Doing a school bus conversion is one of the most fulfilling yet challenging things that Erin and I have ever done together. This guide is designed to take you through the order we completed all the projects.

If you’re in the research stage to see if converting a school bus into your own tiny home on wheels is right for you, this article will give you a good idea of what to expect. What’s cool is that with creativity, you can take some nuggets you learn about here and apply them to your own build.

And if you’ve already bought a school bus to convert into a motorhome and are scratching your head on what to do first, this article will lay out a solid starting point so that you can be successful in your build.

Keep in mind that this article will provide a highlight of what we did in what order. Throughout, we’ll be linking to other, more detailed articles we’ve already written so that you can dive in even deeper. Also, we’ll be adding more information to this article, adding even more articles to our blog and videos on YouTube, so be sure to subscribe & turn on notifications so you don’t miss anything.

ATTENTION: This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Working with powertools can be dangerous when not handled properly, so take care. Also, building & vehicle codes and regulations are not the same in every region or country. When in doubt, always seek out a local professional to make sure you’re completing your projects safely as you are ultimately responsible for your own actions.

This School Bus Conversion Guide is the grand overview of building your own unique tiny home on wheels.

Last updated: April 14, 2021

Not a reader? Watch our Skoolie Conversion Playlist on YouTube!

Start With A Solid Platform (no rust)

If you get anything from this article, take note of this: Do not buy a rusty bus.

Being that neither Erin or I have had experience with metalwork, buying an old used school bus that is riddled with rust was completely out of the question.

We wanted to start with a solid platform to reduce the amount of prep-work we had to do before starting our school bus conversion.

In my opinion, there are different levels of rust.

The first level is no rust.

That’s right, there is not a speck of rust anywhere. Retired school buses from hot, dry places have the least amount of rust on them (which is why we went to Arizona to buy our bus). The downside to that is that rubber components, plastics and caulking may be dried out. However, they are significantly easier to replace than rusted metal pannels.

The second level is a bit of surface rust.

Surface rust can be seen even in dry places like Arizona and presents itself with multiple colors of red, yellow, brown and even black. Surface rust is fairly easy to sand down and paint over. Let’s say a kid drops his juice box or bottle of water on the bus and it pours out all over the floor and into the cracks. That liquid may not evaporate quickly, which may start a small rusty spot. This is not a big issue (but can become a big issue) and can also be remediated by using a rust inhibitor.

The third level is deep-seated corrosive rust.

This is where the rust is so deep in the metal that flaking can occur, holes in sheet metal are easily punched through with a screwdriver and structural members fall apart if taped with a hammer. If you see this rust, do not buy that school bus (unless you’re an awesome metal worker who knows what you’re doing). Buying a rusty bus can become a nightmare of chasing rusted out metal to find where it ends. Rust or corrosion is like an iceberg. You may only see a little bit on the surface, but, like an iceberg, the majority of the damage is below surface level. Rust and corrosion destroy the structural integrity of the metal.

One of the main things to think about regarding building a skoolie is the weight added during the school bus conversion. The platform needs to be solid, without any weak spots so that years of enjoyment can be had once the build is complete. If rust is left because of laziness or negligence, all that hard work may end up falling through the floor, which would be a bigger disappointment than taking care of it before spending the time to build the interior or exterior.

Read More: Old School Buses For Sale In Ontario – What To Consider Before You Buy »

Do you need a special driver’s license to drive a skoolie?

While doing our research, we started to wonder if we needed a special driver’s license to drive a skoolie. To drive a school bus in the capacity of hauling around 80 kids, you would need to have a special license.

But we were buying the bus to convert into a skoolie motorhome, so having a school bus chauffeurs license wasn’t really applicable.

If we were to go to an RV dealership to buy a diesel pusher motorhome, we wouldn’t need a special license in Texas or in Canada. As long as we had a Class C License in Texas or a G Class License in Ontario, we were good to go to drive a motorhome.

When you think about it, although the bus looks like it should cart kids to their schoolhouse, as soon as we purchased our skoolie, we were given 30-day window to switch the title over to be classified as a motorhome.

How To Title & Register A School Bus As A Motorhome In The USA Or Canada

Titling and registering an old school bus as a Skoolie is one of the most difficult things we’ve found in this whole process.

Why?

Because regulations are different in every country, state, province and even city.

Because Erin is from Ontario, Canada, and I’m from Texas, United States, we had to decide WHERE we were going to title and register our school bus as a motorhome.

We ended up getting our school bus registered and titled as an RV in Texas because it was going to be the easiest process without having to import our school bus into Canada.

What’s cool is that we researched the entire title and registration process for both Ontario and Texas. This research helped us to decide which way we were going to go.

Because this process is pretty involved, we went ahead and documented exactly how to register our school bus as a motorhome in Texas. As a bonus, we put our research notes for The Ontario School Bus Title Method to give our Canadian friends a starting point, as well.

Both Texas and Ontario have similar requirements for registering a school bus as a motorhome. In order to be successful with the title change, certain components need to be removed to qualify as an RV along with a list of motorhome components need to be installed. After this, then getting the title switched over ended up being a breeze!

In our article, How To Title & Register A School Bus As A Motorhome In The USA Or Canada we cover exactly how we made the title change.

And if you’re not getting your school bus titled in either Ontario OR Texas, the lingo and loopholes alone could give you a starting point for researching what needs to be done in your particular location.

CANADA – Skoolie Title & Registration Information

• Nunavut
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon

USA – Skoolie Title & Registration Information

• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• Washington D.C.
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Your skoolie story matters

We know it’s kind of a dry topic, but your skoolie insurance & RV title story could really help someone in your area get going on their dream machine.

Our goal is to gather stories from people from all over Canada & the US who have successfully gotten their school bus titled as an RV, and their insurance story too. The goal is to curate stories from each state and province to make it easier for people to confidently jump into this adventure.

If you want to share your story with us, please fill out this short survey! We will happily feature you on our blog! This info needs to be known! Some people will quit their tiny home on wheels dream because this step seems too daunting! BUT with everyone’s help, it doesn’t have to BE.

How To Convert A Skoolie

Now that we crossed our T’s and dotted our I’s, bought our school bus to convert and drove it up to Ontario, let the conversion begin!

But where should we start?

After searching tirelessly online, we found that there has not been a “holy grail” of showing what to do in what order. Although we did find many websites and YouTube channels showing how to do skoolie conversion projects, there was not a school bus conversion guide set up like a roadmap.

While we do our conversion, we’re going to document the highlights on this article you’re reading right now, along with making more detailed articles, which we’ll link to in the appropriate sections. So consider this article you’re on right now the bus conversion guide overview.

Before beginning a school bus conversion, it’s a good idea to plan out what you’re going to do to avoid costly mistakes.

Read more: How Planning School Bus Conversion Ideas Helps Save Money »

Rust remediation (if you got it)

Now that the surfaces are revealed, did we find any rust? Yep! A little bit of surface rust on the floor, none in the walls or ceiling (thankfully!) This surface rust needs to be addressed before we move forward.

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To fix our surface rust issue, we simply put a wire wheel on our cordless drill and brushed it off followed by painting the entire floor pan with a rust protective paint called Beauti-Tone Rust Coat (this is Canada’s version of Rust-Oleum)

Had the wire wheel not been enough to completely remove the rust, we would have painted the rust with a rust converter first followed by rust-inhibiting paint.

Besides rust on the interior, looking around the bottom edge of the window and door openings, around the wheel wells, and around the chassis underneath the school bus are all spots where we saw rust while inspecting buses we didn’t end up buying.

The more rust you find, the more work it’ll be to fix before any sort of building begins.

Exterior Modifications

Modifying the exterior is inevitable. In the end, our school bus could not look like a “school bus” so as to not confuse the public.

Painting the Roof & Exterior

One of the modifications we’ve done so far to the exterior is sealing the roof with an elastomeric paint here in Ontario called COOLFLEX By DuROCK (In the U.S. there is Henry Tropi-Cool) Both are elastomeric silicone-based paint that reduces heat conduction and increases reflection from the roof.

Besides painting the roof, we will also be painting the exterior of the bus so as to change the color from school bus yellow to another color. Painting the exterior alone will completely transform the visual look of our Skoolie into our own tiny home on wheels.

Replacing Windows

We found that our original school bus windows lacked the ability to seal off the elements efficiently. Our windows were drafty and loose AF. While driving, they opened on their own. We also found that the caulking was in rough shape on the exterior.

Consequently, we removed all the windows and are replacing them with larger ones so that we can have a panoramic view. These bigger windows are the same ones you see on Mercedes Sprinter vans.

🔴Watch Video: Cutting Another Hole For CR Laurence Windows »

Exchanging Roof Emergency Exit Hatches With Skylights

With over 23 years of the sun beating down on the roof emergency hatches, the plastic was completely worn out, cracked and one had a leak.

Considering we need to have a roof that will shed water for our tiny home on wheels, we went ahead and removed the old school bus emergency exit hatches and built our own roof skylights.

We used polycarbonate as our glass, which is the same stuff that’s used for bulletproof glass. If it’s good enough to stop a bullet, it’ll be strong enough not to crack if hit by hail.

For the frame we used Western Red Cedar as part of it will be above the roofline of the skoolie. Cedar has a natural ability to resist rot, mold and repels insects, which is why it’s used frequently in closets, as well.

By installing some hinges, we were able to make these skylights openable from the interior with some latches to keep them shut while driving.

🔴Watch Video: Operation Roof Seal – Racing The Sun »

Installing Shoulder Skylights

One thing we had never seen before on a skoolie when we started building them are what we call “shoulder skylights.” These skylights are unique in that they curve with the roofline transition from the exterior wall up to the roof. This will provide scenic views of the sky along with more light in the kitchen & living room area.

After we installed them, we were getting comments on our 3-Part YouTube video series of people saying that they looked like the windows on scenic train cars.

We went ahead and used the same polycarbonate for the glass on these windows.

Check out the 3-Part Video Series Below

And/Or Read the blog post on DIY Polycarbonate Skylights For Tall Skoolie People »

Want our detailed 45-page guide for building these curved scenic skylights? The guide comes with our online school bus conversion course called ‘Get Your Skoolie On‘ – Get it today!

Creating Underbody Storage

While some skoolie owners have a garage in the back of their bus utilizing a rear emergency exit door, considering we have a rear-engine, this was not possible.

Instead, we’re going to build out underbody pass-through storage to house tools and some bus components we don’t want to install inside the bus.

Below is an image of our floor building in progress. It’s not quite complete, but it’s coming along!

By insulating the walls and floor of the underbody storage, we’ll be able to keep things like the gray water tank, pumps, water filtration, lawn chairs, gardening tools and possibly a portable bonfire pit!

Installing Backup Camera

Our skoolie is 40’ long. Once we finish building out the interior, there will be no way to see out the back window while driving. Even now, the engine compartment is situated at a height that makes the rear window useless while driving.

The solution? A backup camera mounted above the rear window. My mom bought us this digital wireless backup camera as a Christmas present. What we like about it is that we can wire the camera into the rear marker lights to power it while the bus is on. The camera then transmits wirelessly up to the video monitor that it comes with at the front of the bus, which is powered by 12V either wired or plugged into an outlet.

One thing that we thought was cool is that this camera can be wired either to the marker lights to stay on full-time while the bus is on OR wired to the reverse lights, so that it powers up only when in reverse.

We plan on having this camera powered ON while we’re driving, so we can use it as a rearview mirror. This will certainly make driving safer.

Exterior Flood Lights

While out boondocking in the middle of nowhere, exterior floodlights will allow us to illuminate the immediate vicinity around our bus. Floodlights are useful for security, to work on the bus at night or even to light up an area while it’s dark out.

There are different types of floodlights that would be useful. Bulbs include halogen, incandescent, fluorescent and LED.

We’re going to install LED floodlights for the simple and smart reason that they don’t consume much energy. Although, we do not plan on keeping them on all night, having the ability to properly illuminate the immediate surroundings of our skoolie will allow us to feel safe and have fun during low light situations.

Ground Perimeter Lights

Lights that are commonly overlooked or not even thought about at all are ground perimeter lights. Back when I was a firefighter, driving the 42’ long fire truck at night in parking lots or on tight streets was difficult.

Having the ability to illuminate the area directly under the bus on the sides helps a ton! This increased light gives visual perspective to the edges of the bus and seeing where the rear wheels are for taking corner turns.

It’s also important to have a switch in the driver’s compartment to turn the perimeter lights on and off while driving so you don’t have to look like a space ship driving down the road if you don’t want to.

Plumbing A Skoolie

Setting up our plumbing system correctly is extremely important. Partly because once we put up interior walls, getting to the lines to fix them will be more difficult. Although, we plan on designing our plumbing so that every connection is accessible to inspect while out on the road.

Fresh Drinking Water Tank

One of the most important parts of our plumbing system is the ability to hold fresh potable water. We plan on carrying 100 gallons of water. Something to consider is the weight of water, which is approximately 8.25 lbs/gallon at sea level. Now there are a LOT of variables, which could make the weight of water more or less (mineral content, altitude, temperature, which of the 3 states water can be in). Just know that 100 gallons of water weighs approximately 825 lbs.

The weight of water is important because putting 100 gallons of water on your roof vs keeping it as low as possible will completely change how your skoolie drives. Lowering the center of gravity will help your skoolie drive smoother with fewer chances of it tumping over.

Tump Over
Texas term meaning to fall over accidentally.

We’re going to end up putting our freshwater as low as possible inside the underbody storage positioned from driver’s side to passenger side so that there will be equal weight distribution regardless of how full it is.

Gray Water

Where does the water go when it pours down the drain?

In a house, it goes out to either the septic tank or the municipal city sewage system.

In a skoolie, it drains into the gray water tank. This is the tank where anything from the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, and shower goes. Although some people just let it run off onto the ground, that is not necessarily legal in all places. The best thing to do is know the local laws for properly draining your gray water so that you don’t pollute or piss someone off. Also, use biodegradable soaps and shampoos to be eco-friendly.

Our plans for The BEAP Mobile’s gray water tank is to secure it underneath the skoolie positioned in the insulated underbody storage area. We are repurposing two 30-gallon HDPE thick-walled barrels that we’re going to plumb together. By positioning them in the center of the bus, between the chassis, regardless of how “full” they become, they will help to keep the mass of water, centered on the bus. Doing this will help with driving and balancing the load.

Above is a pic of our prototype for mounting the gray water tanks. They are going to end up being mounted by hanging from strut channel above with through the floor bolts to keep them from moving on any axis.

Installing the gray water tank in the insulated underbody storage area accomplishes two things.

The first is that it is not inside the living space inside the skoolie, resulting in more space for adventure gear.

The second is water flows to the lowest point on Earth. This means that all the drains will be directed to this lower point on the bus and we won’t have to worry about pumping drains sideways or uphill using sump pumps.

Fresh Water Pump

To get water flowing from the faucets, a water pump is used between the freshwater tank and the faucets. The size of our freshwater pump will be determined by the size of pipes, distances between the tank, pump, and faucets, and how much GPM (gallons per minute) will be needed if one or more faucets are flowing at the same time.

Once we get to this part in the build, we’ll go over how to figure all that out with formulas.

For now, the easiest way to illustrate what size of water pump will be required is to figure out how many gallons per minute each of the faucets will be and match a water pump rated to flow that much water.

As an example, if the shower flows at 2 GPM and the kitchen sink flows at 1.5 GPM, that equals 3.5 GPM. This results in the freshwater pump needing to be a minimum of 3.5 GPM. The problem with this is that we’re not taking into account friction loss inside the pipe, in each connection, and around each bend.

Another issue to think about is the water pump cycling on and off to keep the lines pressurized. To combat a water pump from erratically cycling, a pressure tank (also called an accumulator tank) is used to hold the water on the pressurized side of the pump at a certain pressure. Now the pump’s only job is to keep that pressure tank pressurized, which will save energy, reduce noise and increase the life of your pump.

Fresh Water Filtration

Depending on your water source, different levels of filtration will be necessary for safe drinking water.

• Where do we plan on filling up with water?
• Only from municipal water supplies?
• Or will freshwater streams and lakes be sufficient?

At a minimum, we plan on having a 5-micron particulate filter to eliminate any suspended solids floating in the water.

Next in line will be an activated charcoal filter, which is designed to remove toxins from the water.

Finally, the water will flow through a UV LED device, which is designed to eliminate pathogens within water effectively reducing the possibility of getting a dirty stomach bug like giardia.

Skoolie Water Heater Options

Hot water is not only nice for a shower, but washing dishes is more effective with hot water too. In order to do this, there are three common ways to heat water in a skoolie or motorhome.

The first way is to use solar hot water heaters. Water is heated, usually in tubes that are on the roof of the vehicle, which is then piped down into the skoolie’s plumbing system. The problem with this way is that if it’s dark out, the sun is not heating the water supply. Another issue is that it adds a significant amount of weight to the roof (remember how we talked about water weighing 8.25 lbs/gallon?)

The second way to heat water in a skoolie is in a tank water heater. These are usually heated with either electricity or propane. The problem with this method is that hot water tanks are usually around 5-10 gallons and that won’t last long if two or more people need to take a shower one after the other unless you have a unit that has a quick recovery rate. This way is also energy prohibitive in that the system has a thermostat that constantly wants to keep the water hot (unless you set it on a timer to only heat during certain time frames). However, with energy-efficient machines, cycling is reduced, which could result in less energy usage depending on the model.

The third way is to use on-demand water heaters. Heating water in this way is a pretty good idea because it only heats the water when the hot water line senses water movement in the line. Once movement is sensed, then the element, be it electric or propane flame will ignite and stay on only as long as movement is present. This could be economically beneficial unlike keeping a 5-gallon tank of water hot all the time. The problem with this way of heating water is that if the flow is not high enough, the on-demand water heater will NOT turn on.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you turn on the hot water tap in the kitchen only partially and the tap is rated to 1.75 GPM and the minimum flow rate for the water heater is .5 GPM. If you do not flow a MINIMUM of .5 GPM, then the water will NOT get hot. That tends to be a problem especially with mixing valves that combine hot and cold water.

BONUS! The fourth way is to heat water in a kettle on your wood-burning stove or stovetop. Although this is a great way to make coffee or tea, trying to take a shower in this way can become tedious.

Choosing The Right Toilet For Your Skoolie

You know it. We know it. Everyone poops.

The reason we put the toilet in the plumbing section is that most often toilets are connected to the plumbing system. They are supplied by fresh water (which is a waste of freshwater), then flushed into a sewer system (on a skoolie or RV they are flushed into what’s called the “Black Tank”)

Nowadays, there are a few of options for Skoolie toilets.

Option 1 is to go with the typical residential flushing throne. This will require a third tank to be installed called the dirty “Black Tank”.

Option 2 is to go with a cassette toilet. These were revolutionized in Europe as the cassette acts as the dirty black tank, which can be removed and carried into a public bathroom and poured down a toilet or down a dump station hole found on campgrounds or in national parks.

Option 3 is the less used, but growing in popularity composting toilet. In the crudest form, you basically poop in a bucket and top it with wood shavings, mulch or coconut husks. To pee, you do so in a separate container.

We’re going with Option 3, but we’re going to make our own custom composting throne. One fit for a king & queen with integrated urine diversion so business can still be done in the same spot.

You’ll definitely want to stay tuned to see how we put this composting toilet masterpiece together!

But for a sneak peek of our skoolie’s composting toilet, below is a pic of it being built.

We’re including a urine diverter so that we can separate the wee from the poo. This throne is going to be so fine it’ll be fit for a King and will be dainty enough for a Queen (she poops too!)

The urine diverter is essential in keeping a composting toilet from smelling stinky. So we’re going to plumb it to flow down below into a holding tank in the skoolie underbody storage compartment. We’ll get into more details of that when we cross that road. But here’s a pic of how it’s coming along.

If buying a composting toilet already manufactured is more up your alley, there are a couple of composting toilet companies that are doing a good job collecting humanure (human + manure). One is Nature’s Head and the other is Air Head Composting Toilet.

If you’re not into building your own DIY composting toilet, then springing for a manufactured composting toilet may be a better option.

School Bus Conversion Materials & Tool List

So far we’ve covered quite a bit. What’s cool is that we are archiving a list of the materials and tools we are using on our Amazon Skoolie Shopping List, which you can check out. As we do projects, we add more materials and tools to that list.

We do receive a small commission for any purchase you make after clicking our link at no additional cost to you. So if you’re going to shop on Amazon and want to support our project, click our link before buying your products (even if they are not on our list) because every penny counts!

Read More: Top 24 Essential School Bus Conversion Tools »

In Conclusion

Doing a school bus conversion is a ton of fun. This project has tested both Erin and I mentally and physically (at times, emotionally too…) However, we wouldn’t trade this project for anything!

We believe that anyone wanting to live smart and simple could make converting a school bus into a tiny home on wheels a reality. Why? Because you’re driven and won’t let anything stop you!

If you’re doing a school bus conversion or thinking of doing one in the future, drop a comment below and let us know if you have an Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube Channel so we can connect with you and follow your journey, too.

If you haven’t yet, Subscribe to our channel on YouTube called BE Adventure Partners! We appreciate you watching!

Hey, we're Brian + Erin. Currently, we're workin' on our bug out bus. Lucky the proverbial $hit hadn't hit the fan yet when we picked up this 40-foot beauty in Phoenix AZ and drove it up to Canada to convert it. Hopefully, we all still have time...

Honestly, this bus conversion has been the only sane thing in this insane world lately. We can't tell you how good it feels to BE working on something that lights our souls up and has such potential for a life that is entwined with nature, love, and happiness.

Our main goal is to inspire people to get off-grid and become self-reliant. We are well on our way and are super excited to talk about solutions with others who are shooting for a similar way of living.

Did This Blog Post Help You? If so, we would greatly appreciate it if you comment below and share it with a friend.

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