Living a life on the road is becoming increasingly popular in many parts of the world. You can find different constructions with specifications that meet the requirements of people living in different areas – where the roads are narrower and there are more campsites, for example, you are less likely to see a giant bus that can stand off the grid for several days. . But in the United States, transforming an old school bus is now all the rage because these giant machines offer enough room for comfortable gear and more than enough storage for water, energy and supplies.
We’ve seen some great conversions so far – including a humble purple school bus with a swanky cab – but most of them lacked space for a proper work area. The yellow bus featured in the video at the top of this page has exactly that as one of its main highlights – two fully functional offices for a young couple living alternately. In the 19-minute clip, Josh and Emily talk about the motorhome they designed and built starting with a relatively inexpensive donor bus.
It’s a 2004 International RE-300, which they bought for $7,000 and had all the seats removed for just a hundred dollars more. Almost all the equipment they needed for the conversion – light fixtures, appliances, materials, solar panels, etc. – was purchased during the Black Friday sale, saving them around 15%. Which, on such a huge project, is a lot. Once everything was purchased, they loaded it onto a few trucks, took the bus to a heavy equipment store, and started taking it apart.
The whole process from A to Z took the couple about two years, but most of the work was completed in the first 12 months. During the second year, they began to actually live on the bus and continued to work in their spare time and on weekends. The total cost so far? Josh and Emily estimate it currently stands at around $80,000.
Thanks to the 2,400 watt solar panel system on the roof and the water and fuel tanks mounted in the floor of the bus, this motorhome can easily remain entirely off the grid for around a week, or even up to two weeks. in certain circumstances.
And on to our favorite part – this motorhome now has not one but two fully equipped offices, one next to the kitchen and one in the back of the bus. We can finally say that there is a motorhome that can meet our own needs like Motor1.com editors. Too bad for us, Josh and Emily own it, but hats off to the work they’ve done and the way they live.
