5 Reasons to Build a Skoolie

Top Five Reasons to Build a Skoolie

I wanted to write a blog post to try and persuade you to build a skoolie. It has truly been one of the most rewarding experiences and produced some of my families greatest memories.

That being said . . . this article may have you searching for school buses, however, before you pull the trigger please read my Top Five Reasons to NOT build a skoolie.

1. Freedom to Design and Build Whatever You Can Imagine

  • This has to be my favorite reason to build a skoolie. Professionally made RV’s are wonderful and work very well, however, they do not come with the fun, unique style a skoolie can bring. There hasn’t been a single RV park yet that someone hasn’t said, “Wow I love your school bus!” It was such a rush when we finally cleared the seats of our 84 passenger bus and saw the amount of room we actually had. It is all yours to design and put your unique style on. I have seen people put deck’s on top, open roof showers, and even slide out bedrooms. You are only limited by your own imagination. Your bus is waiting to be designed!

2. Iconic

  • There is just something cool about a school bus rolling down the road that was transformed into a skoolie. I still remember when I saw my first one in person. I immediately wanted to know the layout, see their unique design, and know the story of the bus. They are so iconic. Skoolies are not for everyone, but if you like them . . . you want to know everything about them.

3. Cost Effective

  • Skoolies are not cheap, but can be a lot cheaper than a professional designed RV. We bought our bus for around $7350. We then spent about $5,000 on tires, brakes, new filters, and oil changes. This category can vary greatly depending on the bus you buy. Then we spent about $10,000 on the actual renovation. Added up, this is about $22,000. If you compare similar RV’s you will spend upwards $50k-100k. So while they are not cheap, they can be very cost effective for those who cannot afford the higher price tags.

4. Rewarding Experience

  • I absolutely love getting out of my comfort zone and learning new things. A skoolie will 100% be one of the craziest things you build. There is so much to figure out, so much to plan and so many things to order. But when it all comes together and you see your bus roll down the road it will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. I truly believe that those who can finish a skoolie can do anything haha. You will love your bus and cherish the time spent building it. My entire family helped. We cherish the time spent together working hard towards a common goal.

5. Spirit of Adventure

  • There is something about a skoolie that just oozes adventure. Most people design a skoolie to either live in, or complete a long desired road trip. Building and designing a skoolie will only increase the hype for your objective. We set out to design our skoolie to take us on our Charity Build Tour across America. With every part of the bus getting done the trip got more and more real. It was so much fun to see it come together and have the trip on our minds. 

These are some of the biggest reasons to build a skoolie. If you are ready for the adventure, do your research, buy the right bus for your story and get after it!! You won’t regret it. Here is a link to our Skoolie’s tour, fully done. 

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2 thoughts on “5 Reasons to Build a Skoolie”

  1. Love the effort and loved watching it come together! Me & hubby are looking to start one, just barely in the planning phase!

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