AndrewKingPharmD
New Member
Hi, I'm Andrew and I live in downtown Chicago. I'm brand new to this whole school bus conversion thing but I'm really glad that this forum exists. I am hoping to get some guidance on what the best order to do things is. I'll give you an idea of what I'm looking to do and maybe you all can help to steer me in the right direction. I appreciate any assistance you can provide.
My bus is a 2007 Chevy 6.6L Duramax Diesel Mid-Bus. It is a 22 foot 5-window model.
My plan is to essentially be entirely off-grid as I'll be doing a lot of asphalt surfing out here in Chicagoland.
Here are my plans thus far:
1) I want to put a queen platform bed in the rear and have this on a 2ft platform with under-bed rear garage storage.
2) Moving from back to front on the driver side, I plan to have butcher block counters run the entire length.
a) Concealed in the rear aspect of the butcher block countertop, I plan to have a converted sheep stock tank that is 48" long, 24" deep, and about 12" tall. The plan is for the butcher block countertop to be removable in that section and repurposed as a table top when necessary.
b) Underneath the platform bed on the drivers side, I plan to use a Laveo Dry Flush toilet that is 18" in height and able to be pulled out from under the bed. From underneath the frontal aspect of the converted stock stank bed, I plan to be able to pull out a drying mat platform. Both the toilet platform and drying mat platform will puzzle-piece together to create a 48"x48" bathroom area that encompasses the 48" tub, the toilet, and the drying mat platform. When the restroom is not in use, this will all just be rolled back into the countertop and bed areas. Totally out-of-sight when not being used...that's the plan.
c) Moving further from rear to front, I intend to have a 20"x20" farmhouse sink. While I intend to have a dedicated faucet for the tub, I have aspirations to be able to pull the kitchen sink spray head up high to be used secondarily as a shower head as a dual-purpose concept.
d) After the kitchen sink, I'll have extra butcher block prep space and a drop in 2-burner cooktop with a propane mini-fridge underneath.
2) On the passenger side, from rear to front, I plan to have a 24"W x 24" D x 70-72" H closet space. I plan on using the upper 30"H x 24"W x 24"D for shirt hangers. Under that, I'll be using 30"H x 12"W x 24"D for pant hangers. Next to the pants, I'll have an area for convertible shelving that is equally-sized as the pant section for socks, underwear, and towels. Under all of that, I plan to have a 24"W x 24"D x 10-12"H shoe storage section.
3) In front of the closet, I intend to have a built-in sofa that is expandable into a secondary sleep space.
...SO...
Here are my questions:
1) I need to know the best order to do the basic stuff. I know I need to rip out the seats first but what comes after?
2) Do I need to lay subfloor next?
3) When should electrical and plumbing be done? Any recommendations on how to go about doing this? I don't intend to have a black water tank since I'll be using a dry flush toilet that runs off of AC/DC/Solar and uses zero water.
What type of electrical should be run? I've heard that many use two 6V batteries but I admit that I'm pretty unlearned on a lot of the terminology.
4) I also would like to figure out how best to heat,cool, and ventilate the short bus. I don't know if a rooftop unit works best or if a Mini-Split works best. What are your recommendations?
I move out of my current apartment at the end of July and I want to be able to at least have my bus livable by then. I don't need it to be completely finished by then but I will definitely need to be able to sleep, cook, ventilate, and cool the unit at the very least. I will need to have power, fresh and grey water plumbing, and propane-driven cooking/refrigeration.
This is a lot to think about and I would love it if some of you could lend a hand in simplifying this process as it can be rather overwhelming. Thank you.
- Andrew
My bus is a 2007 Chevy 6.6L Duramax Diesel Mid-Bus. It is a 22 foot 5-window model.
My plan is to essentially be entirely off-grid as I'll be doing a lot of asphalt surfing out here in Chicagoland.
Here are my plans thus far:
1) I want to put a queen platform bed in the rear and have this on a 2ft platform with under-bed rear garage storage.
2) Moving from back to front on the driver side, I plan to have butcher block counters run the entire length.
a) Concealed in the rear aspect of the butcher block countertop, I plan to have a converted sheep stock tank that is 48" long, 24" deep, and about 12" tall. The plan is for the butcher block countertop to be removable in that section and repurposed as a table top when necessary.
b) Underneath the platform bed on the drivers side, I plan to use a Laveo Dry Flush toilet that is 18" in height and able to be pulled out from under the bed. From underneath the frontal aspect of the converted stock stank bed, I plan to be able to pull out a drying mat platform. Both the toilet platform and drying mat platform will puzzle-piece together to create a 48"x48" bathroom area that encompasses the 48" tub, the toilet, and the drying mat platform. When the restroom is not in use, this will all just be rolled back into the countertop and bed areas. Totally out-of-sight when not being used...that's the plan.
c) Moving further from rear to front, I intend to have a 20"x20" farmhouse sink. While I intend to have a dedicated faucet for the tub, I have aspirations to be able to pull the kitchen sink spray head up high to be used secondarily as a shower head as a dual-purpose concept.
d) After the kitchen sink, I'll have extra butcher block prep space and a drop in 2-burner cooktop with a propane mini-fridge underneath.
2) On the passenger side, from rear to front, I plan to have a 24"W x 24" D x 70-72" H closet space. I plan on using the upper 30"H x 24"W x 24"D for shirt hangers. Under that, I'll be using 30"H x 12"W x 24"D for pant hangers. Next to the pants, I'll have an area for convertible shelving that is equally-sized as the pant section for socks, underwear, and towels. Under all of that, I plan to have a 24"W x 24"D x 10-12"H shoe storage section.
3) In front of the closet, I intend to have a built-in sofa that is expandable into a secondary sleep space.
...SO...
Here are my questions:
1) I need to know the best order to do the basic stuff. I know I need to rip out the seats first but what comes after?
2) Do I need to lay subfloor next?
3) When should electrical and plumbing be done? Any recommendations on how to go about doing this? I don't intend to have a black water tank since I'll be using a dry flush toilet that runs off of AC/DC/Solar and uses zero water.
What type of electrical should be run? I've heard that many use two 6V batteries but I admit that I'm pretty unlearned on a lot of the terminology.
4) I also would like to figure out how best to heat,cool, and ventilate the short bus. I don't know if a rooftop unit works best or if a Mini-Split works best. What are your recommendations?
I move out of my current apartment at the end of July and I want to be able to at least have my bus livable by then. I don't need it to be completely finished by then but I will definitely need to be able to sleep, cook, ventilate, and cool the unit at the very least. I will need to have power, fresh and grey water plumbing, and propane-driven cooking/refrigeration.
This is a lot to think about and I would love it if some of you could lend a hand in simplifying this process as it can be rather overwhelming. Thank you.
- Andrew
