Pro Builder Reacts: Touring a Fake Influencer Build
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ส.ค. 2024
- Original conversion done by Alexander Bruno and Kristen Baum with KAP Customs, LLC
A Link to Jonathan's Channel (he sent me the tour and is helping the owner get back on her feet):
/ @sojournersway
A Link to his page:
/ sojournerswayllc
Finding the right builder is harder than it should be and when things go south, money might not be the only thing you lose.
Follow along as I react to a 'professional' build done wrong and point out all the ways this build could have been done better.
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My name's Chuck, I've been professionally converting buses for the last 8 years and was director of operations for a charter bus company before that but it's time for a change.....
Follow me on instagram for more info
/ chuck.cassady
For paid consults, skoolie advice, solar help, and more, email
charlie@chromeyellowcorp.com
Check out my shop
www.chromeyell...
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#skoolie #offgridliving #busconversion
![fellow fellow - PROUD feat. INK WARUNTORN [STRING QUARTET]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/BQrVkMPTdHE/mqdefault.jpg)
Since I know nothing about building something like this, my standard has always been that if I can see problems, it's really bad. But to see all the problems that an expert like you can see, moves it to the level of scary. Everyone who wants to buy something like this or try to do it themselves should have to watch this video, to see where it can go bad at every single step in the process. This video is actually a public service, Chuck. Thank you.
I hoped it would be. Honestly it got me more emotional than I was expecting to
@@ChuckCassadyYT I see why your upset, for someone who tries to put out a quality product (you) to see someone put out a shotty piece of... work is hard to watch. Have heart you have taught me alot through your videos... what I cannot handle I have resources to keep my schoolie build safe.
Don't buy stuff from anyone you can't confirm is legitimate, that is all you needed to know when buying stuff. But when doing stuff, just know with confidence you can do it, not fake confidence but confidence based on truth. IF you know you can do it, if you know all the details, if you researched for years in these topics and experimented and built up experience, then you know you can do it.
Ok, but on the plus side, this is more authentically rustic than most so-called "legitimate" builders ever achieve. I mean, if you are looking for something that is truly a contemporary equivalent to "tenderfoot from back east with more dollars than sense points his covered wagon west and is at least 100x more likely to meet with disaster than fortune," this is a big checkmark in the W column.
I was disappointed you didn't have something to say about the single-glazed, intended-for-interior-use-only, easy-to-break-into entry door!
Holy smokes! I was too speechless about everything else!
I think that's an obvious one lol. Should hold up to road salt fine, what are you talking about? 🤣
😂😂😂😂 I would lose my mind if I paid good money and got this .....HOLY SH*T!!!!!
I don't even think a dog could sleep comfortably with that door, let alone a person. The dog would be barking at stuff all night through that glass door.
Holy...... Yeah not secure
This is the same thing with a lot of flipped houses. In the pictures, the work looks high-quality, but when you look at it in person it’s a totally different story.
This is so true i bought an older hm that had all new stuff but they just band aided things and after about a year things have gone down hill… actually 6mo. 😢
As a former construction pro, remodelers will refinish the floors and install granote and totally neglect the things that matter like wiring, plumbing and roofing. But the reality is wires dont sell houses. People eat wirh their eyes first.
I left a company in Florida that was run by instagram influencers. I didn't want my name attached to a future fire. I told the perspective employees what the company was up to, and would've told the clients too if id had their contacts. its hard to find a good bus building company! im looking, but holy moly! also that shower drain KILLED ME. sheesh
Epic right?!
Sorry, I'm not trying to be "that guy," but it's prospective, not perspective. I'm sure it's just autocorrect being wrong as usual, but I wanted to educate you just in case.
Who are the builders? What company? The twins from FL?
Dorit! never thought I'd run into you in the comments 😂
TH-cam recommended this one for me so hopefully that means it's going to blow up. Those 'builders' need to be shamed into another dimension.
I hope it blows up and they have to refund that poor lady. This is just sad.
Honestly. So glad I saw this as I was just looking into finding a builder for my own as I dont feel confident in my own electrical skills bit eek. I'd rather test my luck or go to school 😂 bahaha
They should definitely be called out. This is how the free market corrects itself from influencer lies. Viral exposure of bad work.
Chuck, I think videos where you take a portion of this video and then show the correct way to doing it would be great content and needed by the community
I've got a minisplit video.coming out next week!
I think that would be an awesome series.
Same. It was hard to watch and listen to this video as it just bags everyone and everything. SOLUTIONS would be NICE
I bag it because their work is unsafe and awful. If you watch my channel I go to great pains to show people the right way to do things with detailed instructional videos constantly. Tons of solutions
No need for all caps
I've been building my skoolie by myself. I had no experience and you can tell it's diy in some ways, but I'm happy with how it's coming out. At least I know I can trust myself to do right by myself even if everything isn't perfect or square. Lol ... And I built my own skylight with no leaks!! Thank goodness ❤️
This is what I was thinking! I could do at least this well, in all likelihood better. Then at least I would not have PAID someone to do a job no better than I would have done and would know how to fix/repair it! Plus I'd have some pride in the build! (I actually do have a background that would logically give me some help)
Preplanning and prep and measure 3xs. Taking your time and look up how to do things first to see IF you infact do know how to do something, it'll be helpful in reminding you of the tips n tricks and possibly updated codes and gadgets that make tasks a bit less frustrating
@@rebeccarpwebb4132 I have rheumatoid arthritis, so it's not a matter of not knowing how. If I don't know how/what to do something I seek help. But sometimes, most times, help isn't coming so I have to door it myself. I just do my best. Doesn't turn out perfect but I can live with it because I know it's a least safe. If I waited for help all the time, I'd never finish.
@@prettywingsbus for urself that's up to u but don't sell it to others claiming it's safe or professional
@@rebeccarpwebb4132 Girl, take several seats. 🙄 Never said anything about professional. D.I.Y.... which part of that was lost on you? And why would I make something for myself that isn't safe? Some folks just really lack critical thinking skills but love to be critical. #disappear. Lol
I think the look the builder was going for was "tree-house" as in, it was built by children from scraps of wood :)
In fairness if this was built by 12 year olds it should win a darn trophy.
I feel so bad for the owner of this bus. I think I now feel so much better about how long its taking my husband and I to build our bus. We investigate every step of the building process almost to a fault. 😂 We are not pros thats for sure, but we definitely do follow people’s advice who take pride in their work and make safety number one. And until our bus is finished, it will be Prius adventures for us!
That whole build made me sick, just the wiring alone is a fire waiting to happen. I'm a grown man and literally shed a tear for the women who I'm sure is heartbroken. Praying she gets something out of the person that has no talent or business charging someone for his dangerous work. Makes me so sad and mad.
I'm a woman that bought a bus like that...total loss. Started over again with a raw school bus purchased from this man. I'm doing it all myself. Very painful lessons learned.
I agree. I got pretty emotional watching this video because I know something like this can really set someone back
@@kellystinydreamsbus was yours from a known builder or a private sale?
@@Sasquatters Private sale
@@kellystinydreamsbus sorry to hear that.
My takeaway is to ask the builder if they have a contractor's license and what kind of license. Get the number and check it for violations, complaints, and if it is even a valid license. Then ask for referrals and when calling the other customers, ask if I can see their bus.
They seem pretty sketchy. I tried googling their business & there's hardly anything available.. why would you trust such a sketchy business to build your home on wheels?!?
So sad for the woman, hope she can get her money back
@@MsTMarie83 I think they are known amongst the nomad community. If it's the company I'm thinking of, there are others who've had horrible, dangerous builds by them. They really need their victims to band together and do a class action lawsuit.
Yes, research before. Also, stage payments based on milestones met. Would have stopped paying the minute I saw the base installation ( electric, plumbing )
Then u gotta pay, everyone wants cheap, then they cry when burned.
You can't even get good contractors, they are always booked.
Did anyone else see that the battery main Positive wire was laid right up against the main negative battery lug? Those Bluebird buses vibrate like crazy. That wire is going to rub through and start a fire.
I am by no means a plumber, carpenter or woodworker. I used to do structural metal fabrication and now days work in a custom cabinet shop. I agree with your assessment 100% That bus is shockingly horrible. Those gaps are almost hilarious. Straight up...I make nicer tighter fitting parts that get hidden inside cabinet boxes or buried in walls. "next level bad" as you said....spot on. That poor bus is shit stacked on shit coated in shit.
Wooooow!! Ive been researching builds for about a year now. Haven’t picked up one tool but still know more than whoever built this damn thing….smh. My heart goes out to the poor woman. I would be so devastated.
This is why your how-to videos are so important to the community!
Looks like the 💩 work the “professional remodelers” did to my home. I finally was so infuriated with them at the terrible work they did I just wanted them the hell out of the house. I see something new every day that’s crappy. I feel for this woman. She didn’t deserve this mess.
Were the the low bidder?
@@opossumgrylls3275 What do you mean where was the low bidder? I never go with the LOWEST BID unless it’s within a small percentage of the other two bidders. I typically go with the middle bid if I feel confident with the Representative and their reviews are good. That’s what I did in my case and still got a s#it job.
Was feeling quite intimidated about the whole idea of converting a rig but I’ve learned so much from your videos. I watch with pen and paper in hand, ready to take notes! I won’t be building anything myself (I know my lane and this ain’t it , 😂 ) but I definitely have more knowledge that will help me find a quality builder. What you know and do is valuable. Thanks you so much for sharing!
Appreciate you putting this out there, As to the "too good to be true" price I think there are probably A LOT of people out there that have zero idea what the real cost of doing a conversion is and there are some that while unable or unwilling to build a bus themselves think it is a fairly straightforward (simple) process. When confronted with a price they don't have any point of reference as to what the "correct" price is. Hopefully this video, your channel and others like it will help open some eyes. I think your description of "unusable" is spot on. Did not see a specific moment that shared the builders information but I believe people should know who this person is to save them some heartache and MONEY! Sure it was cheap, but it wasn't free and every penny they paid was wasted as this rig needs to be torn down and re done.
OMFG!!! My jaw dropped a few minutes in and didn't close until it was done. You're right: the people that "built" this are going to kill somebody. This bus, with all the holes and bad conversion, probably needs to be scrapped. The skylights, like the A/C lines, are a freaking joke. Such a shame.
I've never laughed so hard at a video. Your reactions on the factory light with the mini split lines going through it was hilarious.
I prefer an honest person versus a fake so thank you Chuck I greatly appreciate your honesty !!
You are a voice of trust and experience! Very, very valuable! This build reminds me of the saying, “you can’t tell a book by its cover”! They also didn’t replace the bus windows! Mushrooms out of the walls! That was a lesson and picture that has stuck with me! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!!
Ah Buck! thanks for watching this (and the other!) video. Its hard to watch
That was an accident waiting to happen, luckily nobody died before these problems were discovered. The entire bus needs to be scraped before people die in a fire and all of the money spent is for nothing. That original bus is worthless now. Thank you so much Chuck, I need to stick my head in my oven now.
This is so sad! I hope the owner gets her money back and can find a builder to help her that'll do a good build
Haha Chuck's reactions just went from HOLY SMOKES to HOLY SHIT! We're only 7 minutes in!
Your production quality is amazing, very glad that I found your channel. We're going to be doing a bus build soon and the information/experience you share is invaluable. Thank you
Just found ypu channel as it was in the loop. I watch because I was considering a schoolie in a few years but, man. This really opens the eyes for folks like me who would want to be cost efficient. Thank you for the video. It really does help on the front side to consider WHO to hire for the build. It also makes me think maybe I don't want one lol 😂
Thank you very much for the educational tour. I was never aware my ignorance on carpentry, electricity etc was so incomplete. I am glad I watched this.
Wow!! I have watched 100’s of builds on TH-cam and never seen one this bad. I feel so bad for the lady it was built for.
Love the rattan on the rises exactly where you'll kick it all out as you climb the steps. 😖
Well that builder's business card should read "Unsightly, Unfinished, Unsafe. Ya don't get what you paid for."
I’m a home builder, im restoring an 1973 Airstream, but I’m not a snob 😂🙋🏻♂️
I love your videos, and you show all the lessons, keep up the great work!!
Hahaha love that, rock on!
Chuck, you are by far my favorite Content Creator/Personality/Professional/All Around Human on TH-cam. You are so good in front of the camera, so easy, so knowledgeable, sincere, fun tov watch, and likeable that I'm honestly amazed you haven't been offered your own cable/network show. Maybe you have and turned it down... Idk. But I just wanted to thank you for all the incredible work you've done and made available for people like me who are doing my own build/conversion and gain so much more confidence learning from you "the right way" to go about the process.
I was very much bummed when you called it "a wrap". I'm trying to save enough $ to be able to use you in your consulting gig now, which would be unbearably exciting for me. We'll see. I've got too many irons in the fire right now but I'll get there. Two years and 2 months into my build. I honestly thought I'd be done within six months 😂. But then life happened, and there's no accounting for that, right?
Anyway, thank you!!!
Hope your trip to Italy was both fun and relaxing. Thank you for your expertise in going through this build. You have the knowledge we can all benefit from. All the best, Hal (1980 )
Thanks Hal, appreciate that!
I subscribe to this channel because of Regretlyss. I have no experience whatsoever in building a small school, but after watching 2:04 everything that you’re doing I have a clue now. Thank you very much and if I build a school, I know who I’m watching for instruction. You, Ben and the crew rock!
I’m a victim of this very problem… bought a bud for $50k that was already build. Beautiful bus! Best I’ve ever seen. Fly across the country to pick it up and didn’t make it 1/3 of the way across the country before the engine blew and started to have all sorts of electrical problems… I’m starting a TH-cam channel to show everything. Crazy story…
Love your channel!
This was an amazing video !! People need to see more of this. Thank you Chuck Cassady!!
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF HILARITY DO MORE OF THESE VUDEOS!!!!
OMG, you gave me an anxiety attack, but at the same time I learned what shit looks like.
We are just starting the building we started with a Bluetti 300 because we don't know anything about electricity. Honestly, if people don't know how to do it, just don't do it. Better to not include it on your build, than to be dangerous. Thanks
Thanks for this. I follow mostly self builds on TH-cam and just want a van before I die to spread some happiness and ashes of my family I have been moving around for far too many yrs This build reminds of this handyman rental I am in, but I keep my rent down by slapping lipstick on it until I find a van. I will be 60 in March and just want something with a good drive train to build out. But costs have been crazy. Some of the builds out there are just horrible and dangerous. I have renovated a couple houses and want to do a van. Like when I watch these car and SUV travelers and think, 'one impact and all that stuff become deadly projectiles. Thanks again and best wishes on your future endeavors. 🧘🙏🏻🌎☮️ Daily.
I am really impressed with your knowledge and your presence in these videos.
Wow..so dangerous. I hope that builder recognizes his errors and stops. Or somehow they get shut down.
Thanks for sharing this vid Chuck.
Stay well ✌
My husband is a cabinetmaker and looking that through my eyes that was so amazingly horrible!! I would be scared to death of that electrical and I know nothing about electricity!! I hope she sued them.
Let's hope a good outcome is found!
Hi Chuck, I really appreciate how you open up and share your experience and your life with us and although I don’t know you on personal level, I feel like you’re a good friend. I hope the journey ahead for you is a good one.
I bought a 78 Nomad - or should I say I bought the trailer bed and tin as I had to remove everything including frame and floor and build a new RV. I used the original... residue I guess, to recreate the original frame then added a few structural reinforcements as it wasn't up to my standard (and stress tested). While I've done a little bit of renovation construction and have enough engineering chops to recreate the original with a few structural reinforcements I felt was needed, I also have a background in electronics, electrical engineering and installation and upkeep of electricals/sensors/electronics on natural gas drilling rigs, so I have no doubt in my mind that all the systems are installed correctly and are safe. But then again, I'm used to doing this kind of work on things that would leave very large craters in the ground if I screwed up. I couldn't imagine doing this without some kind of experience going into it. If that bus was a drilling rig, we'd be talking crater town.
And for cripe's sake... if there's a gap you recut a new piece of wood till you get it right! Geeze!
For fs I was yelling at the electrics thru the whole video.. Til my son said "what the hell are you watching a horror movie?" Kinda son kinda!!
This builder clearly can't measure so I have zero faith in his power tool skilz. Lol geeze!! ✌🏼💗😊❣️
*WOWWWW* . this is really something else! You should definitely make this a series "Trust in Chuck; Roasting Influencer InstaBuilds" 👏
hahahaha oh man i think you're right though
“You fellas have nothing to worry about…. I’m a professional.
Professional what!?”
Only good thing that comes out of this is that it makes my work look professional.
And this is why I won’t buy a bus that someone else has already converted.
At first I was like Chuck is being kinda, well, Chuck. But then I watched more, and now I get it. We need some kind of build standard like a housing code to build to. I think Pro builders should get together and come up with a Skoolie Building code. That way all of us can be on the same page (mostly).
sounds good in principle. enforcement is always tricky
I think that a written set of expectations are great guidelines. Maybe you should write a book about this stuff. You know best practices and safety tips. I know I use your advice. I would definitely buy a book written by you. I'm still in the gutting phase of my build.
Your videos are awesome, I've learned so much and hope to start my build very soon Thank you.
This poor women! No matter how much she paid it's a total loss
Always tell your customers there’s three options and they can only pick two. Fast, Good, Cheap. If you want it done fast and good it ain’t gonna be cheap. If you want it Fast and cheap it ain’t gonna be good. You want it good and cheap? It ain’t gonna be fast. They end up getting the point
Amazing! I myself spend hours on the university of TH-cam to learn, then I bring my notes and ideas to a friend who is a cabinet maker to help me. I am really glad I found your channel and have leant much so far, especially dispelling the myth of foam insulation, I was so afraid of warping panels however after learning and discussing with an installer that is the way I am going to go as well as redo my floor with XPS, i don't want to chit on the buyer but maybe they were blinded by the low price and not do her homework on these builders, a complete chit show, Thanks good video
With all of the fake crap present on yt we need channels like this. Ty.
I live in a converted enclosed cargo trailer. I did the conversion myself. The build was and is still done while I am living in it and the whole thing was started on the fly in early April 2019. Unexpected homelessness.
Slowly I have been upgrading and upgrading. It never stops. Between improving the camper the truck also needs love. It is a 2002 Chevy Avalanche with 247,000 miles on the clock. It really needs that love. The only constraint is money and how long I can work before I am knocked out. That is what SS and age will do to you.
I am constantly second guessing myself and coming up with better ways to do things which are often dead ends, often wasting precious money. Sometimes I hit a winner.
The point is that I have had to teach myself carpentry, metalwork, solar and mechanics. I have learned to use aluminium profile and just what the differences in quality are regarding plywood. The compromises are myriad. Like being forced to buy Chinese stuff because the American made gear is just too exorbitantly expensive.
My point is this. Although at this point I am no longer a novice I would NEVER charge anybody a single cent for any work I do for them. I do help people as I have become something of an odd job man but I will not charge anything.
If you are going to charge then you had better know what you are doing. This is someone's home. My camper might not look much to others but it is MY home. I just subbed to your channel after seeing a skoolie build you did. Quality stuff.
Thanks for watching and joining!
Love the Lineset through the rear flasher cover. Genius
Right??
Just a quick comment on the mini split - that angle is actually smart. Mine is level in my bus and if the BUS isn't level, so that the drain end is slightly elevated... the little tray inside overflows and leaks onto my bed. So, when installing a mini split, dipping the drain end a tiny bit is actually a good idea. It might depend on the brand of mini split, but my guess is that they mostly have the same drain issue.
It breaks my heart that there are so many “builders” like this turning peoples dreams into nightmares.
After 30 years of building custom homes and watching your videos of how to do a great build.
This video makes me nauseous, I pride myself in doing to right or not at all. Chuck I known you would love to take the person involved in ripping off this bus owner out to the wood shed and give them a good
a_ _ whooping. You are doing a great job helping people see the right and wrong.
Keep it up as long as you can and a big THANK YOU for being real and having integrity in what you do.
Appreciate the comment and your kind words Todd, thanks for watching
"What's more important than a vibe is, you know, not dying." xDDD Ahh yes. I would enjoy not dying when trying to drive my house/vehicle. lol
This looks so much like the shut I've found on my new bus 😡. I wish I would have found chuck before I purchased 🤦. Your videos are great 👍
Hi Chuck, great break down. This is my second time watching this video, came back to watch again because I recognized the bus on another video of bus disaster. I have much respect for you and your craft !
This is absolutely mind blowing! So many questions. How did she find this "builder"? How much did she pay them? Can she get her money back? I really want to know who built this. I'd like to hear how he tries to justify his shoddy workmanship.
New to the channel, great content! Very appreciated advice... good luck/vibes to the owner of this setup! You mentioned that you are getting out of the business- sorry to hear that. Will you be making more videos? If not, will you be making some referral videos showing those you trust to do a good job?
When I’m ready to convert a van, I sure hope I can find good DIY videos and/or an expert to help out!
Don't know to laugh or cry here. I know it's a year old video, but it just came up as a suggested so I watched it. Wouldn't even know where to start on a comment other than just OMG !!! and WOW !!! Jayzzzuss Kurryst !!! That poor customer.
Same as all the HGTV home flippers and 2 day renovation shows. They said those houses look great but fall apart in a few months. Nothing level or gapped properly, flooring buckles and paint comes off because nothing was prepped.
I've been doing carpentry and electrical for 40 some years. Whoever tried to fix the solar should have never have done the job. NEVER have your name associated with work like that. Your name will be dragged through the mud for years! The carpentry makes me want to cry. I feel so badly for the woman that hired these guys. They only managed to gut any value left in that bus and stole her dreams.......
Holy Cow!!! Was the person on hallucinates when building this? What a nightmare.
I'm watching this ten months later while waiting for my husband to get home with our skoolie. We agreed that we needed something, but he wanted to buy something that was already finished. He found half a dozen in our price range on some skoolie sales site. I get it. He's a busy man and I'm not capable.
But I was so leery of buying a DIY job. There are corners that I might to be willing to cut for myself. It's my life that's being risked. But things like solar, electrical, and plumbing must be done right or not at all. I've remodeled enough houses that I've seen the horrors hiding behind drywall. I can't even imagine how much could go wrong with a conversion.
I shot him a few build videos - that people posted themselves. They were proud of their work. They had no shame because they had no idea that they were doing anything wrong. He was so horrified that he immediately backtracked and agreed that we had to do it ourselves - and do it right - or not do it at all.
This bus is a steal and by chance and we're not ready, so we won't begin real work on it for at least a year. This gives us time to learn. And learn and learn and LEARN.
One of the most important things to learn is when we're really over our heads and need professional help
Installing the minisplit crooked like that may be a good choice. You won't always park level and having a few degrees of slope to the drain side means that you are less likely to have condensate leak back into the interior.
god that's terrifying watching them touch the taped wires
Thank you for taking the time to show this. Unfortunately not all bus builders are like you. Ross from @Rolling Living also did a video featuring another builder that stole customers lives and dreams.
At least THIS build did not have a suicide cable!
@@Skips1964 true, but it could have.
Only thing missing....
@@ChuckCassadyYT they missed a lot more, things like common sense, integrity, and honesty.
Boy I'm glad I found this one 😂😂😂
I would say this reflects 100 percent on the builder. The owner that hired the builder is not at fault. They hired a "builder" that advertised a quality build and then delivered this. People don't know what they don't know. That's why they hired a builder in the first place.
🙏🕯️ Happy thoughts to the owner they can get this corrected.
I agree with you completely! If you cant do the job, dont take the job
man i just loved hearing your reactions...lol
Water flows up lol. Good stuff man, like the vid
Considering everything that’s terrible, what are the odds that the refrigerator is likely to fall over while driving?
Please do more of these! VERY informative!
My goodness....l can only say thank you on this one-- There actually was not one part in this build done right just from what you already taught us viewer's. I am sad because your patience and passion were personally attacted and you couldn't cover that part up---this really did help a lot of viewer's for future projects to come.
Ok so the lineset through the old light lens trick. 💪💪 solid gold 👊👊👊
This came from clearwater Florida? If so i want to stop by next week and see what else is on the chopping block !
It's impressive in all the worst ways
At 27:35 Chuck started giving the most disappointed father vide possible
My family has been building vans for over 125 years and this build would have my grandpa rolling over in his grave.
This was an interesting, although heartbreaking, video. I could understand why you were swearing: even I, a total novice when it comes to this sort of thing, could tell that there were issues. The only minor suggestion I'd make is to be careful with sarcasm. There are people who don't read sarcasm well, and it would be unfortunate if they actually took those comments seriously. That said, this was the reaction video I was hoping for when I read the title, and the way you explained things was really helpful.
“Good work isn’t cheap, and cheap work isn’t good…”
Glad I watched this .. thanks
After that first nightmare bus I purchased, I'm a total freak (in a good way) about every little thing on my bus. This is also why it has taken me so long to hit the road. I'm not sorry, but I am sorry that I've trusted other 'professionals' to touch my bus. Every single job I hired out I've had to redo. Some damage is irreversible...thousands of dollars, hundreds of hours...I'll never get back. I trust NO ONE at this point and that's the saddest part of this journey for me.
God so sorry to hear that. I agree though, I trust no one:(
"Holy Sh**" lol love it. You sound like me.
Please do not get out of the game, Charlie. Your voice is a voice of reason and compassion and integrity and honesty.
I'm going to say it... If he was to stay in the game, Charlie would likely be better off doing his own conversions and selling them outright on the open market, rather than doing custom conversions... Also, I think folks need to move away from "build my bus" mentality, to just buying a bus that's already done and has all the photos to back up what's behind the walls. Way less uncertainty... Also, I think that "Electric Bus Conversions" will become a thing as busses with failed engines can be resurrected with electricity... and the electron age is going to supplant the carbon age soon. Batteries are going to rock, and charging stations will abound...
Appreciate the kind words. Who knows what the future holds but for now I'm happy to consulat and share what I know and focus on some personal goals after 8 years running a small biz with employees, rent, etc. Appreciate you all
You could be the bus equivalent to a home inspector. Hopefully do a pre-purchase inspection.
It just amazes me that people even hire a builder in the first place. I think people don't even have a clue why we moved into a bus in the first place.
I'm not amazed that people hire builders, but I can't believe a lot of people who call themselves builders. It's wild
@@ChuckCassadyYT well yes I have to agree to that for sure. As a fabricator, welder n ironworker, I also feel that help is really needed on alot of these builds.please ask for help if ya need it. It doesn't hurt to ask. It's very satisfying to help people out as long as it's appreciated well. Y'all be good n safe out there.
Hey the mini split not being level and slightly angle towards the drain side as a HVAC guy I would recommend for when they are not parked level !!!!!!!
Husband tried to pull something like this on me. He was given a slid on camper that had massive water damage inside sometime before he got it. Then he informed me that the black water tank was cracked, the gray water tank had a hole in a line somewhere and the electrical was iffy. But it was free!!! He was 'certain' that he could fix all the issues. 10 years later nothing was done properly and I never stepped foot inside it and I refused to let our kids and grands anywhere near it. He finally agreed to get rid of it when the pickup truck was sent to the junk yard because the frame rotted out. The only thing that saved his bacon over this was he didn't spend money to buy it and spent very little to try to repair it. Had he tried to force me into something like what I just say, lets just say he wouldn't be allowed into the house again.
I so appreciate this video! I could see the obvious things; gaps in wood, shitty paint job, etc. but I would be clueless about electrical and plumbing. Therefore, I am so grateful for your knowledge so that the rest of us know what to look for!! Thanks Charlie!!
That solar system was a total cringe. Imagine taking a perfectly good school bus and drilling 80 holes in the roof to mount some crappy 80 watt panels in the most crappy way ever. For anyone that wants to know the proper way, it's to build a rack, minimizing the rack mount points over the hat channels, and mount 400 watt or higher residential style panels to the rack. If possible make one side of the rack mount on hinges to be able to pivot the panels with synchronized actuators for even more power. Then use the proper gauge wire and aim for at least a 24V or 48V DC solar (less wire gauge the higher the voltage). Then use proper wire glands to run the panels, and if running high voltage panels, consider running in conduit. Also, overbuild your solar; Panels lose several percent efficiency per year over their life, and you will often get less sunlight than max... If you generate too much power, then you can work on creating dump loads like hot water heaters to store heat, or running a load of clothes or dishes automatically when the battery is full, or running a hot water recirculation pump to heat or cool your indoor fresh water tank as a thermal ballast, etc...
@@thetruthserum2816 Right? I'm gonna have 730 Watts on my roof...and it's an 88' Chevy G20 Beauville. 3 X 210 and one 100 W that's a separate system used to charge a power station for bare essentials like a vent fan and lighting. Mounting them on tilt mounts on 2 sets of gutter mount roof racks.
Would have loved 400s but just not enough roof space. Am going to look into a second pair of 200s that slide out from under the first set if needed to run a Starlink dish.
Plus, I know my limitations. At this point anyways, I'm going to plug into a big Bluetti AC200P, but I will be running conduit in my walls and putting removable back panels on cabinets so I can run some wiring later if I want.
Wait you are getting out of the game? Noooo, I was so thrilled I found your work 😭 Who am I going to find at your level?! I actually bought a home... but I am single and I plan of selling my house and getting something like this for my daughter who is in college, and I want to travel the world. 💞
This was an eye opener. Every you guys do, I could do. Except electric. This may be my stepping off point. A little depressing, but need to know.
Thankfully there is a Technical Control Board here in Germany that prevents such s*** hitting the streets. At least from a road safety perspective.
I didn't know I needed this video, but I also wish I was watching it live when you dropped it as I like to do. Jesus!!!! This is why I observed your builds on your website and in your video format. It's also why many speak highly of your work; because folks like that builder exist and as you've said that builder could definitely take a life with such a shabby and horrible piece of work they've done. I'll be looking to you for some work that'll need to be done on my bus if you and/or your team are available, Charlie.
Appreciate that sentiment. More than anything its about a human relationship having value as you work for someone than anything--respect. Anyway, I'm not taking on anything but consults and solar design--my contact information is on here.
@@ChuckCassadyYT Thank you, Charlie. I'll be reaching out to you.
That's what some apartments I've bought looked like. Fortunately I got them at my price so It turned out OK but it really is scary sometimes. Some, actually all of these folks should just keep their hands in their pockets and give their tools away. Keep the good stuff coming.