Short Bus Turned Camper Features an Open and Practical Layout, Is Now Available To Buy

Meet Ivan, a 2004 Chevy Express 5500 short school bus converted into a tiny home on wheels. Michael is the owner and builder of this rig – he got the vehicle when it had around 75,000 miles (120,700 km), and it currently has about 83,000 miles (133,576 km).

If you're considering buying a vehicle to turn into a camper, vans are excellent choices, but if you require more storage and more space to build your dream home on wheels, you should consider a bus. Moreover, you'll find a better deal on used buses.

Of course, buses come in all shapes and sizes. The shorter ones, like the rig I'm talking about today, are the middle solution between vans and buses – they offer more space than a van and don't take up that much room on the road. If budget is also an issue, there's less customizing and decorating involved with a shorter bus compared to a longer one.

This rig measures 10 feet and 11 inches (333 centimeters) in exterior height, 21 feet (640 centimeters) in length, and 6 feet (183 centimeters) in interior height. It sports a 6.5-liter diesel engine and a new transmission and gets about 8 to 11 MPG (21 to 29 L/100 km).

Even though Michael put blood, sweat, and tears into the conversion, this camper is now for sale. He has used it to travel around during the building process, but he doesn't live in it. His asking price for the short bus is $79,000 (€74,300) - let's see what you get for it.

Inside, you'll discover a modern design with many wooden elements, such as the ceiling. Moreover, a distinct feature of this short bus is the large number of windows. This way, you get an enhanced feeling of space, but that also means less insulation.

Having so many windows also means you'll constantly have light during the day. When the night comes, you can turn on the ceiling LED pucks or various other light fixtures throughout the interior.

The first modification you'll notice as you step inside will be in the driver's cabin. Michael rebuilt the entire dashboard, removed the old and unnecessary buttons, replaced them with light bar switches, and added a compartment with two cup holders. Other notable details include a new seat and a backup camera.

Move deeper into the short bus, and you'll find a desk area with a large tabletop, plugs, and light switches. You'll also notice a spacious cabinet that holds a fridge box on a drawer slide.

Opposite the desk, you'll discover the kitchen – considering the vehicle's interior space, it takes up quite a large chunk. It's equipped with an enormous countertop, a two-burner stovetop, a deep sink, and many storage options in the form of drawers and cabinets, including overhead ones.

My favorite part about the kitchen is that Michael left the bus's emergency windows in place behind the kitchen countertop, which can be swung full open to provide proper ventilation. Pair that with the Maxxair ceiling fan, and you won't have issues when cooking smokier meals.

Michael wanted to design the bus's systems to be as simple and practical as possible. For convenience, he devised the entire plumbing system under the sink, which includes a 1.6-gallon (6-liter) instant hot water heater. Furthermore, the bus is equipped with a 30-gallon (114-liter) fresh water tank and two separate grey tanks, one for the shower and one for the sink.

On the same side of the kitchen, deeper into the bus, you'll find the wet bathroom. It features a sliding door, a composting toilet, a typical shower, and tiled floors. It's very straightforward and offers a decent amount of space. Make sure to pull the curtain before you shower, as there's a window that faces what's behind the bus.

And finally, we have the bedroom area tucked away in a corner at the rear of the vehicle. It features a single bed with a 6-inch memory foam mattress, a tiny nightstand, and some other storage spaces, as well as a small drawer desk.

When it comes to utilities, Michael calls this area "the brains of the bus" because this is where you'll find most of the controls for the systems, as well as the electrical setup. The latter consists of 400 Ah batteries, a 3,000 inverter, a solar charge controller, a fuse box, and other components. What's more, part of the energy is supplied by solar panels on the roof.

You'll also discover controls for the diesel heater, which is also housed underneath the bed, a mini-split monitor, light switches, and USB and 240 V plugs. By the way, the mini-split is mounted near the ceiling, above the bed, and Michael uses it more as an A/C.

A nice touch for the bedroom was that Michael devised two additional storage spaces underneath the bed, which can be used for bulkier items.

And that's about it for the inside. Let me also quickly tell you about the vehicle's exterior. Michael added a long wooden plank on the side, with a fold-down table underneath. At the rear, you'll find a sizeable door and a ladder leading to a large deck.

That's where Michael added the outdoor A/C unit and two propane tanks. In spite of this, there's still plenty of space up there to fit multiple people.

All in all, this is an excellent DIY conversion. I feel like $79,000 sounds like a bit too high for this tiny home on wheels. But, after all, Michael spent three years building it, and he needs to make some profit from this sale.