- 2 days ago
From college grad to debt-free living, Danielle’s solo female DIY school bus conversion shows what full-time skoolie life really looks like. After deciding she didn’t want to get stuck in the cycle of paying rent, she spent three years turning a Chevrolet Express Duramax diesel bus into a tiny home on wheels she now lives in full-time.
This bus tour covers the practical build details and the honest reality behind off-grid living: 600 watts of solar, a 200 amp hour battery, a 20 gallon sink tank, a 55 gallon water tank, a composting toilet, a shower, a chest fridge, and a diesel heater that kept her warm through winter in Canada. Danielle also explains the clever lounge that converts into a guest bed, the hidden storage and garage space, the skylight, and the bathroom setup she built herself.
More than a pretty bus conversion, this is a real-life look at DIY camper van and skoolie living, including the parts that break, the water that runs out, and the adjustments you only learn after moving in. It’s a useful tour for anyone researching school bus conversion ideas, off-grid tiny homes, RV living, or solo female bus build inspiration.
For viewers searching skoolie tour, school bus conversion, DIY bus build, tiny house on wheels, off-grid living, and full-time bus life, this video offers practical ideas, honest travel lifestyle insight, and real-world build inspiration. It also fits searches for bus conversion bathroom ideas, solar-powered skoolie systems, and creative space-saving layouts.
This bus tour covers the practical build details and the honest reality behind off-grid living: 600 watts of solar, a 200 amp hour battery, a 20 gallon sink tank, a 55 gallon water tank, a composting toilet, a shower, a chest fridge, and a diesel heater that kept her warm through winter in Canada. Danielle also explains the clever lounge that converts into a guest bed, the hidden storage and garage space, the skylight, and the bathroom setup she built herself.
More than a pretty bus conversion, this is a real-life look at DIY camper van and skoolie living, including the parts that break, the water that runs out, and the adjustments you only learn after moving in. It’s a useful tour for anyone researching school bus conversion ideas, off-grid tiny homes, RV living, or solo female bus build inspiration.
For viewers searching skoolie tour, school bus conversion, DIY bus build, tiny house on wheels, off-grid living, and full-time bus life, this video offers practical ideas, honest travel lifestyle insight, and real-world build inspiration. It also fits searches for bus conversion bathroom ideas, solar-powered skoolie systems, and creative space-saving layouts.
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TravelTranscript
00:01It's an adventure every day and sometimes the adventure is not good. You have things breaking,
00:07you have to worry about water running out. To me all of those challenges are worth it because I get
00:14to experience a lot more that life has to offer than if I were living in an apartment. This is
00:20Patrick of New Jersey's Outdoor Adventures YouTube channel. Today we meet up with Danielle. She has a
00:26DIY schoolie conversion that she built out all by herself and she lives in it full time. She's
00:33going to give us a full tour inside and out and this thing is pretty cool so join us. Hey
00:39Patrick
00:40thanks for having me on. I'm going to show you a little bit about my school bus today. Why do
00:45I
00:45live in a school bus you want to know? I love nature, I love adventure and I decided that after
00:52graduating college I didn't want to get caught up in the cycle of paying rent so I decided to move
00:57into a school bus. I'm going to take you around and show you everything. So starting right here I have,
01:05this is going to be my vent fan for my composting toilet. I also have the outlet for my 20
01:11gallon
01:12water tank. That's where my sink water goes and yep this is the bus's original battery right here.
01:19I have painted the bus. Clearly it was yellow before I didn't do a great job but I tried my
01:26best.
01:28So we have my windows here. I decided to keep all the original windows and for the places where I
01:35didn't want any light to come in I put a little vinyl there. It's not the best but we can
01:42always
01:42improve on it later. Right here is going to be my water inlet so this goes into my 55 gallon
01:50water tank
01:51on the inside. In the back we have the garage and you're in for a surprise. It's a little messy
02:03but it's
02:04a garage. Usually they are. So this is where I keep my extra tools, my water hose. I have
02:14my just extra off-season clothing there and then we have some insulation underneath the floor. So I have
02:21an inch of insulation followed by plywood followed by vinyl plank flooring.
02:29On this side we have my shore power inlet. It's a 30 amp shore power inlet. The top might have
02:38blown
02:38off while I was driving but we're going to get a new one very soon. My bus is a diesel
02:45bus. It runs great.
02:48The engine is awesome. Hasn't given me any problems so far. On top of the bus we have 600 watts
02:57of solar
02:59and that's on the front half of the bus. On the back half I left a little storage just I
03:05mean I left a
03:06little space just in case I want to add a rooftop deck or anything like that. And this is my
03:12driver's area
03:14for the front it's kept it pretty simple kept it pretty original. I did cover the lights but one of
03:22the light covers blew off and follow me inside. So up here I kept the bus pretty original. The driver's
03:37area just because I wanted a little piece of the bus with me. I have my backup camera right there.
03:45Up top I have a little storage so I built shelf space up here over here and over here. It's
03:52just for
03:53whatever extra storage I can find right now. Over here I needed a little privacy so I have some curtains
04:02that I use at night time. So one thing about this bus what's really great is instead of the big
04:08school
04:08bus arm it is entirely battery powered so I can open the door like that. This is a Chevrolet Express
04:19Duramax diesel engine. I got the bus on Facebook marketplace. I found a guy who
04:27is a mechanic and he resells the buses. It was a really sweet guy. He's actually Amish.
04:34Ran away from his community. I don't know if that's too much information. But yeah I got the bus and
04:43it
04:43drives great. It actually took me to Canada. I drove 2,000 miles to Tennessee and back so I haven't
04:50had any
04:51mechanical issues so far. Up top I decided to keep the bus's original AC unit just because why not?
05:01It's already here and it works well but in the summer time it does get a little bit hot. My
05:08bus
05:08is definitely better equipped for winter than it is for summer. Down here so this is going to be my
05:15fridge.
05:15It is a chest fridge. It can work as a fridge and a freezer. Right now I'm only using it
05:21as a fridge
05:21because I don't have any frozen goods. On top we have this countertop space which I thought I would
05:30need extra countertop space but to be honest I don't really use it as much. I mostly use it for
05:34storage so
05:35in here we have just like junk drawer and kitchen storage and extra. Down here I have some vinyl plank
05:46flooring. I love this flooring. It's click lock. I think the color is beautiful. It really brings a
05:54nice element to my home. My ceiling is going to be just wood paneling. I love the color. I think
06:03they
06:03work really well together. So this is my lounge area. I decided I really wanted to have a lounge couch
06:12area because this bus was built not only for me but with the intention of having friends and family
06:18over. So this couch actually pulls out into a separate bed if you want to. Let's start over here.
06:26So it pulls out into three separate pieces. I think that's as far as it goes. Yeah.
06:39Yep. And just pull it like this. Flip the cushions down. And we have a beautiful second bed.
06:52And this is going to be a memory foam mattress so it's comfy. Honestly sometimes I sleep on here
06:57instead of my actual bed. And these cushions. I believe it or not I sell them by myself.
07:05It was my first time sewing cushions and I think they came out great. Underneath the couch we have
07:10this is my Lagoon Mount tabletop which honestly I don't use as much as I thought I would but it's
07:16great to have it just in case I need it. This is my diesel heater. This is what keeps me
07:20warm in the
07:21winter time. I actually spent a winter in Canada and this kept me toasty the whole time.
07:30It's a workout fixture.
07:32So up above the lounge we have above head cabinet space. Over here I just keep my general everyday
07:42electronics. This cabinet is for my art supplies so my spray paint, my colored pencils, and my books
07:50and journals. And then the last cabinet is for my beauty supplies so hair care, makeup, all of that.
07:58Underneath the bed we have just general storage. This is for my diesel heater. Right now it's starting
08:04to get cold. I have a charger jump starter for my bus's battery and then my sewing machine just in
08:12case
08:12I have any cushions that I need to sew. Above the bed this is going to be where I can
08:21access the
08:23electronics, the electricity. So I have a 200 amp hour battery in my bus. I have I think it's like
08:3460
08:35amps charge controller and on the roof is 600 watts of solar so it all works together. And then I
08:44have
08:44an inverter charger as well. So with that it gives me enough power but I do think I'm going to
08:52upgrade
08:52and get another battery one day. On the other side this is where I keep some of the reflectix for
09:01my
09:01window at night time and then I also have a laundry hamper over there. So behind me I have a
09:11little
09:11slatting on the wall. I wanted to add a little oomph to the bus and I think I did a
09:17great job. And this is
09:18also a painting that my best friend made so I had to incorporate that. The bed. It's a full-size
09:25bed.
09:26I'm a sleepy girl so I needed enough space to stretch out and sleep. And yeah over here we have
09:35a closet.
09:37Got to keep the disco ball on me at all times. This closet handles all of my everyday clothing.
09:45I have enough space to hang items and I also keep a yoga mat down here as well. Welcome to
09:53my kitchen.
09:54So I have a two burner induction cooktop and a sink over here. This is the vent for my water
10:05heater
10:05which unfortunately broke so I have to get a new one this winter. On top we have just general food
10:12pantry
10:13storage so flour, sugar, the regular stuff. In the drawers I keep my utensils. I also have Tupperware
10:24and then I have pots and pans down here. And then underneath this is just like the typical underneath
10:33the kitchen sink type of stuff so soap, laundry detergent, etc. And we can't forget about my
10:42skylight. I wanted to incorporate as much natural light in my bus as possible so I had to have a
10:49skylight. It opens up and this is how I can get access to my roof. And now welcome to my
10:56bathroom.
10:58So my bathroom, I have a toilet. This opens up into a composting toilet in the back and then there's
11:07a urine diverter for the pee in the front. We also have a shower here and this drains to my
11:16gray water
11:17tank underneath my bus. I have beautiful vinyl flooring on the walls. I didn't know what other
11:26material to put so it looks great. And then I also have a little storage here. This is where I
11:31keep my
11:32paint moss and my toilet paper, all of that. Danielle, this is really cool. I appreciate the opportunity
11:40to showcase the DIY build on the channel. I think you did a fabulous job. I really thought that these
11:48cushions you bought at the store, that's how nicely they're sewn up here. Thank you. What's it like
11:55living in a bus? Honestly, it's fun. It's an adventure every day. And sometimes the adventure
12:02is not good. You have things breaking, you have to worry about water running out. But to me, all of
12:09those challenges are worth it because I get to experience a lot more that life has to offer
12:16than if I were living in an apartment, I think. What did your friends and family say when you
12:23told them that you were going to travel and live in a bus? Well, my friends love it because it's
12:30big
12:30enough for them to come along. They don't have to worry about anything. They just are here for the ride.
12:36My family, of course, they were nervous for my safety, but they are adventurers at heart as well. So
12:45they kind of know what it's like to have that calling to just see as much as you can. So
12:53although
12:54they're concerned for my safety, they're all on board. Yeah. And you did a build series on this on
13:01YouTube? I did. I did film all of this on YouTube. I have my time lapse on YouTube. My YouTube
13:07channel
13:07is Danny Danny Lion. Patrick, you'll put it in the bio, I'm sure. Absolutely. And you're also big on TikTok.
13:14People love watching you build this bus over the last, what, three years? Three years. Three years.
13:20And you did it all yourself. I think you mentioned off camera that you found someone that was able
13:26to at least help you with the electrical. That was something that you weren't willing to take on
13:31yourself. Yeah. Shout out to Marco. I found him on Craigslist. He built a van in Germany. He helped me
13:38with the electrical and I got him to help with like a few projects here and there because at a
13:43certain
13:43point I was burnt out and I just needed an extra set of hands. But yeah, it was great to
13:49learn from
13:49him all the different things that I didn't think I could do. Now I feel capable of doing with his
13:56help.
13:56And you know what? You did it. It's complete. You've been traveling, what, since March?
14:00Yeah. And you're out here living life. It's, it's, as you said, it's not perfect. There's things that
14:06need adjustment and fixing. And I think you said you might change something, maybe that cabinet
14:11into another space. Yes.
14:13You don't know what you don't know until you get out there and use it, right? Yeah.
14:17And you realize certain things that might have been important on paper
14:20don't really necessarily comply with like day-to-day activity. Yeah. Any tips you could
14:25give the viewers, someone that like looking to build their own bus, something that you learned
14:29along the way that would be valuable to them? Yeah. Let's see. I think definitely just, um,
14:38first of all, knowing what it is you want out of it, I think is important. Um, a lot of
14:45people
14:45glamorize this lifestyle on YouTube, on TikTok. Uh, but there are a lot of cons that come with it.
14:52So knowing the pros as well as the cons is important. So you can decide if it's something
14:57that's truly for you. And then if you really want to do it, go for it. That's what I learned
15:03along the
15:03way. The biggest thing, like there were so many tasks that I took on and while I was doing them,
15:09I thought it was impossible and I wouldn't be able to finish. And I made it happen. I'm resilient.
15:15And I think everyone can find that resilience in themselves. Well, I see that in this build.
15:21You did an excellent job. I'll put those links in the description so our viewers could click over
15:26and check you out. I appreciate the tour. This is Patrick from New Jersey's Outdoor Adventures
15:31YouTube channel. Thanks for joining us. Thank you, Patrick. Bye.