This High-Tech School Bus Has Been Transformed Into an Off-Grid Mobile Home

Richard is a 59-year-old who transformed a 32 ft (9.75 m) bus called Rufus into a motorhome. The bus is a 2006 International powered by the workhorse that is the DT466 diesel engine and an Allison 2500 transmission that offers a trailer capacity of up to 33,000 lbs. (15,000 kg). It is a dog-nose bus, and perhaps that is where the name came from.

Traveling and living on a bus could be dangerous. But Richard has prepared the skoolie with four 1080p security cameras and a blink doorbell. The exterior has been painted white, and a bear with trees decal can be found on the side. The back left side of the bus acts as a garage. Here, Richard keeps all his tools, a generator, a solo stove, and camping equipment.

At the rear, a 15,000 lbs. (6,803 kg) hitch was added to hold the hauler, on which his motorcycle is secured in place with straps while traveling. The rear door can be opened from the outside. Here, we find Richard’s photography gear, a 100-gallon (378.5-liter) water tank, and some miscellaneous. The water tank is enough to have short showers every day and lasts three to four weeks.

A clever idea was to add an air conditioner underneath the bus. It is attached to the frame rails on custom welded brackets. This way, it is stored safely and does not take up any usable space. A few more custom racks are present on the left side of the bus that hold four standard grill tanks and a 46-gallon (174-liter) gray water tank. The bus runs off-grid, but when there is no sun, it can be connected to a generator via a 30-amp inlet.

On top of the bus, 1,800 watts of solar panels were installed, as well as a roof deck big enough for four adults. There is also a 360-view security camera with night vision that is used not only for security purposes but also to look for wildlife. A Starlink and radio antennas can also be found on the high-tech roof.

The interior has a country house aesthetic with all the wood features and retro appliances. At the front, we can see that not much was changed since this area is not used for living anyway. A few storage compartments were built above the driver’s cab, on which a small TV was added. Some seating space with storage underneath is found behind the front seat.

Next in line is the kitchen. It is quite small but holds all the necessary equipment. Richard custom-made the base and upper cabinets on which a butcher block countertop and spotlights were added. The furniture is bolted to the floor so it does not move when traveling. It comes with a farmhouse sink, a water heater, a double-burner stovetop, a microwave, a vintage fridge, and a furnace that heats the bus but also the water pipes and the shower floor. The rooftop deck can be accessed via a skylight from the kitchen ceiling. Richard and his wife often enjoy the morning coffee on the deck.

On the other side of the kitchen, we find a dinette area with a small table and two Ford Transit seats. The table can be folded together with the seats. And flooring from the Ford that was placed behind the seats can be added above them and transform this area into a couch. The wall here is full of tech stuff, such as a capacity indicator for the batteries and a controller for the diesel heater.

If the furnace or diesel heater breaks, Richard does not have to worry. This bus comes with four different ways of heating. Besides these two, there are heated floors and a heat pump from the AC.

The rear side of the bus has something unusual, a bedroom and a full bath in the same space. The reason is that the amount of space that would have been left after adding a wall to separate the two would have been too small.

The open-concept bathroom and bedroom come with everything you would need. Such as a shower cabin with ceramic and glass walls, a sink, a medicine cabinet with a mirror, a custom urinal, and a cabinet. In the bedroom, we find a TV and a queen-size bed that transforms into a single bed. It has storage underneath, which hides a camping toilet, light switches, and a 30-minute timer for the water. On the left side, he added a large closet and a small door to access the electrical system, such as the solar charge controller and lithium batteries.

Richard bought the bus for $7,000 with 128,000 miles (205,996 kilometers) on the odometer. He spent about a year transforming it into an RV inside an airplane hangar. The transformation of the bus cost around $35,000. It might seem like a lot of money, but this motorhome is filled with technology to make life easier. However, the total price is still much smaller than other motorhomes such as a Thor one.