Bus Turned Tiny Home on Wheels Features a One-of-a-Kind Kitchen and a Gigantic Bathroom

Meet Josh and Emily and their full-time home on wheels, a 2004 International RE300 measuring 40 feet (12 meters) in length. As usual, I'll start with the exterior features. The most significant exterior modification done to this bus was an 18-inch (46-centimeter) roof raise that enabled Josh, who is 6'4" (193 centimeters) tall, to stand up straight inside.

On the driver's side of the bus's underbay, you'll find a compartment holding the rig's 24 V power system. Its highlights are 640 Ah batteries, an inverter, and solar charge controllers connected to 2,400 W solar panels on the roof.

Because the bus tips the scales at about 30,000 lb. (13,608 kg), it needs a proper suspension to hold all that weight. At the rear, the bus has a factory air ride system, while the front boasts springs. The couple also installed air assist on the front axle. The latter system enables Josh and Emily to raise the front by a maximum of 4 inches (10 centimeters).

Step inside, and a homey, wood-filled interior will surround you. Starting with the driver's cabin, you'll notice the couple replaced the bus's original seat with a Jeep rear bench seat. An eye-catcher here in the front of the bus is the maple dashboard, something you don't often see in skoolies.

In front of the dashboard, under the windshield, Josh and Emily devised a small garden with herbs they actually use when cooking. In fact, as you'll soon see, herbs and spices are abundant in this tiny home. What's more, close to the entrance, you'll notice a cat litter box and a shoe storage spot.

The next part of the interior is the living room: It's split in two, with a sizeable couch on one side and an office on the other. Moreover, the couch can be pulled out to form a queen-size bed, although it leaves little walking space beside it.

The office is Emily's workspace and consists of a really long desk, a chair, and two monitors that double as TVs. Since she's also into arts and crafts, the desk's panel can be tilted up to serve as an easel.

Storage space is aplenty in this bus. Besides Emily's seating spot for her workspace, the rest of the space underneath the long table/desk is used for storage. If that's not enough, there are also some spacious overhead cabinets.

Next, we have the kitchen, which has a cool design. It features a deep stainless steel sink, a lot of counter space, a dishwasher, an apartment-size fridge/freezer, a three-burner stove/oven combo, and many storage spots, including ones hidden underneath the countertop.

There are two centerpieces: an enormous spice rack with what looks like hundreds of spice jars and a similarly designed pantry holding many types of dried goods, bottles of vinegar, and more. They both look stunning, but how safe are they? "Won't they fall out at the first pothole?" you might think. Well, Josh and Emily thought about this and came up with extra lips that hold all these jars in place.

Due to the roof rise, the interior height of this bus is a spacious 8 feet (244 centimeters). However, the interior gets a bit shorter after the kitchen. Josh and Emily sacrificed a foot in the rest of the bus by using it to devise floor storage compartments.

This bus's bathroom is on the left side of the hallway, past the kitchen. It's incredibly large and comprises an RV-style toilet connected to an 80-gallon (303-liter) black tank underneath the vehicle, some storage spots (including floor compartments), a tiny sink, a huge shower with a recessed shower pan, and shower walls finished with vinyl panels. Oh, by the way, all the water used in this rig ends up in a 40-gallon (151-liter) greywater tank.

Unlike most skoolies and campers I've written about, this one doesn't have the bedroom at the very rear of the interior. In fact, the bedroom is the penultimate area in this bus. It features plenty of natural light via windows on both sides, a queen-size bed, an A/C above, overhead drawers, and many storage cubbies underneath the bed.

Finally, Josh's office takes up the bus's rear. He has a large workbench above the rear engine bay, as well as a desk with a keyboard, a mouse, and two wall-mounted monitors.

You're probably curious about how much this all cost to build. Most of the skoolies I've written about cost between $30,000 and $40,000 (€28,152 to €37,536) to build, but this one surpassed this typical budget by quite a bit.

Josh and Emily spent $7,000 (€6,569) on the base vehicle, then invested a further $73,000 (€68,504) into its renovation, bringing the total cost to $80,000 (€75,073). Considering everything they have inside and the fact that some van conversions (without the donor vehicle) can cost the same, I'd say this rig was a good deal.

All in all, I'm a fan of Josh and Emily's work. Their tiny home on wheels cost more than the average skoolie, but it packs many creature comforts that make life on the road a lot easier. What's even more impressive is the sheer number of storage spaces the couple has managed to devise.