Building a Skoolie Roof Deck (No Welding Required!) | BUS BUILD EPISODE 14

[@skooliecatwilderness6346]

Love it, I am looking into putting an angled loft on the front half of my bus also.

[@AdventureTrudge]

That sounds amazing!

[@kennethshelton9976]

Love ❤️ your deck build. I have the same size bus . God Bless You Guys 👍😃👋🏻🙏🏻😇❤️❤️🇺🇸

[@AdventureTrudge]

That’s amazing! We think it’s the perfect size 🥰🧡

[@AdamandAtlas]

Turned out so good guys! We love it!!! Can’t wait to hangout with you guys on our roof decks 😁

[@AdventureTrudge]

Thank you!!! And YES, so many roof deck hangouts in the future 🥳

[@betsyanderson2182]

I’m impressed!

[@karenriggle5435]

a rubber washer and seccaflex on the carriage bolt probably would have been better on the top of the bus

[@AdventureTrudge]

We’ve never heard of that! We decided to use silicone because our roof paint silicone and we’ve read that only 100% silicone sealant will stick to it. We have a few weeks until we install the ceiling so we’ll definitely keep an eye out for any leaks, but none so far after a week of heavy rain!

[@Thatoneninja22]

Do you by chance have the link to the different bolts you used or lengths

[@AdventureTrudge]

I don't but we followed this tutorial by Art We There Yet and they have all of their materials listed! artwethereyet.com/blog/how-to-build-a-skoolie-roof-deck-step-by-step-guide/

[@aerorider2]

Probably a silly question but why didn't you drill the supports into the ceiling ribs for support instead of just into the sheet metal of the roof?

[@AdventureTrudge]

Not a silly question at all! If we had gone through the ribs, we would’ve needed longer bolts and they would’ve eaten into our ceiling height. We were pretty set on our ceiling being as close to the ribs as possible since we are both tall. That being said, from our research it’s common to go through the sheet metal as long as your supports are as close to the ribs as possible since that’s where the sheet metal is strongest.

[@PapaDrewsRV]

I love how you show it all. You even filmed the word OOOPS on the roof. I need to have a disclaimer before you full film. I about spit coffee all over the computer screen. Are you all going full time in the bus?

[@AdventureTrudge]

We are! We’re hoping to wrap up the build early 2022 and live in it for at least a year or two (or forever if we love it!). Then maybe one day park it on a future property and rent it out for people to stay in 😄

[@PapaDrewsRV]

@@AdventureTrudge I am hitting the road 2023 in my skoolie that is getting made for me right now. It would be fun to meet up someday and have laughs. Keep filming and creating rock on peace love and hippies.

[@AdventureTrudge]

@@PapaDrewsRV We are so excited to meet up with other Skoolies on the road! Definitely keep us posted on your journey!

[@subscriberswithvideoscha-uw6cr]

@@AdventureTrudge even tho it wasn't in early 2022 I'm happy you guys are done and are traveling already :)

[@sarahlazarus6270]

Also if y’all didn’t have rv insurance at this point what insurance did you have in order to drive it around? Or did you both have cdl’s?

[@AdventureTrudge]

When we bought it we had it registered/insured as a commercial truck. Since the seats were removed it was no longer considered a passenger vehicle so we didn’t need a CDL 😊

[@HomesteadDad]

I just got my bus last week. Doing as much research as I can. How has your deck been? Water tight? Anything you'd do differently?

[@AdventureTrudge]

The deck has been great! We have had zero problems with water getting in. The only issue we foresee is that the deck is going to make getting RV insurance difficult so that’s definitely something to keep in mind. But we knew we wanted one and were willing to risk it!

[@HomesteadDad]

@@AdventureTrudge why does it affect insurance? Just because people go up there?

[@AdventureTrudge]

While there are a few insurance companies that insure skoolies as self-built RV’s, many have the caveat that there can be no roof deck or wood stove. For whatever reason, this seems to be the line they draw in the sand for safety purposes. My understanding is that it is more for the risk of people falling off than for poor construction. That being said, we follow plenty of other buses that have decks so there are work arounds! We’ll definitely post more about our insurance once we figure it out.

[@sarahlazarus6270]

Have y’all figured out the insurance?

[@Thatoneninja22]

Have you guys figured out insurance while having a deck

[@AdventureTrudge]

Not yet! We just recently got our Vermont RV title and registration so we plan to use that to get it titled as an RV in PA. We’re just waiting until the build is closer to being done to do insurance in case they need photos of anything inside :)

[@reyyankhan3357]

How’s it holding up ?

[@AdventureTrudge]

It’s great!! I was just up there yesterday and still looks and feels like it was just built 😊

[@Robroy333]

I've never bought pressure-treated wood that was "wet"; unless it was in the rain. lol Also wouldn't have made more sense to mount metal pipe supports than the wood? the wood posts you put won't last...flex then break/rot

[@AdventureTrudge]

Pressure treated wood is made by injecting the boards with chemicals and water so if you buy it after it was recently treated it will still be wet. The boards are much heavier and can release some liquid when you screw into them! They’re fine to work with but you should wait until they completely dry if you want to stain them 😊. We used pressure treated because it is made to last outdoors just like a regular deck on a house, since we’re only planning to travel in the bus for a couple years we don’t expect any rotting in that time (an average wooden deck lifetime is 10-15 years).

[@Robroy333]

@@AdventureTrudge I used pressure treated wood outside as well but I was referring to the wood “ posts” you have; not the platform wood. I too have a school going on 4 years and plan to add a deck with pressure treated wood as the deck but the frame will be black metal piping and flanges screwed into the frame. ( no welding).

[@AdventureTrudge]

@@Robroy333 our posts are pressure treated as well!

[@Robroy333]

@@AdventureTrudge I know they are. I’m just saying they may; being wood and not metal, crack from driving vibrations… much easier. I look fwd to your progress on the rest of your build;) it’s an ‘ Adventure’!

[@AdventureTrudge]

@@Robroy333 totally agree! If we ever upgrade in the future, a metal frame is a great choice. Thanks for watching!