A Skoolie Affords This Millennial a Life He Loves
Last Updated: Feb 23, 2025Nicholas Heller grew up loving the great outdoors—whether it was in his hometowns of Minneapolis, MN, Mammoth, California, or San Antonio, Texas. While getting his degree in Environmental Biology from Western State Colorado University, he was a river rafting guide during the summers. Then, after moving back to San Antonio, he took a job at REI, where he could talk about the outdoors with customers—but was missing some of the experiences. Quickly moving up the managerial ranks, he was promoted to the Austin, Texas REI. That’s when he decided he needed to build his Skoolie with no prior building experience.
Table of Contents
- Why did you decide to convert a school bus and make it your own home?
- Where did you find your bus to convert (and was it hard to find it)?
- How long did the conversion process take you, and can you tell us a little bit about some of the challenges you faced?
- Do you mind sharing how much your Skoolie cost?
- How are you using your Skoolie now? (And do you plan to keep it indefinitely?)
- Knowing what you know now, is there anything you wish you had done differently?
- Do you have any tips for others on how they can save money converting their Skoolie?
- Rise writes about sustainable home improvement. Do you see Skoolies as a more sustainable alternative to single-family homes?
- Anything else you'd like to add?
What is a Skoolie? Simply put, it's a school bus converted into a home. I had never heard of Skoolies until Rise wrote a complete guide about them, as they are gaining in popularity as an alternative tiny home on wheels. A school bus already has a structure (walls, floor, roof), an engine, wheels, and many operable windows, so if you think about it, it's a great way to achieve a tiny home inexpensively, customized to your own needs.
Full disclosure: Nick is my first cousin. Since we don't live in the same state and are half a generation apart in age, we don't see each other very much. But I recently caught up with him on what he was doing, and his story is worth sharing. So read on about how Nick converted a school bus into his own home and learned lessons.
Why did you decide to convert a school bus and make it your own home?
So many reasons! I am a traveler, an adventurer that loves exploring new areas, meeting new people and cultures. I wanted to live the life I love while I am still able to enjoy it truly. I was also tired of paying rent, moving all my things every year or so to a new place, and not owning my own home. So, a Skoolie just made sense for me, and at the time, it was all I could afford. I'll never regret quitting my corporate job to travel around the country for a year in the beautiful Skoolie that I built myself.
Is this life sustainable for me personally? At my current status, I'd have to say yes. I am a single guy with a dog, so that I could be happy living this lifestyle for a while, but someday I'll want to settle down and plant some roots with my own home. I have seen families that live in a Skoolie full time, and they seem to make it work while being fulfilled and happy (they also had bigger buses than mine). I can see it being a more sustainable option for a single-family if they weren't mobile.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Like I said before, I had little to no experience with any of this process before starting the build. I learned everything alone through Youtube videos, online forums, and trial and error. It wasn't easy, but I was determined and hardworking. I am a firm believer that anyone can do this if they are committed.
If you want to learn more, Nick has chronicled much of his bus conversion story on Instagram. the_noblesteed). His tagline: "On a Mission to Inspire: Tiny bus conversion to explore and adventure Earth's natural wonders, seeking its edges and experiencing life." Pretty inspirational, Nick!
Melissa Rappaport Schifman
Melissa became the Twin Cities’ fifth LEED for Homes Accredited Professional (LEED AP) and completed the work necessary to get her own home LEED Gold Certified, the basis for her book, Building a Sustainable Home: Practical Green Design Choices for Your Health, Wealth, and Soul, (Skyhorse Publishing, August, 2018). With her corporate experience in finance, marketing, and business development, and an MBA and Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, Melissa has been providing sustainability advisory services to businesses, governmental agencies and non-profits, focusing on strategic and operational change that provide bottom-line financial returns. She has led the LEED certification of two million square feet of commercial buildings, written GRI-compliant Corporate Sustainability Reports, is a LEED Pro Reviewer and LEED mentor with the U.S. Green Building Council. She is the founder of Green Intention LLC where she writes about sustainable home living.
