00:00I love the lifestyle I get to live, being able to travel and wander and earn a living on the
00:06road.
00:06And to be there as long as we want to with water is the only limiting factor.
00:10And 100 gallons of water is not that big a limit.
00:12This is Patrick with New Jersey's Outdoor Adventures YouTube channel.
00:16Very excited to have David on the show today.
00:18He has a raised roof Schooley camper conversion with an awesome garage in the back.
00:22It's got a massive amount of lithium and the inside is incredible.
00:26He's going to give us a full tour inside now, so join us.
00:30Thanks for having me, Patrick.
00:32I'm thrilled to show you our 2005 Bluebird Vision Handy Bus.
00:36This is a mid-sized bus.
00:38It's a 30-foot bus known as the Vision for this Vision window.
00:42It's an awesome little window that buys a little extra view.
00:46Makes magical rainbow light at the end of the day.
00:48We took the bus.
00:49We made an 18-inch roof race.
00:51We extended the nose to add space.
00:53And then we deleted all of the school bus windows, added RV windows throughout,
00:58added toolboxes underneath.
01:01These toolboxes are pretty cool.
01:03Lots of storage for anything you might want to carry.
01:10All the spares.
01:12We've got a water fill here.
01:13We carry 100 gallons of water on board, fresh.
01:16Diesel fills here.
01:17And this is awesome space.
01:19This is our garage.
01:20So our garage buys us the opportunity to put motorcycles in, put paramotors in,
01:27any kind of equipment we might want to carry.
01:29We can bring it right up to level.
01:31Inside the garage.
01:33Inside the garage, we've got a full electrical system.
01:35Starts with solar coming in.
01:37We've got 3,000 watts of bifacial panels on the roof.
01:40Comes through our solar disconnect.
01:42Really well-designed system with two inverters, a split-phase system.
01:46Power watchdog ties in, so there's a 50-amp input as well.
01:50We can also carry a whisper generator if we want to have additional power.
01:53Other things back here.
01:54We've got a tap off the air system so that we can get pressurized air for cleaning or for filling
01:59tires.
01:59We also carry an extend-a-ladder.
02:02That's awesome for easy access.
02:04Full power on board.
02:0612-volt as well.
02:08It's all in the box.
02:10Carry a spare as well.
02:12And these lines are refrigerant lines that come off our mini-split to our head underneath.
02:18Let's go check around the back.
02:21So we've got a remote dongle for turning on these lights that surround the rear of the bus.
02:26So we've got three lights that light us up.
02:28We've got an Ethernet input here for Starlink.
02:32And we've also got external courtesy power.
02:35And then a rear access for our garage as well.
02:38That rear access to secure it, we added these deadlock systems.
02:42These apartment locks.
02:44So they lock really nicely.
02:46And we are members of the Schooley Cult now.
02:48Yes.
02:50We've got a rear-view camera up top.
02:52That rear-view buys us a nice field of vision.
02:54A beautiful paint job.
02:56We love the paint job.
02:57The paint job cost us $8,000.
02:59But we found a booth that this thing just fit into.
03:02It's a professionally done paint job.
03:04Our mini-split head lives under here.
03:08We've got a 50-amp input.
03:11We've got fuel for our Fogati water heater.
03:16And we've got a 35-gallon graywater system.
03:23Onboard batteries are charged by a Victron DC charger that's tapped off of our house system.
03:29And then the house, the Schooley electrical system, which is essentially untouched.
03:36We cleaned out a lot that wasn't in play.
03:40So up top, we've got 3,000 watts of bifacial solar panels.
03:45Those bifacial panels take light on the bottom as well as the top.
03:48We covered the roof as well as we could.
03:50Here you can see some of the extension we added for the nose.
03:53And we've also got a Cat C7, a powerful diesel motor on board.
03:59This is our Cat C7.
04:04From there, we come around and we've got a front hitch for convenience.
04:07Anyone wants to carry any more there, we can do that.
04:10We also added this light bar up front.
04:12That light bar buys us really great vision on back roads when we're rolling around off-road.
04:21New headlights as well.
04:22These LED headlights really light up the road at night.
04:25They work well for us.
04:30So come on in.
04:31Let's check out the bus.
04:34So we added a handrail here to make it safer for climbing in and out.
04:38And again, that nose storage that we added, got lots of storage.
04:43This could be a bunk for someone that wanted extra sleep space.
04:47We've got swiveling captain seat and passenger seat.
04:51We've got a table that will drop in as well.
04:59Great.
05:00There's our table.
05:01Hardwood floors throughout.
05:04Laminate stick-on floors throughout.
05:07And lots of storage.
05:09We've got storage.
05:11Lots of storage.
05:12Tons of storage.
05:14Custom cabinets everywhere.
05:16Made to work around the sink here.
05:19And storage, storage, storage.
05:22We've got a residential fridge.
05:24This is a Blomberg fridge.
05:2624-inch wide.
05:27Counter depth.
05:28Really works well for us.
05:30Microwave overhead.
05:31Make our way in.
05:33We've got this pretty cool futon.
05:37Converts to extra bedding with the diesel heater underneath.
05:44And there's extra accommodations.
05:47I really wanted to build this bus so that I would have the ability to change my shirt and not
05:52hit my elbow on the ceiling.
05:54At 6'2", the ceiling height works.
05:56It just works.
05:58My 6'6 son is able to change his shirts in here easily.
06:02So back to the kitchen.
06:02We have hardwood countertops and integrated soap.
06:08Hot water on board.
06:09There's a water filter system as well.
06:11We add a two-stage water filter here.
06:15And so drinking water is double filtered.
06:17And then we add courtesy things.
06:19Like we wanted a little more cabinet space.
06:21We also added a window over the sink because every sink should have a view.
06:27Screen's on board.
06:28We're also super insulated.
06:31We've got spray foam insulation in the wall that's an inch and a half or two-inch spray foam insulation
06:37in the walls.
06:41And yes, we built a desk so that we can work easily when we're on the road with power underneath
06:48as well.
06:48We can sit here, be as productive as we like.
06:51Again, with a nice view.
06:53Emergency exit at the foot of the bed.
06:55Mini split.
06:58And the servo system that tells us the state of charge.
07:01It also gives us state of our tanks.
07:04Temperatures throughout.
07:06More storage.
07:08Lots of storage.
07:11And these window coverings are custom window coverings made to provide insulation and a nice view when you want privacy.
07:18Under the bed, we've got a 100-gallon freshwater tank here.
07:25And we've got 400 amp hours of EG4 server-class batteries at 48 volts.
07:31So that's 20K of power.
07:35Again, there's our water heater on board.
07:38And our shower.
07:40We've got a shower.
07:41We were going to have a separate room for our compost toilet.
07:46But we decided it was easier just to move the toilet in and out as needed.
07:49So a full stall, full residential surround, lots of elbow room, and a head high enough that at 6'2",
07:56it's easy for me to use.
07:58Compost toilet vented out through the floor.
08:01Easy to tuck away as needed.
08:02And we've also got a max air fan integrated as well.
08:10Well, David, this is really cool.
08:12I love the fact that it's a raised roof bus.
08:16So you've got plenty of headroom.
08:18You got rid of the bus windows, which are prone to leak air.
08:23This is a poor season.
08:25It is.
08:25Yeah, we love the ability to be able to go wherever we want to and to be there as long
08:31as we want to.
08:32With water is the only limiting factor.
08:34And 100 gallons of water is not that big a limit.
08:36And these windows are dual pane.
08:38That's a big cost as part of this.
08:41Each one of these windows, that's your biggest heat loss, right?
08:44It is.
08:44Absolutely.
08:45Yeah, there's minimal thermal bridging throughout.
08:49Everything's padded.
08:51We just love how the finish turned out for efficiency and being able to use this as a year-round
08:56getaway.
08:57Be able to travel where we want to.
08:58I like the extra detail here with the, I guess it would be crown molding with the light accent there
09:05and the little slats there on the ceiling.
09:07It looks more like a little cottage or a home than a school bus.
09:10That's it.
09:11I wanted it to feel like an apartment.
09:12I'd want to be relaxed and able to stay in comfortably for any length of time.
09:17Now, you did some full time in this?
09:19Yeah.
09:20Seasonally, I stay in this seasonally.
09:22I keep a vacation house in Maine.
09:23But when I work in training, this is my home.
09:26I park this at an airport.
09:27I teach in Connecticut through the summer months.
09:31And then in the winter, we go out to the Salton Sea in Southern California.
09:34And this is home out there.
09:36So the whole purpose of this was so you could work in that part of the year and be off
09:42-grid?
09:42It's travel and work and be fully off-grid, free to travel, be where I want to, make home where
09:48I want it to be.
09:48It's just the ultimate opportunity to escape, have freedom, and be productive.
09:53With the Starlink system, I have an office anywhere I want to.
09:58It's just the ultimate in freedom.
09:59So the exterior to Buzz is about 35 feet.
10:02You've got a 5-foot garage.
10:03How much is left for the interior?
10:04We've got 23 feet interior space by 7 foot 6 inches wide.
10:08So this is a nice living space.
10:10It is.
10:10It works really well.
10:11It's really comfortable.
10:12It's good for two people, but if you have a guest, they can come over.
10:15Absolutely.
10:15And you built it.
10:17You've been using it for a while.
10:18What's next?
10:19Man, I was lucky enough to have a great crew of people come together to help build this.
10:24I had one set of friends who insisted on doing the gut job, tearing it apart, driving it from Arizona.
10:30It's an Arizona bus, so it's really clean.
10:32There's no rust.
10:33So I drove from Arizona to his shop in Pennsylvania where they did the roof raise.
10:38They gutted the interior.
10:40They mounted all the windows.
10:41And another friend insisted on building the electrical system, which is just magical.
10:47We've got arguably the best electrical system in a DIY schoolie.
10:51And then another friend wanted to do all the interior.
10:55So everything came together.
10:56So for me, the next project is probably going to be another build.
11:00I'm looking at another build.
11:02I love the lifestyle I get to live, being able to travel and wander and earn a living on the
11:08road.
11:09It really works well for me.
11:10So I'm trying to get my head around what that next build is going to be.
11:13Is it going to be bigger or smaller?
11:15What are you thinking?
11:16I'm trying to decide.
11:20I'm probably condensing space a little bit.
11:23This was built for a couple.
11:25And, yeah, this would be good for a couple.
11:30It would be really comfortable for a single traveler.
11:33You've got lots of space.
11:34But it's really great space for a couple to share.
11:36Well, I appreciate the opportunity as you're traveling through New Jersey to go on a trip to showcase this build.
11:43If it's ever for sale, I'll definitely put that link in the description.
11:47Because I know all the people in the comments are going to be asking, how do I buy this thing?
11:50It just happens every time.
11:52And I can tell you, out of all the school buses I've seen recently, this is the cleanest one I've
11:57ever seen.
11:58And aesthetically, it is absolutely beautiful.
12:00So if you ever do sell it, I'm sure it's going to sell quickly.
12:04Thanks, Patrick.
12:04I'm incredibly appreciative of the opportunity to show this to you.
12:07And thank you for the work you're doing and what you're showing people online.
12:10It's amazing work you're doing.
12:12You're welcome.
12:12This is Patrick with New Jersey's Outdoor Adventures YouTube channel.
12:15I'll see you soon.
