Insulation is one of the most important aspects of any school bus conversion build. There are many different types of insulation that can be used to insulate a skoolie and there are pros and cons associated with each of them. To quickly answer the question – “How do you insulate a school bus conversion?” There are 4 basic steps: Step 1: Demo and strip down the interior of your school bus to the bare framing. Step 2: Clean, repair and prep/frame out walls, ceiling and floor surfaces for installation of insulation. Step 3: Apply closed cell spray foam insulation to the ceiling and wall surfaces ..read more

If you are new to buslife, you may have heard talk about a “skoolie swarm” and had no idea what was being discussed. Don’t worry, we have all the details for you below. So, what is Skoolie Swarm? Skoolie Swarm is an annual winter skoolie social gathering that takes place once a year in Florida and the festivities typically last for an entire week. All types of vehicles are welcome – box trucks, vans, tiny homes on wheels and skoolies of all shapes and sizes. The Beginning of Skoolie Swarm The Skoolie Swarm® (a.k.a The Swarm™) was founded by Travis and Michelle, the owners of the Big Blue Haule ..read more

The choice between an RV and a skoolie has been an on-going debate, and there are many things to consider. Namely, the cost of maintenance, the cost of the home, and the cost of travel. So, is an RV or skoolie cheaper? The short answer: Building out a skoolie is a much more affordable and an overall cheaper endeavor than buying a comparable RV. Most RVs are unfortunately built cheap and lightweight. School busses are built to transport children so they are built like a tank – heavy and durable. Skoolies can not be beat when it comes to quality, safety, and reliability. Skoolie vs RV For the lo ..read more

Paved to Pines is a small company based in Canada specializing in converting buses and vans, big or small, into recreational vehicles. What started out as a dream between two friends has, today, turned into a thriving business building the buses of peoples’ dreams. Paved to Pines creates custom conversions that allow anybody wishing to live the van life to create their own movable home. Fully customizable from start to finish, Paved to Pines works with their clients through every step of the process to help them see their dream come to life. While the process of converting a bus into a comfort ..read more

When you are thinking about moving into a van full time, it can be highly confusing and overwhelming to choose which van or bus to choose. However, a great solution to the problem is a shuttle bus, but the costs involved with converting something so big can feel overwhelming. On average, it will cost between $10,000 and $30,000 to buy and convert a shuttle bus into a home on wheels. The initial cost of the bus can be as low as $1,800 or up to $20,000 depending on the age and type of shuttle bus that you are getting, with modifications after that all being variable.  One of the biggest cha ..read more

Are you looking for a cheap school bus conversion or ways to save big bucks on your current skoolie build? While converting a school bus is generally much cheaper than converting a van or purchasing a manufactured RV, the costs can still add up. You can certainly spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a school bus conversion if you want to, but there are also many ways to be frugal and make your money go a long way. Plus, the less money you spend on your school bus conversion, the more money you have to spend on actually adventuring later! In this article, a few of my fellow skoolie owners ..read more

Building a skoolie solar system is often the most intimidating part of the entire conversion process since it’s complex, requires some specialized knowledge (and math, oof), and is potentially dangerous if you make a mistake. One of the most important aspects of the process is figuring out how many solar panels and batteries to install.  So, how much solar does a skoolie need? A skoolie will require anywhere from 320 watts to 2,400+ watts of solar. It is critical to size your system appropriately to your power needs, type of travel and geographic location. Some skoolies need only a few hu ..read more

Most skoolies have only between about 100 and 200 square feet of total interior space, so it can be difficult to decide how much room to set aside for your skoolie bathroom. While there’s no right or wrong answer to how big a skoolie bathroom should be, I have rounded up some information and insights from a handful of my skoolie-owner friends and included the stats of my own skoolie bathroom. So, how big are skoolie bathrooms? Skoolie bathrooms range from 6.25 square feet to 40 square feet. Dimensions will vary dramatically depending on preferences and needs. You’ll find economical yet functio ..read more

A Skoolie generally won’t have the greatest fuel mileage in the world, but then again, neither do similarly sized manufactured RVs. It’s kind of to be expected when you drive a vehicle that is about as aerodynamic as a loaf of bread. However, as we always tell people, a skoolie’s fuel economy is not great for a vehicle, but it’s pretty dang good for a house. So, how many MPG does a skoolie get? On average, you can expect to get between 6 and 12 MPG depending on the size and weight of your bus. Specifically, you’ll be looking at anywhere between 10 and 12 MPG for a short bus, 6 to 10 MPG for a ..read more

Converting a school bus into a tiny home on wheels is, without a doubt, a huge job. It requires you to wear many hats: demolition crew, engineer, construction worker, interior designer, plumber, electrician, painter, problem solver – the list goes on. Fortunately, there are many resources available now to help you through the process. In this article specifically, I and a few of my fellow skoolie owner friends will be sharing our top tips for what to know before building a skoolie. My boyfriend Aaron and I bought our 22-foot bus (@stu.the.bus) in August of 2017 and spent the next 8 months conv ..read more