New Lower Bench Cabinet

by Mike Atkinson | Jul 9, 2021 | All, Product Updates

Product Release Announcement!

Lower Bench Cabinet

After several months of beta testing, we are ready to fully release this product to the DIY community!

The Lower Bench Cabinet is a versatile storage and seating solution. It can be used individually or in series. It’s hinged top provides access to internal compartments that can be utilized for a variety of purposes:

General storage
Housing electronics or plumbing
Seating for humans
A small bed for pets
Step to access a high bed
Low extended counterspace
Or anything else you can think of

This product comes in 18”, 24” or 36” lengths, which can be used to span almost any open floor space along our Lower Mounting System.

Note: Additional variations of this product are coming soon, including a Loo Box and Over Wheel Well tank storage solutions.

Spring 2020 Update

by Mike Atkinson | May 23, 2020 | All, News

The Last 9 Months

I will be the first to admit it: We have been horrible about blogging and sending newsletters to our subscribers.

By last summer we were inundated with van builds, and since that time we have been hard at work building vans and developing our product line. With up to 4 active builds in our shop at a time, we had little time for much else throughout 2019 and early 2020.

It is funny how a crisis can sometimes help us focus. We love building vans in our shop, but our vision involves much more than that! Our goal is to develop a comprehensive, versatile, and affordable line of products, that are shippable to DIY customers and local installers throughout North America.

When the shutdowns began in early March, we decided to take the opportunity to reassess. At the time we had 4 active builds in the shop. We immediately stopped taking on new builds, and first focused on completing them. We were lucky that the conditions of our shop, and the orders of our Governor allowed our installers to continue to work.

The Last Few Weeks

As we have completed each active build, we were increasingly able to shift our focus toward development. We have released several new products on the shopping cart, with many more coming soon. We have made major improvements to the web site including more content, better images, CAD illustrations, and much more detailed information about our products. Recently we have been taking a lot of video footage, many of which can be seen on our Instagram page and will soon be added to our Youtube channel (please subscribe for updates as content is added). We have a lot more work to do, but there has been a vast recent improvement in each area.

What’s Next

Portland Shop Accepting New Builds: Effective immediately we are ready to take on 1 or 2 new van builds. For the coming months we are going to limit ourselves to two active bays, which means that soon our lead times are probably going to be a little longer for shop builds. However, as of right now we are ready to start our next new project within the next couple weeks. If you are interested in a new or updated quote, I encourage you to check out our new Shop Installation section of the web site, and fill out a shop build quote request.

Balance & Focus: Though we will keep 2 active builds in the shop, we are going to continue to put more energy into bringing more products to the shopping cart, standardizing shop build elements, and communication.

New Normal: For the foreseeable future we will be maintaining the same workplace standards we have followed for the last several weeks. For van pick up and drop off, we will be conducting a thorough disinfecting wipe down of all surfaces, and additionally we will be adding a 72 hours quarantine for each new van in and out.

With a new focus, and a much stronger line of products, we look forward to the coming months. We invite you to check out the recent changes and videos, for much, much more!

Welcome to Roost Vans!

by Ryan Austin | Jul 16, 2019 | All, News

We are proud to announce our new name, logo and web site. With all the exciting changes underway, we thought it would be good idea to take a quick look back, before looking forward.

A Bit Of History:

It all started when our founder and CEO, Dennis Veatch, was looking for a vehicle for a month-long road trip to Colorado. Seeking to maintain the outdoor enthusiast lifestyle, Dennis and his wife Mary Jane wanted to introduce their 15-month-old son to travel and simple outdoor living.

After navigating a sea of options, Dennis quickly set his sights on the Sprinter Conversion Van. This was soon followed by a decision to purchase a used Sprinter Van (Obsidian) and build it himself. With 20 years of experience in industrial design, he was equal to the task. Little did he know that in addition to a planned road trip, he was also embarking on a much longer journey of an entirely different nature.

Dennis very quickly became frustrated with the limited options for van conversions and particularly for a DIY builder. It seemed there were two extremes in the industry. On one end of the spectrum was extravagance and exorbitant prices. At the other extreme were solutions that were cheap, displeasing to the eye, and in some cases downright unsafe. Almost reflexively he began inventing solutions, as much as building a van for a family vacation.

Since that time, we have been operating a small conversion shop in Portland, OR, originally under Dennis’ design company (CreatID), doing business as Modular Van. In mid 2019, we officially launched Roost Vans. We have gone from a backyard project to a fast-growing company providing products and services to our clients. All the while we are steadily developing an easy-to-install product line to ship to DIY customers around the world.

Where We Are Now:

Newly formed as Roost Vans, we have taken on an investor and business manager to help manage our growth and development. Our design and installation teams are rapidly growing, as we develop an infrastructure to maintain our commitment to quality, customer service, and affordable pricing.

Having just signed a new lease on a 3-bay shop, we offer full-service van conversions. We professionally install camper van essentials such as kitchens, bed systems, insulation, paneling, electrical systems, cabinetry, mounting brackets, and much more. We are developing a growing library of designs for standard components, and also offer a full custom design service as well.

To date we have released a small line of DIY products with many more in the development pipeline. Some products are at very early stages of development, others are in final stages of beta testing with a hope to release them for shipping in a matter of weeks.

Where We Are Going:

Our long-term vision is to develop a full line of easy to install products for the DIY van builder. Our emphasis is on simplicity, versatility, and ease of installation. Our development process is methodical, and we aren’t about to rush a product to market. Before we ship a product to a DIY customer, we want to make sure the design has been streamlined, thoroughly tested, and instructions are easy to follow, with proper quality control systems in place.

DIY Products Coming Very Soon:

170” Upper and Lower Mounting Systems (currently in Beta)
More accessories, brackets, and options for upper mounting systems.
Bed System (removable panels, vertically adjustable between 12-36”, with flip up kit option)
Hourly Design and Consulting Service for DIY customers (web-based screen share platform)

We move forward with an absolute commitment to our values and apply them to every decision we make. When considering a product or design element, Dennis’ most common questions are:

“Is this something I want in my van?”

“Would I trust my child’s safety to this product?”

“Is this something I would buy and feel good about 10 or 20 years later?”

These are the questions that drive our decision-making process, and that approach is what produces a product that we are proud to put the Roost name behind!