What makes a bus a home? A lot of work and a lot of friends… and a lot of work. Thank you to everyone who helped with the bus, from the stripping to the finishing touches! And thanks for all the support from everyone, your excitement about this project has made it a lot more fun and exciting for me and Steve.
Now, let’s take a look at how she turned out…
While you’re looking at the beautiful finished product, Let me tell you what we have been doing since I arrived on Wednesday. Actually, I can’t really remember Wednesday at this point. So let me hit the high points. Curtains had to be made, a stove purchased and installed, drawer and cabinet handles, bedding, shower curtain, cleaning the bus, taking scrap metal to scrap yard, finding out how to get plates on the bus… I know I’m forgetting a lot because we worked very hard. It will come to me….
Notice the beautiful lamp! I brought this over awhile back and Steve made it fit somehow. We hung some artwork to make it look like home.
Kevin and Steve made sure that this table will be sturdy by adding a pull-down leg. The table locks into place when not in use. The entertainment center is made of salvaged wood that Steve pieced together – I love it!
I still can’t believe we got the stove in before the party. We found it on Craigslist on Thursday, and the seller brought it to the house Friday morning. It was installed on Saturday when some strong men showed up who could lift it onto the back of the bus and slide it through the door that was made in the wall just for this purpose. You can see the window above the stove has a screen insert – Steve made several of these to fit on open windows to keep the buggies out… and it fit in the spot that was left for the stove with exactly zero extra room on either side of the stove. It was amazing.
This is one of my favorite things ^^
The washer/dryer is vented on the outside of the bus, and there is an access to the water supply to the left. There are many details that are going to make this bus easier to maintain and live in, I will try to describe these important details as I go.
The closet doors slide open and shut in both directions, and they work beautifully. Notice the extra storage space above with latched doors. I love this. Also notice the butterfly that Kevin put on the wall, which I also love.
Under the bed are several baskets to store things in. You can also see the appliance door in it’s finished form, an LED reading light, and my heater/air conditioner.
The bathroom is huge, which I love. There is a beautiful built in shelf above the back door. You can also see a row of LED lights on the ceiling. There is another row of these above the entertainment center. I think Steve said all the LED lights in the bus use about as much electricity as one regular light.
This door has an original Steve Ward painted on it, and magnets to lock it in place both ways so you can either have just the toilet or the entire bathroom to yourself.
The vented skylight is in just the right spot, above the toilet 😉
The composting toilet box will eventually store an emergency propane heater, which will be kept under the bus in case the power goes out so I don’t freeze my a@@ off. The composting toilet is necessary until I get the bus on the permanent spot in August. If it goes well, maybe I’ll keep it… but there is sewer access on the permanent spot and a real toilet is kind of a nice thing.
The shower is just tall enough for me to stand in it comfortably, and has vinyl walls that look so nice, it turned out really well.
A few things to notice with the beautiful vanity… the pink marble donated by Kevin, beautiful sink that Mary our style director helped pick, the bus mirror that was taken from the front of the bus and formerly used to keep an eye on unruly children, and the reflective insert over the window. These reflective inserts will be used in the heat of the summer to keep the sun out. To the right of the sink on the wall you can just see the electrical box. It is labeled really well. I am supposed to be sure the hot water tank is full before turning it on. Important. There is also a switch to go from 30 to 50 amp depending on my power source.
Here is how much wood was scrapped for this project – amazing
A few behind the scenes details…
Once the party started, I had no time to take pictures but I did get a shot of band setting up. They were fantastic, thanks guys!! Everyone had a great time.
The next step is getting it road ready – My goal is to return at the end of this month and get a few more things done in order to make this happen, then drive it home. Then there will be another party. 🙂 I also have to paint the outside, which I will do when it is in North Carolina. This adventure is not quite over. Actually, it will continue to be an adventure I suppose, since I now have a home that can travel. 🙂
Do you have the floor layout? This looks so cool.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Taram, I think we have a very rough draft of the layout somewhere… Let me see if Steve still has that…
LikeLike
just curious…why didn’t you place your bed in back of bus where you have all that space, also the washer combo by bathroom? would have given you more living area. One other question..shouldn’t an rv size stove been size compatible?
btw fabulous job!
thanks
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lot of thought and several designs were created before we decided on this. It just worked out the best for everything we wanted to put in the bus on the budget we had.
LikeLike
Steph! This is beautiful. I would sooo live in it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You did an absolutely beautiful job. I love your home and all the beautiful muted colors. It’s so homey and cozy ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Tiny Nest 4 Us 3 Gurlz and commented:
What an absolutely beautiful bus conversion. I just love the materials used and all the muted colors. It’s so calming and cozy. I could absolutely live there and will add this to my inspiration list, for sure.
Eine wunderschoene Bus Umwandlung. Vom Schulbus zum Eigenheim. Wunderschoen. Und ich liebe die gedämpften Farben und die Materialien, die verwendet wurden. Der Bus strahlt so viel Gemuetlichkeit aus. Ich koennte da glatt wohnen. Ich werde das auf jeden Fall auf meine Inspirations-Liste zufuegen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! We went for light colors to keep the bus from looking cluttered. It definitely helps!
LikeLike
You definitely achieved that 🙂
I wish you many happy years in your bus.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just looked in on your blog – awesome tiny home! I too have two girlz 🙂 girlz rock. Good luck with your build!!
LikeLike
Love to see this in person… blog says you are going to be in NC… where! we are in Hillsborough but would like to end up in Chatham County soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will be in Weaverville, hoping to have the bus home by end of the month. I’d love to have you come see it if you are in the area!
LikeLike
Outside of Asheville…
LikeLike
very nice love so many things you did and the decor-the lamp the floors the bathroom sink the counter space the shower…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Mary! I love how it turned out 🙂 Definitely cozy, and everything I need.
LikeLike
Haven driven a school bus for four years, this would be a nightmare home for me! However, you’ve done a nice job with the bus, but just make sure that you fix leaks! School buses leak terribly and I’d hate to see your lovely wood floors ruined. They also have NO insulation and get very cold in winter and sweltering during the summer. I hope you have good heat and air planned for this too.
LikeLike
Thanks Paula, we did put lots of insulation in and I am happy to say that the bus is not leaking!
LikeLike
Pingback: This Looks Like a Regular Yellow School Bus, But What’s Inside Is INCREDIBLE | 22 Words
Thanks for the love… that is actually myself and my daughter… so we are not a couple. It’s pretty awesome that everyone has assumed that, it shows the open mindedness of the world today. But yeah, she’s my daughter lol.
LikeLike
I just want to say- I am very impressed i would love to be able to buy something and fix it up into a home. And to just park it on a lot- i would own it! Yes i would love to. Good luck to you two and please let us hear from you from time to time.
LikeLike
Wow ! My Husband drives that very same Bus model. He has driven Bus 41 years ! Would be cool to retire & take one like you have done for a trip!
LikeLike
What amazing ideas went into making this a wonderful home!
LikeLike
Thanks Peggy!!
LikeLike
Hi My name is Nick. For school I have to do a mock TV show pitch for my final production project and we are pretending to pitch an ultimate road trip like TV show and I came across your bus and its amazing! I’m wondering where you guys are located and if you’re close if we’d be able to get a couple of video shots on your bus. Would love to hear back from you! My email is nickjgarr6@hotmail.com thanks
LikeLike
Nick, I am glad you love the bus. I am in the middle of moving right now, and myself and the bus are not in any condition to have company lol. When do you have to get this done? I can see doing it in a couple of weeks maybe… we are outside of Asheville.
LikeLike
Pingback: Elles font leur maison dans un autobus scolaire jaune et le résultat est vraiment impressionnant! – Petit Petit Gamin
Hi Stephanie,
My name is Angela from SFG Media. We really love your bus conversion! Would you mind if we featured it in an article on our websites, like http://www.sfglobe.com? Please email me at contentpartners@sfglobe.com. Thanks!
Angela
LikeLike
Hello! My name is Katie and I write for Inhabitat.com. We would love to feature your home bus conversion in a gallery on our website. We are dedicated to featuring eco-friendly and creative endeavors. Please email me at katiemedlock1@gmail.com if you are interested!
Thank you very much!
Katie
LikeLike
I love what you did with this bus! “Schoolies” are the best motor coaches out there in my opinion. Great closet. That’s more room than many full size homes. Love the way you made it homey.
LikeLike
Thank you! Yes, the closet is awesome.
LikeLike
Hello! I love your bus! I am just curious why it says “Friluftsliv” on it? Are you Swedish? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, I’m not Swedish but I loved what the word meant! Thanks for the love 🙂
LikeLike
Hello
What a wounderful bus! Amazing work!
I’m a little curious about a picture, do you have some connection to Sweden? I saw the word “Friluftsliv” over the front window of the bus 🙂
We are a couple from Sweden and if you visit our blog you can see our restoration of an old caravan.
Best regards
Eva
LikeLike