wyllough, I was scanning the school bus related tribes for recent activity. It's pretty quiet in this neck of the woods. When I got my bus, in 1989, in Eugene/Springfield, Oregon. How I did it was kept my eyes out for parked buses with For Sale signs; checking the classifieds in the papers under "trucks" and "other" and whatever seemed to apply; and actually driving by and visiting truck supply, truck wholesalers, and used RV places. I actually found my bus by seeing it parked in a yard with a sign on it and a price on the sign. I'd been looking long enough that I had some idea what I would have to pay. I was delighted to find that this bus was being converted, very early stages, but a huge help for me. Someone had already removed the seats (which are bolted in) and had built a sink cabinet with little used RV sink, fridge, and four burner propane gas stove top. That person had also removed the windows in the back half and replaced the inside sheet metal in the back half with plywood. After I got the bus home I went to a hardware store and asked about the fittings for the propane stove and the tools to install it. It was not difficult. The salesman explained, helped me find what I needed, I took it all home and did it. Lots of the inside furnishings I have are actual furniture that I fitted in, and some is some simple carpentry--rough platform with a mattress on it etc. Things I've built in I've secured to the plywood in the back or to the bus walls with screws and rivets rather than nails. I did not cut the body of the bus, its all intact still. (cutting off the top of a bus to build up a "house" top out of wood is tricky. A lot of skill is needed to keep it weather proof. I did drill holes in the bottom of the bus where I needed the gas line and a sink drain pipe to go through the floor. The thing I like best about bus life is how it focuses you. I read in the book Rolling Homes that, "If it doesn't fit in the bus, you can't have it." That can be a hard lesson, but a delightful one when you realized you've condensed what surrounds you to those things you most value. Good luck and have fun.

Hi Willough
I have just recently finished my Skoolie, I was lucky enough to find a local church that was selling a missions trip bus. It was alot of work but at the same time very relaxing. I am in construction so I was able to salavage alot the building material left from jobs. I located an RV salvage yard which was helpful in keeping cost down also. If you find a bus I will be glad to help advise in any way I can.
In Him Bruce
^j^

Wyllough
As Kate said painting was the worst part of all, masking, sanding, masking ,sanding and then more sanding.
looking back it wasn't all that bad. The paint job is a cross between camo and tye dye I just used Krylon Fussion paint, very inexpensive. I base coated with brown and cream then used buffalo grass as a stencil and put the final coat on with green. Total cost less than 150.00. (very easy to do touch up).
In Him Bruce
^j^