One of the more challenging parts of building the bus was coming up with a place for Juan to work. When we decided on an old 35' bus rather than a more modern 40' or 45' bus, we knew there would be some sacrifices made in order to fit our
Bathroom - Part 5: Testing the Plumbing & Finishing Touches
Finally, we were down to the last few finishing touches in the bathroom to call it done. Before we moved on, however, we needed to test the plumbing to check for leaks and also to see how the tankless water heater and recirculation valve would work. Then, we finally were
Bathroom - Part 4: Grout and Fixtures
The time had come to grout the penny tile and install the fixtures in the shower. We chose Ardex FL grout in the color Fresh Lily. The “FL” is their flexible grout, so we are hoping it holds up really well. We got great feedback from Justin over at Gilligan
Bathroom - Part 3: Planked Walls, Wallpaper, & Shower Trim
Please excuse our long absence here. As you all know, our blog posts and YouTube videos are pretty consistently a few months behind real life. Well, about a month ago we finished the bus and hit the road. As we continue to transition into this new lifestyle, we are still
Bathroom - Part 2: Tiling the Shower with Penny Round Tiles
After installing the KerdiBoard waterproofing backer boards, we were ready to tile. We chose white penny round tiles in an effort to tile the curve of the ceiling. It was only after we chose penny tiles that we found out they are pretty tricky to cut, fit, and install. With
Cabinet Doors & Drawer Fronts: Part 2 - Ikea Hinges, Ikea Drawers, & Hardware
Last time, we built and began installing cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Today, we share how we finished installing the rest of the doors with IKEA Utrusta hinges, installed IKEA drawers, and put the finishing touch on with all of the handles.
For the upper cabinets in the kitchen, we
Cabinet Doors & Drawer Fronts: Part 1 - Prep, Hinge Testing, A Bit of Install
While building out the interior of the bus, we had chosen to wait on adding the cabinet doors and drawer fronts until we were closer to being finished. We knew that they would very likely become damaged while the bus was still a huge construction zone. Finally, the time had
A Simple Front Dash Area
Since the day we ripped off the old tan vinyl coverings from the dashboard and entry wall, we have been welcomed into the bus by chewed-up metal and aging defrost system. Last week, we shared the new defrost system, and today we finally get to share how we covered it
Defrost System - Part 2: Replacing with an Aftermarket System
After making the decision to completely replace the 57-year-old defrost system with an aftermarket system, it was time to begin the installation. There were quite a few pieces and parts to map out: hoses, adapters, pumps, valves, cables, vents, and more hoses. Of course, it was not a simple drop-in
Defrost System - Part 1: Refurbish or Replace?
It seems like dash areas are one of the last places bus converters address (if they ever do). We are certainly no exception there. Part of the reason was that we didn’t want to ding and scratch up a nice new finished area coming in and out of the
Convertible Couch, Table, Bed - Part 3: Putting It All Together & the Final Results
After making the second couch and the hinging arms last time, we moved onto making the tables and putting it all together. We also had to come up with a Plan B mid-project, because real-life does not always work like a SketchUp drawing. In the end, we made it work
Convertible Couch, Table, Bed - Part 2: Hinging Arms, Legs, & Bench Top
After finishing the first couch base last time, we moved onto figuring out the hinging arms (which also become table legs). We followed the measurements from our Sketchup design plans to cut and weld together the different pieces that make up the arms. We also made our own hinges using