Framing

After we settled on a layout, up and up and up we went with our build. This might sound controversial, but we thought it was important to have all of our framing be as secure and solid as possible. A solid build requires a solid base. Thankfully our bus provided a very sturdy platform for our conversion. We chose to remove the steel chair-rail from the lower half of our walls. As a result, some of the rigidity it provided would have been lost. To tie the walls together and regain some of that stiffness, we attached a frame for our subfloor to the ribs. Those custom stringers were bolted to each and every rib of the bus. The subfloor was then secured to those stringers, which provided lateral rigidity. In addition to being screwed to the stringers, the subfloor was also secured to the bus floor. All other framing was also attached to the subfloor, the bus ribs or both.

 

Our first step was framing out our bed and our under-bed “garage” area. The upper frame of the bed was made by bolting side stringers to the ribs and then connecting some cross bars to this. Under each side of the bed, we started building walls for the bathroom and kitchen in order to frame out these spaces and further support the bed frame. We knew storage would be at a premium in the bus, so we tried to maximize the amount of access we had to it. With that in mind, we designed our bed to raise up with gas lifters to be able to access some of the storage below. We even built in a little nook for Emily’s capes (Cape Canaveral) and a little “pharmacy” for extra toothbrushes and allergy meds and other odds and ends.

 

We also framed out our couch with a combination of aluminum and wood. The aluminum, which was secured to the bus framework, provided a strong place for us to mount our seatbelts. Because we wanted to maximize our storage spaces, we opted to build out our own custom cabinetry. This allowed us to build oversized base cabinets and additional modifications to suit our uses. We purpose-built our pantry to fit our storage containers, we built a drawer organizer to hold all of our utensils and dishes. Building everything allowed us to tailor our home to suit our lives, as opposed to tailoring our lives to suit our home.

 

I am most comfortable working with wood, so that was the natural choice for our build. There are many options for framing, however. I have seen countless builds that utilized steel or aluminum framing to great success. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to each method and, ultimately, the choice for which material you use will be your own. Because durability is essential, it is important that you choose a material that you are able to confidently assemble a safe, sturdy build with.

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