13 Amazing Short Bus Conversions You Have To See

Short bus conversions have become extremely popular in America over the last decade or so. The iconic skoolies bring back childhood memories and make for an excellent up-cycling project for those who want to live the van life in an extra-charming, robust vehicle.

Short buses are cheap to buy, so they’re a great option for the budget-conscious DIYer. The low purchase price also helps aspiring van lifers who would rather hire a company to carry out the conversion, to cut down costs.

Short school buses are generally just over 20ft long, with five or six side windows. They’re between 72 and 92 inches wide and offer 6 feet or more of standing headroom inside. The interior space is quite roomy and rectangular, which means you can design a very space-efficient floor plan.

Some short bus conversions aren’t just practical and tough, they’re stunning tiny homes with all the comforts you need.

Ready to get inspired?

We’ve picked ten amazing short bus conversions you have to see, whether you’re planning to renovate a skoolie soon, or you just love to peek inside other people’s tiny homes on the road.

1. The Chandlers’ SundanceBus

The Chandlers are a family that travels full-time with a dirt bike and a matching Jeep in tow. They are from Montana, where they lived on a big ranch. Chris and Dena want their two kids to build adventurous and exciting core memories, so they decided to downsize and hit the road.

The couple turned a 27-foot Bluebird into an incredible mobile home DIY. Dena developed the floor plan and interior design, while Chris built her vision.

First, they hired a company to raise the roof by 16 inches. This created more headroom and allowed them to fit a loft above the cab. The kids can sit in there with the dogs while on the road and watch the world go by – a unique feature you don’t see on any other bus conversion.

Inside the Sundance Bus, there’s a huge kitchen with a big sink and standard hob and oven, a wet bathroom with a composting toilet, a U-shaped dinette, a loft bed, and a double bed at the back. The kitchen doubles as a workspace for Dena’s sewing when the weather is bad. The bathroom has a porthole, so the shower head can be used outdoors. A huge TV is hidden to the side of the platform bed – it’s on an electric lift, so when the guys don’t watch it, it’s out of view.

Overall, this rig looks incredible. The bus can stay off-grid for many days in a row and has hot water and temperature control year-round.

The Chandlers tow a Jeep they used to tour Utah as a couple, so they can set up camp and explore further on the 4×4. They also carry a dirt bike in the front of the bus, so Chris can go on mini solo adventures when the kids need to nap. What a dream life!

2. Michael’s Short Bus Conversion “Ivan”

Michael converted a 2004 Chevrolet Express 3500 into an “off-grid dream”, as he calls it. He uses it to travel to his parents’ place and work while he’s away from home. He took three years to build it, so he could make it exactly how he wanted.

Ivan has 40Ah of lithium batteries, temperature control, a 3000-watt inverter/charger, 30-amp shore power, 400 watts of solar, and an alternator charger to charge the batteries when driving. It’s completely self-sufficient.

Inside, there’s a kitchen, a huge desk, a wet bath with a composting toilet, and a platform bed. The kitchen area has a double burner, a big top-opening cooler, plenty of chopping space, a large sink, cupboards, and overhead cabinets. The floor plan makes this short bus feel very spacious and functional. Thanks to the contrast between the wood and granite details, the interior looks modern and tidy.

Our favorite feature is the spacious roof deck, which you can enjoy on sunny days as a solarium or as a stargazing spot at night. On the side of the bus, Michael fitted a flip-down table that comes in very handy for cooking or working outside.

Ivan is currently for sale. Michael recorded the whole build on YouTube, in case you’re interested.

3. Ryan and Stephanie’s Short Bus Conversion

When Stephanie and Ryan got married in 2012, they decided not to settle down and start a family but to travel instead. First, they spent years living and working in Asia, then they decided to swap the expat life abroad for the van life in America.

They purchased a 2006 Ford E350 Super Duty, and converted it into a DIY RV with the help of their families. Their RV used to be an airport shuttle bus and the renovation process took five weeks.

Inside, they have a kitchen, a drop-down table bed, a couch bed, and a Porta-Potty camping toilet. The kitchen has a camping stove and a top-loading refrigerator.

While their short bus conversion looks gorgeous, they kept things simple, so living onboard still feels like camping. They have to make up their bed every night, don’t have a fixed toilet or shower, and spend most of their time outdoors.

Stephanie and Ryan share their adventures on their Instagram account and blog. Although they sold their bus a while ago, they continue to travel while working.

4. Matt and Christa’s “Cecilia” Short Bus Conversion

Matt and Christa got married a few months ago and immediately took off on their short bus conversion Cecilia. Cecilia The Bus only cost $3,000 to buy and $10,000 to renovate. She’s now Matt and Christa’s only home.

Inside, there’s a kitchen and couch near the door, while the toilet is at the back, next to the platform bed.

Matt and Christa opted for a huge kitchen in their short bus conversion with tons of countertop space, a fridge and a stove. The couch is also a slide-out bed for guests.

The storage under the platform bed is accessible if you lift the mattress. In the bathroom, there’s a Porta Potty and a shower. 

Outside, at the rear of the skoolie, there’s a back deck where they can store their bikes and an outdoor kitchen counter. The roof features a deck where they can sit and relax and three solar panels to generate electricity.

You can find out more about Cecilia The Short Bus and her owners on their Instagram account.

5. Dorit’s Boho Short Bus Conversion “Bootsy”

Dorit self-converted a 5-window-long 2001 GMC short bus into a solo traveler’s den twice. The pictures you see above are from her Bootsy 2.0 conversion. Everything about this build looks incredibly charming, from the classic yellow exterior to the super cozy boho interior.

Dorit built a spacious kitchen extending on both sides of the bus with a sink, standard oven and burner, and cooler. It has so many drawers and cupboards that you can easily fit all your favorite cookware and crockery in it.

To maximise the space, Dorit created a bedroom loft above a lounge area in the back of the skoolie. The bed loft is on a platform that lifts and lowers, while the dinette turns into a twin-sized guest bed. In the middle of the vehicle, there’s a wet bath with a DIY composting toilet.

The coolest thing about her build is that she custom-built furniture for her cats to play and chill out in. She added hiding holes, shelves, and a toilet to the area near the wardrobe. The toilet is ventilated, so it doesn’t give out any smells.

Dorit sold the bus a while ago, but she admits to scrolling through pictures of it regularly. And who can blame her?

You can follow her adventures on her Instagram account and YouTube channel.

6. Meg and Levi’s short bus conversion

Meg and Levi live on their 24ft short bus conversion with their dog Kiwi. They went for a rustic look inside and out, with lots of wood, even on the exterior.

Their bus has a kitchen, dinette, toilet, and a platform bed. The soft furnishing is so cool, it makes the interior Instagram-perfect.

You can check out Meg and Levi’s short bus RV conversion on their Instagram account. 

7. Isaac and Julia’s Skooliana Short Bus Conversion

Isaac and Julia’s skoolie is equal parts cozy and modern. You’d never guess they had never built anything before getting their hands on this 2003 Ford E450. The couple decided to move onto a bus to save on their bills.

It took Isaac and Julia a year to refit the bus from scratch, DIY. You can spot Skooliana from afar, thanks to the unique exterior design, which features a vinyl black pine forest. 

Inside, there’s a couch, kitchen, and platform bed. If they need the bathroom, they drive up to a Walmart and if they want to shower, they go to the gym.

The kitchen has a stove with an oven, a slide-out refrigerator, and a sink. Our favorite feature is the counter, which looks like a big slab of raw wood dipped in epoxy resin. Since there’s no bathroom inside, there’s plenty of storage space for food and clothes.

You can follow Isaac and Julia’s travels on their YouTube channel and Instagram account.

8. Alexa and Kyle’s Sturdy Barb Short Bus Camper

Alexa and Kyle travel around North America on their short bus, a 2001 Chevrolet Express 3500. They quit their jobs, converted the skoolie into a DIY RV, and started a new adventure with their cat Trippy.

The dark blue and white exterior gives it an old-school feel. The roof features a deck to sit on and two huge solar panels that can take them off-grid anytime they want.

Inside, they’ve opted for a simple design with two couches facing each other that turn into a bed, a small kitchen, and a bathroom with a composting toilet.

9. Alyssa and Dan’s Lucky Bus

Alyssa and Dan have lived on the road since March 2019 on Lucky Bus, a 22ft long Ford E450 7.3L. They set off on their bus RV to travel the USA and both work remotely from their laptops. 

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Lucky Bus has been refurbished by 84 Lumber, following the design Alyssa and Dan dreamed up. The outside has been completely repainted in pastel tones. The interior offers 100 sqft of living space and features a kitchen, a sofa, a platform bed, and a bathroom. 

The kitchen features a huge worktop, a refrigerator, and a storable electric cooker. Dan and Alyssa opted for using a foldable camping table they can use both inside and outdoors.

In the bathroom, they chose a wet bath and a Nature’s Head composting toilet. The roof has solar panels, so they can go off-grid.

Alyssa and Dan document their bus life adventures on their YouTube channel, Instagram account, and blog.

10. Heather and Nick’s “Vicaribus” Short Bus Conversion

Heather and Nick live on their 1998 Thomas Vista short school bus camper conversion with their dog Miles and travel around the USA full-time.

Vicaribus took a long year to convert into an RV, but it was definitely worth it.

The exterior is predominantly white, while the interior is colorful and bright. Inside, there’s a kitchen, a dinette that turns into a couch, an office desk, a toilet, and a platform bed.

The couch comprises three units, one of which can be taken out to create a total of three seats around the table. The kitchen features a gas stove, a refrigerator, and a sink. 

The toilet is a wet bath with a Nature’s Head composting toilet. On the roof, there’s a patio deck and two big solar panels that provide the RV with electricity.

You can follow the Vicaribus adventures on YouTube and on Heather and Nick’s blog.

11. Jon and Amy’s Angry Pickle

Jon and Amy bought a charming 2001 Ford E450 Blue Bird Micro Bus and converted it into a short bus conversion for going on their off-grid adventures.

The exterior is painted in army green. Inside, there’s a couch that doubles as a slide-out bed, a kitchenette, a platform bed and a composting toilet.

The kitchen features a beautiful wooden countertop and a vintage tap. There’s also a microwave and a mini fridge. The storage under the platform bed can be accessed from both inside and outside the bus, which is very handy. The solar panels are attached to the roof.

You can follow Jon and Amy’s bus life adventures on YouTube.

12. Aaron and Cat’s Stu The Bus Short Bus Conversion

Aaron and Cat set off on an epic road trip in 2018 and they’re still going. They bought and converted a 2005 Ford E450 Super Duty for a total of $13,000. They DIY’d everything, with the help of their parents.

The interior is in a teal and white color scheme and features a couch, a kitchen, a toilet and a platform bed. One of the cleverest features is the kitchen sink. The tap swivels out of the window to become an outdoor shower.

There’s also a bathroom with a Nature’s Head composting toilet.

Aaron and Cat built a roof deck that can be accessed from inside the van through the hatch. On top, there are bikes, a spare tire, and plenty of space for stargazing or sunbathing.

You can learn more about Aaron, Cat, and Stu on Instagram and their YouTube channel.

13. Jagaloria’s Short Bus Conversion

Jagaloria travels in her bus conversion through community and non-profit spaces. She’s a full-time artist who makes colorful dream catchers and sells her art at tiny house festivals. Wherever she goes, she takes her faithful cat with her. Jagaloria is also part of a traveling circus that brings good vibes and healing to everyone.

She created her short bus conversion using second-hand materials and pre-loved furniture. Inside it, there are a platform bed, a kitchen, and a dinette. Everything looks super colorful and practical.

Conclusion on Short Bus Conversions

Well, what a round-up! We can’t decide which one is our favorite – they’re all amazing. We hope these short bus conversions can give you some good ideas for your own project, or help you fuel your van life dream.

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