Barnaby the Bus Conversion

[Barnaby]

Hello all, my wife and I just bought a bus, named it Barnaby, and are going to take the next year or two to convert it into a comfortable vacation rig.

Around five years ago we drove around the country for six months in an RV, and we loved the experience. It gave us a chance to explore many of the coolest National Parks, museums, cities, and parts of the country in one fell swoop and visit sometimes obscure or out-of-the-way attractions that would otherwise not be worth the effort of a separate trip.

We want to do more of that kind of traveling, but not in an RV. Aside from the questionable build quality (at our level of affordability at least) we really didn't care for the aesthetics of our RV. My wife was not that bothered but I'm a real petty tyrant when it comes to design, so dealing with all the browns and beiges was a daily struggle, frankly.

I'm excited to learn new skills: I can do a little woodworking but I want to really challenge myself with the interior cabinetry and finishings. And I have no experience at all with metalwork, so I set myself the goal of learning how to weld. We live in New Orleans, Louisiana, which, I think, is not a hotbed of skoolie building. Still, there are a ton of local artisans and resources I hope to connect and maybe collaborate with.

I've started a build thread to document the conversion. It'll be great to get your advice and learn from your opinions!