This Skoolie Got a Roof Raise and Is Now a Motorhome With a Large Kitchen and a Full Bath

Lauren and Kevin have just embarked on a journey alongside their 40-ft (12.2 m) school bus, Skout. They converted it into a lovely mobile home with tons of space and features. A fantastic characteristic of this bus is that most windows were removed to add an extra 13-inch (33 cm) roof raise that allows for even more head space.

Usually, these types of buses come entirely off-grid. And this is also the case with this one. It has 3,080-watt solar panels mounted on the roof that power up all the appliances besides the water heater and the stove.

When you live on a school bus, you should be aware of one aspect: security. You do not always know where you will end up and what things you might find there. This couple installed many security cameras on the outside of the bus and LED lights on the left and right sides. Kevin added a few toolboxes on the exterior of the bus. Inside those, we can find an outdoor shower, 225 lbs. (102 kg) propane tank and some miscellaneous.

The interior is as homey as it can get. It no longer feels like you are living on a bus. It perfectly blends the bright and cozy aesthetic with the colorful furniture. The first room that is accessible from the outside is the living room. This area is also used as an office with an open-concept design connected to the kitchen. The office is on the left side, consisting of a large desk, an office chair, a laptop, and a desktop.

The living room has special treatment and was placed on both sides. It consists of two couches, one measuring 8 ft (2.4 m) and the other 3 ft. (0.9 m). They only have a bit of storage underneath since this is where the wheel wells are located. Both can be connected and transformed into a guest bed. The little upper cabinets provide more storage.

A big bus deserves an even bigger and functional kitchen. The 8 ft (2.4 m) countertop provides plenty of cooking space. We find a large sink, a propane stovetop, and an oven on the right side. A fridge, a microwave, a water filter, and a huge pantry were added on the right side. There are many cabinets and even a pull-out drawer holding all the kitchen utensils.

Next to the kitchen is a small laundry room. This area is separated from both sides with two pocket doors. The couple added a washer and dryer combo and a medicine cabinet.

The bathroom is amazingly spacious, which is something that cannot always be said in an RV. There is enough room to fit a composting toilet, upper cabinets, a vanity, and a large tiled shower cabin powered by 125 gallons of freshwater.

From the bathroom, we can access the bedroom through the hallway. Before getting into the room, two large closets were placed on the left and right sides. One is for clothes, and the other is used as storage for lithium batteries, an inverter, and cleaning products.

The bedroom is present at the very rear end of the mobile home. It was designed with a full-size mattress, many cabinets, a projector screen, and a mini-split. The fairy lights make this whole area feel like an enchanted room. The emergency exit and two large windows provide plenty of natural light.

This bus is also pet friendly. Two little memory foam with two orthopedic beds were added in the bedroom right before the rear window. This window can be opened, and the dogs can enjoy the warm weather.

Transitioning to this lifestyle is more challenging than it sounds. If you decide to convert a school bus into an RV, you must keep in mind that many things can go wrong alongside that journey. However, plenty of online tutorials can help you with almost any problem you might encounter.

Another significant challenge would be getting rid of a lot of your stuff. Depending on which type of house you used to live in, this might be less or more hard to do. But many people realize they do not need to own much stuff to be happy. And that can be entirely understood. We all keep those things because we do not want to throw them.

The price of these school buses depends on if they are already converted or how old they are. You can get one as low as $10,000 without any modifications. But it can get quite expensive if it is fully customized and road ready.