6 Bus Conversion Ideas To Give You Skoolie Inspiration
Skoolies are bursting with personality and no two are quite the same. Many people who decide to convert or renovate buses into living spaces have come up with ingenious design hacks. There’s no shortage of inspiration to turn to if you’re looking for some bus conversion ideas.
YouTube is full of channels that post updates, tours, and how-to guides for their skoolies. Today we’re going to be sharing some of our favorite bus conversion ideas that we’ve come across.
1. A unique skoolie kitchen
Kitchens may be smaller in a skoolie than a regular home, but if it’s a priority, it is very possible to have a comfortable and functional skoolie kitchen. You’d be surprised at the beautiful and efficient designs that chefs have come up with.
Some great bus conversion ideas come to us from the Tiny Home Tours channel. They showcased a skoolie that was built and designed by a restaurant owner who wanted to make a nice kitchen for himself.
One of the most unique aspects of this design is the counters! The kitchen features two countertops (one against each wall) that are made from live edge slabs of wood. There is plenty of space to work and prepare food, plus the natural wood gives a bit of color and organic style to the space.
He also used clever money-saving hacks like using industrial plumbing pipe for shelving instead of buying a pre-made product.
His vehicle also had two seats in the living room, and the cushions could be flipped up to reveal an open cavity underneath. It doubled as seating space and storage. The long couch along the other wall also had space underneath, which was used for electronics and other necessities.
2. Secure items while driving
Another common problem that RVers have to deal with is keeping everything secure while they drive. The host of the Navigation Nowhere channel shared some design tips that he uses to keep items in place when he drives.
There are a variety of different items he uses to keep items secured. For metal objects (such as the knife rack), he uses strong magnets to keep these dangerous objects secured to the wall. He reports that he’s never had issues with the knives falling with this setup!
He also uses some different tricks to keep cabinet doors and drawers from swinging open. The cabinet doors are equipped with interior locks that help the doors stay closed unless they are directly pulled. He also suggests that you can use child safety locks. The drawers are also set up with bungee cords looped around the handles so that if one drawer swings out, the force of the cord will pull it back into place.
3. A luxurious skoolie bathroom
Skoolie owners have plenty of bus conversion ideas that center around comfortable and convenient bathrooms. Another entry from Tiny Home Tours features a skoolie where the bathroom was the first thing that the owners designed.
Their bathroom is has a lovely light color scheme that features white, cream, and soft brown tones. The shower is fairly spacious and has ceramic tiles on the floor and walls. An L-shaped layout helps it to accommodate the toilet, vanity, and shower.
One of the most important features is the showerhead. Because overhead space is often limited in a skoolie, this designer overcame that problem by using a showerhead where the pipe angled upward. The showerhead was raised to a comfortable height without hitting the ceiling! The skylight helps increase light and space as well.
4. Split bathroom
A very different but fun bathroom design is showcased by the Bona Fide Bus channel. This bathroom is split so the shower is in one space while the toilet is in another. The creator of this skoolie opted for a more industrial design with corrugated metal walls and a metal egg crate used to store soaps and other shower essentials.
The egg crate shower caddy is a clever solution because it has a lid that can slide on and off. This means it’s easy to open when the occupant needs to get in, but it also seals up to keep everything inside when the bus is in motion. Magnetic and waterproof lights attach to the walls so the shower stays well-lit!
A mosaic design of Bigfoot is set into the shower floor. It was hand-set and is made with pennies, so it really showcases the fun personality and design choices of the owner. The toilet sits in a small nook next to the shower. It’s slightly raised and includes a drawer near the floor to store toilet paper, towels, and other bathroom necessities.
5. Skoolie bedroom
Different people have different needs for their bedrooms. Some are single travelers, while others live with a partner or even a family! There are plenty of bus conversion ideas for groups of any size, so let’s look at a couple of examples.
The first one comes to us from The Lost Bells channel. This skoolie is used by a family of five, so it includes more than 1 bedroom in the design. There is one bedroom that is shared by the kids. It includes 3 beds laid out in a bunk setup. There are two beds in one stack, and one raised bed above a washing machine. Each child has their own window and shelves at the head and foot of the bed.
The parent’s bedroom is in a raised loft on the other side of the kids’ room. A door can open and shut as needed and the space fits a queen-sized mattress. This bedroom has a skylight to let in some natural light, and it also features some cabinets and shelving for easy storage access.
One of the best parts is that the skylight opens up and provides rooftop access! The roof is covered with beautiful wood panels, giving it a deck-like feel. It’s a nice open space that can be used for work, sunbathing, or yoga.
6. A skoolie for a college student
Family skoolies are becoming more popular, but sometimes people only need one bedroom per unit! Some young people have been turning to RVs for housing since they are cheaper and easy to transport. One fantastic example comes from the FLORB channel, which showcases the skoolie design that’s being used by a college student.
The bedroom has a bed that’s surrounded by windows, so there’s plenty of natural light. One of the most eye-catching features is an accent light that was actually a DIY project. It was simply made with PVC pipe that was spray-painted with a metallic coating. Backyard string lights were threaded through and poke out at the joints, making a fun, geometric lamp.
The bed sits on top of the freshwater tank, and there’s a beautiful accent wall of square wooden cabinets behind the bed. Some are lined with LED lights to provide some color and illumination. They help provide extra storage space and make the bedroom look nicer!
RVers looking for valuable how-to information have learned to go to the experts. Forums such as Skoolie.net and blog sites like RV LIFE, Do It Yourself RV, and Camper Report provide all the information you need to enjoy your RV.
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