bus conversion

Our New Bus Conversion and Tips On How To Get It Right The First Time

February 4, 2021 by Claire Edwards Leave a Comment

We’ve done it again! We have sold our much loved Toyota Coaster, and decided to do a new bus conversion on our Mercedes Vario. You may thinking why? Well after living in it full time for almost 18 months, there were a few things we decided really didn’t work for us. Rather than trying to fix them, we decided to sell up, and start again! Read below to see what kind of bus we bought and why, what we will be doing differently, and bus conversion tips to help you get it right the first time.

The New Bus

Our new bus is a 1997 Mercedes Vario. It is a 4.2 litre, 4 cyclinder turbo diesel automatic.

It is approximately 7.8 metres long, with an internal height of 1.9 metres and a width of 2.1 metres at the floor, and even wider at the windows.

So not only is it longer, but taller and wider than the Coaster. This will allow Shane to stand up freely, and for us to have a much wider hallway. We never imagined how much extra space that little bit of length and width would give us. Oh and its automatic – Shane can finally drive it! And maybe even one day get his licence 😉

roaming on rubber - bus conversion tips - mercedes vario

So why did we decide to sell our Toyota Coaster and get a Mercedes Vario?

Office space –

The first and foremost reason we decided to do a new bus conversion was because of the office space. Both Shane and I are constantly using our laptops for this blog, our YouTube series, and study. Shane has also continued to work remotely 3 days per week as an IT Technician. In the planning of our Toyota Coaster bus, the office space was an afterthought. We had a fold up dining table which Shane would use, but no space for an office chair. The solution was a boat chair mounted to our lounge for Shane, and I ended up doing everything whilst sitting on the lounge. This was not convenient, or comfortable! Not planning this was a poor decision, and the office space should have been at the forefront of our minds considering how much we require it.

We could have remodelled the Toyota Coaster to fit a better office space in however, after thinking long and hard we decided that to do that we would be compromising too much on our lounge and dining areas. We felt as though a slightly bigger bus with a better layout would be better.

In our new Mercedes Vario, a larger, more comfortable office space has been in the plans from the very beginning. We are going to ensure there is a large enough desk for both of us, as well as having comfortable office chairs. The plan is to find office chairs that can be used throughout the day, and stored underneath the desk when not in use.

Thin hallway –

When we were building our Toyota Coaster, we were trying to think about the layout as much as possible. We tried to build it in a way that made sense – starting from the back; bedroom, closet, bathroom, kitchen, with living area at the front. What this meant though was the two largest things (the bathroom and fridge) were almost opposite each other.

This caused a very small entrance to the hallway and made it feel quite claustrophobic.

Not only did it feel very tight, but it meant that we had two very large walls right near the entrance of our home. This closed the entire bus off.

roaming on rubber - bus conversion tips - Toyota Coaster

The idea for the new bus is to have the larger things (fridge and bathroom) on the same side. Whilst this is not as appealing as having the fridge on the same side as the kitchen, we believe the benefits of space will overcome this.

We have also arranged for any internal walls to be as close to the rear of the bus as possible. By doing this, we hope the bus will feel a lot more open and not so claustrophobic!

In all honesty, these were the two main things that we wanted different that were enough for us to build a new bus. Even though these were the primary things, there were other things we have decided to change in the new bus.

Things we want to do differently

Dinette –

In our Toyota Coaster, we had a small drop down table that was used as a dining table/office area. Whilst it was handy to use as a table, it was not in a convenient location that could be used to actually eat at. The plan for the new bus is to have a removable table top and leg that will be stored in the lounge. It can come out when necessary and be used along with the lounge to eat at. We will also have captains swivel chairs in this bus as the driver and passenger chairs. The same removable table top and leg will have a position in between the swivel chairs for a more formal dinette area.

Lounge –

Our previous lounge had all the bells and whistles; slide out to make a single bed, lift up for storage, and lift up foot rest. The problem was it had so much going on, that it was too much! It ended up being difficult to use, hard to access the storage, and we gave up on the foot rest idea. We had custom cut foam, and had covers made up to fit. It was very expensive, and after a long time sitting on it, it became uncomfortable.

The new bus will be much more simple. It will just be a lounge with storage. It will house our hot water system, cat litter, and our fold down table. We will have 2 small collapsible ottomans, so they can be put down and stored when not in use.

The lounge cushions will be thicker on the base, and we will have large softer cushions for the back.

Kitchen –

Kick panel. Omg we need a kick panel! In our Toyota Coaster, the idea of a kick panel seemed like wasted space. However, after opening the cupboards endlessly on our toes, we can definitely see the need for a kick panel! And now realise why it is called a ‘kick panel’…

Even though it takes up space, we have plans to have our air conditioner come up from under the bus into the kick panel area, at least then it is hidden from the inside. So still useable space!

All of our cupboards will have either drawers, or slide out storage; making everything much easier to access.

We have decided to buy a flatpack Kaboodle kitchen from Bunnings this time rather than build it ourselves. Whilst it is heavier, it will save us a lot of time, effort and surprisingly money to do it this way.

Our bus conversion tips; how do you get it right the first time?

Consider your bus size, plan and priorities –

Before even buying your bus, draw up some plans and work out how much space you will need, and what you want to have in your bus.

You might find that if you will be living in your bus full time, your needs may be different than if you are just using it for travel. For example, you may want a full toilet, shower and kitchen. Consider whether you will be staying in remote places and need to be off grid, or will primarily be staying in caravan parks. This will determine if you need a generator/solar, batteries and onboard water storage.

If you will be working in your bus, or like to do a lot of things online, do not underestimated your office space! Prioritise it. Comfortable seating and a good work area is a must.

What are your hobbies, or interests? Make sure you have the room to store things if you need to, or plan your design around them. Don’t leave anything to the last minute like we did.

We have a helpful planning guide here if you want to have a read in more detail 🙂

Photo of drawn up plan for our Toyota Coaster bus conversion. Roaming on rubber- things you should know before doing a bus conversion

Don’t overcomplicate things!

One of our biggest bus conversion tips is don’t overcomplicate things! It may sound simple, but when you have limited space you may find you are trying to squeeze as much in as possible. Sometimes this just makes it too hard, takes too long, costs too much and doesn’t always work out. The saying “keep it simple” really is relevant here.

We have spoken to other people who have done their own bus conversions, and most agree that generally when something is too complicated, it ends up not being used.

Learn tips from others –

If you have an idea, you can pretty much guarantee someone else out there has had it too! There are so many great forums, blogs and pages like this that have tonnes of bus conversion tips, information and ideas. And like us, not all of them have worked and we all learn from each other.

Don’t be afraid to message people directly and ask their opinion, ideas, or what they would have done differently. Most people love to share their knowledge in the hopes it will help someone.

Also, check out our in depth guide “Things you should know before starting a bus conversion“. We discuss budget, time to build, planning, buying a bus, licenses and more!

So now that we have sold our Toyota Coaster, we are well on our way to completing our Mercedes Vario. It has been a big change, but so far are glad we have done it. We hope that these bus conversion tips have helped you to get it right the first time, and avoid having to do a whole new build like us. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to send them through 🙂

Things You Should Know Before Starting A Bus Conversion

January 21, 2021 by Claire Edwards 3 Comments

When we started building our Toyota Coaster, we were completely new to the idea of building our own tiny home. There was so much we didn’t know, and so much we had to learn. Our motto was always “wing it”, or “let’s just see how it goes”. We are now on our second bus build; our Mercedes Vario. We have learnt so much in the process, and so far it has made this bus build go a lot smoother. That’s why we thought it was finally time to share with you the things we wish we had known before starting a bus conversion.

Roaming on rubber- things you should know before doing a bus conversion

The Emotional Rollercoaster –

The first and foremost thing we need to talk is the emotional rollercoaster of a ride your bus conversion will take you on. Everyone knows about budget, and time, and we will talk about those things too, but not everyone tells you about the journey of emotions that goes along with it.

When you start your bus conversion, you might think you know someone. It could be yourself, a partner, family member or friend. You know how they work, what causes them stress and how they handle certain situations. Well, this build will test everything you thought you knew!

There will be breakdowns and many different levels of stress. The bus conversion will occupy every second of your thoughts. We would spend hours looking at inspiration on how we can achieve a design or look we want, only to then spend hours more lying in bed unable to sleep thinking about the same thing. Sometimes you will want to give up, but other times completing a job no matter how small will give you the motivation to keep on going.

If you are building with someone it will test your relationship. There will be arguments and conflict, disagreements and differences in opinion. You will be trying to explain something and there will be trouble understanding. Both of you will have different ways of wanting to do the same thing. You won’t agree on the plan, or the design of everything.

This all sounds horrible, and you are probably thinking ‘why would I start with this?’, and ‘is it even worth it?’ Well the answer is yes! It absolutely is! Even though this is a huge undertaking, it is all part of the journey.

As much as there a lows, there a highs as well. After each completed task there is a sense of pride, along with the joy that comes from seeing it take shape.

From our experience, we have learnt that sometimes we just need to step completely away. Take a day to remind ourselves why we wanted to do this in the first place. If we don’t agree, we can work on something different or each come up with a new idea that the other may agree with. There is always ways to overcome this.

In the end, when it’s completed, you won’t look back and think of the stress, or all the arguments, you will stand there and look at what you have created with a smile on your face. It may not be perfect but it is yours, and you did this.

Roaming on Rubber - Free camping tips Australia -Esperance

Budget –

The main question we get asked is ‘how much does it cost to do a bus conversion?’

This is probably the hardest question to answer, and when starting your bus conversion, you may have no idea. There are so many different factors which can result in huge price differences. Some people think it is cheaper to do their own conversion, and others to buy one already done and remodel to their liking. Whilst it can be cheaper starting from scratch, it can also end up more expensive, take longer, and is definitely a lot more work! But when you are getting exactly what you want, does that make it worth it?

So, what costs the most money?

A couple of questions on what you want will start to determine your costs –

Do you want to be able to live off grid? How long for?
Do you want a shower and toilet?
Will you want a kitchen inside, or are you happy with outdoor cooking facilities?
What about hot water?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, already your costs are going to start creeping up.

So having a clear idea for your budget is a necessity. It might mean you need to look at second hand items, or compromising on some of the initial things you had planned.

Not only is there the expense of buying all of the items and appliances you want, but there could be service costs. For example, if you are having gas or 240v electricity, you will need a gas plumber and an electrician. Or if you are starting from scratch, you will need to pay an engineer to certify the bus into a motorhome. There could also be diesel heater installers, air conditioner installers, solar installers, mechanics, panel beaters, glaziers, automotive tinters, and so much more! Not to mention registration costs after all that…

For our original Toyota Coaster, we had a budget of $40,000. This was to buy our Coaster, and fit it out.

Our bus cost $21,000. After buying this and adding up what we wanted for our electrical system, kitchen and bathroom, we quickly realised the costs were going to blow out. Eventually the end figure was closer to $60-$65,000.

However, we did purchase everything new, had no tools to start off with, and bought almost the top of the range of everything at the time. So we literally were starting from scratch!

Our biggest tip when starting your bus conversion is not to forget about the small stuff. It adds up! For our new Mercedes Vario build, so far we have spent almost $300 just on screws, bolts, and silicone alone! Not to mention we used any of the previous stuff we had left from the Coaster…

Time to build the bus and time of year –

Something to consider when you are looking to convert a bus into a motorhome is how long it will take to do.

If you have experience in building, have the funds on hand, and have the time than building a bus may only take you a few short months.

If, however, you are like us, with no experience and are still working, then the reality is it could take a lot longer. We had anticipated for our Toyota Coaster to take around 6 months. With work and life commitments, it ended up taking us 13 months to complete.

So it is definitely a good idea to be realistic with your timeframe. Keep in mind things like work, family commitments and holidays. Have a general goal and regular targets to keep your plan in line.

Trades like gas plumbers and electricians can also have long lead times. For our Mercedes Vario, we learnt to book well in advance. If you aren’t ready you can always reschedule as you get closer, but at least you are booked in just in case.

Another very important thing to consider is the weather. When building our Toyota Coaster, we did the majority of work in the Summer. Each day was well over 40 degrees Celsius and it slowed us down tremendously. When working outdoors in the heat (and also when its freezing in Winter!) it can be very difficult. Not only more physical exertion, but jobs like silicone and painting are not achievable.

In saying that, when working outside, the rain also affects what can be done too; roof hatches, and holes in the bus become no longer possible.

So that leads us into our next thing to keep in mind…

Where will you build the bus?

This is extremely important! Converting a bus into a motorhome takes space. It is a good idea to plan where you will build prior to purchasing a bus. If you own or rent your property and have a large enough yard with a good storage shed or similar then you are set.

If like us, you do not and have nowhere to park a bus while you work on it, then you may need to look at other alternatives; family members, friends, rentals, or storage facilities. Try and think of things like electricity, water and shelter, and anything else that you may require.

Our Toyota Coaster was located 45 minutes away from where we lived. This meant that it was hard to do a few hours after work. We could only really work on it in full day blocks.

If you are lucky enough and can park it inside a large shed or undercover area, then the weather will not affect your build as much.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you need to rent a property, or move elsewhere, then try and make sure you have close access to a decent hardware shop! Sometimes we ended up at Bunnings 3 or 4 times a day! Our current Mercedes Vario is located around an hour from a Bunnings, so we have to plan very carefully and make our trips worthwhile. This can be difficult as not everything always goes to plan.

Buying the bus itself, and what to look for –

Now we are definitely not mechanics, so if you have a trusted mechanic friend, best to take them with you! But there is a general list of things to look for when buying a second hand bus or motorhome.

Shape of the bus – A bus with curved walls makes building hard! Our Toyota Coaster walls were curved and everything seemed more difficult. One of the reasons we opted for a Mercedes Vario the second time round was the walls have much less curve to them!

Water damage/leaks – Check the bus floor/walls for water damage. If you see anywhere that may look like there is water damage this could be an indication of a leak. Leaks, depending where they are could be an easy fix. Replacing the entire floor due to water damage however is not, and can be costly!

Rust – This may sound like a small thing, but rust is kind of like the tip of an iceberg; you may only be able to see a small bit on the surface, but there could be a whole heap underneath!

Surface rust is to be expected, especially on older vehicles, and with some sanding, and repair work can be fixed. When looking for rust, you want to be looking around things like the chassis, and the windows, or anywhere that could indicate a much larger or structural problem.

Transmission – Something small, but do you want a manual or automatic. Will it bother you driving either large distances?

Tyres – Check the tyres for acceptable tread, or any indication of uneven wear. Also have a look at the wheels/rims for any cracks or damage. Replacing 6 bus tyres isn’t cheap.

Chassis – As mentioned above, it is a good idea to check this for rust. This is the bones of the vehicle and you want it to be in good order. Also check to make sure there are no cracks, bends or repairs, to ensure no damage has been done.

Engine/leaks – Check the engine and see if there are any leaks or faults. When you take the vehicle for a test drive, return it and park in a different spot. This gives you the chance to look at the ground underneath where it was parked, to see if there is any oil or anything left behind.

Age of the bus and history – Always good to know the history of a vehicle and whether things like services and repairs have been up to date. Online checks can be done for a fee which will tell you if a vehicle has been written off/repaired.

Knowing what the bus was used for will give you a good indication of if it has had a hard life.

Again though, we are not mechanics, and this is very general information. It is best if you can have someone review the vehicle or go with you. Mechanics can be booked and charge a fee to perform a pre-purchase inspection.

Licence types –

One thing which may not even cross your mind when buying a bus to convert is what sort of licence is required.

C (Car): Vehicles up to 4.5 tonne Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM). Vehicles that seat up to 12 adults, including the driver.

LR (Light Rigid): Rigid vehicles with a GVM of more than 4.5 tonnes, but not more than 8 tonnes. Any towed trailer must not weigh more than 9 tonnes. Vehicles can carry more than 12 adults, including the driver.

MR (Medium Rigid): Rigid vehicles over 8 tonne GVM, but no more than 2 axles. Any towed trailer must not weigh more than 9 tonnes. Vehicles can carry more than 12 adults, including the driver.

HR (Heavy Rigid): Rigid vehicles over 8 tonne GVM, and 3 axles or more. Any towed trailer must not weigh more than 9 tonnes.

It is highly unlikely that you will require a licence other than those listed above. It ultimately depends on the weight, axles and towing capacity of your vehicle.

To give you an example, our Toyota Coaster had a GVM of 4.99 tonne, which falls into the LR licence category. This meant that Claire had to upgrade her licence in order to drive the vehicle; in turn costing more money.

Our new Mercedes Vario has a GVM of 8.2 tonne. This falls into a MR category licence – once again Claire had to upgrade further.

There are courses available for this, and typically cost upwards of $1000.

Just something to keep in mind is that the bigger and heavier you go, you may be required to upgrade your licence.

Roaming on rubber- things you should know before doing a bus conversion - claire driver training nsw

The design of the bus –

Before you go buying a bus and starting your bus conversion, it is a good idea to have an idea of a design or layout. If you have a general idea, then you will know what kind of bus and what size to look for.

There are a few factors which you should consider when designing your bus.

If you are going to be living in it full time, you should consider things such as a shower/toilet, full fridge, cooking facilities and storage. Whereas if you are going to be living in it part time, these things may not be as high a priority.
What are the seating requirements, and how many do you need to sleep.
Do you want to be able to live off grid? This means not requiring access to water or electricity and having your own onboard.
What is important to you? Living spaces, desk areas, entertaining space etc.

Once you have a general layout planned, you can work out what size bus might meet your requirements and this will narrow down the options available for you. Because we planned ahead we knew when changing from our Toyota Coaster to our Mercedes Vario that we would need a bus that was around 8m in length and at least 2m wide (It helps when you have done one before). This allowed us to narrow our search to a specific few vehicles.

Are you going to start your bus conversion from scratch, or buy one already done and remodel?

There are pros and cons for both buying a bus and starting from scratch, or buying one that has already been converted.

If you buy a bus from scratch, they are typically cheaper than one already classed as a motorhome.

You then get to design it yourself and have everything as you want it. However, depending on your design, by the end of the build, it may end up costing a lot more than buying one already converted to a motorhome.

By building it yourself, you will know exactly what has been done to it, so if there are any problems, or any questions, you will have the answers the majority of the time or know where to look.

However, buying a bus and converting it from nothing is hard work. Do you have, or are you willing to learn the skills required? For example there is generally wood working, welding, plumbing, flooring and more.

Do you have the money? Even though the vehicle itself may be cheaper, turning it into a motorhome can be expensive. Having a budget, and expectations of things that could go wrong here is a must.

Do you have the time? If you are on a time limit, it may be much more beneficial to buy a bus already converted to a motorhome. If you can find one close enough to the design you are looking for, it could save you a lot of time and money if you only need to make minor adjustments, you just might not be getting exactly what you want.

Buying an already converted bus will still give you the luxury and convenience of buying a motorhome, but typically at a much cheaper price.

It’s a good idea to review all options to decide what is going to best match your budget, and any other restrictions.

Our final thing you should know is to enjoy it!

Converting a bus into a motorhome is hard! It is such an emotional journey. It is tiring, overwhelming, and will physically and mentally exhaust you. But it is also a fantastic time in life. If you do get the opportunity to do something like this, appreciate it, learn new skills, and take pride in what you accomplish.

You will watch so many Youtube videos, read blogs like this, join Facegroup groups and chat to other like-minded people. There are so many people these days who are looking for alternative lifestyles that this idea of bus conversions is booming.

When it gets hard, and it will get hard, just remember this, it might help to keep the motivation going!

Good luck ?

Shane and Claire removing the vinyl flooring in our Toyota Coaster bus conversion. Roaming on rubber- things you should know before doing a bus conversion

How to change a bus into a motorhome and register it in NSW

September 29, 2020 by Claire Edwards 6 Comments

Note; Please contact Service NSW, or an engineer for specific information, this is a guide only on turning a bus into a motorhome.

We have a lot of people asking us how to change a bus into a motorhome, and the registration process. It seems to be one of those grey areas where there isn’t a lot of readily available information. Starting from scratch with a bus can be daunting, and not knowing where to start, or what to include in your conversion can be costly if not done right. So we thought it was time for a post to help anyone looking to convert a bus to a motorhome, and then to register it.

This post will focus on converting a bus to a motorhome from scratch. There are a lot of variations though, and we will try and answer some of these towards the end of the post.

So, you’ve gone and bought a bus (Yay!), and now want to change it to a motorhome and have no idea where to start. The first thing we recommend is to get familiar with the requirements of a motorhome.

So, what are the minimum requirements for a motorhome in NSW?

Seats and a table
Sleeping areas
Cooking facilities
And storage areas

And, what are the basic steps I need to do to get it registered?

This is a quick guide for what steps you need to take with a more in depth breakdown below. This is based on an unregistered bus with variations to this at the end of the post.

Contact your engineer to confirm your requirements for a motorhome, and anything specific your engineer of choice may want done.
Plan and complete your fit out. Make sure you meet all NSW requirements (below).
Take your bus to a weigh bridge for certificate.
Take your bus to the engineer so they can check all requirements and compliance is met. They will put a compliance plate on once complete.
Finally its time to take your bus for a safety inspection at an Authorised Safety Inspection Station (blue slip for vehicles under 4.5 tonne, or brown slip if over 4.5 tonne).
Purchase Compulsory Third Party insurance (green slip).
Attend Service NSW with all paperwork, proof of ownership, and any number plates on the vehicle. Fill out an Application for Registration, purchase new number plates, and register vehicle.

Done!

Please note, even though your bus is unregistered, you are allowed to drive it for the purpose of registration to the closest available inspection station . If you are not going to the closest, you should obtain an Unregistered Vehicle Permit from your local Service NSW.

So that is a very basic guideline of what needs to be done to register a converted bus into a motorhome. Of course, things are rarely ever as simple as we want them to be! So let’s get into some specifics.

What do I need in my motorhome to make it compliant?

Everything in the above list of minimum motorhome requirements needs to be rigidly fixed to the vehicle. However, you can have a table which can be folded down, or converted to a bed.

Safety –

The first thing an engineer will look at is the safety requirements. Everything must be fitted or installed so that it cannot cause damage or harm to someone. This is while the vehicle is both stationary, and moving. For example, you cannot have sharp edges, or items which will go flying while you’re driving and you cannot have any holes in the floor (we got caught out with this one!). All tables and chairs need to be installed so they cannot move or dislodge.

Sleeping Berths –

When it comes to sleeping areas, a very important requirement is that you must have at least one seat, per sleeping berth. So for example, if you have 4 beds in your bus, you must have 4 seats to use while travelling.

Seats/Seatbelts –

Seatbelts are important and something the engineer will definitely look at. If you are using a seat that was originally fitted, and in its original position, you do not need to make adjustments to any of the seatbelts. However, if you move any of the seats, or make any sort of adjustments (for example, change to captain’s chairs, or recliners) then the vehicle needs to be fitted with new seatbelts that meet compliance.

Seatbelts cannot be fitted to a non-designated seat.

Doors –

In NSW, a motorhome must have an outward opening door on either the left hand side or the rear of the vehicle.

So those awesome bi-fold doors? No good unfortunately.

There are a few options here however; you can replace the bi-fold door with an outward opening caravan door, or you can modify the existing bi-fold door with different hinges, and by welding the 2 pieces together to make it a bi-fold door.

A door that slides on the outside of the vehicle is fine.

There can be no obstructions to the door, and it must be easily accessible in case of an emergency.

Gas Appliances –

Any gas appliances, such as ovens, stoves, hot water systems, heaters etc, need to be installed by a licenced gas plumber. You will need to get a certificate for the appliances installed. Your gas plumber will also need to provide a gas plate which he will attach to the vehicle which states it meets the gas regulations. This paperwork will all need to be provided to your engineer to be compliant.

There are certain requirements with gas that are very important in your floor plan. For example, the gas bottles must be in a completely sealed box and only accessible from outside of the vehicle. Also, they cannot be within 1.5 metres of any ignition source. So this means that you need to have a gap of at least 1.5 metres from your gas bottles to your stove, and hot water system.

Electrical Appliances –

If you are having mains connection in your bus, your electrical installations needs to be done by a licenced electrician.

You must get a safety certificate from your electrician stating that the work is compliant to motorhome standards. This is then taken to your engineer as well.

12V and 24V wiring can be done by yourself, however if unsure, please contact an auto electrician.

Ventilation –

This is one where we got caught out and had to make a last minute adjustment!

Depending on the size of your motorhome, depends on how much ventilation you must have.

The standard rule is that at least half of your windows must open, you must have another source of ventilation (for example, our caravan door has a permanent vent to allow air), and you have to include either two whirly birds, or a roof hatch towards the rear of the bus.

We didn’t realise this, and a few days before we were booked into the engineer we called to clarify we had everything and realised we did not have a roof hatch. Luckily there was a caravan shop close by we could get one and put in in time.

Toilets, Sinks, Showers –

Any toilet installed in a motorhome must be emptied into a tank. So this means, it cannot just go straight to the ground!

The tank must be vented to the atmosphere.

Any sink or shower needs to drain into a tank that also vents to the atmosphere. It cannot drain into a toilet, or the same tank as the toilet waste goes into.

TV’s –

This might be a small thing, but still important.

A TV or visual aid cannot be installed somewhere that can be seen from the driver’s seat and needs to be securely mounted. It also cannot obscure the driver’s vision, or get in the way of movement in the vehicle. In other words, it cannot be a distraction!

This does not include GPS.

Fire Extinguisher –

Every motorhome must have a compliant fire extinguisher mounted no more than 1.2 metres from the floor in the living space.

Smoke Alarm –

A compliant smoke alarm is a requirement to be passed by the engineer. It is also a good idea to consider one with a CO2 monitor.

Standard vehicle requirements –

And then there is all the other standard vehicle requirements you must be compliant with to change a bus to a motorhome.

For example, all vehicles need to be within a certain width, and height and not have too much rear overhang.

Every vehicle must be right hand drive and within its weight limits.

All the lights and reflectors must be in working order and windows must be transparent with compliant tint.

Tyres need to be the correct size for the vehicle, and have plenty of tread.

So now that that’s out of the way, what are some of the variations?

My bus is already registered –

So you have bought a bus that is already registered. That is perfectly fine and not much different in terms of converting to a motorhome.

Make sure to attend a Service NSW centre to pay and transfer the bus into your name. You have 14 days from the date of purchase to avoid being charged a late payment fee.

You can then follow the above step by step process up to step 4. After this however, once you have your compliance paperwork from the engineer, you can take this, and your registration papers to a Service NSW centre. They will update the information on their end and change it to a motorhome.

They may still charge you a fee as there may be a difference in the registration cost from a bus to a motorhome.

You may also need to contact your CTP company and advise them of the changes.

My bus is coming from interstate –

That’s okay, if it is coming from interstate, the process is exactly the same as if it were an unregistered vehicle in NSW. You will however need to surrender the interstate plates when you go into a Service NSW centre.

If your vehicle is registered when it comes from interstate, you have 3 months to change it into your name in NSW.

I have purchased a motorhome from interstate –

The first thing we would suggest here is to contact an engineer in NSW.

As the motorhome is coming from interstate, it may or may not be compliant with NSW motorhome requirements. In this case, you may need to make adjustments to your motorhome, then attend the engineer to get a NSW engineer certificate.

You would then attend a Service NSW registry to complete the interstate transfer process. You will need to provide proof of purchase for the vehicle, as well as surrender the interstate number plates.

What if I want to decrease or increase my GVM?

If you want to change your GVM, or are concerned with your weight, it is really important to keep this in mind throughout the process of your build, and speak to your engineer.

The situations where a motorhomes GVM can be changed are very limited.

The most common thing people would do here is decrease the GVM so the vehicle can be driven on a different class of licence.

We enquired about this with our engineer originally, and they said they could, however would need to make an adjustment to the springs on the bus. We opted against due to cost, and decided to keep the extra weight allowance just in case.

So, that’s it!

So that gives you an expanded list of requirements for a bus to be changed to a motorhome in NSW, as well as a guide to getting it registered. A lot of the states are similar but do have different requirements.

It seems like a lot, but as long as you know what you are expected to do, it makes the process a whole lot easier. There are definitely a lot of variations, and most certainly things we have not covered here. So again, when in doubt, contact your engineer or Service NSW for clarification.

And good luck!

Toyota Coaster Bus Conversion – Flooring

May 13, 2020 by Claire Edwards 1 Comment

The flooring for your bus conversion is not a hard job, however deciding on what you want to use can be.

There are many flooring options available, so we have compiled a list of available choices for you to compare. After this, we discuss the flooring option we chose, why we chose it, and how to install.

Flooring Options –

	Pros	Cons
Carpet	Cost Availability (so many options!) Easy installation Soft/warm underfoot	Hotter during Summer More clean-up/vacuuming required Higher maintenance
Vinyl Sheeting	Cost Waterproof Lightweight Easy installation Easy maintenance Availability/product range Thin	Must be installed directly on the sub-floor; cannot have underlay or insulation underneath Doesn’t look ‘real’
Vinyl Planks	Cost Most varieties waterproof Lightweight Easy installation Easy maintenance Hardwearing and durable ‘Real’ wood look without the cost Thin Self-adhesive	Possible heat shrink over time Must be installed directly on the sub-floor; cannot have underlay or insulation underneath
Laminate	Cost Water resistant Hardwearing Availability/product range Easy installation	Thicker than vinyl planks May not look ‘real’
Tiles	Physically attractive Easy maintenance	Cost Weight Harder installation Longer installation Fragile
Hardwood Flooring	Looks amazing! Relatively easy maintenance	Cost! Weight Installation harder and longer
No Flooring	Cost Easiest option available Can just cover with mats/carpet/desired flooring No installation required	May not be as physically nice as other options Unable to check sub-floor status Unable to lay underlay/insulation

What flooring did we choose for our bus conversion?

Self adhesive vinyl planks from Bunnings.

Why? Cost, availability, look, ease, reviews!

A lot of people warned us against the vinyl planks, and said we will need to be careful; “They lift, they shrink, they don’t last!”. Gerflor even recommend not using the 2mm Senso Rustic product line in a caravan or motorhome for that reason. We of course learnt this after purchasing our floor boards.

However after speaking to a lovely lady at Choices flooring, she suggested we get around this by using a vinyl adhesive, and not just relying on the adhesive on the planks themselves.

The floor boards were cheap enough to risk giving it a go, so that’s exactly what we did.

Guide to installing vinyl planks –

Step 1 –

Make sure your current sub floor is clean! That means no debris, nothing sticky, and no holes, or bumps. Try and fill any holes prior to putting the floor planks on, and if there are any raised bits, try and sand them down.

If you haven’t read it already, and need to, we have another blog post here where we replace some of our damaged sub-floor.

Step 2 –

Time to measure your planks. We strongly recommend measuring and cutting your planks prior to permanently sticking them down. This ensures there are no errors with measurements.

With these particular floor boards, the grain is directional. This means that they need to be laid and cut in a certain direction to make sure the pattern lines up. This helps to create the natural and ”life like” look. There were arrows on the underside of our planks to make sure we followed this direction.

It is up to you how many planks you want to cut in advance. We cut the whole floor to measure, and just sat them in place. They are easy to cut being so thin and can just be done by scoring with a Stanley knife, then “snapping” the plank.

Cutting and installing our rv floor - Toyota Coaster motorhome conversion

Step 3 –

It’s time to apply the adhesive. Make sure you read your instructions as they may all differ.

The one we used is a Dunlop vinyl adhesive from Bunnings.

Move a couple of pieces of your floor planks at a time, starting from a straight edge. It is important to not do the entire floor in one go as the adhesive will dry too quickly before you have time to put them in place.

We began ours from the edges of our wall and shower. This meant we started with the boards straight, and hopefully would finish with them straight!

For the adhesive we used, you need to apply an even coat using a ‘V’ notched trowel. You don’t need a lot, however make sure there is enough that it gets a good even coat. Allow this to sit for approximately 10 minutes, or until it becomes tacky.

Step 4 –

Remove the paper on the back of your vinyl floor plank, and piece by piece lay into position and press firmly. You may even want to use a rolling pin or similar to roll over it so that you can ensure everywhere is pushed down firmly.

Installing RV flooring - Toyota Coaster motorhome conversion

Step 5 –

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the floor is complete.

Step 6 –

Leave the floor to sit for approximately 24 hours prior to walking on it. This will allow the adhesion to set, and completely cure.

The planks will move under foot before they are fully cured, trust us we know!

And you are done!

So while installing flooring into your bus conversion is not a hard process, it is a little time consuming, however 100% worth it.

We have been living in out Toyota Coaster for a year now, and have not had any issues with our vinyl floor option. The planks have not had any shrinking, lifting or any other movement. Recently we decided to replace two of the boards due to some scratches we had made. The effort it took to remove the old boards confirms our belief that if you use vinyl adhesive you will definitely not have any issues with shrinking or lifting!

It is a good idea to have a few boards spare just in case.

This small thing made such a huge difference and really made it start to feel like our home!

Check out the video of us laying our flooring here ?:

Toyota Coaster Motorhome Conversion – RV Fresh and Grey Water Tank Install

January 16, 2020 by Claire Edwards 2 Comments

Our RV fresh and grey water tanks were by far the most frustrating thing to install in our Toyota Coaster motor home to date.

For those who do not know what RV grey water is and why you do or don’t need a tank, this next little bit is for you. And don’t worry! I had absolutely no idea before this whole process either!

WHAT IS RV GREY WATER?

RV grey water is any water that has been used in your motor home and would normally go down a sink or drain. For example, water from washing up, showering, or laundry.

DO I NEED A GREY WATER TANK?

This part is up to you.

Most RV’s or caravans have either a tank to catch the grey water, or a hose that takes the water from the source and lets the water out on the ground.

If you decide not to have a grey water tank, you can use a bucket instead. This is placed under the hose to catch the water and dispose of it elsewhere. While at first this is an easier and cheaper option, it does mean you are not classed as ‘fully self-contained’.

WHAT IS ‘FULLY SELF-CONTAINED’?

Being fully self contained means you are not relying on anyone or anything else. You do not need access to power, water, or a toilet, and you do not leave anything when you leave. This includes water on the ground!

The benefit of being fully self-contained is that you are not relying on others for access to resources. This means that you have more options to stay and park your motor home. After being on the road for some time now, we have found that so many of the free places to stay require you to be fully self-contained for this reason; that you do not need anything, except for somewhere to park.

This is the main reason we decided to build our bus with a grey water tank, and have decided after being on the road for a while it was definitely worth the effort.

HOW DO I DISPOSE OF MY GREY WATER?

Grey water tank disposal is simple! It is done at the same place you empty your motor home toilet; an RV dump point. Dump points are readily accessible and we have found using the Wikicamps App helps us to easily locate where they are.

If you decide to install a grey water tank, you can get the water from the tank and into the dump point via a grey water hose.

The grey water hose we purchased is a 10 metre, 25mm corrugated sullage hose from Caravans Plus. Even though this has worked well for us, it is quite difficult to connect to the 25mm barb on the tank and needs to be soaked in hot water first. A lot of people have since suggested that a normal 25mm PVC hose will do the trick, without these connection issues.

WHAT FRESH AND GREY WATER TANKS DID WE GET?

The fresh and grey water tanks were one of the first things we purchased and were bought from Custom Coaster Conversions. (Unfortunately they are no longer available here, however we have provided some alternative options below).

They are made from foodgrade poly, and measure approximately 600X380X380mm.

Each tank holds 70 litres. We have two tanks for our freshwater, and one for our greywater.

These RV tanks are specifically designed to fit underneath a Toyota Coaster bus, in front, and/or behind the rear wheels.

You have the option to get RV water tanks a similar size to this, or to measure up your space and have a tank installed inside or elsewhere on your motor home. We have seen so many people who install tanks underneath their bed, lounge, or even on their roof.

Whilst ours was marketed as a tank specific for a Toyota Coaster and is no longer available, there are a lot of other tank options out there. Companies such as Caravan RV Camping and Caravans Plus are a good start for generic tanks. There are also places that do custom sizes such as Atlas Tanks, and whilst we have not used them, a company called RV Tanks Australia look to have tanks specific for Toyota Coasters as well. Either way, a little research will help you to find one that works best for you.

HOW TO INSTALL THE FRESH AND GREY WATER TANKS

Step 1 –

It’s time to get down and dirty and look underneath your Toyota Coaster and work out what space you have available, and where you can mount brackets to.

If you purchase the same RV water tanks as we did, they fit very well either behind or in front of the rear wheels.

Test that they sit snug up underneath the bus prior to making brackets, or any fittings to your tank. Its best to be safe and know they fit!

Step 2 –

Once you have established a spot for your water tanks, the easiest thing to do first is to drill a hole for your breather (if your tank does not already have one). A breather is a spot where the air in the tank can escape, and allow you to fill them up with water instead. It reduces the pressure in the tanks, and allows them to fill quicker. It is important the breather is at the highest point possible on the tank, otherwise it will just leak water!

The tanks we purchased for our fresh and grey water do not already have this pre-built in them. So if you decide to create your own, or purchase one like ours, you will need to make this yourself.

For our breather, we used a 10mm barb to 3/4 inch BSP fitting.

Roaming on Rubber - Toyota Coaster Motorhome Conversion - Grey Water Tank — Roaming on Rubber – Toyota Coaster Motorhome Conversion – Grey Water Tank

To make our breather fit, we started with a 20mm spade piece to make a hole. Remember, it is important the breather is as high as possible on the tank. Once you have the hole cut, insert and silicone the breather in place. It is best to use a good quality silicone such as an automotive or marine one for this. We have since had issues with the breathers coming off and have had to re-attach.

Step 3 –

Our water tank came with a spot already for a water inlet. So the next step for us was simply just screwing in our water inlet. This one we used is a 3/4 to 1 inch barb.

After this, we attached a 3/4 inch to 13mm barb to a pre-existing hole for the connection to our water pump.

Step 4 –

Now that your tanks are ready to go under the bus it is time to work out some support pieces.

Underneath our Toyota Coaster, behind our rear wheels on the outside edge, there is not a lot of structural spots to attach brackets for a water tank. For us, that meant we needed to attach a piece of 30mm X 30mm angled steel between two structural pieces for support.

This piece was pre drilled and bolted into place using M8 hi tensile bolts.

Step 5

Finally it is time to get the water tanks into place.

Each water tank requires 2 brackets; each bracket is made up of 3 pieces of 50mm flat bar steel, purchased from Bunnings.

It is easiest to prop your tanks up into place as there is no exact measurement; each piece will need to be measured and adjusted as you go.

The pieces are cut and hammered into shape according to where your tanks are positioned. After this they are then bolted to the shazzy using the same M8 hi tensile bolts.

Once all of your RV grey water and fresh water tanks are in place, it is time for plumbing, the job we enjoyed most – NOT!

Watch the fresh and grey water tank install on Youtube here 🙂

Toyota Coaster Motorhome Conversion – RV Shower Cubicle and Dometic Toilet Install

May 29, 2019 by Claire Edwards 3 Comments

A lot of people have been asking us if we installed a shower and toilet in our Toyota Coaster motorhome, so we thought it best to not leave this post any longer. The answer is yes!

Having a shower and/or toilet in your RV is a preference which you need to decide is worth it. It is not something that is a necessity. Having been on the road for a couple of months now, we have found it is quite easy to come across public toilets and even public showers. A lot of caravan parks, rest stops and petrol stations have toilets, and some just ask a small fee to use them. There is no need to stay somewhere just to use the amenities.

So we decided to weigh up the pros and cons for having a shower and toilet in our RV to see if it was worth for us. Our list looked a little like this –

Pros	Cons
Not needing to use public restrooms (YES!)	Space consuming
Convenience	Water usage
Save money not paying for amenities	Leaks!
Privacy	Smell (Yes, there is smell)
Self sufficient	Finding dump points
Can go to more remote locations

After looking at our list, we quite quickly opted for an RV shower and toilet in our Toyota Coaster bus plan. As much as we liked the look of the open plan motorhomes, we liked the convenience of having our own shower and toilet more.

So what did we decide to do?

You may remember from one of our first posts, we discussed that we wanted our bus to look like a home. Our RV shower was the hardest thing to do while trying to keep this in mind.

One option we considered was building our own bathroom cubicle. We found it so difficult to find a shower base to fit in our desired spot in the bus; the dimensions were either too wide, too long, or it was just too expensive.

Another thought we had was to customise the entire shower, including the base from waterproof material. We couldn’t work out what to make the base and walls from, and had no idea where to start. So this option was a no go.

We ended up deciding on a pre-fabricated RV shower toilet combo. It isn’t what we wanted, but it would fit in the space we had, and the one we chose was already made to fit our curved walls.

The shower toilet combo was purchased from Custom Coaster Conversions. It is no longer available for sale through Custom Coaster Conversions, however, you can purchase it at DIY RV Solutions. They do different moulds for different vehicles.

It is a fiberglass shell which comes in 2 pieces to make it putting it in the bus and together easier. The dimensions are 1820mm high, 1000mm wide and 700mm deep (all at the biggest point). There is an optional shower door frame available which we purchased to go with it. It does not include the glass of the door (for safety/shipping reasons), and you need to organise that yourself. Ill discuss below how we decided to do that.

The Toilet

There are so many different RV toilets available and we had no idea where to start. So as we did with everything, we researched. Here are the few most common RV toilets and a little breakdown of how each works. I wish I had found something like this!

Cassette Toilet –

A cassette toilet is a more permanent option in your RV. It is secured in place, and has a waste holding tank underneath.

Once you flush the toilet, the waste goes down into the cassette and is stored until emptied.

Most cassettes are accessible from the outside of your motorhome via a small door.

The idea is to remove the cassette tank, and empty when needed into a dump point (a specific spot for dumping motor home waste – we have found these to be quite common everywhere in Australia, most RV friendly towns have one available).

The good –

Easy to find dump spots – readily available in most RV friendly towns.

Convenience – No need to find a public toilet, or a nice spot on the ground!

Space saving – some cassette toilets come with a swivel seat which means it can be turned in any direction. This is handy in smaller spaces like ours.

The bad –

The smell. Yes, it can smell.

We use specific toilet chemicals which help to break down the waste, and basically turn it into slush. This is what comes out of your cassette and into the dump point.

Some dump points are definitely more cleaner than others, and we have found most to be perfectly fine and have had no issues. There are the occasional few that do not have a hose available to rinse after you have dumped your waste; these tend to be the ones that are not quite as nice as the rest!

The smell is mainly when you open the toilet (there is a small hole which is only opened as you are about to go), and you can smell it from underneath.

We have found regularly cleaning the toilet, rinsing it at each dump station, using the chemicals, and a few drops of eucalyptus oil every now and then helps with the smell.

Some examples of Cassette toilets –

Portable Toilet –

A portable RV toilet is essentially the same as a cassette toilet, however the waste holding tank is attached to the toilet itself, and the whole thing can be moved around as a unit. This is a good idea if you are not wanting a permanent plumbed in toilet, or do not have enough space for a bathroom but want the convenience of a toilet just in case.

The good –

Easy to find dump spots – readily available in most RV friendly towns.

Convenience – No need to find a public toilet, or a nice spot on the ground!

Space saving – if you cannot have a permanent bathroom, at least you can still carry a toilet around with you.

Typically a lot cheaper than a cassette toilet, so better for those watching their budgets!

The bad –

Generally a smaller waste saving tank, so it needs to be emptied more often.

Not a permanent feature, so needs to be carried around with you.

The smell! Always the smell haha!

Some examples of portable toilets are –

Camec Portable Toilet – 20L (10L also available)
Thetford Porta Potti 365
Dometic Sanipottie 976

Composting Toilet –

Have you ever chucked all of your vegetable and kitchen scraps somewhere and just left it to breakdown?

That is essentially what a composting toilet is.

It works by separating the liquids from the solids, and an additive such as peat moss, or sawdust helps to break it down.

After you have used it, it can then be emptied anywhere you would normal compost. It is definitely recommended not to empty the compost around any edible plants, herbs, vegetables, fruits, seeds etc.

The liquid can be disposed of at a dump spot, or even in a normal toilet as it has no chemicals in it.

The good –

It is the most environmentally friendly option. It is a dry toilet and doesn’t require water to use. If needed a quick spray of water from a bottle should do the trick.

Easy to find dump spots.

Convenient!

The bad –

Typically the most expensive.

If you need to use toilet paper, it takes much longer to break down than the waste does, so you will be able to see this and would probably need to dispose of at dump stations. Alternatively, you can put your used toilet paper in a bin instead of the toilet.

There is also RV specific toilet paper available. It is generally a lot thinner than regular toilet paper which helps it to breakdown quicker. Downside to this is the cost.

As it separates solids from liquids, it is not great for anyone who may be sick; sometimes there is an in-between!

There are not a lot of composting toilets around, however a good example is the Natures Head Composting Toilet.

So what did we decide?

After looking at all of these options, both Shane and I were tossing up between a cassette toilet, and a composting toilet. We wanted a permanent toilet and both of these fit what we were looking for. After watching a clip on YouTube describing the composting toilet, we opted against it. The idea of being sick, or even for a girl during that time of the month and not being able to use the toilet turned us off a little. Not to mention it was more expensive! Because of this, we decided on a Dometic CTS 4110 .

The RV Shower Cubicle Installation

Step 1 – Waterproofing

Before we installed it completely, we waterproofed the area underneath and around where it will sit using Crommelin Aqua Block – waterproof primer, and undercoat.

It is an easy task as it requires no thinning or modification. We used a brush and roller and just painted it everywhere we needed to.

Like a lot of things, this is not a necessity but an option we decided was worth it to protect the wood underneath from water damage in case of a leak. And aren’t we glad we did! We have had a few leaks since and even though we know it could have done some damage to the wood, this water proofing was a little piece of mind.

Step 2 – Measuring and cutting the toilet hole in the shower cubicle, and the wall of your bus

Once the waterproofing was dry, we placed just the bottom half of our shower cubicle into position.

This allowed us to sit our Dometic CTS 4110 toilet into place. By doing this, we could mark up where we need to cut the fiberglass shower wall so we can access our toilet cassette from the outside of the bus.

The Dometic instructions were a little difficult to follow. After a bit of reading and re-reading, we ended up working out how to measure it up. It is different for each individual toilet they sell, so check out this guide which has all the measurements.

Toyota Coaster bus conversion - measuring up the wall of our rv shower to install the dometic toilet

We measured the access hole for the cassette, drew it up, and drilled a hole into each corner. This gave us a starting point to then cut the fiberglass using a jigsaw with a fiberglass saw piece.

toyota coaster motorhome conversion - cutting the rv shower cubicle for the rv cassette toilet

Hopefully, unlike us, you have already cut your hole in the bus wall and it is ready for your cassette toilet (if this is what you decided on). Or, are ready to do it now, prior to installing your shower.

Using the measurements from the instructions for your toilet, cut the metal of your bus wall in the same position as your fiberglass hole. It can be hard to line up. We pre-drilled 4 pilot holes, 1 in each corner which gave us a starting point. Then on the outside of the bus, we used a permanent marker to draw up the size and check the measurements were accurate before preceding to grind the hole out.

toyota coaster motorhome bus conversion - cutting the hole for the rv cassette toilet

It is very important not to cut through any of the structural metal in your bus wall. Please check beforehand with your engineer so you know where you are cutting is safe.

Step 3 – Cutting the holes for the drains

Now that the holes are cut in the walls, it is time to cut the holes for our drains.

The RV shower cubicle we purchased came with 4 specific spots for drains. When we initially were making the purchase, it was recommended to buy four drains and have one in each corner. That way, no matter what angle you are on, your shower will drain.

What a great idea!

toyota coaster motorhome conversion - cutting the drain holes in our rv shower

Using a hole saw, the same size as our drains, we cut out the 4 holes and preceded to put the bottom half of the shower cubicle back into place.

Now that the drain holes were cut into the fibreglass, we traced around each drain hole onto the floor underneath for the plumbing to go in. We then removed the shower cubicle again to cut these 4 holes through the sub floor of the bus as well.

This was a mistake.

After cutting the holes into the floor for the plumbing, we realised quite quickly that there was some structural metal underneath the bus that we could not cut through and could not get the drain hoses around. Two of the four drain holes would work, the others would not.

This is definitely something to check prior to cutting!

Time to get some fibreglass and resin and fix the two holes in our shower cubicle floor we could no longer use.

Step 4 – Attaching the two halves of your RV shower cubicle together

Now we could finally sit the two halves in position together and attach them.

The two halves are easy to attach together.

We started by using Selleys wet area silicone between each of the halves and sandwiching them together.

toyota coaster motorhome conversion - rv shower toilet combo being siliconed together

Then, on the outside of the shower cubicle, there is a small fiberglass lip. We used stainless steel screws to attach each half together on this lip, so they are not seen inside the shower. The reason we used stainless steel screws is to avoid any of them rusting from the water (if it leaks) in the future. Covering all bases!

toyota coaster motorhome conversion - rv shower toilet combo

HOWEVER, and it is a big HOWEVER, we have since learnt that the silicone we initially use is not great for fiberglass.

We have had a lot of issues with leaks. After seeking some expert advice from Bunnings, we have now used Selley’s Marine Flex Adhesive Sealant. This is specifically meant for fiberglass and wet areas. So far so good, so we recommend this one over any others (and we tried 4 different types!).

Your RV shower cubicle is now together and in place.

If you want to, this is when you can install a roof hatch into your shower. It is not a necessity. We decided to have one, and if you want to know about our install, watch our video below 🙂

RV Cassette Toilet Install

As we discussed early, we chose the Dometic CTS 4110 toilet. Lucky for us, this was also the one recommended to go with the shower/toilet cubicle we decided on.

Step 1 – The lip

The Dometic toilet we purchased for our Toyota Coaster motor home comes with a little piece of plastic which is used as a lip to help attach the toilet to the wall of your shower cubicle. Using the measurements provided, we pre drilled pilot holes and screwed it into place.

toyota coaster motorhome bus conversion - installing rv toilet, dometic cassette toilet

Step 2 – Sitting the toilet in place

Now that the lip is in place, you lift the toilet up, and lower it back down onto the lip where it catches, and clicks into position. This can be a little tricky and may take a few attempts. You can feel if it works or not because it will no longer pull away from the wall easily.

With this shower cubicle, the RV toilet sits perfectly on a raised part of the shower floor. It has a rubber edge which goes all around the joint between the toilet and the fibreglass wall. behind it which is supposed to prevent water getting in behind it.

We noticed straight away that it did not sit flush.

After consulting with the supplier this issue, he advised us what to do to fix it (he does this with all of his installs too, so it is good to know!).

To fix, we purchased 2 really long screws (8G X 140mm length) and screwed one on each of the 2 corners of the top of the toilet. These screws went through the toilet, and into the fiberglass shower wall behind. As we had discussed this, we knew there was nothing behind this bit of the toilet and it would be safe to do so. In doing this, it pulled the toilet nice and close to the shower cubicle wall which we were happier with; it means less chance of leaks!

Step 3 – Attaching to the ground

Now that your toilet is in place, it is time to secure it to the ground.

From the outside of your bus, you can now remove the cassette that comes with your toilet. Check the instructions to see how to remove it if you are not sure. Ours has a little plastic lip which we push down, this then releases the cassette and it slides out. It can be a bit tough and can take a little to get used to.

Once it is removed, underneath there are 6 places to screw through the bottom of the toilet and into the base of your shower cubicle to secure it in place.

Using the screws provided, screw them in.

Our Dometic toilet came with cover plates to cover these up. They simply sat into position and if you push down on them firmly, they click into place into plastic holes provided to secure them.

If you ever need to remove these, we have found the easiest way is to use a flat head screwdriver. We just put this in underneath them and lever them just a little. It gives it enough force to remove them without damaging the cover plates.

Your RV toilet is now secured into position!

The Issues!

Once we began our journey and started using our shower and toilet, we quickly realised the leaks.

The water was getting in and around the underneath of the toilet via the sides where the rubber was. The water even got in under the toilet seat and down into the bottom of the cassette!

This is when we starting researching and thanks to one of followers, found out that this toilet is not meant for wet areas. In saying that, Dometic appear to no longer supply one made for wet areas, and this was the toilet recommended with our shower cubicle. So we figured it must work somehow.

It was time to fix it – silicone.

We used silicone for the entire edge around the rubber on the toilet, as well as around the base.

Underneath where the cassette is accessed from the outside of the bus, we used silicone to get any holes we could see inside the shower cubicle.

We pretty much sealed every single possible spot where water may or may not get in to the underside of the toilet and shower cubicle.

If we are on an angle, or having drainage issues (which, there have been a few!), if the water level rises to the level of the toilet, we find it still makes its way underneath the toilet at the back and down under the floor. I guess it is about being aware what causes the issues to make sure that doesn’t occur again. This problem forced us to re-look at our drainage system.

With the toilet seat, we ended up buying a shower cap to keep on it during showers. Such a cheap, and easy way to fix the leak issue!

Now that the physical toilet and shower is in, it is time for tapware, plumbing and wiring up our RV toilet. Keep an eye out for our next post which will go through this.

toyota coaster motorhome bus conversion - installing rv toilet

The Walls and RV Shower Door Installation

Step 1 – Cardboard mould

To get the correct curve for our walls, we used a piece of cardboard to make a cut out we could copy.

We simply held the carboard up against the wall, and cut each bit piece by piece and adjusted as we went. It took a little while to get the correct shape, but it saved a lot of incorrect cuts later on.

You can measure along the way if you like, however I found it easier just physically looking at it and cut accordingly.

Step 2 – Cutting the walls

For the walls, we used 16mm white melamine panel. This is a water resistant panel which is good for wet areas. With this, we strongly recommended water proofing and sealing all edges before installing them as walls. While the white side of the melamine is water resistant, the inside is most definitely not. As we have had leaks, the water has come into the walls from the underside, and we wish we had known, or thought about sealing them before putting them in place.

To cut the walls, we used clamps to hold our cardboard cut-out against our melamine panel and trace around the outside. Something we didn’t realise at the time was how to get a nice clean cut on melamine. We were trying to use a jigsaw blade that had nice small teeth, however there is one other HUGE tip – use masking tape.

Once you have drawn around the cardboard cut-out and put this aside, use masking tape on both sides of the melamine. Put it over the top of your outline, exactly where you will be cutting. You can still see the outline through the masking tape so if you need to, you can redraw it on.

The reason you should do this, is it keeps all the small edges from flaking off while using the jigsaw. The jigsaw just rips through the wood and this helps to keep it together, and overall you will have a much neater cut.

Wish we had known!

Now time to cut it using a jigsaw. Ensure you have all of the necessary safety precautions and PPE. Clamp your wood in place to avoid movement, and cut around your outline.

For the front of the shower cubicle, our piece of 16mm melamine was the width of our shower, plus 16mm on each side to allow it to overhang the side walls.

We cut out a section for the shower screen to go in place. Depending on what you do for a shower screen, your instructions should tell you the dimensions required.

The original instructions we received with our shower screen wanted this cut out section to be quite large, however it looked too big and we decided to go smaller just in case and trim more if necessary. I am glad we decided on this as the space wasn’t needed… however it did make it a little bit harder to get in place.

Step 3 – Checking and adjusting

Once we cut our first wall, we tested and found there were a few spots to trim. Once happy, we used this first piece of wood as the outline for the rest, rather than our cardboard cut-out. Getting it close can take some time, and some patience, but it is worth it!

Time to repeat for each wall – double checking along the way they all have the same shape prior to cutting.

Step 4 – Attaching the walls

We used a very simple method to attach our walls – brackets.

Small L shaped brackets; these were only used on the inside of the wall where they would not be seen from the outside. Where possible, we attached each wall (in our entire bus) at the top, middle and bottom using 16mm wood screws into the melamine, and 30mm screws into our roof and walls.

If we were unable to attach the wall using a bracket, the other method we used was attaching it to others things.

For example, as we were unable to get a bracket on the inside wall of our shower cubicle at the back, we joined this wall to the front wall using angled screws down the side. After this, we used gap filler silicone to connect the top to the roof, as well as fill the gaps.

toyota coaster motorhome bus conversion - installing rv shower walls

From the inside of the shower cubicle, we put two small screws on each side into the fiberglass. These went through to the melamine wall behind and attached the side walls to the cubicle. This stopped the middle of the shower cubicle bowing in.

Step 5 – Door frame and screen

This is the one page instructions we received with our shower screen.

It is a blown out version of the shower screen and quite difficult to follow, and even more difficult to explain.

If you have any questions, send them through to us and we will try and explain a bit better haha!

Check out the video below of our shower screen. It gives you a few tips on what we decided to do instead of glass for the door, as well as some adjustments on the edging.

Step 6 – Edging

The final step to our RV shower/toilet cubicle was to edge. From Bunnings, we were able to purchase some timber edging. They have a wide range available, and depending what suits you is what you decide on. We simply glued them onto the edges of our melamine and used the nail gun to secure into place while the glue set.

So that is our RV shower toilet combo and how we went about deciding on what we did, and making it come to life.

After being on the road for a couple of months now, we are definitely happy with our decision to install a RV shower and toilet. There have been so many times we have used it and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Check out the video below if you haven’t already, which shows us installing and building it.

The next post up will be the plumbing, tap-ware and electrical so keep an eye out for that.