Carpenter builds comfort and convenience into vans

If you’ve ever wanted to have a decked-out van to use for camping or for full-time living, a new custom van building company in Whitefish is able to help make that dream a reality.

Logan Hertel is a hands-on kind of man. A carpenter by trade, he is phasing out his current business, Hertel Construction, and working full time on his new business, Hertel Vans.

“Everybody loves the camper vans and they’re really cool if you build them out right,” Hertel said. “With the carpentry background I've got … I can look at things that a lot of your YouTube DIY van people don’t see.”

Some of those aspects that he focuses on include architectural factors and an efficient use of space and thoughtful, practical materials.

“My motto is, it’s your lifestyle, your adventure, your van,” he said. “However you want to do it, I can do it. Just give me the plans and I’ll make it happen.”

Not only is Hertel an experienced carpenter, he also has skills as a mechanic because, in part, his dad and his grandfather were mechanics. Hertel said he learned everything from his father, along with a bit of trial and error. 

“I do mechanic work. I can take the engine out, take it apart and put it together,” he said. “I do everything.”

To back up that claim, Hertel is studying to further another skill set for the good of his new venture and future clients.

“I'm training online for my electrician license so I can be certified in every aspect of running a van, so people can have that security that an electrician has run through this, that a carpenter has run through this,” he said. “They know it was built well; it was built right.”

Hertel Vans’ first van build was for ABC IV Hydration of Great Falls. He said the van was a blank canvas when he started and it is now a luxurious setting for clients to experience mobile hydration therapy services. 

Hertel said the job was a standard business model and the average time for such a build is two to three months. 

Typically, after gutting a van, Hertel cuts holes for windows, installs an insulated subfloor and frames the walls and windows. The walls and ceiling are then insulated and electricity is run for lights, outlets, a heater, a refrigerator or other requested appliances, before he applies the finishing touches from top to bottom. 

Full camper/trailer conversions take about three to five months, depending on the client’s wants and needs. Options include cabinets, beds, showers and toilets.

While he is able to do remodels for campers and trailers, he is most interested in working on vans and buses. 

“I like the aspect of staying mobile with it,” Hertel said. “The fact that your home is on a set of wheels that you can drive around appeals more to me.”

He said he likes how the Sprinter van style is hardy enough to take camping but the owner could still park it at the grocery store. It is the mobile and versatile aspects that appeal to Hertel. 

“If you want to live out of it with hardly any gear, it's perfect for that,” Hertel said of the Sprinter style. “Or, if you want to use it for weekend trips, it's even more perfect for that.

“I’m a huge snowboarder. I like to travel around and snowboard different mountains and park in the parking lot and stay overnight,” he added. “So that was kind of what was intended for these [van builds], but I would love to build something for someone for full-time living as well.”

ORIGINALLY from Colorado, Hertel moved to Whitefish five years ago after taking a trip around the Northwest. 

“My heart felt happiest here so I just kinda stuck around,” he said. “I absolutely love the Flathead Valley.

“When I first came up to Whitefish, I wanted to try something different,” he added. “My whole background has been in construction, my whole life.”

He worked as a bartender for a couple years and enjoyed working the night shift which allowed him to snowboard all day, but he knew it was not something he could do forever.

“It was a good experience,” he said of bartending, but now he is “back into doing what I love. Working with my hands is really what I like to do.”

He is looking forward to working with people to help them realize their dream of having a sweet van they can use for travel and for life.

“I’m excited for this journey of mine,” Hertel said. “I'm ready for any crazy ideas that people have  that they’d like for me to customize for them in their van.”

    The finished interior of the van Hertel built for ABC IV Hydration. (Photo provided)
  

    Hertel Vans' craftsmanship is apparent in its first project as it takes shape. (Photo provided)