At this point Caroline and I have been doing a lot of research on what we are going to do in order to convert a school bus into a completely sustainable mobile home. This can be a very scary time considering it is so out of the ordinary, no one in traditional society is going to offer any type of support. but there is plenty of help to be found, you just need to know where to look.
Here are some things we have already accomplished in the planning stages:
Where to buy a bus???
We live in north carolina, so all I did was type into google, "where to buy a bus in north carolina." One of the first links that came up was the school surplus site which sells all kinds of buses. Most of them have 200-250k miles on them and range between $2k and $4k. After watching a youtube video by "no stress Mike" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Bcq-hfc7w) we've pretty much decided on a 1995-1997 Thomas Bus for a number of reasons. We have read that anything before 95 is questionable, and for the life of me I dont remember why. But after 97 (at least for Thomas) they started using computer electronics in the engine to make them more difficult to work on. Also, it is apparently a good idea to get one from a school system as it has most likely been very well maintained up until the time it goes for sale.
Fuel for the bus???
We are 100% going to get a diesel, since we intend on turning it into a waste vegetable oil burner. Apparently you can get waste veggie oil from restaurants at no cost and never pay for gasoline again. However, you can't just put any old dirty oil into a diesel engine, it needs to be filtered properly. I got a great crash course from a man here in Asheville, NC who makes filters. You can read about the filters hes creating at his website: greengoldfilters.com.
Where to put the bus during construction??
This was a tough one. Unfortunately, not everyone is open minded and noncritical, so if you don't own your own home, this can be tricky. A lot of people we have read about online seem to be utilizing family to work on there buses for 12 months or more. For us that doesnt seem to be a realistic option, but luckily we are going to be coming across about $20k in a few months here. Our intention is to buy a broken down house or trailer close to town and park the bus on our own land. My "credit" is ruined (LOL) so we can not borrow money from anyone, but even for $10k - $20k, there seem to be options popping up here and there. We considered just buying land, but it seems to be more expensive then buying a beat up old house, and this way we will have electricity to work on the bus. If you've never purchased a home and our considering it, I highly suggest using Zillow.com. Pick out a house or location and contact a realtor, since they dont get paid until you buy a house, they are an excellent and inexpensive resource. Keep karma in mind ;).
--Keep in mind, this a lot of work. More work then some people are able to accomplish in a lifetime, so try not to get discouraged by the amount of time it will take to research every single component that goes into this. This is not just freedom from rent and stationary living, this is a whole new way of life.
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