Turns out nearly everything in my bus bathroom was wrong.

The layout made no sense.
The shower was pretty much unusable.
The toilet was in exactly the wrong spot.
And the bathroom window… was completely transparent.

So today I decided it might be time to rip the whole thing out.

What started as a quick look at the layout turned into pulling out the sink, removing the toilet, and discovering a few surprises hiding behind the walls.

If you’ve ever started a van or bus conversion project thinking something looks fine… only to realise it absolutely isn’t — you’ll probably relate.

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Watch the Video Version

If you’d prefer to see the bathroom layout and demolition happening in real time, you can watch the full video here:

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A Quick Introduction

If you’re new here, I’m Helen.

I bought an old Toyota Coaster bus and I’m slowly turning it into my travelling home… even though I started with almost no idea what I was doing.

This week’s project: the bathroom.

At first glance it actually looks quite large, but once I started using it I realised it had some serious design problems.

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Problem #1: The Layout Makes No Sense

The bathroom itself is reasonably big for a bus.

The problem is how everything was arranged inside it.

The door is narrow, and when you walk in the toilet is immediately in the way. That means there’s almost no room to move around.

Even though the room itself is technically large, the layout makes it feel cramped and awkward.

There’s also some very strange head clearance going on, which doesn’t help when you’re trying to move around in a small space.

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Problem #2: The Toilet Placement Is Awkward

The toilet was installed at a strange angle.

And it turns out that makes it surprisingly difficult to use.

Depending on how you sit, you quickly realise something important…

It’s actually hard to stand up properly afterwards.

Yes. That’s exactly the problem you think it is.

On top of that, the window right next to the toilet is completely clear. Which means there’s basically no privacy at all.

Not ideal.

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Problem #3: The Shower Is Pretty Much Unusable

Then there’s the shower.

The area where the shower head is mounted is actually the lowest part of the ceiling, which means you can’t stand up properly while showering.

Meanwhile the higher section of the ceiling is somewhere you can’t actually stand because the shower tray lip reduces the floor space.

So technically the shower exists…

But in practice it’s not very usable.

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Problem #4: The Hot Water System

Then I discovered something else.

The hot water tank only heats the water while the engine is running.

Which means if I want a hot shower I basically have to drive the bus first.

That’s not exactly convenient if you’re parked somewhere nice and just want to shower.

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Problem #5: The Sink Is Probably Unnecessary

The bathroom also had a small sink installed.

But I already have a perfectly good sink in the kitchen.

Which raises a simple question:

Do I really need two sinks in a tiny bus?

Probably not.

Removing it frees up valuable space that could be used for something more useful.

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Time to Start Demolition

Once I decided the layout needed fixing, the first step was pulling things apart.

I started by removing the sink.

That meant turning off the water pump and figuring out where the plumbing actually connected.

Eventually I realised the easiest option was simply cutting one of the pipes and dealing with the consequences later.

Possibly not the most professional plumbing method… but it worked.

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Removing the Toilet

Next up was the cassette toilet.

Once I started pulling it out, I noticed something strange.

Behind the toilet there was a triangular space that wasn’t really being used at all.

It looks like the structure had been built around the toilet rather than designing the layout properly in the first place.

Once the toilet was gone, the bathroom suddenly felt much bigger.

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My Temporary Toilet Solution

Of course, removing the toilet creates another problem…

You still need a toilet.

So for now I’ve switched to a temporary solution.

It’s a Spinifex toilet bucket from Anaconda that cost about $30.

Surprisingly, it’s actually quite comfortable and works perfectly while I work out what the permanent solution will be.

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Why I’m Rethinking Cassette Toilets

The bus originally had a cassette toilet system.

They definitely have their place, and I used one while travelling in Europe which worked well.

But there are a few things I’m not a big fan of:

• The chemicals are expensive
• I don’t love the smell
• I’m not convinced they’re always necessary

When you’re driving a van or bus, the movement already agitates everything inside the cassette, which helps break things down anyway.

Toward the end of my Europe trip I actually stopped using the chemicals completely and didn’t notice any problems.

So now I’m exploring other toilet options for the bus.

If you have suggestions, I’d love to hear them.

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The Bathroom Suddenly Feels Huge

With the sink and toilet removed, the bathroom suddenly feels massive.

But that also means the next challenge begins.

Now I need to design and build an entirely new bathroom layout… inside a space that’s basically the size of a small cupboard.

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What Happens Next

Next week I’ll be:

• Designing a completely new bathroom layout
• Shopping for supplies
• Solving the privacy problem with the window
• Working out the best toilet solution

There’s plenty that could go wrong.

So if you’ve built a van or bus bathroom before, I’d love your advice.

Leave a comment with your ideas and suggestions — I’m definitely going to need the help.

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About My Bus Conversion

I’m slowly converting an old Toyota Coaster bus into my travelling home, even though I started this project with almost no idea what I was doing.

On this blog I share:

• Bus conversion projects
• Mistakes and lessons learned
• Van life experiments
• Travel stories from the road

If you’d like to follow the journey, you can also find me on YouTube, where I post new videos about the build and life on the road.