What Appliances To Get For My Skoolie?

What Appliances To Get For My Skoolie?

When you are planning on converting your bus into a home you will need to consider a lot of things about how you are currently living and what you will need to downsize (or not) and what you want for your living space and layout of your kitchen area

What you need/want

• Refrigeration
• Oven
• Stove
• Dishwasher

Goals for our bus appliances

• Energy efficient
• Small and effective
• Inexpensive but quality
• Gas or Electric?

I have done a lot of video searching and online shopping for just this kind of thing because we are currently shopping for our bus (that we don’t even have yet) and trying to figure out what we can agree on as far as what we need, full size, apartment, counter height, etc…

We are looking at a full size 60+ passenger bus built by Thomas so we can have the maximum amount of space you know, living tiny but as big as possible! 

When building out a school bus dimensions and space are super important since there is little room for flaw no extra square footage and no ability to rearrange in any way, once it is built you have stuck to your plan so in this post I’m going to provide the appliances you could be using for your skoolie. 

Common Skoolie Appliances 

We can only speculate what ‘the best or most used’ appliances are for bus conversions aka skoolies because outside of a forum or a youtube video there really isn’t any information on what ‘everyone uses’ in a skoolie, there are however a lot of ‘RV’ products that people mention what I have found in a bus conversion living is that the most common appliances are these basics:

• Electric 2 Burner Stove 
• Compact fridge
• Standard Kitchen Sink

No bells and whistles folks! Just a simple life and a kitchen made to facilitate little space and effectively allow for making meals.  It looks pretty good. Does mini kitchen mean minimal cleanup? I can handle that.

Personal Preference

We want just a bit more for our family however going all the way with the full-sized appliances isn’t imperative for us either the middle of the road product and will work fine. I noticed that we rarely ever fill our fridge, we plan and cook our meals and eat what we buy. Our fridge will basically be a condiments cupboard more than anything. We do use an oven and an air fryer all of the time, we make a lot of cookies and pizza in our home and I hope I can keep that going even when we downsize our living space. 

Can I Have A Residential Fridge In My Conversion?

Yes, you can! In fact, a lot more RV’s manufacturers and bus conversions are adding them into their build. It looks like fridge space and stocking up is pretty important to a lot of campers, or maybe they just like to host and I get it, having too much is better than not enough especially when it comes to food supply.

I have seen residential size fridges, stoves, and dishwashers in skoolies! The best in a small space are miniature and apartment size however there are all kinds of conversions, so I don’t think it is an issue of what you CAN have. It’s more or less how much space you want to give up for it.  I haven’t seen any skoolies that have all residential-sized appliances in them; it’s usually just the one they need the most. 

Appliances are crucial to the way we live our lives if we cook or bake a lot if we meal prep or if we make our own…everything!? The decision to pick your appliances for your skoolie should be done based on your personal needs and priorities.

What Size Fridge Do I Need For My Bus Conversion?

The size of your fridge you need for your conversion is based on what you want for yourself, your family, or guests when you are building a skoolie bus home. Your skoolie will have the ability to carry any size wherever you need to go. The fridge you pick will be based on 

• Necessity
• Floor plan layout
• Capability

The types of and sizes of fridges that people choose for their skoolie are based on the layout they have created and the number of people on the bus or the people it intends to accommodate. 

• Mini fridge
• Apartment size
• Full size 
• Cooler

Can I Have A Full-Size Oven In My Bus?

The answer is, Yes! You can have any full-size appliances in your skoolies, bus or any bus-like vehicle conversion. The question is, are you willing to give up space for it? 

If you are planning on boondocking and you aren’t adding solar you’ll be using either a generator or propane tanks, this helps the choice that might be made when adding your cookware into your bus conversion. 

Really, a stovetop burner is something that would be extremely convenient. It works for basic dinner creations and will allow a lot of counter space.  I generally make dinner in a skillet, it really would be a necessity for me. I mean, I can go without cookies and pizza but I truly will need a stovetop

Stove Top / Oven Range

• Surface Stove
• RV oven
• Apartment Size
• Full-Size Range
• Camping Stove

Dishwasher

To wash or not to wash…by hand is the question.  

I don’t mind washing dishes by hand but in current living, I have gotten used to my dishwasher and have taken advantage of having it, but I know that when we move on to smaller and shorter things I am downsizing to literally one plate, bowl, cup, (traditional dishes) and silverware to those living on the bus only and throwaways tucked up in a storage area for a guests.

I plan on washing dishes by hand and installing a rack under the cabinet over the sink to drip dry to be easily accessible throughout the day if they are used often. We already have our own ‘to go’ cups that we are pretty used to having on hand so this shouldn’t be too difficult to get used to with drinks, plates and bowls will be an adjustment.

Can I Have A Dishwasher On My Bus/Skoolie? 

Dishwashers can be added to the skoolie and also on the plus side of having such an item, a newer energy-efficient washer will only use 4-6 gallons of water which is actually, not too bad if you’re on the lower end of the usage and depending on how big your freshwater tank is. If you have a large tank, this wouldn’t put a dent in it and would be a great luxury item to have. 

Standard Appliances VS RV Appliances

RV’s were not meant to live in full time, in fact, if you even mention that to an insurance company or to a sales department you could be denied your purchase or strongly encouraged by the sales to keep that on the down-low. RV’s are a luxury camping accessories that we should feel lucky to have the ability to bake a pizza while microwaving popcorn and sitting in the air conditioning when we are ‘out in the wild’ but there are complaints 

RV Oven

• Bake unevenly
• Expensive
•  Small

Standard Appliances

• Easy baking 
• Large

If your conversion is a week-ender then the appliances really won’t matter much, you’ll probably utilize an outside bbq or campfire for your cooking. 

Appliances will be very important if you are in a full-time bus conversion home, you will want to keep as much normality as possible while going tiny. 

Skoolie Kitchen

A skoolie kitchen will be pretty small but functional. You’ll notice that some people have built out a kitchen and then realized that they live their lives differently and no longer need as much as they originally planned for. 

Open floor plan-

Having a bright open floor plan is something that has grown my love for the skoolie so much! I am the type of person that hangs out in a kitchen to eat or at family gatherings, I prefer to stand and hang around. I like that with a low counter and a connected living space I can stand while my kids are just a few feet away doing their thing. I also like to watch my kids grow. 

Walkthrough kitchen-

This is a good plan for a large amount of counter space and larger appliances that can be placed on either side and underneath the counter. You would basically have a walkway all throughout the entire bus until you reach the bedroom.

 What Appliances Run On Propane?

You can get a fridge, Oven, Washer, Dryer, Dishwasher all that run on propane. Crazy right!

Having all appliances run on propane is great, especially if you plan on boondocking and you aren’t adding solar or you could have both!  Some appliances that run on propane and some electric, just like a regular home. 

How Much Propane Does A Fridge Use? 

The consensus is that a 12 cu ft (apartment sized) fridge will be powered for 1.5 lbs per day so if you’re using a 5.5 cu ft mini fridge you could use it for approximately 36 days before needing a refill. Not bad!  

How Much Propane Does An Oven Use?

A propane range will use 23 lbs of propane per month which is approximately 1 lb per day. This is for a residential-sized range in your skoolie.  

Sum It Up!

What Appliances Do I Need For My Bus Conversion?

The Appliances you choose for your bus conversion, skoolie, RV remodel whatever you are doing can be done to fit your needs. If you’re unsure of how to get the appliances you need in your space, take lots of measurements or talk to a professional. Where you buy your appliances like  Bestbuy, Home Depot and Lowes will put the appliance(s) on the bus for you like a “home delivery” after you purchase. 

Try not to want to waste your money on buying appliances you won’t need, be honest with your usage and build accordingly.