Pilgrim Van Builds

Here it is.

The new home of Pilgrim Van Builds.

After starting in my parents’ garage and driveway, moving through a few different shops, and slowly growing along the way, we finally have a place built for the next chapter.

2,000 square feet in Danvers, Massachusetts, with room for 2–3 vans inside, plenty of outdoor parking, and enough space to actually spread out and work.

There’s dedicated space for fabrication, woodworking, electrical work, parts and materials, and everything else that goes into building and servicing these vans.

We’re also growing the team, with a new employee recently joining us as we continue taking on more projects.

And the location is pretty hard to beat — right off Route 1 and close to I-95, making it much easier for customers from around the North Shore and beyond to get their vans in and out.

It’s still a work in progress, and there’s a lot more organizing, building, and setting up to do.

But after five years of growing Pilgrim Van Builds one step at a time, it feels pretty good to finally have a place to call home.

The next chapter starts here.

The last month has been a little hectic as we moved into the new shop, but before I show you where we are now, I wanted to take a look back at the places that got us here.

It started in my parents’ garage and driveway.

That’s where I built my first van, started taking on customers, and eventually realized this might actually become a business. Tight quarters, limited power, and a whole lot of figuring things out as I went.

Then came the first real shop — 800 square feet.

It had mice, terrible heat in the winter, and definitely wasn’t much to look at. But at the time, it felt huge. For the first time, I had a space that was mine, and I could actually start growing.

After that, I moved into a shared shop with a cabinet maker.

I learned a ton from him and had access to better tools and more space, but the shop came with its own challenges. Years of accumulated dust and junk meant there was always something to clean, and somehow there never seemed to be enough room.

Looking back, none of these places were perfect.

But each one was a little bigger, a little better, and taught me something that helped get Pilgrim Van Builds to the next step.

A driveway.

An 800-square-foot shop.

A shared shop.

And now, a 2,000-square-foot shop.

I’m grateful for every one of them.

They all got us here.

Now it’s time to show you what we’re building next.

After reaching California, the adventure was far from over.

From watching sea lions along the coast in San Diego, to climbing in Red Rock Canyon with friends, every week seemed to bring a new destination. There were days spent exploring Zion, returning to Red Rock for more climbing, soaking in hot springs beneath the Sierra Nevada mountains, getting caught in a snow storm in Joshua Tree and countless miles of road in between.

Eventually the journey led to Austin, Texas, where I stayed for over a month, a story for another post, before heading north through Colorado. I explored ancient cliff dwellings, wandered through mountain towns that looked straight out of a postcard, stood in the shadow of Mount Rushmore, watched bison roam the plains, tried some Chicago deep-dish pizza (not all it’s worked up to be), and finally pointed the van back toward Massachusetts.

What started as a project in my parents’ garage had become a vehicle that carried me across the country. Looking back, the places were incredible, but the people I met along the way are what I remember most.

Once the van was far enough along to live in, I finally headed west.

The destination was California, but I wasn’t in much of a hurry to get there.

The trip started in New Orleans, exploring the city’s famous Cities of the Dead and accidentally stumbling across the Moriarty family monument. Completely unrelated to me as far as I know, but it felt like a fitting first stop.

From there came the long drive across Texas, followed by a few days exploring Big Bend National Park. The scale of the place is hard to describe until you’re standing in it.

One of the things that surprised me most was how easy it was to meet people. A few strangers I met on the road turned into friends I explored Big Bend with, camped alongside in the desert, and stayed in touch with long after the trip ended.

After crossing through White Sands and watching sunsets in Arizona, I finally made it to California.

Looking back, this was the trip where the van stopped feeling like a project and started feeling like freedom.

I left Florida with a van that still wasn’t finished and a loose plan to see the country.

I arrived in California with a lot more confidence, a lot more stories, and the feeling that this adventure was just getting started.

When I got to Florida, the real work began.

I parked in my grandfather’s driveway and spent the next seven weeks turning an empty cargo van into something I could live in.

Every day was a new challenge.

Framing walls. Running wires. Building cabinets. Painting. Taking things apart and doing them again when they didn’t come out right.

The photos in this post show a lot of first attempts.

My first wall panels.

My first cabinets.

My first electrical system.

Some of it worked. Some of it didn’t. A lot of it taught me something.

There were plenty of late nights, including more than a few spent working by a single lamp after the sun went down.

Eventually, the van was ready to hit the road.

Well… mostly.

There were still projects left to finish and improvements to make, but it was good enough to start the adventure I’d been dreaming about.

Looking back now, I can see every mistake.

But I can also see the foundation of the skills that would eventually become Pilgrim Van Builds.

In December 2020, I graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering.

Like a lot of people graduating during COVID, I wasn’t entirely sure what came next.

I had started building a van in my parents’ garage, planning to finish it before heading west to look for engineering jobs and spend some time living on the road.

Then winter arrived, and progress slowed to a crawl.

The build wasn’t finished, so I decided to head south to Florida and finish it in my grandfather’s driveway.

I packed everything I owned into the van, said goodbye to some friends, and hit the road.

The last photo is my first night sleeping in it. The van was still packed with tools, materials, and everything I owned. I had carved out just enough space for a sleeping bag.

Looking back now, it’s hard to believe that trip eventually led to Pilgrim Van Builds.

At the time, I was just trying to build a van and figure out what came next.

Looking back at where this all started feels especially important right now.

Five years ago, after graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering , I bought a van and started building it in my parents’ garage.

At the time, I wasn’t thinking about opening a van conversion company. I just wanted to build something of my own and see where it could go.

That first project led to a first customer. Then a few more. Before long, the driveway was full, nights and weekends disappeared, and Pilgrim Van Builds started to take shape.

The photos in this post are a few snapshots from that journey.

The first van.

The first customer.

The driveway that became a workspace.

The builds that helped shape this company into what it is today.

There are some exciting changes happening behind the scenes right now, and before I share what’s next, it feels right to start at the beginning.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing the story of how Pilgrim Van Builds came to be.

Stay tuned.

Looking for a Part-Time Shop Assistant

Part-time help needed for a van-to-RV conversion business. Up to 20 hours per week to start, with flexible scheduling. Could be a good fit for a high school or college student looking for work during the school year, with potential for more hours during summer.

Duties:
Cleaning and organizing the shop
Assisting with projects as needed
Basic inventory management

Requirements:
Willingness to learn and take direction
Some experience with hand or power tools is a plus, but not required.

Start date would be end of March.

Example of work below