The Bus Build Index 🚐

Turning a Toyota Coaster into a tiny home sounded like a great idea.

And then I started doing it.

This is the ongoing story of transforming an old bus into a comfortable, practical off-grid home — while learning as I go, making mistakes, fixing problems, and occasionally wondering what on earth I’ve got myself into.

This isn’t a perfect renovation where everything goes to plan. It’s the real version:

🔨 pulling things apart to see what’s underneath
💧 chasing mysterious leaks
⚡ fixing solar problems
🛁 building a bathroom in a tiny space
🪚 creating storage that actually works
🏡 making a bus feel like home

Some jobs have been easier than expected. Some have turned into much bigger projects than I ever imagined. But every challenge has taught me something new.

Below you’ll find the different chapters of the build — from buying the bus and figuring out what needed changing, through to the renovations, repairs, and upgrades that are turning it into my home on wheels.

If you’re planning your own bus or van conversion, hopefully you’ll find some ideas, avoid some mistakes, and have a laugh at my expense along the way.

🎥 Most of these stories are also available as videos on my YouTube channel, where you can watch the full chaos unfold.

🎥 Prefer watching instead of reading?
You can follow the full bus build journey on my YouTube channel, where I share the renovations, mistakes, fixes and unexpected discoveries along the way.

Watch the Bus Build on YouTube

Helen Wheels on Youtube

OR grab a cuppa, start exploring, and welcome to the build.

🚐 The Bus Build Chapters

Buying the Bus & Getting Started

A Toyota Coaster seemed like the perfect starting point for creating my tiny home. This is where the journey began — choosing the bus, figuring out what worked, what didn’t, and what needed changing.

[Read the story]
[Watch the videos]

💧 Chasing the Leaks

What started as a small puddle under the floor mats turned into removing the dashboard, pulling out the windscreen, repairing rust, and discovering that bus renovations rarely go according to plan.

[Explore the leak repairs]

🛁 Bathroom Renovation

Turning a tiny corner of a bus into a functional bathroom was one of the biggest transformations so far.

Follow along as I redesign, rebuild, solve problems and create a space that actually works for life on the road.

[Explore bathroom renovation]

⚡ Solar & Electrical System

Living off-grid means having reliable power. This series covers the solar setup, battery problems, troubleshooting and upgrades.

[Explore solar setup]

🪵 Ceiling, Insulation & Interior

Replacing the ceiling uncovered some surprising discoveries, including learning the hard way that not all insulation belongs inside a bus!

[Explore ceiling renovation]

📦 Rear Storage Renovation

After making the front of the bus watertight, it was time to tackle the back.

The goal: create storage that works better, hides the chaos, and makes living in a small space easier.

[Explore rear storage]

🏡 Living in the Bus

The part that matters most — actually using the bus as a home.

The good days, the challenges, the lessons, and what it’s really like living in a tiny space.

[Read more]