Man Transforms Reused Bus into Amazing RV

February 22, 2008 - Make sure you like EcoJoes on Facebook to stay updated on green ways to save money and help the environment. Just click the "like" button below. Muchas gracias!


HOLY MOLY, THIS USED TO BE A CHEESE BUS

Look above. That used to be a yellow cheese school bus! Man, when I first saw this, I was too interested. I read all the steps, and looked at all the pictures of what Jake Von Slatt did. What he did was buy a cheap school bus (a little more than $2,000) and transform it into a beautiful, homemade RV. I like his homemade RV for a couple reasons:

  1. He did it cheaply. The bus cost about $2,000, he did most of the work himself (or with his friends), and he got a LOT from the dump, craigslist, or freecycle.
  2. He reused a lot of materials, thereby creating his RV in a very “green” way (reused bus, materials from dump, reused mess off websites).
  3. You can see the process of the bus’s conversion. Seeing all the steps it takes is really interesting, and makes me want to (one day) attempt something like this. It’s really cool, so por favor take a look at it.

Anyhoo, enough with my thoughts. Enjoy this video of Von Slatt giving you a tour of his homemade RV that came from a lil’ ol’ cheese bus.

Posted in cars, eco hero, green construction, inventions, projects, reusing, save money on Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 1:10 PM.

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trick-r-treat's avatar

trick-r-treat · 890 weeks ago

I wish I had that kind of creative talent! That looks really great! I could see myself riding around in such luxury.
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mykmth's avatar - Go to profile

mykmth · 888 weeks ago

I wish I had the creative talent too,it looks great!!!!!!
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Dave Dulmage's avatar

Dave Dulmage · 886 weeks ago

Very nicely done conversion and video.
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Jeremy's avatar

Jeremy · 880 weeks ago

Now all he needs to do is run it on biodiesel and he is good to go. I have been wanting to do a conversion like this for some time although mine would be laid out much differently. I would use it for myself and probably one other person so I wouldn't need as many dividers. I would also recomend using sliding doors on cabinets and rooms to save footprint. removing those windows and skinning it over with sheet aluminum would also help significantly with wind resistance and weight. You could reuse them to make a green house.
2 replies · active 840 weeks ago
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Richard Sederland's avatar

Richard Sederland · 875 weeks ago

Wonderful idea. I was going to do something similar untill I found out you could not insure reasonalble any homemade RV. What insurance company did you use?
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ecojoe's avatar - Go to profile

ecojoe · 875 weeks ago

I use USAA, but I'm not the guy who built that RV :)

I wonder what the going price is for a used bus...
1 reply · active 819 weeks ago
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Bill Richman's avatar - Go to profile

Bill Richman · 874 weeks ago

We're doing something along those lines with a converted bus, too. We already had several policies with State Farm, and they were able to insure our bus (comprehensive & collision) for a little over $200/year. You just have to prove (usually by the agent sending in pictures) that it's been converted permanently and you're not going to use it for hauling passengers any more.
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ecojoe's avatar - Go to profile

ecojoe · 870 weeks ago

Wow... let me know how that goes! Good luck on your project, I hope it turns out as well as the bus in the video.
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T.L. Larson's avatar

T.L. Larson · 869 weeks ago

Thanks! I will. I'll send pics when I'm done. My plan is to build my place as self-sufficient as possible. Recycling what I can off the original trailer and solar panels are both definitely part of my plans. BTW - Love your website! I wish more people in Texas were as excited about green living as I am!
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Kyle Stillmock's avatar

Kyle Stillmock · 854 weeks ago

Well i'm hooked. I found a 65Pas. 1987 DT466 (I think) with an auto. tranny. for $1,000.00 in CO where I live and will pick it up today Sunday. I plan to have a large Bed room in the back, 4 bed bunk room, bath room, and small kitchen as I'm 6'4" and hate cooking in a RV. So it will have a out door kitchen or grill with water. and I plan to spend no more then $500.00 to build it all. How you might ask? I have a full set of kitchen cabinets from a job, mic. off a job, sink, water pump, a stack of wood and 2" fome for the walls and so on, all of witch where where off to the dump. I'm still looking for Black paint, roof mount AC units x 2 and elec. AC/DC parts but hope to find an old RV trailer for parts. we'll see how it ends up?
Love the flat nose but I cant find one for the right price, let ya know how it goes.
2 replies · active 662 weeks ago
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Kyle S.'s avatar

Kyle S. · 850 weeks ago

Well I picked up the bus for $500.00 and wanted to keep the build under $1,000.00. Ok, well the $1,000.00 came and went 2 weeks ago:) LOL but I'm still doing well. I paid $500.00 to a local RV out fit and got most all the workings for my bus/rv AC, Water Heater, Pump, wast station, couch and some acces doors off a parted RV. All parts where new in box or new installed, not to bad. I went with 55gal drums for my water $10.00 each x2, I painted the bus black and blocked out the center windows, It will get some cool d-cals some day, Oh and I got an RV 24" door with frame that will go in the existing by-fold entry some day. I'll get some pix soon if you wish,
So far I have spent $500, bus $500 rv parts, $350 paint, $550 in front end parts I installed, and $200 in misc. this and that.
But it runs VERY NICE down the road, my wife is hating it less and less every day:)
1 reply · active 850 weeks ago
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ecojoe's avatar - Go to profile

ecojoe 69p · 850 weeks ago

Wow, that is awesome. Por favor send some pictures of that. That's great that you're reusing an old bus... hope it continues to work out for you (and doesn't go too much higher over budget!).
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K.S.'s avatar

K.S. · 850 weeks ago

What a day! I took it out for about a 100 mil run in the city and hiway with a full tank and refild at the end, it used about 12 gal. 8-9 mpg. And that was with the ped. 2 the med. Looks like 65 is a nice croosing speed. What are you geting out of your bus? Mpg, Power, and top end? Is there something we can do to imp. MPG and the bumpy ride in the city? I was thinking going with an air bage systom.
1 reply · active 850 weeks ago
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k.s.'s avatar

k.s. · 849 weeks ago

What is your email so I can get you some pix?
5 replies · active 752 weeks ago
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kstillmock's avatar

kstillmock · 845 weeks ago

Yo Joe I just sent you 3 emails with our school bus into an RV hope you like them and feel free to add them or use them in any way you wish.
Thank you for all your green thinking in your sight and the support of all the others.
Kyle Stillmock
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gangsta pat's avatar

gangsta pat · 845 weeks ago

dat ni66a shud put twankies on dat
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michelle's avatar

michelle · 833 weeks ago

how did you insure it??? i have a converted school bus, and it is really hard to find insurance on conversions these days
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Trent's avatar

Trent · 832 weeks ago

I have just bought a bus to convert to a rv, but having trouble finding a insurance. Who do you
go through to purchase insurance
2 replies · active less than 1 minute ago
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Bruce's avatar

Bruce · 830 weeks ago

Very cool,
Just bought a short bus for camping... Lookin for ideas.... Gonna start with a coleman lantern, cot and ice chest... but it will evolve .... Have great tents for remote stuff, an airstream I don't use except for a guest house and I am more excited about the bus than all the rest..... Thanks for the info, Bruce
1 reply · active 830 weeks ago
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Diana's avatar

Diana · 830 weeks ago

We just purchased a 1982 School bus for really cheap and we too are looking to remodify it into a motor home. I saw your bus and it is what we would like to do to ours, so if you could give us some advice on how to go about it. We too have been checking out craigslist (we haven't checked the dumps yet) but we are kind of short on ideas on how to make it look like yours :-)
1 reply · active 830 weeks ago
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Davidfromcali's avatar

Davidfromcali · 827 weeks ago

Here are a couple of sites for conversion info:

http://www.rv-busconversions.com/buslinks.html

http://www.mobilehomestead.com/nomadics/conversio...

And of course

http://www.mrsharkey.com/

Check them out. Remember search terms like housetrucking, bus conversion, housecar, house on wheels, etc.
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sarah's avatar

sarah · 826 weeks ago

how did he remove the bus heater?? someone please help me. I have a 1988 blue bird I'm trying to convert and don't know how to remove the heater running on the ground. Any info will help. please call me 360-618-3205
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jominator's avatar - Go to profile

jominator 1p · 824 weeks ago

I am new to this post so please be patient. My name is John Williams. My sister and I just bought a 1989 Blue Bird School bus with a detroit diesel, an automatic trans, air brakes, and a conventional front end. We thought about a flat nose, but they cost a lot more to purchase and a whole lot more to maintain. Our budget is very small and we want to document everything and keep up with the receipts so we can show that you can use what you have sitting around and yard sales, ebay, craigslist, etc to create a family project that will be very rewarding for our kids. We have already arranged the bus seats into a wonderful lounge area that can sleep 4 people just by moving 2 cushions! We are making curtains and seat covers from sheets and scrap material. We want to take the bus to our schools to show the kids how recycling a bus and some "obsolete" items can create something special. The guy I got the bus from has another one identical to this one for $1000 if anyone is interested. Call me if you want to swap ideas about your dream. John Williams 252-349-2441 or Ginger Hunter 912-270-4478.
1 reply · active 824 weeks ago
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mike's avatar

mike · 822 weeks ago

i wanted to buy a converted bus.husband bawled squalled.so,he bought a winnabago.went 30 miles engine blew up.had new engine put in to the tune of $2599.00.went 11 miles engine blue up again. is there anyway to remove engine and just use it for pull behind camper?it is in exellent shape[since it doesnt go anywhere] is it hopeless?i will junk it before i have another engine put in.thank you so much. nickles57@hotmail.com
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jessica 's avatar

jessica · 816 weeks ago

how much everythin cost to make a school bus rv ,

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