The truth about doing a bus conversions is......there is chaos.
There is nothing glamorous about it even though the photos and videos show this wonderful image at the end of the day when a project is complete. You are also constantly working on multiple aspects at the same time.
For our videos and blog posts we try to stay streamlined for you. We show you the beginning, middle and end of the project. Some projects take a few months to complete though and we either hold onto the footage from the "beginning phase" to share once we are able to complete the project. Or it's such a big project (like removing the bus windows, reskinning the bus and installing RV windows) that we have to break it up into multiple videos.
We always try to keep it real and we know there are people watching our videos who are considering doing a bus conversion themselves. That's why this week we decided to do things a little different and show you what 2 average work days look like for us in an "in-between" projects stage.
The truth is.....as first time builders we spend just as much time (if not more) researching how to do a project as we do executing it.
The truth is.....we are constantly moving our supplies around as we have limited space. We keep any scrap wood (also large cardboard boxes are useful to keep around too!) because let's face it, lumber is expensive and why not use scraps where you can instead of being wasteful. But finding space to store the wood and keeping it organized so you can find what you need when you need it has been a challenge.
The truth is.....you are constantly cleaning up, oh and every time you need to drive the bus somewhere you have to pack everything up and make sure everything is secure. Moving the bus is best to be planned between projects. This is why we always refer to #barnenvy. Having a large barn to store all our tools, screws and supplies would be amazing, but the reality is that not everyone has that luxury.
The truth is....you like us probably have to still work a job that pays the bills while you are doing a bus conversion. Well that means you end up strapped for time and meals generally become about what is convenient, easy and fast so I can get back to bus work. Cooking home cooked meals and getting daily exercise has had to take a back seat for us which is so not who we like to be but we just don't have the time to fit everything in.
The truth is........you spend A LOT of time at the hardware store.
The truth is.......sometimes you have to wait for supplies to be delivered and while you wait you have to move onto another project (unless you are willing for the conversion to take a really really long time). We are always working on about 3 different projects at the same time. For example, currently we (1) are cleaning out the luggage bays to mount our batteries and electric system and doing research to make sure we install everything correctly (2) finalizing our bathroom design and ordering all the necessary parts for our plumbing (and researching plumbing as we go) (3) doing finishing work in the bedroom (4) shopping around for our kitchen cabinets.
It's chaotic and at times our brains feel like they could explode because the to do list is long, but we have learned so many new things and the end result is always worth it.
Up Next
We begin building out our bathroom, starting with our compost toilet and plumbing.
