cost of conversion parts

[skipn]

Jim,

   Nice detail. I think I'll use your numbers for my budget.

   A little over 6k under projected so far...Good work.

  Skip

[H3Jim]

But still big numbers.

Damn, I spent quite a while lining up all the columns on the post screen, but I see they are still out of alignment and difficult to read.  Oh well.

[Sean]

OK,

Not counting:

• Anything we've done/added since we hit the road in 2004
• The original cost of the bus/shell (which I am too embarrassed to discuss)
• Any shell work we had done before we stripped the bus out and started the conversion in 2002

my records show that it took:

• ~$110,000 in parts and supplies, new and used
• ~5,000 hours of labor, not counting design and engineering time
• Two years more-or-less full time, including six months of delay when the cabinetmaker died in the middle of the project

About the only thing not included in my parts costs, above, is the generator.  The one that came with the bus was pretty much the only thing we reused in the new conversion.

Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime expenditure, at least for us.  (Though we've heard of people that trade in their Marathon every few years for a new Marathon.)

-Sean
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com

[travelingfools]

Well, after writing a long detailed list of what Ive spent so far, and then loosing it somewhere between preview post and actually posting it, Ill condense it to say that with some shopping around, some great finds on Craigslist, E-bay and garage sales, Ive spent just under $12,000. so far. That includes the shell at $8000 (including getting it here and other involved costs), a 2500 watt inverter, 2 group 31 and 4 golf cart battery's, solid wood cherry cabinets (used like new), stainless steel sink (used like new), bath sink base with intregal granite sink top (used like new), 2 leather captains chairs (used like new), 1 full and 2 twin mattress, electric hot water tank, 4 slider thermo payne windows, underlayment and pergo type flooring, and ceramic floor for bath. I've also bought my water pump and will be using heavy wall 55 gal plastic drums for my fresh and grey/black tank (free).

I worked out a deal with a local truck shop to paint and stripe the sides for $1500 as long as I do all the prep work. We'll be skinning three windows on the pas side and two on the drivers side. I will be doing all the work myself and luckily, nothing needs to be repaired mechanically (except the stuff I already broke and fixed). I either read here or in the Bus Coversion Bible about buying the furnishings first and building around them, which is our plan of attack. The bus is gutted, we've taped out our floor plan (several times). We are going to insulate the walls behind our wall covering and reinsulate the roof. Hoping to do spray in if the wallet allows. When all is said and done, and if we can continue at the rate we are going, we hope to "finish" at between $25k to $30k.

I'm sure that those who spend $85k to $150k will have a differant coach then mine, and I hope someday Ill be in a position to build one with that kind of budget, but Id hate to think someone new like me would be turned off from our great "hobby" by reading some of the $$$$$ that many here have spent here on conversions. When I'm done, I know that Ill have a coach 100 times nicer than my crappy $10k S&S motor home I sold to buy my bus...

Just my 2 cents...