This $12K Skoolie Has a Unique Cabin Aesthetic With a Wood-Burned Ceiling and a Custom Bar

Meet Justin Collins and the "Pacific Pioneer," his self-converted 24-foot (7.3-meter) 2006 International school bus. Before converting a bus, it's critical you figure out your exact needs and what you're going to use the rig for. In Justin's case, he didn't plan on living in it full-time but instead used it as a road-tripping mobile home for weekend, week-long, and even month-long adventures.

Justin succeeded in keeping the build costs to a minimum. He spent just $4,700 (€4,347) on the base vehicle and then invested a further $12,000 for the conversion, bringing the total cost of the rig to almost $17,000 (€15,723). That's an excellent price, considering that most skoolies I've written about are in the $30,000 to $40,000 (€27,746 to €36,995) range. Of course, with some creativity and help from family and friends, you can go even lower than that – take this $10K school bus as an example.

After writing about many skoolies, I still stumble upon projects that integrate unique features, such as the one I'm covering today. But before we get to those, let me tell you more about what exterior and mechanical modifications Justin made to his vehicle.

Any time you deal with older buses, you can expect some mechanical issues. In Justin's case, he did some electrical work and replaced the front brakes and coolant hose. The most expensive thing he had to do was replace the transmission, which set him back a whopping $6,000 (€5,550) – half of what the entire conversion cost.

Another cost to keep in mind is fuel – Justin's bus gets around 8.5 MPG (27.7 L/100km). To manage this, he typically travels with friends and splits the cost. In fact, he says that he managed to fit six people inside comfortably, including himself.

The most significant exterior change Justin made to the bus was on the roof. He installed a large wooden deck covering the entire roof – it's 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) wide and 12 feet (almost 3.7 meters) long. Moreover, it holds two large Thule boxes and three 100 W solar panels. That's quite a low solar capacity (for a bus conversion), but more solar panels equals more money needed for the conversion.

Even though Justin built this skoolie for little money, he still managed to give the interior a distinctive and striking look. Step inside, and you'll feel like you're in a cabin in the woods.

One of the best design touches inside, the centerpiece of the interior, is the ceiling – it's also the feature that took the most to make. The ceiling is made out of 4x8 sheets of plywood. Justin fractal burned them, giving them a unique look, and added some trim pieces. It blends in perfectly with the bus's aesthetic, and I haven't seen it before on a bus.

Regarding the driver's cabin, Justin pretty much left it as it was, with the exception of adding a new head unit with a Bluetooth receiver, as well as a powerful sound system consisting of two 10-inch subwoofers and four speakers.

Here's another distinctive feature I really like: the shotgun seat. One of the minor drawbacks of most skoolies is that you can only install a passenger seat if you modify the entrance. So, Justin added a chair on an industrial drawer slide. This enables him to extend the passenger seat over the entrance stairs so a passenger can sit beside him while he's driving. It's such a clever and, according to him, easy-to-install solution.

Right by this shotgun chair, you'll notice the bus's original handicap door. You can fully open it to let air circulate inside. The best part? The seat can be swiveled to the left, enabling the passenger to extend their legs out. Just don't do it while the vehicle is in motion.

Next, we have the seating area, where you'll find a long couch with a custom-made, outdoor-themed cover depicting deer, bears, and trees. Furthermore, it has storage underneath and can be pulled out to form a guest bed.

Walk deeper inside the bus, and you'll be in the kitchen/bar area. On one side, it features a beautiful cedar live-edge countertop, a shelf with straps to hold all the bottles, mason jars attached under the shelf, two enormous cabinets for storage, and a fridge.

The kitchen has an L-shaped part where Justin installed an extra countertop that can be flipped up to reveal a dual-burner stove. Integrated into a wall behind the passenger's seat, there's a propane-powered heater, perfect for warming up the interior in colder environments. What's more, the propane tank is mounted underneath the vehicle, and it also powers a water heater and the stove.

On the opposite side, you'll find a huge double-base stainless-steel sink, additional cabinets, a water heater, and another fridge. Moreover, Justin said he planned on replacing the extra fridge with a composting toilet.

Because Justin planned on using the bus part-time, he didn't install a bathroom. Usually, most bus dwellers prefer having a fixed bathroom inside their rig, especially since they have way more space available compared to camper vans.

Finally, we have the lounge/bedroom area at the rear, comprising two long benches with an enormous table in between. It can be transformed into a bedroom by dropping down the table and rearranging the cushions. The bed boasts the width of a queen bed, but it's 7.5 feet long, providing more than enough sleeping space.

For storage, Justin uses four sizeable overhead cabinets, two on each side. One of them serves as a charging bay, as it's equipped with four USB plugs.

The electrical system is housed underneath the passenger side bench, with controls for the inverter and a battery management system integrated into one of the bench's panels. Moreover, Justin didn't share how much battery capacity or water capacity his rig has, but I'm assuming it's enough to last him for a few days or a week.

All in all, this is definitely one of the best affordable skoolie builds I've ever seen. It's got a unique cabin charm to it, it's cozy, and, most importantly, it fits Justin's needs perfectly. The ingenious shotgun seat and the eye-catching wood ceiling are the cherries on top.