Author: Mom of the adventure

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Stage 4 Interior

January 2025

At the three-year mark

During the early January weeks, we built drawers and doors for the bathroom cabinet and a table for the hallway that M will decorate and cover with resin. We also made some seats that will fold out with that table. One of them we installed already.

Securing the refrigerator

We built a cabinet to secure our refrigerator in place. Since the back of the fridge is visible from the outside, we painted the window black. If we had anticipated the fridge’s final position, we would have covered the window during the roof raise, but our plans changed.

To save 6 inches of living space, we positioned the fridge cove above the fuel tank fill. This allowed us to utilize the space underneath for a drawer. We also created additional storage for a step stool, which will help us access the upper cabinets more easily. Furthermore, we relocated the AC duct to the front of the bus, which required some cutting in the overhead areas. We installed a 110v outlet and ran the wiring beneath the bus to connect to our electrical cabinet. Finally, we were able to place the fridge in its designated cove, clearing up space in the bus.

Vacation work

We had some vacation days left from last year, so we decided to bring the bus into the driveway to work on it for a week. After installing additional electrical wiring, we finished the roof boards inside the overhead compartments. However, it started raining, and we discovered a significant leak. We managed to seal it off and to prevent any future issues, we also installed a drain behind the insulation and covered it with plastic. After that, I added a plywood wall over it. Hopefully, this will do the trick.

Time for some seating

Next, we covered the wheel well and added insulation over it. After that, we began working on the booth seats. The back supports of the seats on the driver’s side are angled at 100 degrees and are taller than usual to enhance comfort. Additionally, these seats can be converted into an extra bed.

The booth is raised to provide a better view out of the window, and the space underneath is utilized for storage. We designed one of the benches to accommodate a dog kennel, complete with windows so the dog can see outside.

Since we had to wait for the other paint to dry, we decided to paint the kennel. Although we know dogs are colorblind, it seemed like a fun idea, and now our dog has a bunny to bark at while we’re driving.

After building the booth, C indicated that the overheads on the other side should be removed because they make the living area too claustrophobic. So we cut out almost a day of work in a time span of mere minutes. But we wasted enough time and money in other areas of this bus that it’s hardly noticeable. Except for the dust…. We tried SOOO hard not to have to cut or sand in the bus! Now, there is a nice gray layer on top of everything….

With the booth on the driver’s side in place, we made an additional seat area on the passenger side. This seat will be a seat/table/couch conversion. It could also be turned into a bed for a kid-size person. Underneath this seating area, we will have shoe storage and electrical components. Those will take up a lot of space, and we will have to put those in before the kitchen to know if we need to overflow this into an overhead or kitchen cabinet. The booth on the door side is a bit smaller to prevent the claustrophobic feeling we discussed, plus it will give us a bit of floor space next to the driver’s seat that we can pile in when we enter the bus.

With all that seating in place it was time to put in the ceiling planks and the flooring so we can trim the sides of the booths.

Then everything was ready for the main electrical system. After MONTHS (and months!) of research and help from fellow skoolie owners, we finally managed to get our system together. This is by far the most expensive part of the conversion. In order from most to least expensive:

– 2x24v 280Ah LifePO4 batteries (https://a.co/d/2OhUXVa)

– Victron multiplus 24V 3000VA (https://a.co/d/gEVu6FK)

– Solar Charge controller

– Lynx distributor

– Orion 24v 70 amp DC converter

– Smart shunt

– Smart Dongle

– MK3 interface

– 110V fuse block

– 24V fuse block

– 12V fuse block

– 150amp circuit breaker

– 4x 100Amp mega fuses

– Solar panel fuses

– Buck step down regulator

– Other small wiring and odds and ends

– Automatic fire extinguisher for electrical cabinets

For a whopping total of $5100(!). Add almost $2000 in solar panels that we purchased last year, and our electrical system is just over $7000. Happy birthday to me…. (Note: that is a mid-range cost for a skoolie conversion in the south.) So, if you want to try this as well, start saving or go live in the Pacific Northwest instead of in 100-degree AC-required weather in Texas…..

One of the batteries arrived the day we would return the bus to storage. I am glad it did because it is BIG and HEAVY. It fits under the planned electrical cabinet perfectly! Secured it in place with blocks. And since we were working on electrical anyway, we figured we’d also put the Multiplus in place. But, of course, there is a ¾” difference between the drawing and the actual built dimensions because we decided to put a piece of plywood over the wheel well. Meaning the multiplus does not fit. Sigh. And we have no other place to put it unless we put it above the batteries, and that’s not a good idea. Or we put it in the kitchen, which makes fitting the stove a serious issue.

Getting SO tired sometimes. Anway the option is to raise the both floor 2 ½” (might as well add the extra ventilation space now) and have relative short legroom, or raise the whole booth. Basically starting from scratch. The table is in place already and we really don’t want to move that at this point.

What’s next? Probably the rewiring of the solar panels and electrical installation, then the hallway wall, followed by the air-conditioning installation. There is still so much to do….

Categories
Stage 4 Interior

End of year 2

In December, we had several days to work on the bus since we still had some vacation days left and time available during the Christmas holiday. So, we brought the bus home and focused on the bathroom installation.

Shower and vanity

The one wall of tiles for the shower stayed in place, so we proceeded to tile the other wall.

Shower walls

Then, we built the bathroom vanity, which blocked us from walking through the bathroom wall. We now had to walk around to get in there. With the vanity in place, we put the remainder of the bathroom flooring down, followed by finishing the bathroom walls.

Vanity and flooring

We added hot and cold water piping in the wall and to the toilet-to-be. We had marked the bus frames on the side walls of the bus interior to make sure none of the piping would hit the floor frames under the bus; after “dry” placing the toilet and sitting on it to check clearances, we moved it as close to the frame mark as possible.

Time to cut a hole in the bus

Then, it was time to cut the hole for the pipe from the toilet to the black water tank. With a 3.5” hole cutter, we made the cut through the subfloor.  Once we lifted that portion out, we noticed, to our disappointment, that we were 1” over the framing. That 5-minute cut just became half a day of work…

We tried the reciprocating saw as best we could, but in the end, we still had to go under the bus to clear more steel. In the picture, you can still see a steel bar under the hole. That bar holds the mud flaps of the rear tires, so we can easily move it and reweld it by the time we put the black water tank underneath. We could now put the pipe in place and the toilet on top.

Reciprocating Saw
Steel bar under bus
Bus frame cut through
All clear from under the bus

Next, we built the sink counter for the cabinet. After checking for counters in our favorite hardware store (which coincidentally has the colors of the Dutch Royal family) and its prices, we came up with the idea to use vinyl instead. We bought a large roll and tried to stick it on as best we could. However, our bus is a home build, and due to curved lumber, wall adjustments, etc., none of the walls are 90 degrees, and thus, the vanity counter is not squared either. After three attempts, we finally figured out how to get it on without bubbling underneath.

The first attempt

Connecting drains

We dry-placed the sink and could now cut the hole for the drain in the correct place. We played it safe this time and stayed well away from the frame indication. That seemed a good idea at the time and thus the hole was cut without issue. However, when we tried to put the Hepvo valve on (it is a valve that is used instead of a P-trap, so there are no tank smells in the bus when the bus is in storage and the P-trap dries out), the hole was 1” off (hmm where did we have the measurement issue before) with the drain…

R suggested using an “angled pipe,” I am unsure why we did not think about that ourselves. Another trip to the home store and 2 x 45-degree angles later, it all fit. We managed to slide the drainpipe over the main bus frame to still be able to eventually mount the grey water tank on the starboard side of the bus. With the drain installed, we tried to connect the hot and cold waterlines from the sink, and we were only three inches off from making that work. So we had to cut two new holes and adjust the waterlines. This time at least not too big a deal because those two unused holes won’t be visible anyway.

Medicine cabinet

Next, we built the behind-the-mirror shelf. We bought one in the store, but it was very flimsy. We can do better than that. However, purchasing a beveled mirror by itself is twice as expensive as buying a recessed mirror cabinet. So we bought the latter, removed the mirror, and put it on our design. It looks pretty good if I say so!

Shower Head

Then, we installed the shower head. We raised the bus roof to have plenty of height for the shower. So, we dry-fit it to cut the hole. But that seemed a little high, so on a whim, I moved the drill down two inches and started drilling. WHY????? I have NO IDEA!? So now the shower head is still lower than we wanted. Was this whole year of roof-raising all for nothing????? Stupid me. But we did not want to drill a second hole and move the shower up because that would always remain visible. So now I will likely just be annoyed while showering on our bus. Oh well. Sometimes I amaze myself….

All the details

Next, we spent a day or two on caulk, paint, and trim touchups. We also had to figure out where to place the toilet roll. Wise decisions were made there. Then, we installed some hardware, a door lock, and a towel ring.

Now for the real test

The day after Christmas, it was plumbing testing time. We connected the hose to the bus; M was on the faucet outside, C was checking the plumbing behind the shower, R was under the sink, and I was behind the toilet to check all the connections. As soon as M opened the water valve, I got sprayed with a gallon of water. The first connection clearly failed. I closed the toilet valve and went to check the rest. All the other connections were dry except for the shower. After three new attempts, the shower connection was still leaking.

We made a quick trip to the depot and bought a new shower connector and toilet hose. In the afternoon, we ran a second test. The toilet issue was fixed, but the shower was still leaking, so we ordered a new shower arm.

While waiting…

Since we had to wait a few days for that, we figured we’d install the heater so we could test those connections as well. That meant cutting a 13×13” hole in the side of our bus. However, with some of the electrical lines already in place and the location of some of the bus structures, we had to build a raised platform first, which meant installing the cabinet bottom plate. With all that in place, we made the cut. This time, it went without a glitch. Although I did burn my fingers on the metal of the bus while applying the caulk. That steel gets very hot in the sun!

We installed the heater and built a cabinet around it, then connected the water lines.

The shower arm came in at the same time, so we installed that, too. Then we did our water test once more. This time, it was all dry. Everyone was happy about a successful few weeks. In the end I just noticed that we forgot the shower arm cover, so I put that on—and scratched the paint off the shower arm in the process. Sigh. It’s never-ending.

With that, the bathroom was complete

Last little bit for now

Last, we made the coves for our extra hallway seats and table. Then, we measured the remainder of the bus. We tried to check if we can make changes in the kitchen but figured out there is only one actual order to do it in now that the location for the heater is set.

So, we taped the seating booth out on the skoolie floor and assessed the situation. That does not give us enough walking room, seeing the full-size fridge we bought. We have to switch the booth to the other side of the bus. That means there will be a change in the electrical plans as well. In short, we now have to build the fridge cove first (so we can secure it when driving), followed by the seating booth, before being able to start on the kitchen. The ever-changing plans of a skoolie….

Excited for 2025, we hope to have her finished this year!!

Categories
Stage 4 Interior

October / November

Life is busy, but we are making slow progress. That said, our timetable has been adjusted once more. Slow and steady wins the race. What we have done in the past weeks:

October

We added a shelf and electrical cables to each of the girls’ cubbies. They will all have USB chargers, string lights, and a fan in the front of their cubbies and light and USB in the back of their cubbies. With the electrical work completed, we closed the cubbies off by putting the plywood on top, which will become our bed.

Plywood for bed

Installing the plywood for our bed into the bus required some navigation since the bathroom walls were already in place. We cut some holes and made little access hatches so we could still access the electrical wires later. Once all the plywood was in place, we had to figure out in which orientation we were going to sleep so we knew where to place our storage bins.

Next, we finished the trim around the windows. We had to special fit these so we can take the windows out when needed. Meanwhile, we painted the bathroom doors. We bought folding doors, removed the folding hinges, and will use them as regular doors instead to reduce the space required to open them. They don’t sell doors that size separately, so converting a folding door was a good solution.

Next, we built storage bins on the plywood bed for the parents’ clothes, creating quite a bit of storage space. We also added lights and USB chargers. Since there was not much we could do with that space, we covered the wheel wells and turned them into steps. We filled them with insulation to reduce the road noise.

Extra door

Then we moved to the side door. We kept this door in our bus to quickly access large items and ventilation when parked. It took a bit of thinking to re-design the door so it can be opened from the inside but not from the outside. Until now, we used a ratchet strap to keep this door closed. While working on the door, we discovered it did not close and seal properly, so we had to cut and reweld it again to make it fit better. Then, I added plywood over it, followed by the wall covering.

November

We added the flooring so we knew how much height to consider for the bathroom doors. We finished the bedroom and bathroom walls and added the bathroom light and fan switches. Then the trim and the doors (I hope they will not warp) hung. Finally, we added the handles, locks, hinges, and AC vent closures. That finally completed the bedroom. Now we must figure out how to get a king-size mattress into the bus with already built bathroom walls….

Bathroom

The bathroom is next on our list, starting with a shower pan. It took a while to determine whether we should go with a full stall or a shower curtain. We chose the latter to have more space when the shower is unused. This meant we had to cut a hole in the drain. Fortunately, in the beginning, when we put the subfloor in place, we had already marked the location of the frames under the bus, so we managed to put the drain where there was no framing underneath. But of course, there was an outside storage bin that we had to remove. Which was too large to get from underneath the bus, so we had to cut up our precious storage box.  Once the cut was made, the girls ensured the hole was big enough. Then, we glued the shower pan in place and added some weight on top until the glue dried.

Next, we installed the bathroom ceiling and light before adding the shower wall. We used Polysterene backer board for the shower. It is easy to cut and pretty light. We used Palisade tiles over the backer board. Next time we visit the bus, we will see how that holds.

The beginning of December is busy with family life as usual, but now that our dining room is full of materials after Black Friday, we will have to take some days off to finish the bathroom.

Categories
Stage 4 Interior

August/September

After the last update, we brought the bus back to storage. We can do several things without the bus in the driveway. Those are caulk, electricity, and paint. This is what we did in the last few weeks. We filled the screw holes in the ceiling, caulked, and painted that. Then we painted the plywood in the back and the trim. All in all, three coats each, so with the bus in storage and dry times accounted for, this took a few days.

Girl’s Beds

Once the painting was completed and we had a free weekend, we brought the bus back to the driveway to start the installation of the girl’s cubbies. The girl’s beds are at the back of the bus, side by side running front to back. We divided the space with plywood walls to create their own “cubbie”.

They picked out their own paint colors and spent the weekend painting their cubbies, making it their own space.

Meanwhile…

While they did that, we added a storage shelf in the back for future storage baskets. It is starting to look like a real livable space in there! Once the cubbies were painted, we added the top supports and ran the electric tubing so we could add wires while the bus was back in storage. A lot more caulk and a lot more trim are making it look more and more like home. The girls are very excited to start seeing the end product!

Working our way forward

With the cubbies and trim completed, we could add the wheel well covers. We filled those with insulation to cut down on the road noise. There is no real usable storage space in there, so we just closed them up. Eventually, they will be covered with flooring.

Walls and ducts

Then, it became time for the bedroom walls. We stained the tongue-and-groove wood to balance the paint colors. Last, we added the AC ducts. One side will go into the bedroom and bathroom, and the other will lead to the living room. We hesitated between painting the ducts or leaving them metal, but we are glad we painted them white allowing them to blend in with the ceiling better.

After a week, the bus went back to storage. While there, we will finish the electrical work in the bedroom, continue working on the back door, and finish the walls.

It is slow, but we are finally starting to see some progress! Next up – the bathroom….

Categories
Stage 4 Interior

June/July 2024

Water tank

We are excited to be officially building out the inside of the bus. This started with closing in the water pump area and building coves to hide the cables and hoses in the back of the bus. The cove sections were made removable to allow for easy access for when we need repairs or add wires.

Ceiling

Next, we screwed furring strips onto the metal roof and side channels. Research found comments made by owners of finished skoolies that they have issues with moisture leaking from the screwheads on humid days. Adding a furring strip ensures a buffer between the steel and the wood ceiling of the bus. We use steel screws to mount the furring strips, then use trim head wood screws in the ceiling panels that screw into those furring strips. Using trim head screws also means they are not as visible once the ceiling is installed. The furring strips also create nice coves that we can hide all the electrical wiring behind.

So much to do!!

It is quite hard not to jump from one side of the bus to the other in the build-out since completion is so close! We just want to finish it all at the same time! While it’s exciting to be nearing the end, it’s crucial to adhere to the plan to avoid getting sidetracked. Therefore, we keep working our way from the back to front.  

First – the bedroom

Build out begins at the back of the bus with the bedroom. We built storage compartments underneath the area where the girl’s cubbies are going to be. Then we added the horizontal supports where our bed is going to be. We had the girls sit in their areas and we adjusted our bed height from there. We want to make sure they can sit up in their cubbies, so it doesn’t feel like they are sleeping in coffins. This is where that roof raise becomes well worth the time and money. How will we get into our bed since it is about 4 feet off the floor? Well, that’s a problem for later….

But before we can finish the beds…

With the bedframes completed, the logical next step would seem to be finishing the cubbies, installing plywood for the bed, and then addressing the rest of the bus. However, it is much easier to install the ceiling panels before working on the cubbies. But in order to install those ceiling panels, we need to determine the placement of the bathroom walls. Consequently, we had to frame the bathroom next. To do so, we needed the sink so we can determine bathroom size. So we ordered that. This illustrates how quickly the focus can shift from one task to another.

Adjusting as we go

When working on the wall layout, the bathroom window appeared to be about 4” off our scheduled floor plan. So we had to be a bit inventive with the wall framing. We prefer not to cover any more windows, and we want to be able to take them out in case one breaks or starts leaking. As a result, the framing had to be adjusted to compensate.

While building the walls it also seemed our bedroom changing area would become a bit too small. In view of this, we moved the walls just a few inches more which will affect the kitchen and walkway. This became a problem for another day.  

Back to the ceiling

With the bathroom framing now in place, we could start on the bedroom ceiling. We went with a shiplap ceiling so we can (hopefully) remove a single ceiling panel to add some wiring in the future, painting the slats prior to installation. We incorporated the ceiling fan, speaker, and lights as we were installing the panels. With some of the leftover wood, we also finished out two of the overhead storage compartments.

Next we added the air vents onto the AC in the back, caulked the bedroom panels and ceiling, and added veneer to the visible ends of the plywood. M helped iron it on.

Not exactly in order…

Since the Depot had a sale on appliances, we decided to buy a fridge and microwave for the bus. We don’t have room to store the fridge at home, so we loaded it up after finishing work in the driveway. Now we need to decide where to exactly place it. With five of us, space is tight, so we have to make the most of our future kitchen counters and living area.

Next up is adding another coat of paint onto the ceiling as well as painting the wood walls at the back of the bus. Once the painting is finished, we can finish out the girl’s cubbies, frame out our bed and see what else we can do to add some more storage space. Finally, we will complete the bedroom area, focusing on comfort and coziness with soft bedding and personalized decor. Oh yeah and we have to figure out how to maneuver a king-sized mattress into this bus…

Categories
Stage 1 rebuild

It’s been a busy spring!

With three girls and both of us serving as leaders in multiple activities, spring is always a busy time in our house with camping, soccer, and awards. However, slowly but surely, we are making progress. Here’s what’s been going on:

February

It was time to start working on the inside of the bus now that the outside was complete. We can do a lot of things on our own, but one thing we cannot do is a/c work! We brought it to Saviors Repair in Pearland (www.saviorsrepair.com) to raise the evaporator unit at the back of the bus. Once raised, they would also install new hoses that are long enough to bridge the additional distance of the roof raise.

Shortly after we dropped it off, we got a call that there was no Freon inside the unit. It must have leaked out somewhere. Besides that, this will cost quite a bit of money since Freon is expensive. It also means we could have done the actual evaporator raise ourselves. But at Saviors, they not only supplied brand new hoses, but they also did trouble shooting for the leak. Within a week we had the bus back in our storage. We were very happy with the service!!

From there we spent a lot of time preparing for spray insulation. Taping everything off and putting plastic down to cover every square inch, because spray insulation does leave a mess. 

March

This month we installed the spray foam. We started at the back and worked our way to the front. Spraying the foam itself goes fairly quick. We just ran out too quickly resulting in time lost while waiting for the next order to come in. The worst part of using this type of insulation is the very messy shave down. Some spots expanded too much and had to be shaved flat to allow the walls to be installed. After all was cleaned up it looked pretty good!

After spray foam
After shaving of insulation
Cleans up nicely
Brother helping

April

In April, the brother came for another visit. We had two 100-gallon water tanks sitting in the dining room waiting for his arrival. Due to the type of water tank we could afford, we had to change the layout of the bus a little and place one tank burden. This will affect the location of the bunks for the girls. With the tank burden, there will be a bit of free surface movement during the drive when the tank is half full. We will have to wait and see how that works out, but I think because the bus is 32000lbs and the tank filled with water will be 834 pounds, it will not affect the driving conditions too much.

We opted for the convenience of PEX fittings for the installation, as they are simple “slip-on” couplings that streamline the process. After investing considerable time at Home Depot to determine our requirements, we had to make two additional trips for extra fittings. Our initial task involved cutting a hole in the side of the bus for the fill port and assemble the various components (such as pumps).

Pumps with Pex fittings
water connections
Hole cut in side
Hole cut in side
Water port with lockable door

We then secured the water tank with a wooden 2″ x 4″ frame to ensure it would not move while we were driving. 

Water tank framed in

May

With the water tank in place, it was a matter of having a long weekend to start building out the inside. Some things can be done in storage, but building frames and cubbies just works easier with the bus in the driveway. As soon as we had the bus at home, we filled up the water tank and fixed the one hose we had forgotten to connect 😊 The remainder of the pressure test went without issues.

Starting at the back of the bus – the evaporator filter frame was re-painted and hung, more R24 insulation was added around the unit before closing it up with finished plywood, the bench was built up with plywood and the air conditioning control unit was encased.

building out the back

This took a lot longer than anticipated! Due to travel, we had to return the bus to storage early. We will continue in June when we have our next weekend available.

Categories
Stage 3 Exterior details

January ’24

Finishing up the roof

This month we worked some more on the roof. Making sure that the goat cheese we are making out of our roof stays leak-free surely is a challenge!

We started out cutting a new cover for the emergency roof escape. To install that cover we had to clean off some more reflective tape and glue goop. One of the less fun jobs on the bus. We installed the cover with a lot of caulk and rivets, added the roof fan on top of it, then covered it with flex seal to hopefully make it water tight.

Having the fan in place does mean we cannot access the roof from the inside anymore and with the roof raised as it is, climbing on top has become a challenge of the roof

Adding supports

Next, with help from M&R, we installed several supports for the roof deck. We covered the holes with caulk from outside and inside to hopefully make it all water tight. The girls loved being on the roof to do this work! Of course we were short of brackets, so we had place another order and wait several days for that to come in.

Meanwhile, as we were working on the deck supports, I noticed the roof was starting to bend in one of the less supported areas where the solar panel legs are resting. Additional angle irons were welded on the inside to prevent further issues. Then we moved the bus back to storage for another week or so.

Prep work

Once the additional brackets came in, R & myself headed to storage to finish the additional verticals and to add the longitudinal deck supports. Then it was time to run over to McCoys for some redwood. Expensive, but since it is fairly hard, does not require much maintenance and simply looks very pretty, we chose to use this wood over pressure treated boards, which are heavier, or composite decking, which is slippery when wet.

Last weekend we took the skoolie back to the driveway to install the deck. It came out very nice if I may say so myself. Once completed we added a coat of weather shield to protect it. The wood will likely turn gray in the future, with very nice shades in it. Matches our color scheme perfectly.

Next up: Raising the AC. Now that will require a lot more thinking. We’ll see what next month brings.

Categories
Stage 3 Exterior details

2023 End of Year

No we have not given up!

Here we are at the end of another year! With school starting back up in August after our trip to Europe, all our extra curricula activities began as well, taking up weekends. Around all of that, we were busy getting everything ready to put the solar panels on top of our skoolie.

Solar Panels Frames

In all our research, we found so many stories about solar panels flying off the roof of skoolies. We are going to do our very best to make sure that doesn’t happen to us!

We verified how much spacing there would be between the brackets on the roof and the frame. The panels need to be as close to the roof top as possible. Not only to reduce the height of the bus, but also to be able to secure them better.

The frames for the panels will be touching the roof in the center of the bus but on the edges of the frames, we have a curve to deal with. We had custom legs with brackets manufactured to overcome this issue and welded them to the frames.

The brackets will simply angle with the bus roof as needed. Once those were in place, we welded the frames together. We have one frame in front of the ventilation hatch and three behind the hatch. That leaves some space for our future roof deck all the way in the back of the bus.

We painted the frames upon the completion of welding. Hopefully the coat is thick enough that they will not rust away! Next, rubber strips were glued down along each edge of the frame in hopes of reducing any noise made from vibrations.

Installing the frames

Once all the frames were ready to go, we finally brought the bus home. We removed all the old caulk from between the roof panel connections, replaced it with new caulk and then sprayed flex seal on all rivets and roof seams to ensure they will not leak. We cannot access most of them after the solar panels are on, so even though it is tedious, it must be done right.

Note to future skoolie builders: don’t use spray paint of flex seal on your roof after painting the side of your bus when it’s a bit windy; now we have to repaint some of the sides again…

Next we installed the solar combiner box, that we received from some nice friends 😊 This will combine all solar panel wires into one distribution box. This way, if one solar panel is covered by shade, the panels exposed to the sun will still have output, unlike if we would put them in series together.

Playing with big toys

To install the frames and panels, we had to bring in some large equipment. Fortunately, we have extended family who have access to such equipment. We could not have achieved the next step without it!! With a bus and a boom lift in the driveway, parking the cars was a challenge but we were so happy to work on this milestone!

The frames were rigged under the boom basket. R was on top of the bus to rotate them in position and land them on the bus. Then we did some final adjustments to make sure they were straight and not overhanging the side of the bus. Several hours later, the frames were in place.

Once all the frames were in place, we drilled holes in the roof of the bus, then bolted the brackets through the bus roof to nuts inside the bus. A two-person job for sure. 24 bolts and nuts and two days later, they were all mounted, caulked, flex sealed and tested. Quite some work! It’s always scary to drill so many holes in the school roof.

Next, we mounted the bus roof wire-receiver box and drilled 8 more holes through the bottom of the box and the roof of the bus to feed the panel wiring through.

Installing the actual solar panels

Then it was time for the solar panels. It took a little bit to figure out how to do the connectors but once we had that down, the install went fairly quick. We lifted a panel on the roof and placed it in the frame. While it was still connected, we both had to get onto the roof – one to lift the panel, the other to connect the wires to the panel. Once that was done, the panel was lowered and fit checked. We zip tied the wires along their path to the wire receiver box, pushed them through and cut them to size, put another connector on each end and repeat the steps for all four panels.

It was another solid day and a half of work, using a lot of caulk and flex seal in the process. Last step was to bolt the panels to the frames to ensure they don’t blow away. A long week, but in the end, we got it all done.

Inside the bus, we put connectors on all the wire ends and connected them to the solar combiner box. Then we had to wait for rain, just to make sure there are no roof leaks. And rain we got. Lots of it. And leaks too. Lots of them, but fortunately NONE of them in the roof. The side panels and windows of the bus were a different story though. But better to find them now then finding them after putting all the insulation in…

Next up…

 Next we will add another ceiling fan to make sure the future bedroom stays cool. Then add the roof deck and we can finally finish the insulation on the inside. After that, we can raise the air conditioning.

Still lots of work ahead. Stay tuned as we work hard to finish up by the end of 2024!

Categories
Stage 2 roof raise

Week 12 and beyond

It’s been awhile

Our last update left us having just finished the transition of the roof. Spring season was upon us with soccer, camping, awards, etc. Weekends were quickly filled up, not allowing much time to work on the bus. However, Ivo still managed to squeeze in an afternoon here, an evening there.

Sealing and protecting

With the transition in place, steel conservation was the next challenge. We had to make sure that with all those screws, all the holes and gaps are watertight. We used flex seal to achieve this. Flex seal is a rubbery coat that we spray on overall the areas that could potentially leak.

Next we had to get the little door extension completed done. We cut some sheet metal to size and welded it in place We added some corner strengtheners to ensure its sturdiness.

Cleaning again

Before applying any paint to the side of the bus, the roof had to be cleaned. It had gotten very dusty after all the cutting, grinding and welding. We first vacuumed the top and then wiped the entire bus down on the outside, top to bottom. Followed by placing masking tape where needed. All around the various activities of our girls (meaning this was a several week process)

In between all this, we went dumpster diving at our church since we noticed they had disposed of some mighty fine plywood and lumber that we took home and were able to obtain the wood necessary to build our beds.

We applied flex seal and primer on the inside of the bus, just in case the outside application proved not to be sufficient, then began painting the black section of the outside. Cleaning, sanding and painting took several more weeks.

More painting

We also repainted the rain gutters as well as the side support rails since they had faded. when we went to install the side rails, it appeared that due to roof raise they now were almost 6 inches too long. The unexpected things we run into…. So, we chopped a section off and welded the end back on to make it all look nice. Then we coated it with more black paint. After all the black paint was done, we added the white striping.

Then it was time for the maroon. In the pictures it looks quite red, but in real life it looks really sharp! The black took only two coats, the white took three coats and the maroon took four coats(!). We used paint brush and rollers since we are not experienced enough for paint sprayers. (plus we need to return the storage unit back in the same condition we found it in.)

Last but not least we started the grey. This paint just did not want to adhere properly. Even with all the hardener it simply would not go on. That said, the heat and humidity in Texas went through the roof by now so that may have been part of the problem. I just hope the paint won’t come off in sheets once we run a power washer on it in the future….

The little details

Next we put the little door back and added the new driver side window, those were two person jobs for sure, but it worked out! This was followed by a recleaning and re-installation of all the bus windows.

Finished up roof

 Then we needed to close the roof of the bus back up so we could change storage units. The one we painted in was becoming more and more expensive and out of our price range. We turned the forward emergency hatch into an electric fan location. This involved cutting new steel, removing the old hatch gasket, a lot of goo gone and more flex seal. Then we installed the fan.

At the same time, we removed the old roof vent and closed it up, so that in the future we can put a solar panel in that location. More flex seal followed by paint.

Then it was time to clean out the storage unit. We deposited another 260lbs of steel at the scrap dealer, which all in all should mean that the amount of steel we took out has now pretty much been replaced with the same quantity of steel we purchased new.

And then finally… we could drive out! Connected the batteries and she started up just like that!

The bus looks AWESOME!!! The yellow roof stripe in the picture will turn white once we install the solar panels. It was alot of work, but so worth raising the roof. It cost us exactly 6 months to complete this portion.

Next on the list after vacation:

– we need to find a way to raise the evaporator without loosing all the freon

-Install the rack for the solar panels we ordered

– put the roof deck brackets in place

– then spray insulate the bus and

THEN we can work on the inside completion!

Categories
Stage 2 roof raise

Week 11 of 2023

Milestone Week

We hit a milestone this week! The transition is complete! Finally all the skinning is done!!! It sure was not easy to get the transition in place. We first tried to make a paper mold. That blew everywhere and did not deliver good results. Then we tried to hoist a piece of plywood up there. That did not do any good either. Lastly, we cut one of the sheets at 65 inches, hoisted those 60 pounds of steel up onto the bus and marked it with a 1 ½ inch piece of steel at the bottom, following the curvature of the bus. We took the steel plate back down and used the electric scissors to cut that curvature and one side of the sheet to make sure it would lay straight along the center support. Then we hoisted the sheet back up there. Quite the exercise I must say. We used two ratchet straps to make the steel curve over the supports.

Making it fit

Following we screwed down the bottom of the sheet, letting the steel fold itself over the transition supports. Then we screwed in the side above the drivers window. In the end, there was so much curve in the steel that we had to make an angled cut to release the pressure and then continued screwing the plate down. We then made several vertical cuts on top of the bus and folded all the little steel flaps over the existing roof and screwed them down as well. Then we welded all those cuts back together in the hope to prevent future water leaks.

We repeated the process for the passenger side of the transition, which turned out a lot better. I guess we learn by doing. Murphy’s law dictated that we ran out of screws just before completion. Since we already emptied the Alvin and Pearland Depots of the steel screws we needed, a trip to the Bay Area Home Depot was necessary to deplete their stock as well.

Accidents happen

Having learned from our past rust-mistake, we wire wheeled the steel, vacuumed all the steel remains and dusted off the bus roof. While doing that, I lost my balance and proceeded to crash down with the ladder, shopvac and cleaner liquid bottle in hand. I really noticed that additional 20 inches of air space we created with the roof raise when that happened; it gave me that additional few hundreds of a second to realize that the landing after an 11 foot drop was really going to hurt….

So we had to fix the ladder, re-assemble the vacuum and re-clean the storage space since there now was dust everywhere. Then we could get back on task and wipe the rust remover on the steel followed by degreasing the steel using the now broken bottle of cleaning liquid and then we put on a first coat of primer. Quite satisfying I must say…

One more coat of primer and then we can slowly start to put the bus back together!