Saying hello from the Bayou (with questions)!

[yazzysnazzy]

Hello! Yazzy Snazzy here,
About to embark on the adventure of building out a skoolie as a permanent structure. I built out a E350 last year and feel confident in doing this project but i have some southern skoolie questions that i haven’t had much luck finding.

-Because i live in New Orleans, Its imperative i build a awning/roof over my skoolie. Its get very hot here and rains a lot and if this bus is going to be permanent, then a awning must go up! Unfortunately, i havent found any photos or builds except for 1 photo from pintrest of a awning like structure over the bus. If you were going to build one for a bus parked in southern Louisiana, how would you go about it?

-Since the bus will be forever parked here, I was thinking it would be best to lift the bus and put it on some stationary blocks to relieve any pressure on the tires so i dont have to worry about the bus becoming unleveled in the future, how would 1 go about doing that? and especially on soil like the one found here in louisana, dirt mixed with sand.

-Also, any southern louisiana skoolie people here? What do you guys do for your bus to withstand the heat, flooding, and potential hurricanes?


Lets go with those 3 questions for now. If these questions need to go somewhere else on the forum just lmk and ill repost this elsewhere

Thanks

Yazzy

 

[nikitis]

If the bus is going to be parked indefinitely I'd make 4 cement blocks hefty enough to drive the bus onto. It doesn't have to be tall like an inch or two above ground to help keep any flood water from soaking tires etc. And use rebar because it's a heavy bus. If it cracks its fine as long as it doesn't collapse completely.

I live in SC and plan to do the same for when I park mine when not in use in the woods.

 

[yazzysnazzy]

If i were gonna do that id probably set 2 cinderblocks side by side to mke up for the width of the tire. With sand like soil, How far would you suggest to drive the rebar in the ground?

 

[nikitis]

The rebar is for the cement you'll pour, but if you are going to use 2 cinder blocks, I wouldn't recommend because you'll need to turn them on their sides. Parking tires on open holed cinder blocks will cause them to warp, and if the blocks are on their sides you can't feed rebar through them into the ground. If you made the platform wide enough for the dual tires in the back it shouldn't really sink even in sandy ground.

If you are talking about short flat cinder blocks that aren't hollow in the middle, same thing, probably no rebar required in either situation to nail into the ground. A bus is going to put some good compression on that sand when it presses down on the blocks, it may shift as you move onto it but shouldn't shift much after it's parked.

 

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

in salty sandy soil you would be wasting your time driving rebar in the ground it will not last forever.
if pouring concrete then dig your hole as your form place at least 16 mil. plastic and position the rebar about half the thickness of what you are pouring.
i personally and this is me would pour pads for front and rear axles solid across left to right with at least a foot of concrete in front and behind each axle and at least 2 feet on either side longer than each axle.
this will give you stable jacking points to work with rather than fighting with and lumber everytime you need a jack point and a jackstand point.
i had to go replace the front wheel bearing in my sons truck at o dark 30 and was so glad as soon as he noticed a problem he hit an asphalt parking lot and not the grassy side of the road.
i say what i did because i live in a sandy area and for the last 20 years i have mechaniced in a gravel driveway.
things i would do different if i had the chance because money, kids, life was alot different then but i have always made it happen. one day i will have a full size garage with a concrete floor it might take till the day i die but dangit if i cant enjoy i want my 2 sons to.
taught them to be a gravel driveway anywhere mechanic and now one of is a ford mechanic any time i see him looking at his stuff i say pull it in the driveway and i will help.
he says no I will do it at work on my lunch. but he still has driveway backyard grass stuff he does every weekend.

 

[yazzysnazzy]

The rebar is for the cement you'll pour, but if you are going to use 2 cinder blocks, I wouldn't recommend because you'll need to turn them on their sides. Parking tires on open holed cinder blocks will cause them to warp, and if the blocks are on their sides you can't feed rebar through them into the ground. If you made the platform wide enough for the dual tires in the back it shouldn't really sink even in sandy ground.

If you are talking about short flat cinder blocks that aren't hollow in the middle, same thing, probably no rebar required in either situation to nail into the ground. A bus is going to put some good compression on that sand when it presses down on the blocks, it may shift as you move onto it but shouldn't shift much after it's parked.

Hmm ok ok. Thanks!

 

[yazzysnazzy]

in salty sandy soil you would be wasting your time driving rebar in the ground it will not last forever.
if pouring concrete then dig your hole as your form place at least 16 mil. plastic and position the rebar about half the thickness of what you are pouring.
i personally and this is me would pour pads for front and rear axles solid across left to right with at least a foot of concrete in front and behind each axle and at least 2 feet on either side longer than each axle.
this will give you stable jacking points to work with rather than fighting with and lumber everytime you need a jack point and a jackstand point.
i had to go replace the front wheel bearing in my sons truck at o dark 30 and was so glad as soon as he noticed a problem he hit an asphalt parking lot and not the grassy side of the road.
i say what i did because i live in a sandy area and for the last 20 years i have mechaniced in a gravel driveway.
things i would do different if i had the chance because money, kids, life was alot different then but i have always made it happen. one day i will have a full size garage with a concrete floor it might take till the day i die but dangit if i cant enjoy i want my 2 sons to.
taught them to be a gravel driveway anywhere mechanic and now one of is a ford mechanic any time i see him looking at his stuff i say pull it in the driveway and i will help.
he says no I will do it at work on my lunch. but he still has driveway backyard grass stuff he does every weekend.

Interesting , thank you for your input

 

[Meathead]

I live in New Orleans. PM me. We can talk about busses!

I keep my bus in storage at a local RV park. If I ever obtain a place of my own I would probably do something like this.

https://www.carolinacarportsinc.com/brochures?sa=X&ved=0CB4Qqa4BahcKEwjA7J7A_vuCAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQCA

Get one wider that you need and you have a porch and workshop area.

My bus weighs 24k lbs so I don’t worry about the wind too much. You could install a couple of mobile home tie downs to keep yours from rocking.

As far as flooding is concerned, I keep my bus ready to bug out at all times. But your bus is probably 40” to the floor. That pretty high with the new levees that we have.

Also thinking that railroad ties under the axles would keep from sinking. Jack the bus up a little bit. Two stacks under each axle. Probably take 8 RR ties. Take pressure off of the tires and keep you from sinking.

Dave