Finding Joy - Buses (part 2 of 3)

WHAT ABOUT A BUS?

School bus conversions have come a long way since they were moveable hippie communes following rock bands.

School districts sell off thousands of buses every year. With prices ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand, they are a great base for building a custom home.

For my purposes, school buses provide a very strong base. Unlike RV trailers that often have a top weight limit of 6,000 lbs a school bus top weight limit is often over 25,000. No matter how many wheelchairs I put into the bus, their weight will not be a problem.

Converted school buses are called “skoolies”. Over the past 20 years people documented their designs and builds so that information is widely available.

Since every conversion is unique, there are innumerable variations. From short buses which are less than 20 feet long to full size buses at 40 feet long, every type of person can find a bus and design that works for them.

There are very few wheelchair folks living in either RVs or school buses.. Most “wheelchair friendly” RV or skoolie designs presume the disabled person is not cooking or driving. Neither are they cleaning, showering, or toileting without assistance. Many don’t have options for the disabled person to get in and out of the RV by themself.

The good news: dream up a design.
The bad news: figure it out yourself

Luckily I’m connected to some disabled and nondisabled designers, builders, and dreamers. Their support and guidance emboldens me to move forward.

RESOURCES FOR BUS SEARCHING
SKOOLIE.NET functions as a clubhouse for modifying and selling skoolies (school buses converted to tiny homes). You can find everything from electrical schematics to tire recommendations. This is where the smartest skoolie folks hang out and share their knowledge. CRAIGSLIST is the most common place to find converted school buses for sale. Many (maybe the majority) of folks who buy and start to convert a bus stop after the grueling work of taking out the seats, sanding out the rust and putting in some insulation. Since Craigslist is everywhere, many folks turn to it as the first place they advertise the bus.

OTHER - Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Tiny House and Bus Life have a much smaller selection for sale and they tend to be finished conversions.