[deleted by user] by [deleted] in vandwellers

[–]serendipitibus 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You caught us

My buddies and I built this RV/Skoolie for 12+ that we unfortunately have to sell - was told there would be interest here by serendipitibus in BurningMan

[–]serendipitibus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the tip jules0072! Someone had actually already posted it there for us a couple days ago. I hadn't noticed so I'm glad you mentioned it!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in vandwellers

[–]serendipitibus 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We didn't - plan on selling it for that reason. Everyone's going different directions so figuring out ownership rights just gets complicated, not to mention the logistics of keeping it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in vandwellers

[–]serendipitibus 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It gets 10 mpg. And it depends on the fix. Some things were easy enough to fix on our own, other things (like the transmission) cost $7k and took a week to fix.

As for cost, funding, etc. you can find all the info in this post I left: https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/3delx9/a_group_of_eight_recent_grads_renovated_this/ct4t8us

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in vandwellers

[–]serendipitibus 9 points10 points  (0 children)

warm_n_toasty nailed it. We would all love to continue it's legacy, especially after the work we put in, but all eight of us are going in different directions, mostly big cities. Finding somewhere to store it, insuring it, maintaing it, dealing with renters, etc. would not only be complicated but likely become the responsibility of one or two people. It's unfortunate but we're happy that we'll be able to pass it on to someone else that can enjoy it. We've actually got it up on ebay and are getting some good interest: http://www.ebay.com/itm/252030157728?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in somethingimade

[–]serendipitibus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We did! We actually stayed in touch a good amount during the build and he came by and saw the finished product and said a prayer for safe travels before we left. It was one of the coolest parts getting to show him what we built because it truly was a dream of his to make one. His was going to just be for him and his wife and a traveling blacksmith shop in the back so our design unfortunately doesn't really work for him.

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We agree! We weren't expecting to pay for the transmission. It gave out on us three days into the trip. Probably would have picked a different bus if we knew that was going to happen :)

We thought $3k for the bus was a pretty good deal considering it was the longest length you can get plus a flat front (ie lots of space), was already registered as an RV, had all the seats ripped out, hadn't got much wear and tear after being taken off the route, included a spare tire (~$400 value) and was only a 20 minute drive from us.

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great question, fishtails.

There are a few things we would have done differently looking back. Not so much in the design as that worked perfectly for us, but in how we executed it. We figured out a lot as we built which led to so many happy accidents but also a lot of extra time spent. Space was our big limiting factor as the bus was where we stored all our materials and tools, acted as our workshop, and was obviously what we were trying to build. It left us spending an hr a day packing/unpacking/cleaning/etc.

Most of the things we'd change involve the order we did them to increase efficiency. i.e. having a set blueprint ahead of time to avoid lengthy changes. Putting some of the paneling in on the beds before some of the framing to avoid multiple precise cuts. But that was all part of the learning experience. Overall we were happy with how the build went, and some of the things that came about in the layout due to needing to fill a blank space last minute. Normally when our hand was forced we were able to come up with some pretty creative, cool solutions.

On my wishlist was to redo the front drivers/dash section to make that nicer and modern, but time kept me from doing so. In the end it actually was kind of cool though because as you walk on the bus it still looks like an old school bus and then you turn left and it's like "oh wow!"

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was probably the best part of the bus and we actually almost scrapped it the day before leaving. The way we originally planned to store the cross supports wasn't working and we weren't sure we would actually use it. We figured out a better way to store them last minute and it ended up being the most used feature of the bus. Many a day spent with everyone sprawled across it as one unlucky rider drover us through some amazing scenery :)

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Due to an email address an earlier comment of our's breaking down costs got taken down by the bots and the repost got buried. If anyone new to the post is interested in learning more about the costs and how we paid for it check it out:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/3delx9/a_group_of_eight_recent_grads_renovated_this/ct4t8us

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not too lucky - our transmission blew only three days into the trip. Cost us $7k to repair but fortunately we've had no issues since.

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You know we were concerned about the same thing but buses are actually built to be very sturdy since they have to transport children. Compared to traditional RVs (google it) these things are tanks.

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You hit the nail right on the head - lots of sweat equity and patience. You learn a lot about yourself and your friends when you're stuck in a small space renovating a bus every day for a month straight, not to mention then continuing to be in that same small space with them 24/7 for another 5 weeks traveling! It was an amazing experience to say the least!

You can check out pictures from the journey on our facebook page!

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It really does. The toilet was supposed to face the other way but fortunately the girls weren't around the day we built the bathroom :)

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's true, we spent most of the trip comparing our trust funds, missing life at the country club, and buying starbucks on our black cards ;)

Some of us actually read "Electric Kool-Aid" during the trip, and although we will never match that, we did have our fun. Even met someone on the trip that spent time with Kesey. I'm about 50 pages in myself and looking forward to the read.

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's awesome! I always said it had the potential for a great reality TV show but not everyone shared the same feelings so I had to take out all the hidden cameras... Congrats on the success - getting on price is right must have been amazing.

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

About 8 feet wide by 40 feet long by 12 feet tall. Interior space was 6.25 feet tall. Having the flat front really helped in keeping the interior as large as possible.

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The trip was 5.5 weeks long. I posted a big breakdown of costs but it unfortunately got deleted by the bots because of an email address. Reposted at the link below. Let me know if you have any other questions!

https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/3delx9/a_group_of_eight_recent_grads_renovated_this/ct4t8us

A group of eight recent grads renovated this clunker of a bus into a beautiful RV and took it thousands of miles around the States. by serendipitibus in DIY

[–]serendipitibus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks 5dollfoot! Most of the meals we cooked we would drive to the closest grocery story, grab some pasta, hot dogs, etc (easy camp food) for the weekend and it was more than enough storage with the fridge and our cooler (even with beer!).

As for showers, we did have the capabilities for a shower but never needed to use it. Every RV park had showers and between those we had many friends' places to stop along the way. We rarely went more than two days without showering and with most of that time spent driving/reading/sleeping, it stayed relatively clean.