The build

For this posting I am going to discuss the basic construction process for building a RV from a bus. Let us start by going through my thought process for finding a vehicle. I started first my choosing a vehicle based on three major factors, size, condition and price. I spent a good portion of the build looking to find a bus that was a good size, weight, height etc. For those of you thinking to build and RV use this as a guideline, and remember some facts are based on government regulations, please check with your local DMV for current regulations.
First determine how much you would like to carry in the vehicle such as couches, storage, size of kitchen, beds and other. Another thing to consider is what sort of storage you will need for water, grey water tank, black water tank, extra batteries, generator, AC, hot water heater, and air heater. RV furniture is not that much different from regular furniture so if you measure household items this can give you a good idea about layout. A vehicle over 30 feet is going to have many limitations, on street parking, turning, parks and campground etc. Vehicle height and width is also a concern. Width is fairly standard at around 9ft; over that width you need a permit. Height limits are 13.5ft without a permit, I would recommend building/buying no more than 12.5 feet or less, as this will help insure clearing most all brides and trees in the road. The final and most important limitation would be weight. Special CDL (commercial drivers licenses), are needed for vehicles over 26,000 GVW. This license is available to anyone who applies and takes the tests.
Now we must determine what type of needs we have for electricity, water etc. This stage of the game may even take you longer than the build especially if you purchase a smaller vehicle.
First determine water needs since this is the bulkiest. If you plan on staying places that have a lot of hookups then please keep that in mind. For my needs I have a fifteen gallon tank which last around 4-7 days for two people. My gray water tank is 25gallons, since it should be larger than the fresh water tank. I do not have a black water tank since I have a composting toilet. If you have a shower you will need much larger tanks if you plan to go more than one or two days without a refill.
Remember that if you plan to be at a place with hookups that you have not need solar or a generator. For places with now hookups you need to determine your power needs. This can be done by adding the watts each item you plan to use will require and multiply by how many hours a day they will be used. If you are planning to add a generator then just add the total number of watts to determine the size of your generator. You may need to get a conversion chart to figure out the demands on your system, and other things I do not explain here. Once you determine your total electrical needs it will become clear what your best choice is for creating power.
I am currently in the process of refinement. I have one deep cycle battery currently which lasts for two days before I need to run the engine. Two batteries would be better since I run the engine about once every few days. I do not have an AC or high usage appliances so I do not really need a generator. I plan to acquire solar panels for most of my needs and supplement with a small portable generator. The biggest demands I have are my laptop, lights and fan for the composting toilet, which needs to run 24/7. I have a cooler which I fill with ice every other day, with a total cost of about 8 dollars a week. Please remember that energy costs money, solar panels can pay for themselves, generators may not because of gas costs. Large appliances have a hard time running on solar without large battery banks and large panels. Solar is a great choice for supplemental power such as lights, pumps, cell phones and more. My vehicle could easily run on solar.
After you have determined what you require for the above needs please take into consideration where you will put the tanks etc. Some can be mounted under the vehicle, but smaller vehicles can hold less. It may be necessary to have compartments installed or other things welded onto the vehicle. Propane gas is dangerous and needs to be installed in a safe location outside the vehicle.
Good sources of appliances are RV stores and junkyards. Often time appliances can be reused saving you a lot of money and time. I built most of my items from scratch which was unnecessary. I had limited space and could not find a good source of used components. This is something you should keep in mind; used parts may not always be available. Appliance can be purchased new as well as furniture; the rest is up to you.