When I first looked at the bathroom in my bus, I thought it was great.

It looked big. It looked functional. It looked like something I wouldn’t have to touch.

I was wrong about all of that.

Very, very wrong.

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🚨 What Was Wrong With My Bus Bathroom

The more I used it, the more problems I found… and once I started looking properly, I realised almost everything about it was wrong.

1. The layout made no sense

Even though the bathroom looked spacious, it was actually incredibly awkward to use.

• The door was narrow and hard to get through
• The toilet blocked movement
• I couldn’t properly access parts of the space

It looked big… but functionally, it was terrible.

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2. The shower was basically unusable

The shower head was positioned in the lowest part of the ceiling.

Meaning:

• I couldn’t stand under it properly
• The water sprayed at the wrong angle
• I had to awkwardly move around just to use it

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3. The toilet placement was… questionable

Let’s just say:

👉 It made basic bathroom activities unnecessarily difficult 😅

And on top of that, there was a clear window right next to it.

So not only was it uncomfortable… it was also not exactly private.

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4. The hot water system had a major flaw

This one surprised me the most.

The system only heated water while driving.

👉 Meaning I had to drive around just to have a hot shower

Not ideal.

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5. Hidden problems (the worst kind)

Once I started pulling things apart, I found:

• Leaks
• Water sitting where it shouldn’t be
• Rust around the window
• Plumbing issues

And that’s when I realised…

👉 This wasn’t a quick fix.
👉 This was a full rebuild.

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🔨 The Moment It All Came Out

I started small.

Removed the sink.
Then the toilet.

And suddenly…

👉 The space felt completely different.

What looked like a cramped, awkward bathroom actually had so much potential once everything unnecessary was gone.

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🚽 My Temporary Toilet Solution

While figuring things out, I switched to a super simple setup:

• A bucket-style toilet
• Cost me about $30
• Surprisingly comfortable

Not glamorous… but it worked.

And honestly, it made me rethink what I actually needed vs what I thought I needed.

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🚧 When Things Got Worse…

As I kept going, things escalated quickly:

• Panels had to come off
• Windows came out
• Rust needed treating
• Plumbing had to be redone

At one point, it turned into:

👉 “We need to remove this… to remove that… to remove the other thing…”

You know that moment where you realise:

👉 There is no going back now

Yeah… that.

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🧠 Design Decisions (and risks)

Once everything was stripped back, I had to start making choices:

• Do I keep things light or go darker?
• What kind of shower setup actually works in this space?
• How do I maximise headroom?

I ended up going with:

• Dark wall panels
• Exposed copper plumbing
• A completely reworked layout

Some of it felt like a risk at the time…

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🔧 Fixing the Problems

With help (thankfully), we tackled:

• Rust removal and sealing
• Fixing leaks and replacing seals
• Reworking plumbing (multiple times…)
• Reinstalling the window properly

There were moments where things worked…

…and moments where they very much didn’t.

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🚿 The Final Result (And First Shower)

After everything…

I finally had a working bathroom again.

And the difference was huge:

• I can now stand up properly in the shower
• There’s actual space to move
• The layout finally makes sense
• It feels like a real, usable room

And most importantly…

👉 I could finally have a proper shower.

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❌ What I’d Do Differently

Looking back, there are definitely things I’d change:

• I’d plan the layout more before starting
• I’d expect hidden problems (they will happen)
• I’d rethink some placement decisions earlier
• I wouldn’t assume anything “looks fine” without testing it

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✅ What Actually Worked

• Removing unnecessary elements (like the sink)
• Prioritising space and usability over “features”
• Being flexible and adapting as problems came up
• Asking for help when I needed it

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🧰 What I Used

• Wall panels (wet area panels)
• Copper piping for exposed plumbing
• Replacement taps / valves
• Timber duck boards for shower flooring
• Alternative toilet setup

👉 I’ll keep updating this as I refine the setup. See the whole list here

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🎥 Watch The Full Bathroom Series

If you want to see the full chaos (and how this all actually happened), you can watch the videos here:

• Part 1: Everything that was wrong

• Part 2: When it all got worse

• Part 3: Rebuilding it all

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💬 Your Turn

I’m still not convinced I got everything right.

👉 What would you have done differently?
👉 Have you tackled something like this before?

Let me know — I’d love to hear your ideas.