This 40-ft School Bus Turned Luxurious Tiny Home Boasts Oodles of Unique Features

A decade or two back, few people would have considered a school bus a suitable foundation for a potential dwelling, but nowadays bus conversions are quite popular in the tiny/mobile life community. That's because they are a budget-friendly option and are about as spacious as a tiny home or a studio apartment, providing a great blank canvas for different configurations.

One of the most impressive skoolie builds we've seen lately is this bus conversion that serves as a full-time mobile home for a small family of three and their pet dog. Landon and Megan Price decided to embark on a mobile life journey because they wanted more freedom and flexibility to see the world, experience unique, spontaneous adventures, and spend more time with the family.

The couple bought an old 40-foot-long International school bus and turned it into a luxury tiny home on wheels with everything they needed for a comfortable yet more intentional and sustainable lifestyle. They built out this skoolie conversion themselves and spent about $36,000 on the project, including the cost of the bus and the conversion. They have been living in the bus for about one year and a half, and they plan to continue doing so while also raising their young son, working, and traveling on the road.

The DIY conversion took almost two years to complete, but the result is a testament to their hard work and attention to detail. This clever bus conversion impresses with plenty of unique features, including a roof raise, a rooftop deck, tons of ingenious storage solutions, and multipurpose furniture pieces that help make efficient use of the available space.

The modifications start on the exterior of the bus. Besides raising the roof by about 18 inches (45 cm), the couple also replaced the original bus doors with a house door to make it look more homey, painted the exterior all white, and added some wood accents at the front, above the windshield, and on the sides. They also added 240 Watts of solar panels on the roof, two 6-foot (1.8-meter) long storage containers on the passenger side, and another two storage compartments on the driver side for storing propane tanks and a generator.

Towards the rear of the bus, you'll notice a back deck/motorcycle carrier and a ladder that leads up to the 8x10-foot rooftop deck, a nice addition that allows them to watch the sunsets and enjoy panoramic views of their surroundings.

Inside the bus, the well-thought-out layout and finely designed interior will make you feel like you're inside an actual micro-home. From front to back, there is a proper entryway with a storage nook for keys, sunglasses, and other trinkets, a spacious living room with comfy couches on both sides of the bus, a well-equipped central kitchen facing a dining area, a bunk bed for the couple's son, a shower and bathroom space, a laundry area, and a full-width bed on a raised platform at the back of the bus.

The raised roof and the white walls create the sensation of visual spaciousness, while oodles of windows let in plenty of natural light to brighten up the space even more.

One of the couple's priorities was to have enough storage space for all their possessions and things they needed, so they added clever storage solutions in every nook and cranny of the bus, ensuring every little thing has its place and the interior doesn't feel cramped and claustrophobic. There are plenty of overhead cabinets in the living and kitchen area, built-in storage space underneath the two couches, several cabinets and a huge pantry in the kitchen, storage drawers under the bunk bed, a closet for the adults' clothes, and garage space at the back of the bus.

All areas of this mobile home are built with functionality in mind while also paying attention to comfort and aesthetics. The front lounge is one of the best areas of the skoolie, designed with two sofas facing each other, which makes it perfect for hosting guests, game nights, and family gatherings. What's more, the sofas pull together and create a full queen-size bed for guests.

The kitchen is compact yet highly functional with the usual appliances you normally find in conventional homes, including a cooktop, an oven, a microwave, a big apron sink, and a full-size refrigerator. The visual appeal of the cooking space is enhanced by the butcherblock countertop, several floating shelves for potted plants and decorations, and the exposed brick backsplash that highlights the farmhouse look.

Opposite the kitchen, two fold-down bar tables and a couple of folding chairs make up the dining setup. The placement is great - it is in the proximity of the kitchen and in front of two large windows that allow the family to dine with a view.

Next up, as you walk towards the rear of the bus, is the kid's elevated bed with storage space underneath for all his toys and clothes. The compact bathroom on one side of the bus has a vanity sink and a composting toilet, while the opposite side houses a water-saving Nebia shower with mosaic tiled flooring.

The adults' sleeping space at the rear is separated from the rest of the bus by a sliding door for a bit of privacy. The queen-size bed is placed on a raised platform, with the storage space underneath holding the 100-gallon water tank. Two storage drawers with heavy-duty sliding locks create a ladder to climb up to the bed.

Other noteworthy features that make this build stand out from the crowd are a couple of skylights that allow even more sunlight in, two hammocks that can be hung on the ceiling in the living area, a large pull-out mirror next to the pantry, and a pull-out laundry hamper.

Though it might be more time-consuming, DIY bus conversions like Landon and Megan's skoolie build show us the beauty of customization. Building a mobile home for yourself from scratch allows you to tailor every element to your specific needs and create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.