Couple Turns Skoolie Bus Conversion Into A Business
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Chris and Sarah Kochan of Pewaukee, Wis., downsized their lives to squeeze into a school bus. Now, they make a living teaching others to do the same. “A skoolie is a school bus converted into a mobile home,” says Chris Kochan. “They’re often referred to as a ‘tiny house on wheels’ and are popular among those seeking a mixture of minimalism, adventure and nomadic lifestyle without sacrificing life’s amenities.” Most include a kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area made from house-quality materials, along with standard camper and RV features like RV refrigerators, ranges and lighting. Some include solar panels or other off-grid features.
The couple didn’t expect to make their living space a livelihood. “In 2018, I was burned out from my corporate career at Apple,” Kochan says. “With a combination of savings and the dream of someday owning a business, I chose to leave Apple and realign our lives. A chance Instagram discovery of skoolies inspired us to buy and convert a 2000 International 3800 30-ft. school bus into our tiny home.”
At first, their goals were humble. “The skoolie was purely a cost-of-living reduction to put more funds toward a future business,” Kochan says. “Even though a skoolie requires an upfront investment, it eliminates the long-term expense of rent. I had a decade of experience building websites, so I started SkoolieLivin.com to document our adventure. Little did we know that we would become one of the larger websites within the niche.”
Since their website’s launch, the Kochans have documented their skoolie conversion process and created a welcoming community for other enthusiasts. “Renovating a school bus into a livable home has been one of the most rewarding yet challenging experiences,” he says. “What started as an exciting project quickly turned into a marathon, requiring months of consistent effort. We learned firsthand that optimizing a bus’s limited space takes tremendous thought and creativity. Nothing in a school bus is square. Every cut, measurement and adjustment must be custom-fitted. It forces you to think creatively, even compared to standard DIY construction projects. But so long as you take on the conversion yourself, it can be cost-effective and a personally rewarding challenge in creativity and hands-on construction skills.”
The couple’s aim remains to ease the learning curve for others. “When we began our conversion, there were limited resources available. We spent hours researching and learning by trial and error, which gave us hands-on experience in almost every aspect of building a traditional house, from plumbing and electrical work to insulation and cabinetry, all within the constraints of a 150-sq. ft. space.”
Now that the Kochans live full-time in their skoolie, ongoing renovations are the norm to match their constantly evolving lifestyles. “The skoolie conversion process is a crash course in problem-solving, creativity and adaptability,” says Kochan. “Still, the rewards of building a home uniquely tailored to our dreams made every obstacle worth overcoming. We’ve learned that logic and strategic planning are critical. For example, we internalized early on the importance of installing water and electrical lines before sealing up walls and mounting roof fixtures before installing the ceiling.”
Today, the couple remains dedicated to helping others achieve their skoolie dreams. SkoolieLivin.com features detailed guides and articles covering all aspects of building and living in a skoolie, offering insights into planning, construction and daily life on the road. “Our website’s filled with resources, including a ‘78-Point DIY Bus Inspection Guide’ for evaluating a bus or skoolie before purchase, and our book, ‘How to Skoolie,’ is filled with actionable information on downsizing, budgeting, making money and traveling while living in a school bus conversion,” Kochan says.
“Don’t let the fear of the unknown hold you back. There are challenges, but with the right resources, a strong community, and a determination to make it work, the skoolie lifestyle can lead to incredible experiences and unforgettable adventures.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Chris Kochan, 1256 Capital Dr., Ste. 700-130, Pewaukee, Wis. 53072 (www.skoolielivin.com).
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Couple Turns Skoolie Bus Conversion Into A Business Chris and Sarah Kochan of Pewaukee Wis downsized their lives to squeeze into a school bus Now they make a living teaching others to do the same “A skoolie is a school bus converted into a mobile home ” says Chris Kochan “They’re often referred to as a ‘tiny house on wheels’ and are popular among those seeking a mixture of minimalism adventure and nomadic lifestyle without sacrificing life’s amenities ” Most include a kitchen bathroom and sleeping area made from house-quality materials along with standard camper and RV features like RV refrigerators ranges and lighting Some include solar panels or other off-grid features The couple didn’t expect to make their living space a livelihood “In 2018 I was burned out from my corporate career at Apple ” Kochan says “With a combination of savings and the dream of someday owning a business I chose to leave Apple and realign our lives A chance Instagram discovery of skoolies inspired us to buy and convert a 2000 International 3800 30-ft school bus into our tiny home ” At first their goals were humble “The skoolie was purely a cost-of-living reduction to put more funds toward a future business ” Kochan says “Even though a skoolie requires an upfront investment it eliminates the long-term expense of rent I had a decade of experience building websites so I started SkoolieLivin com to document our adventure Little did we know that we would become one of the larger websites within the niche ” Since their website’s launch the Kochans have documented their skoolie conversion process and created a welcoming community for other enthusiasts “Renovating a school bus into a livable home has been one of the most rewarding yet challenging experiences ” he says “What started as an exciting project quickly turned into a marathon requiring months of consistent effort We learned firsthand that optimizing a bus’s limited space takes tremendous thought and creativity Nothing in a school bus is square Every cut measurement and adjustment must be custom-fitted It forces you to think creatively even compared to standard DIY construction projects But so long as you take on the conversion yourself it can be cost-effective and a personally rewarding challenge in creativity and hands-on construction skills ” The couple’s aim remains to ease the learning curve for others “When we began our conversion there were limited resources available We spent hours researching and learning by trial and error which gave us hands-on experience in almost every aspect of building a traditional house from plumbing and electrical work to insulation and cabinetry all within the constraints of a 150-sq ft space ” Now that the Kochans live full-time in their skoolie ongoing renovations are the norm to match their constantly evolving lifestyles “The skoolie conversion process is a crash course in problem-solving creativity and adaptability ” says Kochan “Still the rewards of building a home uniquely tailored to our dreams made every obstacle worth overcoming We’ve learned that logic and strategic planning are critical For example we internalized early on the importance of installing water and electrical lines before sealing up walls and mounting roof fixtures before installing the ceiling ” Today the couple remains dedicated to helping others achieve their skoolie dreams SkoolieLivin com features detailed guides and articles covering all aspects of building and living in a skoolie offering insights into planning construction and daily life on the road “Our website’s filled with resources including a ‘78-Point DIY Bus Inspection Guide’ for evaluating a bus or skoolie before purchase and our book ‘How to Skoolie ’ is filled with actionable information on downsizing budgeting making money and traveling while living in a school bus conversion ” Kochan says “Don’t let the fear of the unknown hold you back There are challenges but with the right resources a strong community and a determination to make it work the skoolie lifestyle can lead to incredible experiences and unforgettable adventures ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Chris Kochan 1256 Capital Dr Ste 700-130 Pewaukee Wis 53072 www skoolielivin com
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