Ripping up the floor

First things first, take out the seats and rip up the flooring. Seems simple enough, but oh honey-- It ain't! My father helped me remove most of the seats. This was pretty easy. My father held the nut steady with a wrench on the underside while I took the drill to the bolt up top. A few seats had rusted bolts that were impossible to get loose from the floor bed. It was alright though because Paul really wanted to get his hands dirty on those seats.

Once all the seats came up, there was still a lot to do before we could rip out the floor. Our bus was built to transport kids in wheel chairs-- so, there were wheelchair mounts on the floor. Most of the bolts on the mounts were rusted to the floor, unable to budge with a drill. We took an industrail shaver thing to it and just shaved the head on the bolt right off. Awesome, yet time consuming. Our buddy Helia helped us out and let us barrow his tools. (Thank you thank you).

After all the bolted seats, mounts, and randomly placed bolts were lifted from the floor, we were finally able to rip the rubber floor and subfloor off the base metal. Also easier said than done. Here is a picture of that process getting started:

 Each piece of 30 year old subfloor was nailed and occasionally screwed to the floor. We pulled up as many "gravity enhancers" as we could, then pulled the old-molded floor off the base metal. This whole process took about 1.5 weeks working all day/every day.

We even pulled up the heater element and the front seat to replace the sub floor.

To get things done, you got to get dirty...

Bus Bought!!!

I am happy to say that I am now a proud owner of an International 1987 Diesel Handicap School Bus! Its just under 30ft long and in great condition for a 1987. All the bells and whistles work except the radio. I think if you are going to buy a bus, you should buy it directly from a school. These buses are kept to high standards. Who knows what the burner did to his bus before selling it to you... Oh and although the speedometer reads over 300,000 miles, it got a new engine recently and is estimated to have around 30,000 miles on it!

It was a toss up between this bus, and a larger newer 2004 bus. All buses after 1997 have been installed with an electric fuel pump, which is easy for mechanics to diagnose problems, but less easy for me to figure out the problem. I guess I have to take my bus to an old-timer mechanic (which I like better anyways. Sleezy jokes and salt-pepper beards please). The 2004 was going for 7,000$ from Oakland, CA. Luckily for me, I was driving home on the back roads one day and saw a bus parked to the side of an elementary school a mere 20min drive from my house. I found the janitor, who turned me to the bus driver who ended up selling it to me for $1,800. Dan, the driver was about to scrap metal the thing for $1,500. So I'm a happy "bus-er" and the school has a couple extra hundred dollars in their pocket.

I've registered at the DMV and got new license plates (another 240$ down the exhaust pipe). But in order for me to legally drive it with airbrakes, I have to first convert it into an RV. Which is to say, it needs to look "habitable" inside. They really need to define these things... In the past few years I have basically lived out of a backpack. What the heck is "habitable"? And I already asked; I cannot just take the seats out because then it could be defined as a "hauling vehicle". Bummer. So before I legally take it for a joy ride, I have to make it somewhat "habitable". I let you know how that goes....

Flooring and sink

I'm attempting to make this bus conversion as economical as possible. So, when I see a good deal, i have to go for it. The Habitat for Humanity Restore is a great place to look for used and donated items from flooring, doors and couches to gardening and housework supplies. Check out the Restore's website to learn more about donating and what they do for the community.

The trick with flooring is finding enough of the same color and brand (but really you could mix up the color...), so its really about finding enough of the same brand. I've gone shopping in the local Restore a few times with no luck. But one-special-floor- quintessential day I walked in to find an entire flat of oakwood vinyl flooring for 25$/pack. I choose vinyl flooring because the bus is a kind of viscus-moving-object. I need to have flooring that adapts to warping, shifting and movement. Now, to be honest you can find flooring for this cheep and cheeper at many places, but it was essentially thrown out by home depot (which by my standards is economical and resourceful enough). I must have looked quite excited and desperate about the flooring so the lovely lady at the checkout gave it to me for 20$/pack. ChaCHING! I bought enough flooring for a 40x7 bus, just in case, as at this point I have not bought a bus. Everything came out to be around 200$.

AND I have a sink. It was pulled out of the house my parents are renting and has been sitting in the yard for the past few years. I am glad to give it new life!

Pictures coming soon!

Heidi bought a toilet

OK. So I have not really bought a bus ... yet. 

But I have bought a toilet! 

It is a Sun-Mar composting toilet. It is funny how toilets can come into your life. While in Utah, I was talking about my plans for the next year with an old friend. He excited exclaimed, "I know a guy who is selling a toilet." After making a quick call after dinner, he got us the specs.  The rest is potty history.

Why a composting toilet? We flush billions of clean, drinkable water down the john every day in North America alone. Believe it or not, our poo can become essentially soil, just like any other animal's poo. How barbarous! But why not? Coming from a bus standpoint, whatever latrine system we have installed, we have to lug it around somewhere to dispose of it. Why not deal with innate, sterile, soil nourishing compost instead of poop-sludge? The "poop sludge" link really proves my point...

The best part of the deal is that we have found a lavatory that is buyable in its used state. Think about it. This thing had held the droppings of some stranger(s).  Our seller cleaned it up nice and was very forward about its issues. There is only one problem with the lu: its fan is broken. We could buy a new fan easily. In any case, we saved $ 1,600 buying it lightly used. AND is came with loads of peat moss, squirting liquids and crystals of all sorts to help control the fecal breakdown.

I recommend doing your research. If you check youtube for testimonies on sun-mar products you can find both the good and the bad.

Whether or not this toilet will work for us is another question. Keep reading and I will loyally, toilet-ly let you know.

Tread light,
Heidi

Why a bus?

Whenever I mention I mean to buy a bus to make it a home, I am usually met with a cynical yet intrigued, "Why the F *** a bus?".

The practical reasons:
A bus gives me a template for learning how to build the finer elements of a home: such as electrical wiring, woodworking, etc... The opportunity therefore gives me the chance to make an efficient home; I want to know what went into the bus and the direct cost of all parts. A school bus in particular has tons of windows. Although tons of windows does not do well for insulation, it does great for bringing in lots of natural light. Perhaps with some exploration-- a window-ey house can be efficient?

I am also done with throwing my money away to rent and energy. I have a budget. Now that I am 26 with a lot of undergraduate debt and adventures under my belt, but not as much money, career or whatever else gives a person house buying credit scores, I feel I am ready to invest in some do-able permanence that is not my friend's or parent's home / backyard. I am ready to gamble some of my future toward a little bit of unusualness and uncertainty.

The "romantic reasons":
A bus is (I should preface here that I am buying a used bus) the perfect outlet for the lusting creative, outdoor loving, shameless romantic in me that wants to re-use or salvage something to give it new breathe as a home. I also secretly enjoy breaking stereotypes and a school bus can be the perfect choice for breaking the "hippy bus" mentality, or as so many of my friends and family love to point out-- validate that mentality. However, this is not a platform for discussing semantics over what to call a person concerned about the well being of people and the incredibly beautiful world we live in... I'm past that. I'm doing.

I'm up for exploring what the essentials in life really are. I am interested in a gamble of my savings toward a work of art I have created and maybe with a little bit of that shameless romantic hope: can inspire.

I hope you reading this, find the bus journey as exciting as I do.

Tread light,
Heidi