Help! I don't know what bus size to get.

[mckenziepollock]

Hi all! I'm wanting to start a bus conversion ASAP, but I can't decide on what size to get. The space of a full sized bus would be nice and all, but it will only be my cat and I living in it so I think that much extra space would be unnecessary and a pain to drive/find parking for. However, I haven't seen many photos of the shorter buses with a full kitchen, shower, toilet, storage, and extra sleeping space for guests and these are all must-haves since I'll be living there full time.
What size bus do you all recommend? I would like as small as possible while still being able to live comfortably with everything listed above.
Any tips on making it all fit? I've considered a roof raise so I can have a loft bed but I have no idea how complex or expensive that is, so advice on that would be nice as well. Thank you!!!
:Thanx:

 

[EastCoastCB]

Do you have anywhere to keep a full size bus? If now get a shorty and make do with less space. I have a 40 footer and a shorty, and the shorty is immeasurably easier to drive and park. Its WAY more fun being able to actually go wherever I want.

 

[Phatman]

Hi all! I'm wanting to start a bus conversion ASAP, but I can't decide on what size to get. The space of a full sized bus would be nice and all, but it will only be my cat and I living in it so I think that much extra space would be unnecessary and a pain to drive/find parking for. However, I haven't seen many photos of the shorter buses with a full kitchen, shower, toilet, storage, and extra sleeping space for guests and these are all must-haves since I'll be living there full time.
What size bus do you all recommend? I would like as small as possible while still being able to live comfortably with everything listed above.
Any tips on making it all fit? I've considered a roof raise so I can have a loft bed but I have no idea how complex or expensive that is, so advice on that would be nice as well. Thank you!!!
:Thanx:

Well Mckenzie, ECCB is right. Lot easier to drive & park a shorty. I'm not exactly sure what the overall length of my shorty is, but it has nine windows on the drivers side. That is including the drivers window. You can actually do quite a bit with a shorty. You just need to scale things down a bit. I have a full size bathroom w/shower, a full kitchen, (just small) and a XL Twin trundle that pulls out to make a king size bed. You can draw till your head is about to explode, but it is easier to really see what you can do and see what you really need on a full scale floor. I'm very much a visual kind of guy and I like to use card board, (it's cheap - FREE) and lots of masking tape to see how something fits and looks. Make as many mockups as you can. It will save you some time & money. (always a good thing). Then ask tons of questions. Somebody on here has already experienced some of the pitfalls and can direct you in a good way. By all means, HAVE A FUN !!!!! IT'S IMPERATIVE......

 

[mckenziepollock]

Do you have anywhere to keep a full size bus? If now get a shorty and make do with less space. I have a 40 footer and a shorty, and the shorty is immeasurably easier to drive and park. Its WAY more fun being able to actually go wherever I want.

I only have a place to park it temporarily. That's why i want to go as small as possible but i just didn't know if i could fit everything in a shorty!

 

[mckenziepollock]

Well Mckenzie, ECCB is right. Lot easier to drive & park a shorty. I'm not exactly sure what the overall length of my shorty is, but it has nine windows on the drivers side. That is including the drivers window. You can actually do quite a bit with a shorty. You just need to scale things down a bit. I have a full size bathroom w/shower, a full kitchen, (just small) and a XL Twin trundle that pulls out to make a king size bed. You can draw till your head is about to explode, but it is easier to really see what you can do and see what you really need on a full scale floor. I'm very much a visual kind of guy and I like to use card board, (it's cheap - FREE) and lots of masking tape to see how something fits and looks. Make as many mockups as you can. It will save you some time & money. (always a good thing). Then ask tons of questions. Somebody on here has already experienced some of the pitfalls and can direct you in a good way. By all means, HAVE A FUN !!!!! IT'S IMPERATIVE......

This was so helpful, thank you!! Would you mind sending me photos of it so I can kind of get an idea? Also, I was considering getting a bus about the same size as yours but then raising part of the roof for a loft bed to make more space, do you know anything about that? As far as difficulty and price. Thanks again!

 

[EastCoastCB]

This was so helpful, thank you!! Would you mind sending me photos of it so I can kind of get an idea? Also, I was considering getting a bus about the same size as yours but then raising part of the roof for a loft bed to make more space, do you know anything about that? As far as difficulty and price. Thanks again!

If you're good at working with metals and stuff, and can do all the work a roof raise can be pretty affordable. If you're farming it out expect to pay 5-10 grand.
It will raise your center of gravity up, and can make driving in rural areas with low cables across the roadways pretty tough. Bridges and other stuff as well.
My non-raised bus scrapes LOTS of stuff over normal roads. My raised bus is only 10" higher than stock and its gonna require a lil more planning when moving it.