2018 immediately provided us with a workkamp gig on a small organic teaching farm near the outskirts of Eugene.
We share the acreage with a couple-three dozen other workkampers in RecreationVehicles and various versions of DIY traveling homes.
.
The streets of Eugene are home to many hundreds of traveling homes... including full-time nomadic families living full-time in tents.
A few squatters make messes, a few are deeply disturbed... but experienced traveling neighbors help keep their area squared, good for everybody.
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LawEnforcementOfficials with Eugene Police Force are far more interested in calculating their benefits package than stirring trouble among mostly-peaceable folks.
However, the Police Force responds to complaints... sometimes immediately, sometimes eventually.
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Keep it clean, keep it quiet, mind your own business, be a good neighbor.
.
.
My experience:
* Can you full-time live-aboard in a traveling home in Oregon?
* Yup.

[LargeMargeInBaja]

Originally Posted by jacob McD

[edited for brevity]
.
...do it for a lot cheaper and...rival what you go buy off a lot.

.
[yuge sigh]
An understatement.
.
Short of a half-million bux Cherman ExpeditionVehicle such as a ActionMobile or UniCat, nothing can rival our DIY rig.
I would not give two biden platinum-plated trillion-bux coins for any factory RecreationVehicle manufactured anyplace in fUSA.
.
One word:
* staples into particle-board with holes in the roof.
[deleted -- much gnashing and rending]

[Wanda bus]

Do all the research you can! There is so much information readily available that there is really no reason a person with will power and a little bit of money cannot build a functioning skoolie. I am a 56 year old female and I have done it single handedly. I also have the head of a mule at times, but I have always viewed this as an attribute.
Again, read all you can on the internet and let yourself get caught up in the frenzy of watching all the youtube videos you can. A plan will start to emerge. Good luck! The build is quite an adventure!!

[cadillackid]

somrthing else to think about if oarking in cities and towns.. if your bus Looks like a bus it will garner very little attention from asuthorities.. my DEV bus still has some of its seats so looking at it from the outside (non tint windows) it looks mostly like a bus.. i realize that wouldnt make very good living quarters.. if the windows were dark tinted then it would look like a bus on thye outside and no one would know whats on the inside.. it wont gather much attenmtion from law enforcement.. Busses are everywhere, they blend in.. people assume they have a business being where they are..



if you have stove pipes hanging out the side, window A/C out the back, half yellow, half white, some windows skinned over or worse yet painted.. authorities are going to be drawn to that to check it out.. regardless of intention.. thats reality.. busses blend in and are accepted as part of business and "official".. Fancy looking RVs to a point but even those draw some scrutiny.. Hippie campers and half-builds will draw the most attention in cities and towns.. again im going on reality not what we "think" it should be..



as most everyone here knows im a bus enthusiast sdo my busses remain mostly or all bus and dont fit into the camping or living category.. ive parked said busses for days in places where other types of vehicles get run-out.



I also prefer short busses.. you can park them anywhere.. less than 30 feet you can drive on about any street you want and fit into some small spaces.. my 6 window International full chassis bus turns sharper than a dodge ram pickup truck...