40-Foot School Bus Was Converted Into Stunning Tiny Home With Modern Amenities

Lauren and Nik's story might ring a bell – after finishing college and going through the pandemic, the couple wanted a lifestyle change that offered the opportunity to explore while still working remotely. So, soon after they got married, they bought the unit we're seeing today after sifting through hundreds of models and started converting it.

What we have here is a 2005 International School bus that measures 40 feet (12.2 meters) in length. A 40-ft. vehicle will offer sufficient space for most people to fit everything they need for mobile living.

One of the most popular major upgrades for school buses turned into tiny homes is a roof raise. In this case, Lauren and Nik decided on a 10-inch roof raise to create more space inside. However, they did only for the center part of the bus, leaving the front and rear as they were. Furthermore, they used the opportunity to remove all the original windows, add some RV windows, and cover the rest with aluminum sheets, which Nik described as the hardest part of the project.

On the outside, this school bus looks quite well maintained given its age. It boasts a dual paint job, with green and white, and you'll notice various exterior compartments. But the biggest transformation took place inside.

The interior is akin to what you can expect inside a conventional apartment. The duo opted for a beautiful modern design, blending many black and white elements with wooden details and striking decorative touches.

Starting off from the driver's cabin, the couple added a small dividing wall that hides the driver's seat. Walk deeper inside, and you'll be in the entertainment area/ living room. You have a sizeable couch on one side, facing a TV mounted up high on the other side. Underneath the TV, Lauren and Nik added a "storage center" that hides the wheel well.

One major bonus of having a camper this big is that there are multiple ways to accommodate guests on board. In this unit, the couch can be converted into a twin-size bed, and the guests will also have some privacy, as the main bedroom is on the opposite end of the bus. Lauren shares some wisdom here by saying one thing they would change is building a convertible couch out of two sections, as it can get quite heavy to transform if it's made from a single piece.

Next, we have a tiny seating area consisting of two small benches with a dinette table in between. What's more, it can be transformed into an additional couch, but it's not big enough to serve as an extra sleeping spot.

The kitchen is divided on both sides of the interior. It features pale greyish cabinetry, an enormous sink, two spacious countertops, many shelves, drawers, and cabinets, an oven/stove combo, and a residential-size fridge that can hold about two weeks' worth of food for the couple.

On the opposite side of the fridge, which sits toward the end of the kitchen, you'll find a Woodsman wood stove. Even though you might say wood stoves are best paired with a rustic aesthetic, I feel like it blends in perfectly inside this bus, especially since it's also colored in black and has a simple yet fitting white tiled background.

The last feature in the kitchen I haven't mentioned is right past the wood stove: a huge pantry. It's divided into two parts and basically occupies the entire height of the bus.

One of the challenges of building a camper, especially a smaller one, is finding room for a bathroom. Luckily, when you have a rig this large, you can make it however large you want. Lauren and Nik didn't go too crazy, but their wet bathroom provides plenty of space to move around. It features a shower, a mirror, a tiny sink, and a window.

The last part before the bedroom is the closet. It consists of a vast hanging area with many drawers underneath. But the best feature is a washer/dryer combo, a must if you have the space and power for it. Even Lauren describes it as a "lifesaver," although they use it only when staying in campsites as they can power it directly via the shore power connection.

On the opposite side, the couple housed the utility systems inside a closet. You'll discover a Renogy charge controller connected to 1,000 W solar panels on the roof, a 3,000 W inverter, 600 Ah AGM batteries, a router for internet, two cell phone signal boosters, and a propane-powered water heater, among other components.

While we're on the topic of utilities, I also want to mention this skoolie is fitted with a massive 110-gallon (416-liter) freshwater tank. Moreover, all the water used in this bus, so the one from the bathroom, washer/dryer, and kitchen sink ends up inside a 55-gallon (208-liter) gray water tank.

And lastly, we have the bedroom, located at the very rear of the interior, just like on many other skoolie builds. It features a custom mattress a little bigger than a queen-size one. One distinctive feature I really like sits right next to the rear window: a lounge nook built over the engine. That’s where the couple's two dogs usually sit, but it can also be the perfect spot for reading a book.

Having too much space can also backfire – Lauren explained that while it's nice to have so much real estate, especially on days when they don't go out. However, the couple doesn't even use all the storage space, and they sometimes struggle to find camping sites, as many don't welcome vehicles larger than 30 feet (9 meters). After living in this rig for a while, they figured out that a 28-foot (8.5-meter) vehicle would've been a better fit.

All in all, this is a fantastic conversion. It might be too much for just two people, as there's enough space to fit an entire family. Regardless, this rig has immense off-grid capabilities and many features you can typically find in conventional apartments.

We don't know the exact cost of the build, but based on most rigs I've seen, I'd guess it's somewhere around $30,000 to $40,000 (€27,145 to €36,193), maybe a bit more. We do know that the couple spent $4,500 (€4,072) on the base vehicle, which is a very good deal.