9 Best School Bus Conversion Ideas

Last Updated on May 24, 2022 by Ted Mosby

School buses can make great use for conversions, especially when you have got old models that don’t find their use anywhere special anymore. You can choose a bus to modify and make changes to its layout to make it a perfect living dream for yourself.

There are a lot of other ideas that you can apply in order to make an amazing school bus conversion. This would allow you to live in a motorhome of your own.

In case you are searching for amazing school bus conversion ideas, then we have great floorplan ideas for you that you can apply on your bus and make it look more interesting and comfortable.

Short transports are modest to purchase, so they’re an incredible alternative for the people who want a budget-friendly vehicle to modify.

The low price tag additionally helps hopeful van lifers who would prefer to recruit an organization to do the modification to reduce the expenses.

Normally, school buses are, for the most part, over 20ft long, with seven or eight side windows. They’re somewhere in the range of 72 and 92 inches wide and offer 7 feet or a greater amount of standing headroom inside.

The inside space is very spacious and rectangular, which implies you can plan a very space-productive floor plan.

Now we move to the amazing school bus RV conversion ideas with the best floorplans that you would find.

What are the Best School Bus Conversion Ideas?

1. One-Sided School Bus Conversion by @going_boundless

One-Sided School Bus Conversion 1

The one-sided school bus conversion is an idea for your short bus to convert into an RV with the essentials. You can use a farmhouse sink and change the way how one side of the transport is totally open. That causes the short bus to feel significantly more open.

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One-Sided School Bus Conversion 2

Such a floorplan can have everything such as a standard kitchen, a lounge chair, a wardrobe, and even a washer/dryer combo under the bed. That would be exceptionally ideal to do clothing on the bus as well.

It can easily be converted into an RV if you add an outside shower and a water tank to store some freshwater.

Check out @going_boundless on Instagram for more information on this school bus conversion idea.

2. The Guys Bus Conversion by @navigationnowhere

The The Boy Bus Conversion Bus Conversion

Another idea that will fit best for the boys only is the interior design consisting of a sofa and couches with HDTV in the center compartment. You can add leather furniture in the bus around the walls and add some dim LED lighting for the smoke interior.

Getting a simple microwave shouldn’t be a problem because of course, you have to cook some food.

Other than that, you can make a storage compartment at the back where you can store your clothes and equipment that will help you out when you go for sports or for any other purpose.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Michael Fuehrer (@navigationnowhere)

 

This school bus conversion idea is from @navigationnowhere

3. Little School Bus Conversion by @fernthebus

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Mande and Ben Tucker (@fernthebus)


In case you own a small bus, you can apply some moderate conversions. This school transport house is a very moderate RV idea where you can get a bus with 6 windows and allow some curtaining along with shelves at one side of your bus.

Related Post:  Best Short Bus Conversion

Getting the bus in white would be more attractive to the eyes, and then applying some resting area features like a folding bed would be a great idea.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Mande and Ben Tucker (@fernthebus)

The vast majority of youngsters get standard size RV options, but you can make one for your own if you apply the proper layout with a proper arrangement of the side door as well as a back door.

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This school bus conversion idea is from @fernthebus

4. Vicarious Short School Bus Transformation

This is an idea where you can apply white paint to the outside of your short bus to look like a cool RV that has a vivid contrast interior on the inside. You can add a kitchen for cooking and apply a dinette that transforms into a seat to make more sitting space.

You can add an office or your work area at the back of your bus, right next to the bathroom. And you can place a decent size bed in the center.

The lounge area can have a chair that is framed of three units, one of which can be taken out to make a sum of three seats around the table. The kitchen requires a gas oven, a cooler, and a sink. The latrine is a wet shower with some space inside. You can also add solar chargers to power up your RV.

5. Lucky Bus

To make an amazing school bus RV, you can make use of something with a bigger engine. Let’s suppose you are using a bus with a bulkier engine, and that also has some good space on the inside.

There are thoughts that you can add an awning to the bus for shelter and sun protection screen. The window glasses can be added with a tinted and protected coating.

A step entry can be added for easy entrance and give styling to the bus making it look like a luxurious RV.

There are shading tones to apply to give it a modern feel and make space for the kitchen, couch, and TV lounge area. A bathroom can also come in handy as essential. You can add a cooler and a refrigerator at the center for easy access through your living room, and a table can be set up near the front side for studying or sitting.

6. The Modern Bus Conversion by @basicallynomads

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by BUSLIFE | BASICALLY NOMADS (@basicallynomads)


There is the idea of changing your old short bus into a modern living RV by making some unique changes. You can build a kitchen region with a pretty backsplash along with the work area region that can be kept extremely decent, having the two opposite sides chairs or sofa. Adding more things to the layout will further improve the look of the bus to convert it into an RV.

Related Post:  Best Short Bus Conversion

A cubic small wood oven can be placed close to the kitchen toward the front of the transport. This is a smart thought. At the start of the colder time of year, you can add a chimney to keep your RV bus warm after burning the coal inside it, and you can add a soft interior design with curtains and wraps for comfortable sleep and rest.

There is an RV heater that can be bought and installed on your short bus to turn it into a cool RV with warm cooling along with a dozing space where you can comfortably sit and spend your time watching movies. It sure would be comfortable to have a fire directly close to your functioning space.

7. Brilliant and Light Skoolie Bus Conversion by @slothhighfive

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Buslife | The “UP” Bus (@slothhighfive)

In this layout, the kitchen is exceptionally open with no upper cupboards, so you can see the full school transport when you peer down the focal point of the bus. With this floorplan having no upper kitchen cupboards, it still appears to have a lot of capacity with the twofold-sided kitchen and under cupboards.

The storage area is right next to the kitchen to store and keep everything in one place.

With the addition of DynaGlo, propane warmer, for their warmth source, you can get decent heating in your small bus during winters. Planning to add DynaGlo to the bus will allow you to be more comfortable inside your vehicle.

Setting the back area into a foldable bed and roll-over curtains along with leathered sofa or couch would be an incredible thing to do.

8. Shiplap School Bus Conversion by @happyhomebodies

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by BUSLIFE | FRANCESCA & NICHOLAS (@happyhomebodies)

A good suggestion as an idea for an amazing school bus RV conversion is the Shiplap school bus conversion. This floorplan is best suitable for a school bus in case you have that or any bus of that size. You can consider replacing the chairs inside and making it a wide-open living area.

You can divide the bus into three major areas where the front is your study or work area to keep your work equipment and useful things. The second area can have a bathroom and a kitchen with cupboards and storage with shelves. The back can have your resting point where you can sleep when you are taking your day off.

Applying a rooftop raise will give more headspace, and you can get more space to add additional LED lighting to make the interior look good, along with a foldable step at the door, making your short bus look like a modern class RV home. The front scramble region can turn out comfortable with a lot of pads and covers; it will also make your bus look more attractive.

9. Old School Bus Renovation

If you picked an old school bus, you can apply a lot of changes to the floorplan and make it a great RV for yourself. There is a wide range of plans and designs from where you can get an ‘L’ or fold-over kitchen and lounge chair for the center portion. Everybody needs some space, so add some compartment area for space, having particularly three windows.

Related Post:  Best Short Bus Conversion

An oven can be added as an essential for the kitchen area, and an indoor regulator can be used to regulate the temperature inside the bus. Winter is such a school bus won’t be a problem if you have renovated It with a powerful heater system. You can get a good sleeping place at the back on one side and add a small bathroom on the other side.

Why Should You Do That?

Before moving to the amazing school bus RV conversion ideas, we should know why we are doing that.

1. Making Living Space

Contingent on the size of the bus you choose to buy for your project, you will no doubt have to consider the living space yourself. To make a bus like an RV, living space is a must.

To get a similar measure of room in an RV or travel trailer, you would go through significantly more cash. It’s better to create your own living space on a short bus to save cost.

2. Expanded Safety

They can help you expand your safety as you will have a motorhome of your own where you can live freely and enjoy most of your time. You won’t have to stay out in the wild to find shelter and food. Buses can be a lot more secure than a trailer or RV. They are built-in light of the security of kids, and they are emphatically developed.

3. Simple to Customize

These buses have good space on the inside, and you can plan your whole floorplan accordingly. It becomes simple to customize it because no specific measurements or technical changes are needed.

Whenever seats have been taken out and the floor has been reemerged, you are passed on, to begin with, a fresh start. From here, you can make any kind of floor plan you need because some bus transformations just require furniture and a couple of normal setting up camp things.

4. More Storage Space

You get to make your own storage space and extra room in your bus that will allow you to store your equipment and accessories. This is an amazing feature allowing you to change the layout of your short bus into a cool package.

Transports don’t have this issue since they are now equipped with a lot of compartment space.

5. Mechanical Benefits

The school buses don’t have a lot of technical problems as well as mechanical problems. They can become a good RV trailer because they won’t require a lot of maintenance, and their mechanical upgrades won’t cost a lot.

It is easy to manage them and upgrade them as well according to your own custom choices.

Check this article on How to Register School Bus as an RV if you are looking for information on that.

Conclusion

This is an article about amazing school bus RV conversions where we discussed various ideas for the floorplans to add to your custom old school bus.

You can apply any of them at less cost and save your money.

FAQ

How much can it cost to change over a short bus into a camper?

Commonly, individuals doing a DIY school transport transformation are on a careful spending plan and pay between $4,000 to $7,500 with the assumption that they should do support prior to traveling.

What is the best transport to change over into a camper?

Indeed, the awesome, supreme, most ideal decision would be the Crown SuperCoach. It will look eminent while changing over it. They ordinarily come just furnished with a mid-motor diesel with stick shift arrangement, yet they’re exceptionally low upkeep.

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About Ted Mosby

I am Ted Mosby from Cleveland, Ohio. I am a Freelance Architect. I live in New Jersey, USA right now and I take my RV every alternate weekend. I own a Forest River Berkshire XLT Diesel 45A Class A Motorhome. As I am a Freelancer I can work anywhere so most of my work is done inside my camper remotely.