For sale is a 1997 International Amtran school bus conversion (Skoolie). This is a full-length, flat nose school bus with a 24” roof raise, and beautiful interior conversion. It has been a long-time passion project with no expense spared along the way. It features top of the line appliances, state of the art air management, a cozy wood stove, natural and non-toxic building materials whenever possible, beautiful reclaimed wood accents throughout, and a modern aesthetic that will be easy to make your own. The bus is a project yet to be fully finished, meaning that with a little bit of effort and imagination, you can put your own personalized finishing touches on this one-of-a-kind home (or business) on wheels. So whether it becomes your new bus life highway warrior, a quirky backyard AirBnb experience, tiny home, coffee shop, or other ingenious invention, if you’re interested, keep reading…

The bus is equipped with a front engine (DT466) paired with an Allison AT545 transmission. It was originally decommissioned from Manhattan Christian School with right around 130,000 miles, and has only received 1-2k additional miles since (mostly highway). The bus has been meticulously inspected by Black Stack Diesel in Belgrade, MT and has received regular maintenance throughout my ownership. This includes new fuel lines, block heater, brakes, and oil changes. Six heavy-duty 10-ply tires were mounted by Eagle Tire a couple years ago, and mechanically, everything has always gotten a clean bill of health.

The interior was fully gutted to the steel and treated with rust-inhibiting floor coating. The roof was raised 24” and framed to receive six beautiful, frameless, insulated RV windows by Jayco, purchased from Big Sky RV (now Bish’s) here in Bozeman. The entire bus was framed out to accommodate both 12v and professionally installed 120v electrical, as well as 3.5” of Havelock sheep’s wool insulation in the walls, with 3” of rigid foam insulation below 3/4” subfloor OSB.

The bus was meticulously designed (by me) in Google SketchUp, to pair multi-functionality with a modern aesthetic. The entire bus is floored with T&G American hickory hardwood over OSB and foam floor padding to reduce noise. The living area features a dual-purpose slat bed style couch with convertible cushions that fold out into a roughly twin sized bed that is long enough for a 6’ tall person (like me) to stretch out comfortably. Across from the couch sits a Dwarf 4kw wood burning stove by Tiny Wood Stove in Idaho. It’s got an exterior fresh air intake, tile hearth, and sits next to a custom-built wood storage rack and entryway cubby that can house coats, shoes, hats, and more. Built into the front bulkhead is a recessed TV cavity sized to fit a 42” flatscreen TV and speaker nooks for near-flush mount speakers. A power outlet and wire access holes are available to provide seamless cable runs for a clean look.

Moving toward the back of the bus, you step up into a galley style kitchen with opposing desk space for dining or working. The kitchen features a deep sink with modern fixtures, professionally installed cabinetry, gas range and oven, and plenty of power for countertop appliances. On the opposite side, you’ll find a two-way (gas or 120v electrical) Dometic refrigerator/freezer with additional storage above and below, as well as a large countertop desk space that works equally well for additional kitchen prep space or work station. The desk is designed with remote work in mind, with two large storage drawers, cable port for access to the multiple power outlets below, a under mounted cable basket, and a rack for a power conditioner / uninterruptable power supply (UPS) to protect your hard drives, computers, and other sensitive electronics from the inherent variability of off-grid power.

Below the kitchen counter you’ll find a vented tankless hot water heater designed for RVs. It has yet to be hooked up but is ready to go otherwise. Under the kitchen floor sit two 65 gallon water tanks, one for fresh water and one for grey water. These are also not fully hooked up but wouldn’t take long at all to finish. A sediment filter, 3-stage water filtration system, and UV filter are all included, as is extra pex tubing, clamps, crimper tool, and grey water drain fittings, such as the main gate valve for hooking up to RV dump stations. The tanks are accessed through a floor hatch inset into the kitchen floor. In case of leak (minor or major), the tanks are fastened to, and contained within a heavy duty frame covered with a thick bathtub liner. The access hatch is also sized so the tanks can be removed and replaced if needed. Additional under floor storage is accessible from several other floor hatches, including a few hidden access points for stowing valuables or less often used items.

Passing through the hall to the back of the bus, you’ll find the bathroom on your left, which is one of the remaining unfinished items in the bus. It’s been designed to accommodate a shower, and a composting toilet with exterior vent and multi-speed maxxair overhead vent fan. I changed the design of the bathroom late in the game and didn’t get around to finishing it. However, the shower pan is already purchased, just not installed. It will be included with the sale, along with the composting toilet.

Beyond the bathroom is the bedroom, with lofted Queen bed and TONS of storage underneath. Heck there’s almost enough room for another bed down there, which may be perfect for a kids’ bed or play area as well. The bedroom is designed to have access to a future rooftop deck by way of the bus’s existing emergency roof hatch. A ladder (not included) could be mounted to the forward wall for an easy climb to your outdoor patio, yoga perch, or whatever other fun ideas you have in mind. You’ll find 24” of hanging closet space at the foot of the bed, with pex tubing and vent penetration prepared for a combination washer dryer as well.

In the kitchen, you’ll find a modern 13,500 BTU A/C unit to keep the bus cool on those warm summer days. Believe it or not, when the sun is high and power input is maximized, you can even run the A/C and float your batteries off of the solar set up alone.

Two German-made Lunos e2 Heat recovery ventilation units (one in the front bulkhead, one in the bedroom) work in tandem to push and pull cabin air in and out both ends of the bus. This filters and exchanges damp or stale air for freshness and moisture reduction, only without losing hardly any heat in the winter, or cold in the summer. In my view, these were essential to providing clean, dry air to prevent the moisture build up that is inherent to van and bus life, while also preserving as much of the efficiency gained with the insulation and double paned windows as possible.

The bathroom features a vent fan with pass-through access to the kitchen to accommodate additional moisture exhaust from showering and cooking. A penetration for a range hood vent fan is pre-cut, and a range hood is also included with the sale, but not yet installed.

The bus is prepared for amazing off grid (or on-grid) experiences, with professionally installed solar equipment throughout. 1200 watts of solar panels are mounted on the roof, charging two Simpliphi 24v 150Ah LFP smart batteries that offer a combined 300Ah of power. The solar charge controller, inverter, breaker panels, junction box, and batteries are all concealed under the slat bed/couch up front. The couch quickly opens up with hinged access to the equipment underneath. There is space for two additional batteries as well, so doubling your battery capacity is completely possible. No sun? No problem. The solar setup is wired to receive power input for charging your batteries from a generator. Heavy duty wiring is conveniently routed through the floor to the rear of the bus so noise and exhaust are as far away as possible. And, you’re set up to hardwire and mount your generator under the bus with the generator rack that is currently in progress.

If you’re parked near RV shore power, no problem! Just flip the master switch to On-Grid mode and you’ll be pulling power from the 30A RV plug mounted to the driver’s side of the bus. RV plug adapter and heavy duty 100ft extension cord included in the sale.

Additionally, I’ve hard wired and mounted a NOCO Genius battery charger so that the vehicle batteries charge off of the 120v system (either off grid or shore power) when the bus is parked. That way, you’re never stranded when you’re ready to pick up and move.

120v power outlets abound in this place, complete with USB ports in all the important spots (bedside, on the couch, and at the desk… unfortunately there aren’t any in the bathroom but there is dedicated power so bring your charging block if you’re a marathon sit & scroller). The lights for the main spaces are on 2-way switches for convenient access from multiple spots, with dimmers allowing for both mood lighting and the option for reduced power consumption. Not that you really need it, because all the lighting fixtures are low-profile, low draw LEDs with a cozy and warm color temperature that’s easy on the eyes.

The bus has tons of underbody space to accommodate storage boxes, propane, and of course a generator. We had just begun installing a generator rack when the project was paused for personal reasons. A generator is not included with the sale but the rack is designed to fit a standard Honda 3000w generator.

The propane has yet to be hooked up to the gas range/oven and fridge, so all cooking is currently electrical with a small toaster oven). During the day, the fridge runs just fine on electricity alone, though it doesn’t tend to make it through the night on batteries alone. If you power it down at night it works extremely well as a cooler to preserve food (even frozen food) until morning. To finish this part, Skoolie.net makes great pre-fab access hatches for underbody mounted RV-style propane tanks, or you can purchase a cheap and simple exterior RV propane bottle mount for the rear of the bus. Some gas fittings, including a 3-way gas splitter manifold are included.

The water has yet to be plumbed, as previously mentioned, from the sink to the hot water heater, tanks, or shower. However as mentioned, extra pex tubing, clamps, tools, and other important fittings are included.

The bus still needs trim in all spaces except the bedroom. The plastic surrounds for the roof hatches need to be reinstalled, and wall corners need to be caulked.

The top row of rivets on the driver’s side of the bus need to be installed. I have the rivets, and a pneumatic rivet gun that I will include with the sale, I just haven’t had time to drill and seat them all. To be clear, these have made zero impact on drivability or water tightness in my travels thus far, but it does need to be done before the roof sealant and paint are completed.

The exterior is obviously still raw (due to time and the need to finish riveting) but the roof has been heavily sealed around all penetrations using Henry’s Tropicool so that the vehicle is water tight. Surprisingly often I was encouraged to keep the bus “Mad Max style” on the outside, but that aesthetic didn’t seem to fit with the care and attention applied inside. Now you get to make that decision!

The captain’s chair is the nicest seat in the house. Designed for a Class A RV, it’s plush padded with power controls for adjustment. It’s a bit large for the space so it is a cozy fit, but boy is it a nice ride.

The dashboard is old and leaves a lot to be desired. Ultimately a full electrical rebuild would be the cherry on top of this killer vehicle.

The bus is currently without marker lights (the small yellow running lights) due to some flaw in their 12v DC wiring. I’ve struggled to find it, and am of the mind that running new entirely new wiring would be the easier route than tracing the problem. This doesn’t prevent the bus from being road worthy during the day, but is technically illegal at night. For that matter, the headlights aren’t that awesome, so I have simply made a habit of driving during the day. I’m confident that a determined electronics enthusiast could sort out these few inconveniences in a couple weekends.

Full disclosure, this vehicle is top heavy, and the roof raise has changed its center of gravity and handling characteristics (not that a bus was ever a sports car). But with that, I’m of the opinion that the front suspension is a little too soft for my comfort, so I’m consulting with Black Stack Diesel to quote a suspension reinforcement and will happily discuss accommodating this in the negotiation.