Welcome to the complete
We noticed during our conversion that there was no to limited available information on how a single person or family built out their school bus conversion, and that’s why I created this list. If you’ve seen our skoolie walkthrough tour and think “oh, that’s a cute shampoo holder” or “I wonder what size mini-split AC they bought for a 40 foot bus,” then we’ve got it listed here for your convenience.
Our tiny home on wheels took seven months to build out for our family of five between 2020 to 2021. We purchased 90% of our supplies on Amazon, 8% came from the big-box stores like The Home Depot and Lowe’s, 1% came from our special order off-grid appliances (fridge and range) and lithium batteries, and the remaining 1% came from local specialty stores like plumbing and gas supply stores.
This is a long blog post so I’ve included a handy table of contents below that will take you to the section you need. If you need to navigate back to the top of the article, click the arrow in the bottom right-hand corner.
Plumbing
These are the products we used to run our water supply lines (including pump), sewer lines, hot water heater, fresh and gray water tanks, compost toilet, and water filtration, and the finishes in our bathroom and kitchen in our school bus conversion.
Read the detailed guide on our skoolie plumbing system here.
Water supply
We used a flexible pex tubing to run our water supply lines, and we’ve been very happy with the ease of installation and ease of repair, if and when that occurs.
I highly recommend drawing out a floorplan of your rig and its plumbing system to find any obstacles before you begin cutting holes.
SharkBite 1/2 Inch x 100 Feet Red PEX-B, PEX Pipe Flexible Water Tubing for Plumbing, U860R100
SharkBite 1/2 Inch x 100 Feet Blue PEX-B, PEX Pipe Flexible Water Tubing for Plumbing, U806B100
Delta Faucet R10000-UNBXHF MultiChoice Universal Shower Valve Body for Shower Faucet Trim Kits
Feelers 1/4" One Way Inline Check Valve Non-Return One-Way Air Water Gas Check Valve Ozone Resistance PVDF, Pack of 4
120PCS 5 Sizes PEX Clamps Kit with Plier, 1/2'', 3/4'', 3/8”, 5/8'', 1'', Premium 304 Stainless Steel Cinch Crimp Rings, PEX Tool Kit Assortment for PEX Tubin...
Water quality
Clean drinking water is imperative in an RV. Unfortunately, you often don’t know what quality of water you’re bringing into your fresh water tank and to the drinking faucet. We filter our water flowing into our fresh water tank using an in-line RV filter that simply connects to the hose. Additionally, we purchased a multistage water filter that installed in a few minutes underneath our kitchen sink – the “drinking faucet.”
These are the products that we used in our
- the exterior water source
- the drinking water coming from the kitchen sink.
- Bonus: A metal filtered water bottle for when you’re on the go!
Hot water heater
We installed on a ventless, tankless liquid-propane gas hot water heater and have been very satisfied with it.
Read the full review of this water heater in this blog.
Water tanks
If you’re not sure what size fresh water tank you need for your family, read this blog. If you’re wondering what size gray water tank is right for your build, then this blog answers that for you.
Sewer
These are the plumbing parts and supplies that we used to install the sewer system in our
Spears 401 Series PVC Pipe Fitting, Tee, Schedule 40, White, 1-1/2" Socket (Pack of 5)
Sealproof 1.5" Dia Flexible PVC Pipe, Swimming Pool and Spa Hose, Pool Plumbing Schedule 40 Tubing, Made in USA, 1-1/2-Inch, 50 FT, White
Kitchen and bathroom finishes
We all love good-looking and functional kitchens and bathrooms, especially when living tiny. Here is a list of items we used to finish our skoolie kitchen and bathroom, specific to plumbing.
If you’re unsure where to start when tiling your
Compost Toilet
These are the products that we used to build our compost toilet in our school bus conversion.
Organic Coco Coir by Coco Bliss - Compressed Coco Coir Brick with Low EC and pH Balance - High Expansion for Flowers, Herbs, and Planting - Renewable Coconut Soil (10lb Block)
Angry Orange Pet Odor Eliminator for Strong Odor - Citrus Deodorizer for Strong Dog or Cat Pee Smells on Carpet, Furniture & Indoor Outdoor Floors - 24 Fluid Ounces - Puppy Supplies
Reli. Biodegradable 6-8 Gallon Trash Bags | 150 Count | ASTM D6954 | Green | Eco-Friendly | Oxobiodegradable Under Certain Conditions (See Product Description)
CLEVAST Bamboo Charcoal Air Purifying Bags (Large, 4×200g), Removes Odors and Moisture, Nature Fresh Air Purifier Bags, Odor Eliminator for Home, Car, Pets, Bathroom, Basement
This is a personal preference but seeing our solids even with the coconut coir and a toilet seat isn’t a first choice in an expensive remodel. Instead, it would have been nicer to have an all-in-one system that was still diverting urine but looked a bit more like a toilet.
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Liquid propane gas
We installed black pipe for our exterior gas lines that ran under the bus. We secured them to the metal frame with metal zip ties. The fittings listed below reflect the shape and size of the products we used; however, they are not an exact match. We recommend you visit a plumbing or gas supply shop for these products.
Appliances
We purchased a 20″ propane range from Unique Appliances, which is made for off-grid applications. The one listed here is not the same unit, but a similar size and style.
Gas supply
Safety
Air conditioning
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Solar Array
My husband estimates we spent between $10,000 to $12,000 on our solar array, which is not a small chunk of change, and it allowed us to easily live off-grid with solar power for electricity (and propane for cooking).
After we calculated how much energy we use in our energy audit, we followed the diagrams from Explorist.life to help us find a solar array that worked for our family of five living full-time in the bus.
We ultimately purchased the interior solar array elements like lithium batteries and inverter through Battleborn directly during a “cyber Monday” or “returns Wednesday” sale around Thanksgiving, and saved a little money there, and the exterior solar array elements like the panels from Amazon.
Being safe was of huge importance to us in this rig since our family would be living in it. My husband consulted with and hired three different electricians to review his work on solar and the 12V and 110V electrical systems. We recommend you hire professionals too! He spent at least 2 weeks prior to starting diving deep into electrical, solar set-ups, etc, and then purchasing the products for each system. He then spent close to one month learning how to install everything correctly.
Solar panels
Interior array
Battery bank
2 Gauge 2 AWG 5 Feet Black + 5 Feet Red (10 Feet Total) Welding Battery Pure Copper Flexible Cable Wire - Car, Inverter, RV, Solar by WindyNation
Baomain AWG 2 / 35mm² Long: 25mm Wire Copper Crimp Connector Non Insulated Ferrule Pin Cord End Terminal EN35-25mm Pack of 25
TEMCo Hammer Lug Crimper Tool - Crimps 8 AWG to 4/0 Battery & Welding Cables (Workbench-Mountable)
REAL STEEL 0508 Rubber Grip Forged Jacketed Graphite Drilling Sledge Hammer for Striking 3 lb
General Solar Supplies
Electrical
Electrical and solar were the most complex systems my husband had to learn in order to build our mobile dwelling. He spent weeks leading up to the installation just researching and learning everything he could. He consulted with licensed electricians in our personal network and specialists within electrical and solar that have worked with skoolies or a mobile application before.
Additionally, my husband had licensed electricians perform inspections at the rough-in and final stages of our build. Having safe and sound electrical is paramount when living in any home, especially a mobile dwelling.
Below, you’ll find the products we used in our 110V and 12V electrical arrays. Check in the solar section of this article for products in that category.
We highly encourage you to budget for electrical and solar consultations and inspections.
General electrical supplies
12V power supply
BOJACK 400 Amp 32 VDC ANL Blade Fuse for car Audio and Video System(Pack of 3 pcs)
TEMCo INDUSTRIAL WC0451-80' (40' Blk, 40' Red) 6 Gauge AWG Welding Lead & Car Battery Cable Copper Wire Black + RED | Made in USA
Baomain AWG 10/6.0mm² Long: 12mm Wire Copper Crimp Connector Non Insulated Ferrule Pin Cord End Terminal EN6012mm Pack of 100
Baomain Insulated Fork Spade Wire Connector Electrical Crimp Terminal 14-16AWG(1.5-2.5 mmq) USA #8 Pack of 100
10/3 AWG UL 1426 (The Real Thing) Triplex Flat Marine Wire - Tinned Copper Boat Cable - 30 Feet - White PVC Jacket
BOJACK 400 Amp 32 VDC ANL Blade Fuse for car Audio and Video System(Pack of 3 pcs)
TEMCo INDUSTRIAL WC0451-80' (40' Blk, 40' Red) 6 Gauge AWG Welding Lead & Car Battery Cable Copper Wire Black + RED | Made in USA
Baomain AWG 10/6.0mm² Long: 12mm Wire Copper Crimp Connector Non Insulated Ferrule Pin Cord End Terminal EN6012mm Pack of 100
Baomain Insulated Fork Spade Wire Connector Electrical Crimp Terminal 14-16AWG(1.5-2.5 mmq) USA #8 Pack of 100
12V lighting
12V accessories
110V power supply
110V outlets
110V shore power
Framing
The wood and sheet metal used in our framing and finishing came from either The Home Depot, Lowes and a local sheet metal company. As such, I won’t be listing out these supplies specifically since they were rather generic. Instead, I’ll list the supplies we used to assist in framing our school bus conversion such as tools, nails, etc.
Door
RecPro RV Pleated Folding Door 24" x 75" | Camper Folding Door | Fifth Wheel Folding Door Tan
Flooring
Drilling into Bus Frame
Shower
Skylight
Window deletion
Rust Removal
Insulation
We choose to insulate our rig and reduce thermal bridging with a few different products. We sandwiched thin ceramic fiber cloth insulation between the wood and metal bus frame.
When building the floors, we added rigid pink foam between the frames. Our subfloor and finished flooring were placed on top of that.
For the ceilings and walls, we insulated with a closed cell spray foam product (after the electrical and plumbing were installed).
Protective Gear
Sound Deadening
Paint
Read how to paint the exterior of a skoolie and how to paint a skoolie roof for detailed instructions on those projects.
Decal removal
Prep for exterior body paint
Exterior body paint
Roof paint
Interior paint
General
Safety
Kitchen
Bunks
Detectors
Child Safety
Accessories
Office Supplies
Vehicle Maintenance
Bathroom
Kitchen
Living Room
Smart Lock
WiFi
Eco-friendly Household Products
Cleaning Supplies
Tools
These are the tools we used during our school bus conversion that don’t fit into the above categories or deserve honorable mention.
Life after converting a skoolie
Now that our school bus conversion is complete, we’ve moved on to other projects like documenting the build itself. You can find many blogs related to our skoolie conversion here.
Was this blog helpful to you during your build? Let us know in the comments.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase a paid plan. Thank you, if you do. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This site is not intended to provide financial advice and is for entertainment only. Read our affiliate disclosure in our privacy policy.
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