Bougie Bus Is a Wonderful Off-Grid Mobile House With Two Bedrooms and a Homey Aesthetic

Lauren and Derek live in a school bus called Bougie Bus with their two kids. The skoolie is a 40-feet (12.2-meter) 1996 rear-engine Thomas. The couple converted it into an RV for two years. They have only worked during weekends.

The interior of the bus has been designed to resemble a traditional house with lots of wood accents, such as the floor and the ceiling, which many plants nicely complement. Not only this but all the rooms inside are thoroughly arranged in a way to suit their lifestyle.

The first room accessible from the outside is the living area. It comes with an L-shaped couch that pops out into a full-size bed to accommodate the guests. Lauren created all the curtains with a quilt style, giving this space a country house aesthetic. Most of the RV buses have either different windows or some of them have been taken out. This is not the case with this skoolie, as they offer tons of natural light. Since the ceiling is relatively low compared to others, the coupled decided to go with recessed lighting.

We find a dining room on the other side of the living area with a table that is used either for eating or an extra seating space. A few stools are also placed underneath the table. While driving, the table is removed to add a children's car seat that attaches to the buckles previously drilled into the steel surrounding the wheel well. Another car seat is present on the sofa.

The living room and kitchen are separated by a long cabinet in which all the solar equipment and control panels are hidden for the 1,000 watts solar panels on top of the bus.

The kitchen is relatively small, but it has a decent amount of cooking space and is also fully functional. All the cabinets have child locks, and all the drawers have a soft close system. An apartment-style oven, a stovetop, a tiny fridge, and a farmhouse sink give the kitchen functionality. The plumbing has been placed on one side of the bus, which means that the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, and the shower are all on the right side and are powered by 100 gallons (378.5 liters) of water hidden underneath the bed. The skylight above the kitchen gives more natural light.

A hallway was created to make this whole area feel even more homey. Here, we find a pull-out pantry, a basket, and a cabinet. At the end of it, the children's bedroom was added. It comes with a bunk bed, and each space has a little cubby that opens up. The storage beneath the beds provides more storage. This area has been designed so that when the kids grow, there will still be enough sleeping space for them.

The bathroom is separated into two parts. The sink was placed on the wall outside the shower cabin. The couple chose to have the shower cabin made of Dumawall instead of tiles. This way, it keeps its flexibility while traveling. On the left side, we find a composting toilet and an upper cabinet that is used as a vanity.

The last room in this bus is the master bedroom. It was designed around the little stairwell on the side, allowing you to get onto the bed. Plenty of storage is provided by the stairsteps, the large drawer under the bed, the three cabinets above it, and a tiny clothes hanging space. We also find another more oversized skylight, and since the bus was made of metal, a fan was not a choice but a necessity.

The couple bought the bus for $7,000 and ended up spending around $30,000 to convert it into a mobile home. Currently, they do not live full-time on the skoolie and only travel occasionally. One of the downsides of owning such a big vehicle is finding where to park it and getting it out of their driveway. Lauren and Derek also stated that they would have chosen a smaller one if they had to do it again. However, this size was selected with the idea to fit everyone and still be comfortable while traveling.

These vehicles are usually within this price range, but since they are quite old, they might break down anytime. This is something that everyone who chooses this lifestyle keeps in mind when traveling. Most people learn how to repair it themselves before hitting the road.