▲
A propane point-
of-use water
heater provides
ample hot water.
▼
A Camp Chef
propane oven fits
perfectly along-
side our kitchen
cabinet, a repur-
posed dresser.DESIGN
First, take exact measurements
of your bus’s interior, then make a
scaled drawing of it. Start with the
following measurements:- Distance between the walls
- Distance from the back of
the driver’s seat to the back
of the bus - Distance behind and in front
of the wheel humps, from
both ends of the bus - Space between the wheel
humps, from side to side - Height from the middle
(high point) of the ceiling
to the floor
Create a scaled drawing on
a piece of poster board or large
sheet of paper. And then mock
up the layout by using painter’s
tape or chalk to map it out on the
empty bus f loor. When you walk
around on the taped layer, if you
feel something is too tight or if you
find inefficiencies in how things
are positioned, you can move the
tape to test alternatives.
Begin building your layout by
prioritizing the things you value
most for your skoolie conver-
sion. Do you want a full-size bed,
or would you rather allow more
space for the kitchen or bath-
room? What kind of furniture or
built-ins would you like? What’s
your ideal kitchen layout?BED / Do you need a queen-size
bed, or are you okay with a double?
A queen mattress is approximately
5 feet wide and 61⁄2 feet long, but
a double mattress is 41⁄2 feet wide
and just over 6 feet long. Half a foot
of width could make or break your
layout plans—or sleeping comfort.
Also, custom sizes of foam mat-
tresses can be ordered online, or
foam mattresses can be trimmed
to whatever size you desire.KITCHEN / Think compact: A sin-
gle sink saves counter space over a
double sink, and overhead shelving
can act as storage for food, cups,
and plates. You’ll also need to fit
the refrigerator or cooler, stove,
and microwave into the design. If
you plan to do a lot of grilling out-
side your bus, you might want to
locate your indoor kitchen close
to the bus entrance. Most recre-
ational vehicles, campers, and
tiny homes have kitchen counters
no longer than 5 feet, not counting
space for a small oven. A good tip
is to utilize a standard bathroom
vanity base in place of conven-
tional kitchen base cabinets.STORAGE / Yo u’ l l b e s u r pr i s e d a t
how much stuff you have to put in
your skoolie. Storage space under
the bed is excellent for cloth-
ing containers or drawers, shoes,
extra water jugs, and more. One
way to arrange underbed storage
is to divide it into front and rear
sections, with the front beingaccessible from inside the bus and
the rear being accessible from the
rear emergency exit door.
You can store items under
sofas. You can even remove the
sofa’s feet and place the sofa
frame above a framed-in storage
box or a set of drawers similar to
those found on a captain’s bed.
Shelving is an excellent use
of the space over windows and
around the perimeter of the bus
where you won’t be walking.
It’s critical that you add a small
ledge, at least 2 inches tall, along
the front edge of the shelf to keep
items from falling when the bus
is moving. (Similarly, it is wise to
use small hook-and-eye latches to
keep drawers from opening while
you’re driving.)KEEP COZY / A wood stove is an
excellent way to stay warm and
complete your conversion. Install
it close to the center of the bus,
from front to back, and far enough
off the wall to allow the chimney
pipe to go through the ceiling.Adapted from Skoolie! 2019 by
Will Sutherland. Used with per-
mission from Storey Publishing.EL
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