Oct 26

Oct 26 Ruby Conversion - Expense Breakdown

Let me just start by saying this has been a long awaited post, something I have had on my TDL for months now, but have been dragging my feet. We pretty thoroughly tracked the expense of our bus conversion project, but every Menards receipt is not helpful to you and I have been struggling with sensible categorization of our expenses. So FINALLY, organized and re-categorized time and time again, I have attempted to share an overall picture of the cost breakdown of our bus conversion.

Some facts that will help put context around cost:

Ruby (our bus) is a 2001, Thomas short bus, measuring 25ft in length.
In total, Ruby’s interior is about 150 sqft (a full size bus is close to 40 ft in length and about 280sqft).
We purchased Ruby (i.e. started the conversion) on March 24th, 2019.
We hit the road for our first cross-country trial trip in Sept 2019 (she was not completely converted, but livable).
We purchased from a private seller who had bought Ruby from a Minneapolis suburb school; he essentially put 0 miles on Ruby as it was never insured.
When purchased, Ruby’s exterior was painted (same Ruby red!) and the seats had been removed as well as the handicap lift.
As you can imagine being purchased in MN, Ruby came with a LOT of rust, mostly underneath the bus, but there were a few patch jobs we had to do in the interior as well.
We completely stripped the bus down to its aluminum shell - removed all side panels, ceiling panels, metal floor runners, etc.
Ruby is solar-powered; full system designed and installed by our very own, hunky Jake Otremba!
Aside from majority of the engine maintenance and welding projects, Ruby was a DIY project, tackled by Jake and his dad w/me as an assistant and consultant!
Nearly all tools (table saws, bandsaws, jigsaws, sanders) we already had. If you are starting with an empty garage, your costs will be significantly greater!
You do not need to know what you are doing when you purchase a bus. You do, however, need to be committed to figuring it out!

Remember that there are MANY ways people convert buses - I have seen total project spends ranging from $5,000 to $35,000 and beyond! We consider our conversion somewhere in the middle of the road - not over-the-top, but also has comfortable amenities for us to live off-grid for an extended period of time. Below is a quick photo real of what we started with (top left) and where we are today (bottom right)!

So, with that, our total bus conversion expenses thus far came to…(drumroll pleaseeeee)…

~ $15,550 ~

| Category          |    Cost    |
|-------------------|:----------:|
| Bus/registration  |  $3,774.00 |
| Bus maintenance   |  $3,265.00 |
| Phase I interior  |   $889.00  |
| Phase II interior |  $1,386.00 |
| Plumbing          |   $630.00  |
| Solar/electrical  |  $2,782.84 |
| Appliances        |  $2,832.00 |
| TOTAL             | $15,558.84 |

Key / Category definition:

Solar/electrical: 2, 300-watt panels, 3 200ampHr AGM batteries, inverter, fuses, and all electrical components
Plumbing: gray water tank, fresh water tank (42-gals), piping, faucet, sink basin, outdoor shower
Appliances: everything from custom couch, stovetop, fridge, custom pantry, propane mounts to water heater

Bus/registration: purchase of the bus, title transfer, re-classification to an RV
Bus maintenance: oil changes, air leaks, overheating solutions (majority of costs)
Phase I interior: tear down to the bones, sealing/rust repair, insulation, basic interior wrap
Phase II interior: build-up of walls, ceiling shiplap, cabinetry, shelving, storage, curtains, etc.

As I always say, the conversion is never really over, at least for us. After being on the road full time for over 3 months now, we obviously have a lot of ideas for improvements! An outdoor flip-out table, added storage solutions (inside and under the bus), maybe an AC mini split, and more! We are definitely excited to be back in a shed of tools to be able to SUP Ruby up for next summer (since there is already 7+ inches of snow on the ground in Minny, Ruby will likely be going almost immediately into storage).

I’ll leave you with a few conversion tips, for saving money and for simply believing this is something you can achieve!

If you are looking to save money on the conversion(who isn't??), I suggest the following as potential strategies:
1. Make Amazon your best friend
2. Plan ahead & scour Marketplace. This is easily the BEST way to save money on your build!!! We have met people that have found folks with sheds full of solar equipment, cashed in on the Gander Mountain close-outs, free cabinets/butcher block in back alleys, etc. You just have to stumble upon it at the right time!
3. Don’t buy wood/building materials during COVID…
4. Find the place campers go to die (& then let me know the secret!!!)
Use Youtube as your bible. I especially recommend this for the more complex projects such as solar install, custom couch builds, and even plumbing solutions. LOTS of skoolie folks have YouTube channels - some are more helpful than others. Find ones you can learn best from & have similar requirements & roll with it!
Find a good diesel mechanic that you trust! Prepare to spend money on the engine somewhere along the way.
Put the dump and fill outlets/inlets on the DRIVER side of the bus (this was a mistake we made - you either need to drive into dumps backwards OR have a really long hose.
Take the bus on a trip before you “finish” it! This is one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give. #guessANDcheck
Consider NOT buying a bus in MN (or places with harsh winters)…it will come with rust and likely not be that happy driving into mountains.
Be open to making mistakes & likely not making the right choice the first time around. Sometimes you have to just do and re-do to know what’s best - DOING is the key.