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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!