Re-use a Schoolbus for Cheap Housing: Prologue

Step 3 Getting it

Now that you know what you'll need to do to keep your bus, it's time to find one. This is a lot easier than one might think, though still quite a bit to try to cram in to a single instructable. The basics are pretty simple, with size being the most important consideration for many. I wanted something I could live in for several years at least, possibly longer, so at least 30' was required. Ceiling height was also important. People have raised the roofs, but it is not an undertaking for the faint of heart.

There are two main styles of school bus, 'dog nosed' and 'flat nosed' being common terms for each. In the 'flat nosed' category, there is also the distinction of front or rear engine (pusher) configurations. This is all a matter of personal preference here and all models have their pros and cons. I avoided the more traditional 'dog nose' style because I wanted to look more like a motor home than a school bus once the thing was painted. People often confuse my bus for a Blue Bird motor home since the style is very similar. This can make it easier to get into some parks.

Fuel choice should also be important if you plan on being mobile often. My goal was for a home that I could occasionally move, not a big car to live in, so diesel seemed to be the right choice for me. While on the topic of engines, you might want to enlist the help of a trusted mechanic to inspect your purchase before you bid or buy. Even if you live 'around the corner', towing charges can be astronomical for a dead bus. Buses are meant to travel hundreds of thousands of miles in their lifetimes and are often sold with a good deal of life left in them. As with any used vehicle, keep your eyes open and you should do fine.

So where are these buses? Almost every school district auctions off old vehicles that have outlived their 'service life'. Prices are usually very cheap, around a couple thousand dollars, and detailed maintenance records can often be had for the asking. In addition, many unfinished conversion projects can be found online on auction sites lie eBay motors and in newspapers and trader type publications.

There are many reputable bus dealers that are listed online as well. With these, you will be paying more for the same bus that you could have bought at auction, but some consider it worthwhile to have the dealer remedy any of the mechanical issues and have some sort of warranty. The choices are many and there is plenty of advice to be had in the online communities.

Once you make your choice, the rest is a matter of signing on the dotted line and getting your baby home! However, there's one last dirty little detail before you can really get started.

Comments

[Rishnai]

I met a couple with an Army bus with a raised roof. it was really well done. I know you looked for one with a good roof height, but if I can find them at the next cruise-in (even a bus is hard to find amongst 1000+ vehicles!), would you like pictures of their conversion-in-progress?

[zim]

Sure! Toss a few in the comments here and let people see what else is out there. Roof Raising isn't all that DIFFICULT per se, but it's certainly a task. Most I've seen simply cut all the window posts and then jack the whole roof up at the corners.... then weld in extensions in all the posts. I'm just not much of a welder and since my bus was used to transport adults, it already had a 6'6" ceiling clearance.

[Rishnai]

I'm short enough that a regular-height school bus has an okay ceiling, but then again I don't hit my head on the overhead bins on a plane, either. Saw a "dog-nose" short bus that had been dropped, chopped, sectioned, and the motor hot-rodded a few years ago. The opposite of a raised roof!

[Derin]

raised roof,like this van?

[Rishnai]

Close to what I've seen. Only raised in the middle, not all the way across.

[Derin]

well,ok. if you can find a long crafter volt(which i highly doubt) its very comfortable

[Derin]

this is the standard roof one which we have