motorhome 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 Motorhome Conversion – Floor Installation and Wheelchair Lift Dismantle

March 8, 2018 by Shane Patmore 3 Comments

There are some days that are just disappointing and our last day on our Toyota Coaster had us walking away with a frown. Not today, today would be great. We just knew it. Our goal was to dismantle our wheelchair lift and replace our damaged sub-floor.

The wheelchair access in our Toyota Coaster was at the rear of our bus, and opens like a ”clam shell’. It is not a standard lift however, and when discussing with people who install the wheel chair ramps, they stated it looked like it actually came off a Ford van or similar, and was made to fit the Coaster.

As it was made to fit, it has been completely welded to the chassis. Of course we would pick one with something non-standard and difficult to remove. Either way, we decided to still give it a go, and remove what we could.

Dismantling the wheelchair lift –

The easiest place to start was the hand rail, and fold out ramp. These were held in place by a few bolts and were easily removed.

This now just left the main lift. There was a steel plate on the main lift area, and underneath it ran all of the electrics. The electrics looked like they were connecting each bit of the lift, and needed to be disconnected for us to be able to remove the pieces. So it made sense that we had to start by removing the steel plate.

A lot of the small screws in the steel plate were threaded so it took a fair amount of effort and frustration to try and undo them. Two of the screws were unable to be taken out and a grinder was required to cut the heads off.

After all of the screws were removed, we were able to remove the steel plate. This allowed us to access the electrics underneath.

We were right. The wires ran under the metal plate and linked everything together.

After reviewing the wires (and much to my disagreement!) Shane decided to cut the wires leading to the first piece of wheelchair lift he detached.

‘Check it’ he says. Of course I was not surprised to find it no longer worked. Shane had broken the electrical circuit and now we were stuck with the wheelchair lift down. This became priority number one now as without the electrics, there was no manual way that we were aware of to be able to close it again.

To fix this, Shane got some female insulated electrical blade terminals and a switch. He stripped the wires back, crimped the terminals on and connected them to the switch.

For anyone out there like me who doesn’t understand that, he basically fixed the broken circuit by adding a new end and reattaching it to where he had cut it off from before. Kind of like cutting a circle, taking part of it away, and reattaching the ends to make a smaller circle.

So now the pieces of the lift had all been disconnected, and the electrical circuit was fixed, we were only left with the ‘clam shell’ doors.

Replacing the Sub-Floor –

If you haven’t read the previous post to this one, Shane and I had some damaged sub-floor at the rear of our Toyota Coaster motorhome. Water had leaked in via some damaged seals, and the back 30cm needed replacing.

If you want to see how we removed the damaged sub-floor, you can read about it here.

It was now time to replace the floor with some new wood.

The original sub-floor we removed was 15mm thick. We wanted to replace this with marine plywood in case there were any future leaks. Unfortunately, we were unable to find 15mm marine ply to replace it. We decided to buy 6mm and 9mm marine ply which we would glue together to make the 15mm.

So how did we do it?

Start by measuring the wood, and mark it up with a dark sharpie (or similar).
Use some clamps, and secure the wood to a solid and stable spot ready for cutting.
Use a jigsaw to cut along your marked lines.
Make sure the wood fits into position, and adjust and cut as necessary.
Once the wood is ready, remove it from position and spray the metal floor of the bus with some sort of Rustguard and allow to dry.
Apply a layer of liquid nails to the metal of the floor, ready for the new wood to sit on top.
Lay down the first layer of wood, and then apply more liquid nails in between the layers, and place the second layer of wood into position.
Place something heavy on top, and allow to sit until set.

The sun was setting and it was time to reflect on the day we had had. The day started well. Then after multiple trips to the shops and the issues with the electrics we were feeling quite certain it was going to be another day of disappointment.

But it wasn’t!

We fixed the wheelchair lift and removed what we could. We cut all the wood, and replaced the sub-floor. It was a day of teamwork with our wheelchair lift and sub-floor, and we got there.

It all went well, except our sunburn… that was another story!

Toyota Coaster Motorhome Conversion – Heater, Floor, Roof and Wall Removal

February 1, 2018 by Claire Edwards 12 Comments

Day two of renovations on our Toyota Coaster motorhome conversion – we were excited! Our first day of removing the seats had been so successful that were keen to do more. The goal for today; remove the heaters, vinyl floor, and the internal roof and walls. In other words… IT’S DEMO DAY!

The only concerns we had for demo day, was the removal of the heaters. There is not a lot of information online regarding this and we were a little concerned about the process.

I had even tried that morning to call around our local auto stores to try and pick up a Toyota Coaster manual… who knew this would be so hard! All we wanted was a guide to work out which hoses to cut for them. We rang multiple places and looked online and have come to the realisation that they no longer publish them. There is only a CD or an online, downloadable version.

So we decided we were going to wing it. We will eventually get the online version, and possibly even look to print it as a hard copy. It will just be convenient if something were to go wrong. If interested, you can look here for the CD.

The Heaters –

There are two heaters located in the middle of the bus floor. For anyone wanting to install anything like a kitchen, bathroom, or even just a lounge room, there placement is quite inconvenient. You could look at building over them, or making a box to sit on top, but if they are not required, it is much more space friendly to remove them. So that’s what we decided to do.

They would have to be the most difficult thing we were to remove today in our Toyota Coaster Motorhome.

The Process –

The heater is bolted into the floor, with the nuts of the bolts located underneath the bus. The location underneath the bus can be quite difficult to find on your own. Try and have someone on the inside of the bus, tapping the floor at the location of the bolts, while a second person searches underneath.
Once the bolts are located, there are 3 to remove. These can be done relatively easy with a wrench, or socket. One of our heaters was covered in built up dust and grime. If this is an issue, maybe spray with WD-40 and leave for 10 mins to help clean the area a little before trying again.
When the bolts are loose, it is time to disconnect the two hoses. These are removed by undoing to clamps on the hoses and pulling them off.

Be careful when removing these hoses as the coolant inside will come spurting out. Shane got a nice little splash to the face and this is something you do not want to get in your eyes, mouth etc. Have a bucket ready to go to catch any excess coolant.

Now that the hoses are disconnected and the bolts are undone, the heater just lifts out. The removal of our heater in our Toyota Coaster bus was complete!

The next step for the heaters is to plug them. Have a read of our next post here where we guide you through how we plugged ours.

The Walls –

The walls in the Toyota Coaster are held on with metal screws on the padded edges, and trim fasteners on the walls.

I started the hard way with the trim fasteners – trying to remove one by one. This was not a fun endeavor. After getting fairly frustrated I decided to use the drill with a phillips head driver on it to remove the screws holding the padded edges of the wall panels in place. The screws were mostly located tucked up underneath the padded edges, but were easily accessible.

Once the screws were removed, I was then able to just pop the walls off. The easiest way is to get behind them and pull. It takes a little effort but is much simpler than trying to remove each trim fastener individually. Now that I had the knack, it only took around twenty minutes to remove all the internal walls.

The Roof Lining –

Removing the internal roof lining of our Toyota Coaster motorhome was next.

This is not something you have to remove. If you have decided to keep the current roof, it does have a layer of insulation underneath as well as structural metal beams. These beams can be drilled into for support.

Our roof was in fairly good condition and we did consider leaving it as is. However, part of our dream included a wooden roof. So we decided to remove the roof lining to make way for our new roof paneling and to install new insulation.

After doing some research online about the insulation currently in the Toyota Coaster, we realised it is fairly combustible. We saw a video showing the difference between the current insulation and new insulation when catching on fire. It was not pretty! Being that this was going to be our home, that was a good enough reason for us to want to replace it, in the off chance anything were to ever happen.

The removal of the roof lining was fairly simple. Using a phillips head piece on the drill we removed all of the lights and speakers in the roof. Once these were removed, the roof just peeled out.

We didn’t get a chance to remove the insulation and will be leaving this for another day. If you want to read about how we removed the insulation, check out that post here.

The Air Conditioner Ducts –

The air conditioner ducts are only something you will have in your Toyota Coaster if you have the deluxe model which features ducted air conditioning. To us, this was something that was wasted space. It is an empty duct that is used to navigate the air from the front to the back of the bus. They are very large, and empty underneath.

The plan in our Toyota Coaster motorhome is to have overhead cupboards all the way around the edge and this is the perfect place to put them.

We also decided on a roof mounted split system air conditioner, so we did not require ducting from the front.

These were frustrating to remove. As with almost every other thing we had done so far, they required a phillips head drill piece to remove.

Underneath the ducts, there are two rows of screws along the entire side of the bus. The screws were not drilled into any backing, so when trying to remove, they just spin in place.

We did this together as a team.

As one of us would remove a screw, the other would pull on the plastic panel making sure the screw dug into something and would pull out.

It doesn’t sound too complicated, but when you have one every 10cm and you are constantly reaching up high it becomes quite difficult and time consuming!

The Floor –

Ahh… The removal of our vinyl floor, the last step.

After removing all of the edge trims, door mechanism and hand rails, it was a simple task of peeling the vinyl off. It works best if you get down low and peel together. The glue Toyota have used in construction is amazing and extremely adhesive. If we had thought about it earlier we might have had something ready to go to start cleaning it while we removed. But alas, we did not.

I recommend not removing this until you are ready to clean or to lay something over the top. Ours now has not a only a layer of glue to remove, but also looks like a lawn from the grass we had dragged in.

We found the best/easiest way to remove the glue is to use a planer and plane the top edge of the wood off. We tried multiple different cleaning chemicals however did not have any success and spent hours on the floor. If you do decide to use a planer, make sure you regularly clean it as the glue can clog it and if not careful, it could damage your planer. We did this for one of the sub-floor panels and decided that it still wasn’t worth the time it took. Eventually, we ended up just painting over the adhesive with a primer.

At the end of DEMO DAY, we were exhausted and proud.

We allowed ourselves two days to remove the heaters, vinyl floor, internal walls and roof. We did an amazing job and got it done in one! I guess ‘winging’ it paid off. Next time we will work our how to plug our heaters, as well as looking into replacing our damaged sub-floor in our Toyota Coaster motorhome.

Everytime we set our minds to it, we exceed all of our expectations and we couldn’t be happier. We are waiting for the day for something to go wrong, or not as planned because we know it will. I guess that’s one way to look at it, you can only plan so much. But until you actually get in and get things started, you’ll never get anywhere.

Check out our DEMO DAY video here –

Toyota Coaster Motorhome Conversion – Seat Removal

January 18, 2018 by Claire Edwards 2 Comments

Once you have chosen your vehicle for your motor home conversion, the first step for most people is to remove the seats and empty the bus. We were lucky that our Toyota Coaster seats were not too difficult to remove. However, we still wanted to provide some handy information for anyone needing some help. Unlucky for us, the day we decided to start our Toyota Coaster seat removal, was going to be over 45 degrees!

What are the rules with seats in a bus conversion?

Something that can differ between each state in Australia, and definitely something to check before removing the seats; is the amounts of seats, with seat belts required per sleeping berth.

So for example. Shane and I will have a double bed, and our Toyota Coaster bus plan will be made to sleep just 2. This means we are able to remove all but 2 seats. If we were to have enough bedding to sleep 4, we would need to have enough seating with seat belts to match. You cannot have less seats than sleeping berths.

You may be able to move seats by using the current anchorage points. Possibly even change the position of the seats, build your own, or have additional seat belts added. Either way, it is best to chat to an engineer in your state first to make sure what you are doing will be legal and able to be registered as a motor home once complete. It would be so sad to go to all that effort to not be able to register it!

If you are looking for more information for NSW standards to convert a vehicle to a motorhome, have a read of this RMS link. We have constantly referred back to this link while we have been building our home.

What tools do you need?

In our Toyota Coaster bus, we had 5 sets of double seats to remove, 4 single seats, 2 single wheelchair removable seats, and 2 double sets of wheel chair seats.

We started with the standard double seats and the single seats. It was very simple. For most seats, there were 2 bolts in the floor, and 2 bolts in the wall. Each used a 13mm socket to be removed. It only took around an hour in total to remove these seats.

Our Toyota Coaster bus has a wheelchair access and lift at the back of the bus. So the back 2 rows of seats were made to remove easily. We found this out way too late. I won’t tell you how we did it, and will give you the right information instead!

Underneath each seat, there is a lever. Once this is pushed, it undoes the latches which hold the seats in place. This then allows the seats to be removed, and just leaves the mount on the ground.

These mounts of our Toyota Coaster seats are the difficult part to remove.

Each one is bolted with 4 allen key bolts into the ground, and requires a nut to be undone underneath the bus. The easiest way was to start with WD40 to provide some lubrication to the bolts and the nuts underneath. After this, an allen key was held on to the bolts on top, whilst the nut was loosened underneath the bus just enough so we could remove the bolts from the top.

It was not easy. However, we were lucky. Most of these are in the place where our bed is going to located, so we did not need to remove the majority.

For a lot of people, removing the seats can take a long time and be extremely frustrating. From our research, a lot of people need to individually grind out each seat from in the bus, but also underneath.

Considering how long we thought it would take, it wasn’t as bad as expected and the seats were removed. Our next step is to remove the roof, walls and floor in our Toyota Coaster school bus.

Check out all our mistakes from our first day of our bus renovation below –

Now read on to see the fun we got up to next with our school bus conversion heater, floor, roof and wall removal, and how we can help you!

*Literally the only tool required!