This Tiny School Bus Has Been Converted Into a Functional Off-Grid Motorhome

I love tiny dwellings that were not intended to serve as living spaces, just like this short school bus. You get to transform it yourself into a wonderful house on wheels, but you also have to mind how much of your stuff can come with you. That is perhaps what I dislike about these types of homes besides the fear of them breaking in the middle of nowhere.

Kari has been living on a sailboat for two years and has also backpacked throughout Europe. After she came home, she realized that tiny living might just be the perfect way to live her life. She bought a skoolie, named it Willow, and started converting it into her lovely off-grid home on wheels.

The exterior has been painted in two different colors. The bottom part is orange and the top part is pink. Kari added a foldable table on the side of the bus with a butane stove that acts as her outdoor kitchen.

The backside of the bus got a garage-like storage area under the bed. The rear doors can be opened, and since her bedroom is also located in the back, she can enjoy the outdoor breeze while still staying in bed. The garage is large enough to fit a diesel heater and an RV freezer.

She also has a dirt bike and uses it to travel to places where she cannot take the bus, like a forest or a mountain area. The bike is attached to a front hitch receiver. It is a wonderful idea if you want to still be able to open the rear doors.

Stepping inside, the interior has mostly a rustic wooden aesthetic, and even the ceiling is made of wood. But you would not be able to tell this just by looking at the exterior, as it looks like a normal bus, while a true home is hidden inside.

The front of this mobile home is separated from the rest by a deep blue curtain. The owner added a hammock between the front side and the living room for extra seating space. While this skoolie does not have a bathroom, she does own a cassette toilet hidden behind the curtain.

The kitchen has been placed on the left side of the motorhome, and though small, it is functional. It does not have an oven but it comes with an RV fridge, a deep sink, and the butane stovetop from the outdoor kitchen. The deep sink is also used as a replacement for the shower since there has not been any space left to fit one.

She opted to have only base cabinets to have more space available. Instead, she screwed a few shelves with baskets and added all the canned food, tea, and spices in there.

On the opposite side, a small living area with a bench couch can be found. But, as is usually the case with most homes on wheels, carefully planned use of space and storage is mandatory. As such, the aforementioned couch serves a dual purpose, both as a sleeping area for guests and a storage compartment.

The living area and bedroom are separated by a room divider. Kari found this antique-looking room divider in the trash. She cut it in shape so it could fit the curved walls of the school bus and added a shelf.

The bedroom is located at the far end of the bus. The bed is a platform on which she placed a full-size Japanese futon with a mattress cover. There is also a wall-mounted TV and an air vent that keeps the place well-ventilated, which is quite important in a bus made entirely of steel.

To store all her clothes, a few baskets were added at the end and on top of the bed. On the side of the bed, we also find a small clothes cabinet with a bedside table on top.

Though it might be far from perfect for a lot of people, this is still a lovely motorhome. In my point of view, the main drawback is the absence of a bathroom. A bigger and better equipped kitchen would have also been nice.

Kari did not mention any price for her short school bus. However, we know that the cost depends on a lot of factors, including the size of the RV. The year is also important, as the newer ones can get to a whopping $200,000 price. Of course, it will be much cheaper than a conventional house. But you can also change your location anytime, something that is kind of impossible with other houses.