Is Doubt a Weed or a Rose?

Doubt is a seed that gets sown with every idea I have. Sometimes it's useful, it makes me take a step back, slow down and evaluate. Other times doubt just clogs up the work, trips me up and causes me to be overly cautious. It's hard to know when it's useful and when it's a hindrance.

The reason I'm talking about doubt is because no body else seems to. I've been inspired by other people's stories, their blogs and the YouTube videos. They had a vision and they went for it, all out, full force. And I wonder, did they ever have any doubts? Did they ever have a moment before that moment of commitment when they said, I don't have to do this? Did they ever think, this is scary crazy?

Because, I have those thoughts. And so did Christopher and Merete, the stars and builders of a tiny house in the film Tiny: a Story about Living Small.

"Where do we go from here?"

*typing, researching, Googling, oohing, ahhing...*

Despite evidence to the contrary I've been assured that I'm not crazy by two professionals who work closely with the mentally disturbed. Though, the fact that they work with the mentally disturbed may actually count against them. Anyway, after much research, I came up with this -

 

School Bus to RV conversion.

Crazy, right?! I told you I wasn't sure about those two friends of mine.

Here are some of the reasons why I've decided a School Bus to RV conversion would be the way to go for my first tiny house:

1. School Buses can be bought for $3,000 to $5,000 dollars, sometimes even less.
2. They have a higher ground clearance than RVs in order to ensure the safety of the children they were used to transport.
3. Their roof systems are designed so that in case of roll over, the roof can support the entire weight of the bus.
4. They are solid steel frame construction, not aluminum like RVs. They use a medium density truck chassis was is totally better than anything a RV has. 
5. School Buses are designed to haul for 500,000 miles, though most schools sell them before they get to the 200,000 miles mark. This leaves lots of life in the bus for the new owners.
6. School Buses are universal in every state, so they're relatively easy to fix.
7. They are designed to be self maintained.
8. Because School Buses were part of public facility, they underwent regular maintenance. 

Now, I've also come across some issues with School Buses:

1. The ceiling height is right about 6' at the center aisle and slopes down towards the windows.
2. Most School Buses are geared toward city driving not highway cruising.
3. The diesel engine get about 11 miles to the gallon. 
4. Conversion is hard work.

*7/5/2016 Update: Despite these challenges, I think this could work for my first tiny house. Another plus is the ability to travel until I find the property that I want to invest in to create a tiny house haven. After a year of living in a 135 sq. ft. Kismet Cabin, I can now say with confidence that I can live a tiny lifestyle and the next step is saving money to buy a school bus and convert it.