Find the best deal at your local bus dealership, online auctions, or even Craigslist. Don’t rush the process. You can definitely pick up a good deal with a little bit of research.
It’s crucial to check out the vehicle’s maintenance records before purchase. Don’t be too concerned about mileage as you’re likely to replace a lot.
What Do You Get Out of It?
Converting a school bus into a home can be great. It's almost as spacious as an actual house, well, a smaller house. You can be totally nomadic if you like, but at the same time move around as much as you wish.
Building and refurbishing will take more time to finish but don't worry, it's totally worth it. A big question however is, do they last?
Staying Power
School busses are built to survive just about anything. They are meant to transport kids after all. Whatever money you put into your school bus home will be well worth it as you are less likely to suffer from constant road-side breakdowns.
The cost to buy a bus is roughly the same as a van, sometimes even lower. The asking price starts at around $3,000 and can go up to $10,000. You can find a perfectly good one even for $2,500 after a good amount of research. But where do you start?
The Building Costs
All in all, it can cost about $30,000 to convert a bus into a home. That estimate is made of both the initial purchase as well as all the building materials and tool required to reconstruct the bus.
Of course, one can always do it for less than that. You might want to use some elbow grease and say goodbye to hired laborers to save a buck here and there.
More Space = More Time and Money
Like with anything, the more work something requires, the longer it takes. Converting us is going to take longer than a van, simply because it's bigger. Think carefully if you have the time and the money to convert a bus over a van.
It requires time-consuming planning and research. You have more options to consider when designing and refurbishing a bigger space. Try to create a blueprint of the interior and work according to that. Consider how you would like to space things too.