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July 2023 by Rafael Hernandez
We had lots of storm damage and issues with our shuttle bus conversion. Though every situation felt so unique, unlike we've seen, Dan seemed to have seen and known it all! They literally saved our lives, we are forever grateful for them! Such welcoming, inviting and calming souls, it's just awesome here! So many amazing feats accomplished in such a short time, there's nothing Dan the Van Man can't handle! We will forever and always be thankful for, and keep our business with, Vanlife Sanctuary!
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March 2023 by Donald S.
If you are like me and new to "Van Life" or small RV living you probably have so many questions that you don't even know where to start, well, now you do. You start with reaching out to Dan and Sam and you make plans to visit Van Life Sanctuary.I didn't find them by looking for "Van Guru" or "Van God" or even "That dude that knows everything about van life and can make your problems go away" Although all of these should bring up Van Life Sanctuary as the #1 hit on any Google search - are you listening Google, make it happen!I am fairly new to Harvest Host but have loved the previous stays so I just looked for a new place to try near me, which led me to clicking on the little icon just south of Greenwood on Hwy 25. That click though...man..that click. Have you ever felt fate reach out and gently guide you? How about slapping you across the head and saying "Whooooweee! This is it!" because that's what it felt like. Reading about Dan's dream and the services he offered caused a weight that I didn't even realize I was carrying to lift from my shoulders. You see, MY dream has been to upgrade my 22 year old Class B Dynamax Starflyte to a LiFePo4 off grid shuttle craft to destinations unknown. I ordered all the stuff to make this happen but learned that what you can't order is experience, know how, and ingenuity. I'm pretty handy, I was an aviation maintenance technician in both the USMC and the Army National Guard, I can read and interpret instructions, I'm capable at troubleshooting. What I couldn't do was figure out what those gosh durned extra things in my electrical bay next to the battery and power panel were. I looked at every schematic I could find, I watched every YouTube video available on upgrading to lithium and an inverter charger but no one showed those two solenoids and what they did. I called and tried to get help from several installers but they were only willing to help me if I bought the parts from them and it was already too late for me to return the several thousands of dollars worth of inverter, batteries, charge controllers, monitors and etc. They wanted to squeeze every nickle they could out of me.Dan isn't that guy. I reached out and he just said "Sure, bring it on over." and the cool thing is, Dan offers multiple levels of assistance from being your Jedi master to letting you drop it off and come back when it's ready. I chose a hybrid of learning from Yoda and helping with what I could while picking Dan's considerably vast wealth of knowledge. It was so incredibly cool when we worked together to solve issues and then test them with a successful conclusion that those of you who don't enjoy sudoku and 10,000 piece puzzles may not be able to appreciate. Let's just say it lead to cheers and fist bumps and immense happiness.So, other than solving all the worlds problems what more does the sanctuary offer you ask? Plenty! If you got into Harvest Host because you love to just throw a dart at a map and go where it lands then you will be very pleased with the cool small town vibe and great local cuisine that Greenwood has to offer. From burgers to BBQ there are too many great places to list, however, very close to the VL Sanctuary is the Cheeseburger House, your cardiologist would say it was to die for!Travel with you dog like I do? You probably are always having to find new places that will engage him and places he can get out some energy. My pup, Harley, who is THE goodest boy that ever wagged a tail was enthralled by animals all around us, chickens, ducks, kitties and a goat, who may actually be the Devil according to Harley. Very close to the VL Sanctuary is Stockman Park. It's small but has a large grassy field and possibly the cleanest and least offensive porta-john I've ever used. A short drive away is the historic Star Fort, a revolutionary war site with some cool remnants of earthen battlements and a couple miles of walking trails. There's also a rails to trai
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December 2022 by Alex Reznikoff
I recently bought an empty Van from here and hired Dan to install the electrical components. He is knowledgeable, efficient, and passionate about his work. He answered my newbie questions. Guided me to making good decisions, explained why with patience and without judgment. I am delighted in his work and will go back for more.Services: Air & cabin filter replacement
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December 2022 by Stephanie G.
Dan at Vanlife Sanctuary is the best! I recently retired and plan to travel to visit with family/friends, see new places and go camping for as long as I want. I bought a used Ford E-350 van with a hightop and am going pretty minimalist with my build, but knew I must have some basic comforts/conveniences like a roof fan & a 12v frig. I originally contacted Dan via Vanlife Sanctuary's website. After exchanging a couple of emails where Dan answered my initial questions, I met with him for a consultation and went forward with getting a roof fan & house battery installed. Dan made great recommendations, did very skillful work and was friendly & professional. I know very little about the electrical aspects and Dan was patient with all my questions & really helped me understand the final setup. I definitely recommend Dan & Vanlife Sanctuary for help making your vanlife dreams come true!
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September 2022 by Claudia Schruhl
Dan is very knowledgeable about all references with vanlife, honest person and very responsible, he is also very good to return calls and help every time I need himI highly recommend ??
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June 2022 by Nikki Covington
Dan is the man! He is very professional, friendly, and keeps you in loop on your projects! Love this guy!
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June 2022 by Nk Bendeck
It's so cool
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June 2022 by Em Poff
Full moon?
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May 2022 by Grant Gopian
Honest, humble and hard working. If you want the best of the best Dan and Dean will impress you with their hands on ability to craft the most impressive vans. They are not only updated with best technology and highly efficient but they provide all the creature comforts of home. Truly a solid deal would highly recommend!!
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May 2022 by Kathy Hudson
Dan is very experienced and installed a Webasto heater in my Promaster (gas). I recommend him to help you with your build-out needs! Congenial! ???
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April 2022 by Sammi Hollinger
I was on a trip and the solar mysteriously stopped charging. I could not figure out what the problem was. I had heard that Dan's shop was woman-friendly and he knew his stuff. This is all true. Additionally, he has spots for folks to stay in their vans while work is being done. He actually worked WITH me to troubleshoot my problem AND he gave me a few ideas that would improve things, so we did them. Dan is a smart mechanic and a genuinely kind man. I cannot recommend him highly enough. If you are having trouble out there or need some ideas, stop by Vanlife Sanctuary, you will be happy you made the drive.Service: Electrical
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April 2022 by Kala Kaminsky
While on a trip in my solar minivan camper to Asheville, NC, I lost the use of my inverter and saw that it had become disconnected from the battery. When neither myself or friend could reattach it, I decided to take a short detour and called Dan at Van Sanctuary. He assured me he could fix it, and I found his expertise and hospitality to be authentic and unique. He suggested very reasonable tweaks to my retrofitted minivan, which made a tremendous difference and welcome comfort. The sanctuary proved to be such for me, and I stayed two days, enjoying the company of other vanlifers and improving the health of my minivan. I can wholeheaertedly recommend them and hope to return for more improvements in future trips. Many thanks to Dan and Dean.Service: Body & Trim
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April 2022 by Agnes Tapolyai
I came to Dan with a vision of how I wanted my home on wheels to look like and Dan and his team brought this vision to life! I received my Promaster with custom cabinets, flooring, full plumbing and electrical work, and I couldn't be more thrilled with how it turned out. Throughout the entire process, Dan was very transparent on the progress, price, quality of work, he truly is a man of his word. Anyone who is looking to build out, re-do, repair any sort of camper van, Dan is your man!
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April 2022 by Eliot Guin
Currently sitting in my toasty van on day 10 out in the Rockies all thanks to these guys. Chasing powder dreams this winter I needed to find the right people to put in the espar diesel heater to my T1N. After a few conversations with Dan it became clear to me that I could trust these guys with such a critical piece of my build. Their expertise on both the van and the heater was evident and gave me great confidence that they were the right choice. Day of the installation I was in a bit of a time crunch and they were grinding to get the job done in one day for me. Not only did they do that but Dean even lent me his bicycle to go grab a bite in town and a hammock on site for the day. Really an all-around fantastic experience. Can't recommend these guys enough.
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April 2022 by Sakonsuda P.
I spent months looking for someone who would finish my electrical system, I am glad that I found Dan at Vanlife Sanctuary. He is very knowledgeable, experienced, and transparent on the process. He even gave us so many advices and suggestions since we are new to vanlife, we have learned so much for him. Moreover, we not only have a working electrical system but we also have an isolator as our secondary charger. He also re-installed our diesel heater for us which the fuel line is now connected to our gas tank - no more fuel gallon inside the van :) We are very happy with all the works he had done and will definitely be back again for our future upgrades and repairs. If you are looking for someone to finish your build, re-do, repair, or upgrade, Dan is your man!
