This School Bus Was Transformed Into a Motorhome With Large Bathtub and Workspace

Meet Nikki, a woman who bought and redesigned this entire school bus by herself. The Doodle Bus has everything that you need and more. It has a functional kitchen and what is most desirable but hard to achieve in a mobile home - a gigantic bathtub.

The bus conversion measures 35ft (10.7m) in length, so there is plenty of space for a single person and two pets. Since Nikki is a graphic designer, she drew the sketch of the bus on her laptop, and at one point, that sketch became a reality. The journey started in 2022 alongside her cat and dog, and it is still going on with no intention of stopping anytime soon.

Starting with the exterior, Nikki wanted to make it feel more like a true home, so she built a customized deck behind the bus. The deck comes with a bike rack on which a bike can be secured with clips, and a box to protect the generator.

There is also plenty of storage underneath for extra tools and eight 100-amp solar batteries. The bus can also run off-grid with the solar panels, the lithium batteries, and the generator.

The interior of the bus is where the magic happens, though. It might not look like there is much space from the outside, but the clever design has made it possible for this mobile home to have everything a conventional house would.

The kitchen and living room are in an open-space design, which is common in these types of houses. Since there is already limited space, a wall between them would make it look even smaller.

Since Nikki works from home, it was important for her to have a workspace arranged in the living room. On the left side of the living area, we find a long brown couch that does not seem to be extensible. On the right side, there is a working desk, a laptop, and a tablet. Instead of a chair that would have taken more space, an ottoman with huge storage underneath was the better choice for the workspace.

Both sides have upper shelves with a few spotlights beneath that light up the whole interior. The curtains are truly a piece of art. They are all made of sari-like fabric in different colors, giving the impression of stained glass.

Moving forward, we get to see the amazing unique feature that makes this skoolie stand out, a massive bathtub. Yes, it was placed in the kitchen/living area, but since Nikki lives alone, that is not a problem. The bathtub has a separate faucet, a rain shower head, and a tray on which perhaps a few candles and a drink can be added.

The kitchen might not be fully functional for some since there is no oven and stove, but that does not mean that Nikki cannot cook. We can still find an air fryer and an electric one-burner induction cooktop. A pantry is also present on the other side of the kitchen, which can be hidden with the barn door of the bathroom.

This layout for the kitchen was chosen in order to have more space for her art studio. This way, the long Acacia wood countertops can be used as either cooking space or a studio. There is also a large farmhouse sink and a fridge and freezer incorporated into the cabinets.

The bathroom is located next to the kitchen and comes with a composting toilet, a cabinet for toiletries and cleaning supplies, and a tankless propane water heater. There is not much space available, not even for a shower cabin. Perhaps, this was the reason that the bathtub was placed outside the bathroom.

The water heater, alongside 200 gallons (757 liters) of fresh water and 100 gallons (378 liters) of gray water, was frankly a necessity for the huge bath.

At the very end of the bus, we find a bedroom with a raised bed platform. The reason the bed was raised was to have enough space for a 6ft (1.8m) long and 2ft (60cm) wide antique wallpaper table. All the electrical systems and water tanks are also hidden underneath the queen-size bed.

The bedroom also comes with a dresser and a small table. There is more storage space for her clothes in the hanging closet at the front of the bus.

Although the bus can run off-grid, most of the times, it is hooked to power since Nikki does not travel often. She usually spends a few months in one place, this way she can accommodate with the environment.

When it comes to the final cost of this build, the owner has not quoted one. However, based on the features we’ve seen, we can speculate that it falls somewhere in the midrange as far as motorhomes are concerned.