One look at his weird new ride, and it's clear Paul Caspers has taken summer road-trip plans to new heights.

The Edmonton plumber has created a one-of-a-kind clunker by welding a VW camper van atop an old yellow school bus.

"It's an orange 1973 Westfalia Volkswagen — the bay window model, to be correct, with the pop top," said Caspers.

"So, I mounted that on top of my short yellow school bus for extra room, sleeping arrangements and kind of a chill area up there, which can also have a third floor. So it's pretty cool."

"It's a short bus, so I kind of wanted to create more space. So this is one way of doing it."

Caspers hopes to take the rig on its maiden journey next month, as he sets out for a handful of music festivals across North America.

And you can bet he'll be riding in style.

A shower spout on the back of the bus — using the VW's converted engine as a water tank — allows guests to take an open air shower. Inside, the main floor includes couches and convertible bunk beds. A trap door leads to a shag carpeted top floor, and more cozy hideaways.

In all, the contraption sleeps more than a dozen people, and Caspers hopes to convert the engine so the entire rig will run on canola oil.

Paul Caspers hopes to take his new rig on the road this summer, but hit a few speed bumps during a safety inspection for the bus. (Ariel Fournier/CBC Edmonton ) The project started last fall, after Caspers landed a deal during a hitchhiking trip to High River; for $2,200 and a case of Corona, he bought the VW and towed it back home.

After a few months ogling his new ride, inspiration struck. He spent more than three months toiling over the Frankenstein-like creation.

"This is my first bus conversation," said Caspers, 27, who admits he has amassed a total of three school buses.

"I guess when I like something, I don't usually just get one of something, I usually get a bunch. It's kind of an addiction."

But the journey from inspiration didn't come without a few speed bumps.

All that tinkering in the backyard led to more than a few run-ins with city bylaw officers, and getting the vehicle to pass an inspection has been no easy task.

Caspers has been told he needs to get a special "salvaged vehicle" inspection done before he can hit the road.

"Now I need to find somebody who is actually willing to do that. But the problem is, most mechanics see this and they're kind of, like, ughhh. They're just kind of unsure ... they don't want to do it."

Though his bus is now parked and idle, Caspers has no doubt all his hard work will pay off and he'll soon be on the open road.

"Looking back, I never expected to be doing all this work myself … but I always knew it was possible."