Once more into the breach?

[Joe45]

Hello everyone.
First of all, let me say that I am writing this using voice dictation because I am recovering from surgery to my right arm. So my apologies if I missed any typos here..

A couple of years ago I started building a skoolie project. Originally, it was going to be a workshop for my art with an area for living and the rest for working. I made the mistake of trying to turn it into a full blown RV and it just got out of hand. Working alone, I just couldn't get it finished without dedicating every possible spare free moment to the build, and so I sold the bus.

I find myself considering trying it again. Posting this to get input and opinions from people, who've been there already done that already.

I would eventually like to have property and a base to stay home when I want to. In fact, at the moment I wish I could just be in a little cabin and stay there now through the winter and into spring just writing and working on my art, but I can’t.

I would be happy with a small cabin and also having a little workshop to work out of. But in the meantime I am considering a bus, which could eventually serve as a temporary home once I find land while I build a small cabin.

I am, at the moment, living in a brand new Casita travel trailer with my two dogs. I had to do this because I am going through a divorce and needed to get out of an abusive and toxic situation.

The Casita travel trailer is great. It's built really well it's easy to tow, and it feels like a little sailboat. However, space and cargo capacity are obviously quite limited.

I work full-time as a teacher at the moment, but I'm trying to move into the field of teaching at the college level, or preferably working remotely doing my art.


It is just very sad and depressing seeing all my art, tools and supplies in boxes in a storage unit, and not knowing how long this is going to go on for.



The kind of work I do includes: writing, illustration, photography, digital video and editing, a comic book currently in production, developing an animated show, and also working with leather (I make old west style holsters and cartridge belts, as well as some satchels, etc.) sculpture, Scale model building, murals and room themes for homes and businesses geared towards whimsical themes for kids, props for theater and films…


These kinds of projects obviously require a workspace with access to tools and materials. I just made a series of themed table centerpieces for an event. I had to do this in the Casita, and it was an absolute nightmare.

MY BUS IDEA:

This time I would do the following in this order:

1. Purchase the bus and pay a couple of workers to strip the interior, and then insulate the floor and sides, and add plywood.
2. Install a generator and a mini split air conditioning unit.
3. Install a large water tank for the shower and sink with a pump, etc.
4. Drive either to IKEA or one of the Habitat for Humanity centers, and purchase some simple cabinets for the kitchen and sink, as well as a small shower stall.
5. Have the items loaded into the bus right at the store, drive to somewhere nearby, even at the opposite end of the lot, and install the cabinets etc. right there.
6. I would also buy or make a simple Murphy bed, which I could perhaps, also turn into a sitting area/couch when it is folded up.
7. Buy some swivel seats that are comfortable – maybe from a junkyard – something from a minivan maybe, to use as the driver and passenger seats.
8. Get one of those really nice tool cabinets at Harbor freight, make a good work table, also get a compressor, etc. and leave the rear 3/4 or 2/3 of the bus as a dedicated workshop.

I would paint the bus with simple, flat-black paint, and leave the windows as they are probably.

I also would want to tow my old Land Cruiser on a small flat trailer—since I really like to go deep into the wilderness camping sometimes.
For those overlanding/outback camping trips, I could always leave the bus in storage for a bit.


MY CONCERNS

• The length of the bus combined with the length of the trailer. There are certain areas that really long vehicles like that, are not allowed, like some national parks, but again I could always put the bus in short-term storage and drive my Land Cruiser – which will be set up as a little camper anyway.
• Breakdowns and repairs: not sure if there's a particular brand of bus that's more reliable than the other.
• Insurance: is this something that has given you guys a lot of problems? I got insurance for my bus fine, but I'm wondering if things have changed for the better or worse or stayed the same.

I would, honestly, as I said, above, prefer having a little cabin and workshop, and traveling in my little land cruiser camper with maybe a small military trailer. But again, I can't do that right now.

So I'm just considering what type of bus to get, and what length. I would need to get something that I could stand up comfortably without a roof raise and I am 5'11" tall.

I like how the diesel pushers have a bit more space inside of them, but they seem kind of like lumbering giants that would be difficult to get around in.
The bus I had was an international "dog nose" and come to think of it was kind of like a lumbering giant, even at the 27 or 30 feet long that it was.

So I am in this situation where one minute this seems like a great idea, and the other minute it seems like not a great idea.

A really neat thing about a bus set up like this would be that I can travel to and work pretty much anywhere, even in Alaska-and also for extended periods.

Concerning thing is changing regulations, insurance, breakdowns, and finding places to stay in for weeks or a month or two.
I guess BLM land is a big part of the solution, but I would not want to leave my buss and my dogs for hours on some land while I drove for the day in my land cruiser.



Anyway, thank you if you've read this far, and I welcome your insight, input, and opinions.

 

[Joe45]

I was just watching some videos on YouTube about wiring a bus as well as the plumbing.
If I do this, I will pay an electrician to wire the bus like he would wire the house, but have him use marine grade wire. Electrical stuff is something that totally confounds me, so I'm not taking any risks.

For the plumbing, I could do so myself, but I may even have a plumber do the more important parts of it.


I figured I would need a good size generator to run some tools like a benchtop sander, maybe even a little 120 V flex welder, and also a mini split air conditioner. But most of my other tools are small, like a Dremel, and the other handheld power tools are all battery powered.

 

[Joe45]

I have considered using an existing RV and converting the bedroom into a workshop. But RVs don't seem to be built all that well, except maybe Super Cs, which are really expensive, and I want to avoid the modern diesels with the requirement for that ridiculous additive.


The fact that I want to tow my old Land Cruiser on a trailer pretty much forces me to get a diesel engine bus.


Another option would be converting a diesel box truck. But I like how in the bus you can go from driving to the rest of the bus, and vice versa, without having to go outside.

 

[nikitis]

Whatever decision you make you have to make it. You have valid points. You can park most places with a 30 ft or smaller.. carry everything you need in it without needing a trailer. What I'd do.

 

[Joe45]

Whatever decision you make you have to make it. You have valid points. You can park most places with a 30 ft or smaller.. carry everything you need in it without needing a trailer. What I'd do.

I have a lot of opposing situations to consider so just want to hear different input etc. so I can make a good decision. And thank you for expressing your view.

Thing is, I have an old Land Cruiser that I'm turning into a little over landing camper that I want to tow, but I do not want to flat tow it on the ground. Because of this, I need something that can pull the Land Cruiser while on top of a trailer.
That pretty much limits me to a diesel. I looked into older super Cs, and turning the bedroom into a small workshop, but they are still very expensive - and obviously won't lend itself to the workshop arrangement that I would really want and need. Also, I want to avoid the modern diesels with that ridiculous additive requirement.

Maybe a short bus or medium bus would be able to do this - not sure.


A bus with a trailer carrying a vehicle would limit where I could park definitely. The problem is that yeah, I can do that relatively easily, on BLM land or other areas maybe, but if I am still working at a school, for example, I can't really park that at the school, and I'm not leaving my bus, especially with my dogs, alone for 8+ hours a day on BLM land or anywhere else without supervision.
So that puts me in basically needing to be able to work remotely.

For now I have to just deal with living in the Casita – as I just have way too many things going on. But again, I'm doing this now to learn as much as I can ahead of time and be able to weigh out all possibilities and then make a good decision.


With the bus, I have the pros of something I can customize and keep it simple, that can tow the Land Cruiser easily, and will serve both as a workshop and living space.

Cons seem to be expense if there any repairs needed, and limit regarding where I can park, not only a bus, but a trailer.


Here's another thing – I would rather live in a small cabin as I said, but that ties me down to one spot, and if something happens with work, I'm either limited to the area, or I have to move again – and since I like rural living, that complicates things even more.


Being an artist and having several different avenues makes it more difficult, because I need space to work, and, while the bus offers that, it also needs to be moved around and also parked. A house, even if rented, well, it offers space, but I am now dependent on my job in one area and if I need to move, it's now having to pack everything up yet again, and put it in storage until I find another house and another job, etc.



One big plus to a bus seems to be that, if I do buy a little piece of land, a bus would allow me to live on it while I build a little cabin, and even a workshop – or the bus can become the workshop and just become permanent- or I can sell it.
Also, the bus will allow me to work on my art while I travel, and maybe make a little extra money if not allowing me to focus on my art completely. It would also allow me to see places that maybe I want to settle down in. I mean, it would be pretty awesome to be able to spend a month in Montana, a month in different places like that and travel around while I work. It's just a lot to consider, and I have so much going on. Every pro brings up a con and every con brings up a pro!


Has anyone here done this: living in a bus while towing a trailer with a vehicle? We're talking let's say even a 30 foot bus plus a 20 foot trailer being at 50 feet, maybe more.

 

[#1FordFan]

You can eliminate a water pump withe following requirements:
A vehicle with air brakes.
A water tank that can hold pressure. You will otherwise need a check valve , ball valve and an air pressure regulator. You hook the top of your water tank to one of the air tanks and regulate pressure to 35 for RV plumbing parts.

 

[Joe45]

You can eliminate a water pump withe following requirements:
A vehicle with air brakes.
A water tank that can hold pressure. You will otherwise need a check valve , ball valve and an air pressure regulator. You hook the top of your water tank to one of the air tanks and regulate pressure to 35 for RV plumbing parts.

That's great to know!
Thanks!

 

[Meathead]

I was just thinking about Ben Afleck. He tried again years later and it didn’t work out the second time either.

Sounds to me like you really want a cabin. Maybe go straight for the cabin?

Good luck whatever you decide!
Dave

 

[cadillackid]

I was just thinking about Ben Afleck. He tried again years later and it didn’t work out the second time either.

Sounds to me like you really want a cabin. Maybe go straight for the cabin?

Good luck whatever you decide!
Dave

this is my thought.. go straight for the land.. maybe see if you can source a retired shipping container to turn into a wood shop while you live in the casita and find a way to put up a cabin.



travelling is great but unless you have land it seems full timing is just burning lots of fuel moving place to place to keep from racking up citations or getting chased away from someplace. unless you can find some land worth renting where you can park your bus...



to me it seems that the casita serves the purpose of a living space, albeit cramped.. your true desire and calling is to have your wood and art shop up and running..



the land seems to me to be the biggest need to achieve both the art and the cabin...