11 amazing converted school buses you’ll wish were your own

Tour these grade-A vehicle conversions

A school bus conversion makes a striking and practical motorhome idea for van life on the road when you desire more room and originality than a standard RV.

These stylish Skoolie conversions have had amazing alterations and aesthetics added that make campervan living functional, fun and fabulous.

Read on to swot up on spectacular Skoolie decor and design inspiration that we believe make them top of their class... 

Bumpin Bus

Ginnie and Austin learned to build their orange school bus named Bumpin Bus by watching YouTube videos. The adventurous couple lives full-time on their bus with their cat, Waffles and Lucy the dog.

Looking at the decor of this super-stylish Skoolie, it's clear the couple love a calming and on-trend desertscape vibe. Sun-drenched colourways combined with artisan patterns flood the space with laid-back charm.

Bumpin Bus

Ginnie and Austin chose their 220-square-foot school bus over an RV as it was a more affordable option. It took the pair 14 months to lovingly convert. At that time the couple sold their house, left the army and enrolled in full-time online learning education.

The Skoolie earned its name as the fun-loving couple adore music and go to as many festivals as they can every year. Therefore, their bus is always 'bumpin'.

Bumpin Bus

Unique standout features are the original ceiling – it's magnetic, and eight loudspeakers have been installed for that surround sound effect. The couple have also found homes for plenty of plants in their tiny home, and the boho decor is bursting with colour.

The separate toilet and shower allow the narrow Skoolie to feel spacious and open. "That's also why we decided against upper head cabinets in the kitchen as well. We love walking in the bus and seeing directly out the back door," explains Ginnie.

Bumpin Bus

Ginnie and Austin offer plenty of tiny living tips on their Instagram page, from investing in collapsible tableware to save space to installing a composting toilet to eliminate smells. The couple also advises staying organised in the compact space as it can get messy super-fast.

When asked if they would change anything, the cool couple explained that they would get a bigger fridge, invest in more solar power and build more bespoke storage. An essential in a tiny home on wheels!

Trebventure

Ashley and Brandon Trebitowski have fond memories of living on a '99 Blue Bird school bus with their three children. The couple bought the bus for £3,300 ($4.2k) from a church in Texas and spent approximately £27,000 ($35k) turning it into their dream tiny home on wheels.

The family took off on their adventures in 2016. Ashley says on her Instagram page, @trebventure: "We had no idea just how much this simple decision to live on a bus would change the course of our life. I had so many doubts and a lot of fear, but it was worth it! We've learned so much about who we are in ways I couldn't have imagined."

Trebventure

Inside the school bus, the family added a single unit kitchen with a hob and toaster oven, warming brown-toned sofas, and a TV above the driver's cab.

The backdrop is coherent throughout the whole length of the 288-square-foot home with white-painted clad walls to maximise the sense of space.

Trebventure

The back end of the bus houses the master bedroom and walk-through bunkroom (painted dramatic black) and leads out to the living space. Ashley says: "I don't make the kids' beds often but when I do, this place feels like heaven."

However, after living in the bus for three years the children were beginning to outgrow their bunks. So, the family decided it was time to put down roots to build a house that provided more space for their developing needs.

Trebventure

Whilst building their new house in New Mexico, the Trebitowskis turned their Skoolie into a homestead complete with an outdoor shaded terrace.

To create more room while stationary, the talented family converted a shipping container for the whole family to use as a homeschooling setup and playroom, plus a home office. However, their favourite use for the new storage container was to host family game nights.

Skoolie Stays

If you love the idea of converting a school bus but are worried about the huge change, why not hire one out to get a feel of bus life?

This luxury school bus, originally from Florida in the US, is now a quirky, stationary holiday home in West Sussex, UK. Ruth and Guy Wimpory had the idea to create their own Skoolie holiday let after a year-long American road trip.

Skoolie Stays

The couple shipped over the retired bus from America to its new permanent home, a rural and idyllic location on the English coast. They set to work making their school bus conversion using their own experience as a guide and were intent on making the school bus homestead unique, comfortable and sustainable.

Once transformed it's clear the couple were mindful to preserve as many of the original features as possible by keeping the exterior the iconic sunshine yellow and repurposing the original bus seats into a mini diner table for four.

Skoolie Stays

It took Ruth and Guy just five months to convert the school bus into a unique four-berth bolthole on wheels. Hand-built with pine, recycled American oak and recovered teak, the interior is ultra warm, cosy and inviting.

A wood-burning stove adds to the cabin-style atmosphere and warms the all-American space while a sun deck offers views of the surrounding English countryside – what a juxtaposition.

Skoolie Stays

The converted yellow bus is fitted with environmentally friendly off-grid technology such as sheep's wool insulation, solar power, water-saving technology and a composting toilet.

We love the bus's clever and colourful attention to detail like the quirky copper-toned coin-encrusted kitchen worktops. To book a stay in a real converted school bus visit Skoolie Stays.

The Queen Beep

Tanya Nestoruk and Arya Touserkani bought a school bus for £5,700 ($7,200) and spent £31,500 ($40k) transforming it into the sea foam-toned Skoolie of their dreams to live and work on the road. They document their travelling life on their Instagram feed, @the.queen.beep.

It's hard to believe most of the conversion materials came from Facebook Marketplace as their super-chic tiny home is modern, airy and streamlined. The school bus project took seven months and the thrifty couple sold the original seats to an adventure camp and sold off other elements such as luggage racks and light fittings to be repurposed and reused.

The Queen Beep

It's obvious the couple are clued up when it comes to interior decor. The blue kitchen mural is painted with the Benjamin Moore Color of the Year 2024: Blue Nova 825. "This blue hue represents boundless opportunities and sparks adventure," explains Tanya.

The mural is teamed with fresh white walls, bleached wood cladding and custom-made canvas curtains to elude an awe-inspiring modern coastal vibe. To make the kitchen countertops look like concrete the couple cleverly layered cement-based mortar on lightweight plywood which they then sealed.

The Queen Beep

Behind a reclaimed sliding barn door, handmade by Arya from scraps left over from the ceiling panels, the bathroom with toilet and sunken base shower, is bright, minimal and (like the rest of the bus) flooded with natural light.

Calming concrete effect surfaces made with cement-based mortar add an industrial edge and create a cooling hiding place for the couple's cat Juniper.

The Queen Beep

After finishing the bus in 2022 the couple drove down the sun-drenched West Coast of the US and into Arizona. To complete the Skoolie's coastal holiday vibe, a ladder in the bedroom leads up to a roof deck to enjoy Pacific coast rays.

Describing their eco-friendly Skoolie life, Tanya says: "Living with less has been such a transformative experience for us. As we've embraced a minimalist lifestyle in our tiny home, we've found that we have more time, more money and more mental space to focus on the things that truly matter."

Bluenose Bus

Canadian born Brendan and Sophia live full-time on their blue-painted Skoolie with Bernie the dog. From their Instagram account @bluenose_bus it's clear the trio are never far from water. "We live steps away from the beach, in national parks, and in whatever city we want! And our apartment always follows us wherever we go," says Sophia.

After spending just over four months converting their bus they took off together with their inflatable paddle boards aboard in search of fun and adventure.

Bluenose Bus

The couple wanted their bus interior to have beach house vibes and so it is thoughtfully decorated in refreshing coastal colours while canvas-style fabrics are teamed with driftwood-toned timber to nail the modern coastal look.

The proud couple think that compared to regular RVs their 40-foot Skoolie is a mansion on wheels, Brandon even refers to it as their "vansion."

Bluenose Bus

The breezy blue and white scheme is the ideal colour combination to enhance oceanic window views. This boondocking spot is in Ontario, ironically only three hours away from where the couple grew up.

Instead of paying for costly rent the couple's monthly van life budget is £1,300 ($1.7k). This includes diesel for about 10-14 hours of driving, food, utilities and activities.

Bluenose Bus

Getting the 40-foot bus ready to drive takes a quick five minutes of prep: "I secure the interior from our desks to the fridge latches, while Brendan hooks up the jeep. We aim to keep our routine swift to save our energy for the road trip."

The couple makes use of every inch of space in the bus, there's even a handy wooden shelf with a safety barrier above the driver's cab. The cute and practical addition stores books, games and a pretty trailing plant to make a charming frame of their rolling view of adventures to come.

The Hive Drive

The Hive Drive, warmly named, Honey, is a yellow 36-square-foot school bus, purchased by Scott and Ashley Mason in 2019. The upbeat couple soon began gutting the 2003 Thomas Saf-T-Liner school bus to convert it into their own buzzing tiny home on wheels.

What's the connection with fuzzy insects you ask? The English and American couple's mantra is to live their lives being kind and looking out for others just as bees do within their own little community. "The Hive Drive exists to bring people closer into community and relationship with one another, to belong, believe, and become all they can bee," the couple explains on Bonfire.com.

The Hive Drive

After looking at van life in general the couple realised that with two dogs they might need a little more space than a regular camper. As the plan developed they stumbled on #skoolielife which would allow them to have a house that they could take anywhere.

Now transformed, the uplifting Skoolie living area has a couch that converts into a full-size bed, a hidden entertainment centre and TV hidden behind decorated wooden doors. The fully-equipped kitchen features a sink, oven, burner stove and dinky microwave. The adjacent dining and worktop space even hides a pullout keyboard.

The Hive Drive

Down the hall from the living area, the couple have installed a sliding barn door that also converts into a privacy divider.

The modern bee-inspired bathroom houses a hot water heater, composting toilet as well as a wow-factor shower, complete with self-cleaning screen door, raised skylight and bench seat.

The Hive Drive

The bedroom area at the back of the Skoolie has a huge double closet and drawers, a hidden solar electrical closet, a queen (bee) size storage bed, blackout roller-blinds for privacy and an ombre-painted headboard that makes a pretty feature.

​"Taking the leap to sell our home and move into our self-converted school bus home was a big move but one we'd do again a hundred times over! The freedom and adventure it's brought into our lives are priceless," says the couple.

The Big Sky Hideaway

Nestled in its own private patch of Lincolnshire, England rests a curious and permanently-parked grey-painted American school bus turned glamping pod for hire.

Adopted by Dave and Emma Cornthwaite, owners of eco-camping and glamping site Big Sky Hideaway, this senior but sophisticated Skoolie is clearly adored "Skoolies have a certain romance about them. In my past I've adventured all over America and always had an 'into the wild' kind of excitement when an iconic American school bus passed me by," explains Dave.

The Big Sky Hideaway

The entrepreneurial couple found the bus via a company that specialises in sourcing and converting vehicles. Before migrating to the UK it seems the bus already had an eventful life. It was discovered on a Hollywood film set after appearing in a movie about an earthquake!

In total, the bus purchase, transit and conversion have cost approximately £35,000 ($44.2k). However, the couple are constantly adding improvements and plan to install a wood-burning stove to keep the bus cosy and snug during chilly periods.

The Big Sky Hideaway

When designing and decorating the interior, Dave and Emma ensured their Skoolie was kept simple yet comfortable. A reclaimed sofa and matching armchairs were installed to create a distinctive vintage feel. Strand-board walls and kitchen units create an organic backdrop for American-style accessories such as star-spangled covered cushions and retro American number plates.

Dave guesses the vehicle is about 30 years old and many of the beloved Skoolie's original features are still intact to enhance the experience including the driver's cab, with steering wheel and original buttons and dials.

The Big Sky Hideaway

As well as a large super king double bed at the rear of the bus there are also four funky bunk pods. With sustainability in mind, lower-level, eco-friendly facilities on the bus include scent-free composting toilets, solar panels and hot water delivered in heated bags.

As this bus is stationary, outside there are some added extras for enjoying the great outdoors, including hammock stands, a picnic table and firepit and a private toilet!

Fern the Bus

Fern started life as a 24-foot yellow school bus and is now the tiny home of wheels belonging to Ben and Mande Tucker.

After a year-long project that stands at £11,000 ($14k), the Skoolie was transformed into a custom, fully functional and stylish home, painted soothing mint green on the outside. Inside is also a treat...

Fern the Bus

White-painted pine, natural cedar and Acacia wooden floors form a minimal yet cosy Scandinavian backdrop. The refreshing scheme is then layered with thoughtful attention to details such as copper curtain rods, butcher block countertops and live edge lumber accents.

Practical elements include a 25-gallon water system, impressive electricity batteries and propane feeds all hidden away behind this calming and whimsical aesthetic.

Fern the Bus

Since converting the bus, the family has increased in numbers and so they have needed to customise the living quarters by adding travel cots and a "cozy little bed cave."

The bedroom with 'his and hers' wall closets has a cosy cabin vibe thanks to horizontal wood cladded walls. Additional fun elements to this Skoolie include a rooftop deck, hammock posts and a bike mount that fits to the back of the bus.

Fern the Bus

The outdoor shower is plumbed through a tankless water heater for on-demand hot water. "Vanlife is different for everyone, but for us, it's about living well and with less. There is some sacrifice – in our case, it was an indoor shower. The flip side is that we've showered in some seriously beautiful places," explains Mande.

As the family grew they decided to take a break from life on the road, but have found joy in parking Fern in their new backyard to pretend they are camping whenever they can.

Live Simply Buses

Mother and daughter duo, Lisa and Megan Donahue own a school bus renovation company called Live Simply Buses. That's right, the Skoolie way of life is now so popular that the clever pair make their living converting, customising and decorating retired school buses into tiny homes on wheels for other people to enjoy.

Using the vocation to proactively spend time together while honouring the memory of their son and brother, who passed away at the age of 15, the pair have become highly skilled at creating showstopping school buses, as you will see...

Live Simply Buses

When the mother and daughter build a bus they first give it a name: this beauty is called Spartacus. The 40-foot-long bus has now been sold to an adventurous couple who like many other Skoolie fans have sold their house, quit their jobs and live full-time on Spartacus.

One of the biggest design challenges when renovating a school bus is knowing how to squeeze everything into the small space perfectly. "You have to make sure you utilize every square inch. A way we overcame this obstacle is by making sure every element in the bus has at least two purposes," the pair explain.

Live Simply Buses

Clever decorating ideas combined with savvy storage fixes amount to this ideal and atmospheric small living setup. Earthy tones and rich dark wood give Spartacus a warming and rustic vibe.

Finishing touches such as rope LED lighting and a feature mounted faux bison horns above the layered and inviting bed give the bus interior a carefully curated and designer-look ranch style.

Live Simply Buses

Another obstacle when renovating buses is to eliminate sound as the frame is made of metal. "A way we solve this issue is taking it for a test drive after we add something each time, pinpointing that sound and then securing it when we get home to eliminate the rattling and bangs for the future buyer."

The bathroom has been decorated and sound-proofed with reclaimed wood-clad walls and shimmering corrugated metal. The powder-coated steel tub tank makes a striking feature, ideal for the vintage vibe.

Bicoastal Bus

Talia and Andy Kingston own this 280-square-foot, bright blue bus and converted it entirely on their own during the pandemic. The family showcase their life on the road via their Instagram @bicoastalbus.

Adventurous from the start, the family of three purchased a 40-foot Thomas HDX via eBay auction without even viewing it! Their gamble paid off as they are now such successful converters. They told Apartment Therapy that they may even start a business transforming Skoolies for others to enjoy as much as they do.

Bicoastal Bus

Talia's natural eye for design has transformed their Skoolie into a pastel-filled pad that is layered with cool curves and retro charm. "Our style is a lot like Palm Springs threw up on Miami," says Talia.

One of Talia and Andy's favourite and fitting purchases for the rig is their beloved retro-style refrigerator. It slots in perfectly and was a fraction of the original price, found on Facebook Marketplace for just £630 ($800).

Bicoastal Bus

The couple's favourite space is the wet bathroom and we can see why! Let's start with the statement floor that's been painstakingly laid using thousands of hexagon penny tiles. The perfectionists grouted the floor tiles not once, not twice but three times due to trial and error. Words on the floor spell out 'So Fresh & So Clean Clean'.

The bathroom's colourful character is finished with a contemporary pink sink and water-resistant tropical print wallpaper.

Bicoastal Bus

Soft pink and cane-webbed closets lead the way into the couple's bedroom, where you can also find the electrical technology and a washing machine.

The fun family funds their Skoolie travels by running their own custom, neon-light business from the bus. The supplies are kept in storage space underneath the bus – check out the creative couple's designs at Love Lights.

The Mayes Team

Gabriel and Debbie Mayes started their school bus journey in 2017. After a few teething problems they moved into their second bus (the first was riddled with rust), and travelled around the US for an incredible two years.

The family of six wanted to create the perfect space to spend time together in a homely and clutter-free environment that allowed them to explore and make unforgettable memories. The build cost the family around £29,800 ($38k).

The Mayes Team

Before converting their school bus Debbie did her homework by researching Pinterest Boards and following Expedition Happiness and their school bus conversion journey on YouTube. To ensure their new tiny home would be high quality the couple hired a professional company to complete their school bus conversion.

One priority was for Debbie and Gabriel to create separate areas in the compact bus so they would not disturb the children while they were sleeping. The solution was to design a unique floor plan in the narrow 250-square-foot space.

The Mayes Team

The minimalist style and colour pallet maximised the sense of space and light. Debbie explains: "We are naturally minimalists and love the Scandinavian modern style. I'm drawn to black, white and gray and live to have a very simple clean style."

The living area in the Skoolie consists of a well-designed kitchen, with practical wooden worktops that add natural warmth to the monochrome scheme.

The Mayes Team

At the back of the bus, you'll find the sleeping quarters which include two bunk beds arranged parallel to each other leading to the master bedroom incorporating plenty of overhead and under-bed storage.

While the family has now put their bus-based days behind them, as they renovate a house in California, the experience has given them special memories that will last a lifetime.