Bright, Light DIY School Bus — Beautiful Build with No Prior Building Experience

[Music] this is our tiny wood fire stove we did a 1972 stove from an old rv this folds into a guest bed when we're off grid we don't use a microwave at all hi guys my name is avery my name is destiny and welcome to the wonder bus [Music] to the interior of the bus i'll be showing you guys the living room so we'll start off by showing you the couches we cut up a california queen-sized tempur-pedic mattress cut it into four pieces and got it covered with this great fabric so this opens up into storage for overflow of food and paper towels toilet paper which is really handy we made a wood slab that goes right here so this folds into a guest bed so you slide out the cushions into a guest bed which is really awesome when we have people over we had a friend stay over that lived in colorado when we were staying there he stayed in the bus for like a week and slept on the guest bed and he said it was super comfortable really roomy so we actually store the wood piece that transfers into the guest bed under here and that also converts into a kitchen table so we can put a table that goes in between here and fit like three people on each side for a nice dinner so we used local kansas wood from elderly farm for these walnut pieces which we love and then our floors we actually put some heated pads underneath which has been very helpful for the already cold wichita winter it actually keeps the floors really warm typically we have to be plugged in to power the heated floors because it draws a decent amount of power so we have these panels right here and we actually put led lights in between and they go to music which is really fun we have the switch right over here and we also have plenty of outlets in our couch which is really helpful for when you're sitting on the couch studying or hanging out we have two outlets here and then we also have outlets behind the couch on each side which is really great all right so we're going to be showing you the kitchen area now inside the bus to start off the countertop is made here locally at elderly farm all the wood actually in the all the hardwoods in the bus are so we did a walnut oak and osage orange hedge so we really liked the countertop we actually went with a really thick countertop we wanted something really sturdy good aesthetics too and then um going into our stove we did a 1972 stove from an old rv um so we got on facebook and we absolutely loved the green at first we were gonna paint it and then we put it in here and we really liked how all the colors flowed together our backsplash we did subway tiles and then we also put the walnut on top like a good cat piece we didn't like the idea of the full cabinets where they come out to here with big you know our doors we didn't like that was coming in at your face so we wanted something more slim so then we decided to do this angle and we really enjoyed the aesthetic of the angle and just how all the pieces flow together and we also carry the led lights all the way throughout to cast a good light on the ceiling so right into here underneath we have puck lighting so we just come up right here and hit that switch so we have lighting um into the kitchen area which is really nice so it's a nice just like throw space we put like you know fruits up there different things but it's a nice bonus space our refrigerator and freezer we got it offline and it was took like eight months to come in it was some weird website but it finally came in and we absolutely loved the refrigerator and the freezer combination we wanted to have like you know a lot of space we looked at doing like a mini fridge but i didn't like how the freezer and the fridge is all together i wanted something separate but then again i didn't want to have like a small apartment style one that would take up a whole window also our goal was with the build was to keep as many windows as we could and keep them visible so we went with this under counter refrigerator and we absolutely love it and we store all our appliances back here on these shelves so we did these little shelves um just to store like you know plates and different things like that and it works really well so on our sink we didn't want to compromise on size we before living in the bus we lived in a small little apartment a one-bedroom apartment and it had a small sink um it was not not good at all it didn't have anything retractable like that so this space is amazing so it comes with a cutting board so slide that in chop up vegetables you can throw you know your garbage into there you can dry your dishes right here on this drying rack so we got this at menards and it was a perfect fit and we love the size of it really deep so this can turn all the way around and when i open up the window this becomes an outdoor shower so that was super handy this summer i was going like california and you get sand all over your feet and you just kind of keep the window open swivel this around and you know spray your feet off so with the sink where it's mounted and this you know everything's very tight so we still had a little bit of space right here which we end up putting our civil wear right there so it's all organized there and then it backs up to this piece of wood right there so the silver doesn't fall out but um so yeah and then when we drive we just put a clamp right there so it doesn't fall off when we're driving underneath the sink we also have our trash can which yeah like i said in our apartment the kitchen was small we didn't even have a spot for a trash can so this is a huge upgrade that it slides all the way out plenty of room for trash paper towel holder cleaning supplies everything underneath there so definitely not lacking on the storage side of things so with living in a bus or you know off grid for time we want to have plenty of room for food so we built this slide out pantry so we have three shelves here plenty of room for food which has been really nice and we like that it slides out and you don't have to like dig through cabinets you can see it on either side which was a huge bonus for just um storage and then when we drive we just clamp these together and it keeps it from sliding out then we also have these bonus junk drawers you know every place has got to have a junk drawer so we have three of these and then also this area we have our plates and bowls and all our cabinets are just our drawers are really deep which is really nice and then we also have our microwave in this area too so we have plugged in when we're off grid we don't use a microwave at all because it pulls a lot of power a lot of juice but far as like living like plugged in and stuff it is nice to have a microwave and then underneath the microwave with having more space since we did a smaller microwave we have these shelves for our laptops and underneath behind there was also charging cords so we can plug in charger laptops there which is really nice this is our one area where the windows are covered which are not really covered we still let them we didn't cover anything so let's light into those areas [Music] definitely didn't have the skills but now i had never i don't think i ever touched a tool before yeah yeah so the first weekend we got done working with the bus we took the seats out and i was like hey jess tell your parents all the tools you used and check well i use a screwdriver use pliers i use a moon wrench and a dad's like what's the moon wrench and i was like yes you mean a crescent wrench so you know dust learned a lot she did do all the 12 volt lighting electrical she'd painted she did it a lot learned a lot but yeah i mean it's a huge learning process i took in some wood wood like wood making classes my dad you know he's in construction grew up around it but my dad he definitely hopped up on the project and he definitely helped us make our dreams into reality [Music] so on the other side of the kitchen we have our breakfast nook which is a really awesome space to have especially with just living in a bus with just two people it's nice we don't have to set up at the table in the middle of the kitchen area so we're traveling or just day to day honestly we just eat all our meals here so we have our vintage chairs that was from my grandparents house from the 1955 and we recovered them with the same fabric as the couch so we like that it all meshed together and the wood really matched well with all the other wood that we did and then underneath there's uh some brackets that will hold the table against the wall which is really nice when you're having people over guests you can just have this area a lot more opened but it's amazing just to open these blinds up when you're somewhere beautiful and you just have this amazing view right out the window it's also nice with the emergency window we'll stick like a stick in there or something just kind of let a nice airflow which we really love welcome to the bedroom first off i'm going to show you guys this macrame that i made took several hours but i like it because it separates the bedroom gives us a little privacy and we have a full-size bed it's a tempur-pedic mattress way too comfortable impossible to get up in the morning and then we have really comfortable linen bedding we put more led lights we also have some shelves at the foot of the bed it opens and they slide so we have plenty of storage for clothes and underwear socks that sort of thing in there and then we have a little charging station right by our bed to charge our phones at night we have more storage underneath our bed is like our entire closet so we have hanging shelves in there which has been really great we have plenty of storage space we can fit like almost all of our clothes to get clothes out we do have to lift the bed which can be kind of a pain but we just do it together like the night before get all of our clothes out for the next day and just do it at one time and so that's the majority of our closet space besides the socks and underwear at the end of the bed and then we actually have a small closet right here for hanging clothes so underneath the bed is actually also kind of our utility area it has all of our power and water pipes and that sort of thing avery will explain all of that later and then our back panels were actually reclaimed cabinets that fit perfectly for our bedroom area and then we cut open the one on the left to go into our garage for a little fire escape and just easy access into the garage so now bringing you into the bathroom area all our areas in the bus are all divided actually by the windows like i said we didn't want to cover up any windows so we did just two windows wide and this right here the toilet is sitting on the wheel well um so we like we just wanted to blend in so it's actually been a really nice space to set soap or whatever else on there so we have our nature's head toilet which is a lot it was expensive but we definitely worth the investment we thought about making our own definitely glad we did not do that and with that route so we did all subway tiles which is the same subway all the way from the time the wood stove to the bathroom so it all connects really well we did a dark gray grout and then we did this nice rock um which also ties into the floor which is all uh river rock too as well and then also in the space we have our hamper which is right here and it slides out so we put all our dirty clothes right there which is tucked underneath the bed um so yeah this is all nice and then we have um our glass door that uh opens up right here so just on a barn door slides and we did glass we didn't want to be something too distracting like wood or anything to take away from the wood or anything painted so with the glass and we really enjoy it when we drive we just clamp it down we raised the roof right here it's the only section where we raised the roof um and i think it's uh remember right six foot eight now um and we put a skylight that opens up so you know you can just shower in the outdoors which is really fun um and it definitely opens up the space a lot more we were glad we didn't keep with the curved ceilings it'd be a lot more cramped in here allows the shower head to lift up which we did a nevia shower head which uses like 50 less water which is really nice when you're living off grid you just have 100 gallon water tank this is our tiny wood fire stove it's been great so far opens up we've got to put really tiny wood pieces in there for it to fit but it heats the bus really well we ended up getting this heat powered fan so it just turns on when it gets warm and it pushes the air throughout the bus to keep the bus extra warm there's vents underneath to let more air in and then we piped it to the top and there's a hood on the top and there's also a cap for when we drive it doesn't get ashes blown all over the bus so it covers that up we actually made a little wood storage right here so we can put our extra wood our little axe and matches and then we used quartz for the top since it's heat proof and we made sure all the area around it is not flammable so that's why we elevated it up and made metal around this instead of wood and then we tiled the rest of the fireplace so this is the first area you see um when coming into the bus really love the way the wood turned out everything turned out phenomenal in this area so we did the live edge which again is from the eldersley farm but we wanted to keep um kind of original to a bus so we left you know the original door with the lock and everything but we wanted to cover it all wood so it still doesn't look like you know it's all metal with a bust look to it and then this area we made it into a cabinet space we store our blankets there when we drive and then the driver's seat is an old semi seat that we found on facebook and we just painted it with a leather paint and it turned really good it was black originally so it's the saddle brown now and we love the aesthetic and the look of it goes really well with everything else in the bus and it swivels all the way around so it's nice to have it opened up when people are here just nice and sit right in front of the fire i spent lots of hours and miles behind this and it's a very comfortable seat it is an air ride seat so we did have to put a small air compressor down there so we can have the air ride system in it this space we put this is like a plant box my wife destiny loves plants so we have this area so this area also has its own separate lights 12-volt puck lights and we kept the original ceiling in the bus it's all the original metal seal ceiling we did drill for all these lights and put the 12 volt puck lights in there and wired it um just pushed wires through instead of having to bring down the whole ceiling um and then the ac is in this space too we just did a dometic penguin 2 ac and typically we have to be plugged in for that or off a generator it draws a lot of power especially just harder on our inverter with being in a bus and keeping all the windows there's a lot of light coming in so we did curtains throughout which all the curtains are very easy just to pull off like that and so if we want to open it up or cover it up at night so this is uh the steps the entryway into the bus and like i said we wanted to keep the aesthetic of the bus so we left the original door so it just opens up right there and then we did a lock right here so then we can lock and unlock it from the outside which is nice because before we were having to crawl through the bus to the back and it was not convenient so yeah and then also with the curtains we did magnets as well so we just snapped these guys right there so it covers up when we dry we pull those off um but yeah we love the look of the door it's nice to have all the glass um so then in this area we did the ship lap as well and we did a white and then the steps we did a quartz as well that has a little bit of a texture to it so you don't slip or anything but in this space we have our shoe storage and so we can put all our shoes there it's all tiled in so we wanted everything to be very easy to clean in this area obviously the shiplap is white so it gets dirty quite a bit but with it being stoned it's pretty easy just to spray it off wipe it down we don't have to worry about you know wood just getting worn out over time so it's very durable with water or anything like that [Music] yeah i think the bus definitely showed like if you have a dream like go for it and even when it seems literally impossible like there were several days that i thought there's no way the bus is gonna get finished we have so much to do we don't know what we're doing but we definitely just learned a lot and just took it step by step and definitely learned like your dreams are possible if you just keep keep going i would definitely say like be prepared to [Music] be up to like two in the morning working um being thinking about it all the time being in a process or a stage where you have no idea what's the next step having no free time sometimes yeah but definitely uh just know that you know it's not gonna go as smooth as it looks on those time lapse on instagram or youtube it's gonna be a lot of hard work a lot of learning um and it's gonna cost you a lot more than what you think it's gonna be um but in the long run it's definitely worth it i mean your home you know is on wheels you can go wherever your heart desires your home is wherever your wheels are so all right guys so bringing you to the back of the bus um this is our garage area as you can see i'm sitting here on our wheelchair handicap lift um this is original to the bus and the first thought we're like first thing we're gonna do is we're gonna get rid of this thing and we're using it to get all the old chairs out and we absolutely loved it we're like this is perfect this is awesome to have um so we went ahead and utilized it so this was gonna be our bedroom area but it turned out being into our garage so we use it to lift a moped into the back having a little moped to buzz around which is really nice to have in this space we put our hiking bags ladder skateboards just different things adventure gear back here in this space so we have our electrical our breaker panel in the back and we also have our charge controller for solar so we can check our battery levels there as well we extended the back bumper to create a back deck eventually we're going to put like a dirt bike or a duro bike on this back spot then we have a ladder that goes up to the rooftop deck but with extending the back deck it allowed us to have a lot more space underneath when mounting our 100 gallon fresh water tank so yeah we'll come up and we'll show you the deck well welcome to the rooftop deck so we have our 14 plus foot deck up top which we did a aluminum frame for it that is pop riveted bolted to the roof um it's all popular visited together and we absolutely love the space we eat a lot of meals up here spend a lot of time up here as you can see we have our skylight from the bathroom it opens up and then as you can see behind me i got our solar panels which we did four 400 watt panels so when we're slid out completely we have 1600 watts of solar which is really awesome to have when you're traveling and living off the grid they're really easy i just have a ladder and i slide those guys in when we drive and they stay nice and secure and locked in we thought about you know making the deck smaller putting more solar and that's when we came up with the idea of sliding them out the panels which we're glad we definitely did but yeah we absolutely love this area and yeah so i bring you guys on to the driver's side of the bus um this is where we put our batteries at so these are the engine batteries to the bus and then back here we have 670 amp hour just led batteries that run the bus so all the solar power comes into these batteries back here and then in this space we also have a charger battery charger that charges both the bus batteries for the engine and then the cab batteries and then with this space we also put extra wires or hoses in this area but yeah definitely great to have our batteries outside the bus area versus inside to take up storage [Music] for us like we wake up in the morning we're like we built this we did this this is us this is us you know um this is our home but yeah it's just you know having that determination and seeing that original dream you had and keep pressing for it no matter the struggles or the challenges youth pace if you guys have any questions about the bus build or bus life in general or just want to follow along our journey our instagram will be linked below and our youtube and thanks for watching [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Tiny Home Tours

Views: 1,429,523

Keywords: tiny house, tiny house on wheels, living big in a tiny house, tiny house movement, tiny home, small house, small spaces, small house design, alternative living, architecture, affordable home, off the grid, small space living, tiny house life, diy tiny house, diy home, skoolie build, school bus conversion, bus conversion, short bus conversion, bus life, bus build, van life, skoolie conversion, school bus, school bus build, bus life build, skoolie conversion build

Id: jdvolNskIOY

Length: 22min 37sec (1357 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 20 2022