Skoolies Are Very Much Part of the Tiny House Movement. Here's a Lovely Example of One That Was Converted Into a Home on Wheels

Transforming a Bus into a Tiny Home

The tiny house movement shows us just what is possible when it comes to creating homes from small spaces. Sometimes in the most surprising ways, like this 1997 Thomas International Full-size School Bus that was transformed into a tiny house on wheels. The bus was once a 66 passenger school bus that took kids to and from school, but now it's a beautiful and cozy cabin on wheels that's actually for sale. The bus home measures 36 feet on the outside with 26 feet of living space on the inside which makes for about 190 square feet of living space within. The bus has 200,000 miles on it, and it runs fine, but they don't recommend driving it for long trips unless more work is put into it. This bus would be best suited to be parked on someone's land and rented out as a guest space or to be used as a guest house for friends and family coming to visit. The bus was completely renovated in 2013, and it only took a few months to complete. The finished results are pretty amazing, and it really looks like a home thanks to the addition of all the wood. The entrance door is at the back of the bus, and all of the seats have been removed to make space for the living room and other spaces within the tiny house.

Cozy Living Spaces and Functional Design

In the living room, there is a little wood burning fireplace which would do well to heat the entire home easily, and it's vented out through the roof. They also made the escape hatch in the roof of the tiny house into a little insulated hatch so it can be opened for ventilation and then closed when a warmer space is needed. For living room furniture they used a futon mattress on the floor as a sofa at first, but then they added an actual sofa and chair set that looks pretty comfortable. There's also a shelf for storage by the door for outdoor gear and then built-in bookshelves for books and other items. At the other end of the bus is the bedroom area with a closet that could be made into a shower. There's also a toilet area and a kitchen. The inside walls are built with white pine tongue and groove panelling that was sustainably harvested in Central New York which is where the bus conversion was completed. All of the finishes in the bus are low, or no VOC with mainly natural finishes including linseed oil or beeswax and the walls are insulated with sheep's wool. The ceiling also has some additional insulation, and there is some cork sub-flooring as well.

Quality Materials and Future Potential

The countertops are made out of maple butcher block which is also natural, and there's a stainless steel sink as well. The woodstove is a Jotul 602, which was brand new in 2013 when the conversion was done and the heat shield behind it is sheet metal from the original ceiling of the bus. The bus cabin was lived in from 2013 until 2017 by the original owner, and now it's up for sale to be someone else's. Even though there is no plumbing or electric in the bus currently, it can be outfitted with both if the new owner so chooses. Currently, the bus home is listed for $30,000 US which is a great deal for a cute remodelled bus like this. So if you've ever dreamed of having a cool home on wheels, this could be an excellent chance to make that dream come true without having to do all of the work to get it converted yourself.