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Drew Vroman circa 2015
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Micki Vroman circa 2015
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Drew & Micki Vroman - Owners of Desert Drew's RV Roof Systems
DREW'S ROOFING EXPERIENCE:
Drew started working for a contractor doing residential and commercial roofing in 1983 to earn extra money while attending Thief River Falls Area Vocational-Technical Institute where he studied Auto-Body Technology. He learned how to install asphalt shingles and cedar shake shingles along with repairs to roof decks, joists and trim. In the mid 1980's he learned how to apply hot mop tar to flat roofs. In the 1990's he worked with his Brother-in Law and a contractor friend doing asphalt shingle and cedar shake shingle roofs on residential homes and elastomeric coatings on mobile homes.
In 2001 we bought our first RV, a 1972 24' Dodge Class A and started full-time RV living. The sheet metal roof was in poor shape so Drew made the necessary repairs and re-caulked all the seams using Dicor self-leveling sealer. We traveled in the southwest the first 3 years and it was a constant struggle to keep up with the sun-cracking Dicor sealer.
In 2004 we bought our second RV, a 1976 30' Holiday Rambler Presidential 3000, which we still own. We towed it with a 1987 3/4-ton Chevy Suburban powered by a stock 454 ci TBI engine & TH400 transmission. This is an all-aluminum bodied travel trailer with cross seams every 4'. Once again we struggled to keep up with the Dicor sealer cracking from the Arizona sun and then leaking in the rainy season. After several expensive and frustrating years of trying to keep up with the Dicor sealer Drew bought some Henry's elastomeric roof coating and applied several coats with poly-mesh fabric embedded at the seams and penetrations. This did the trick and the roof is leak-free 5 years later but will need another coat soon as the Henry's coating is only good for about 5 years. After 11 years of full-timing in this trailer and wanting to take more toys with us when traveling, we have retired it to "back-up" trailer in case of a catastrophe with our newest trailer.
1976 30' Holiday Rambler Presidential 3000, circa 2006 at Echo Bay Resort where Micki was Hotel Manager
In 2009 we bought a 1 acre rural property near Lake Mead with a run-down 1984 double-wide mobile home, electric, septic and a water storage tank. We bought the property hoping to rebuild the Mobile home to use once we can no longer travel and as a "base" while traveling. The roof had seen better days! About 60% of the asphalt shingles had been ripped off or damaged by the high winds that are common in the area and several sheets of the plywood decking had water damage. Drew's solution was to remove the remaining shingles, pull all the roofing nails, replace the damaged plywood, and apply 4 coats of Henry's elastomeric coating with poly-mesh fabric reinforcement at the seams and flashings. We have since decided not to rebuild the mobile home due to its age and extensive repairs needed.
Roof damaged by wind and water.
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Embedding poly-mesh in first coat.
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Leak-free after 4 coats of Henry's.
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In 2015 we bought our third RV, a 2006 34' Forest River Sandpiper Sport SP34T (toyhauler). This trailer is in great shape but the EPDM roof membrane is 10 years old (average lifetime of EPDM is 10 years) and it has the typical Dicor sealer cracking issues. We will be installing the SureCoat Systems 20+ year system this summer. We tow this trailer with our "classic" 1982 1-ton GMC "3+3 Camper Special" dually powered by a modified 454 ci engine & modified TH400 transmission.
2006 34' Forest River Sandpiper Sport SP34T towed by 1982 GMC 454 ci 1-ton dually.
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2006 34' Forest River Sandpiper Sport SP34T parked with 1982 GMC 454 ci 1-ton dually.
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DREW'S HELPFUL EXPERIENCE:
As a teenager Drew worked summers with his Uncle who restored classic Ford Mustangs. He learned to do basic bodywork and helped to do the final sanding process (called wet-sanding) where every square inch of the cars' body is meticulously sanded with fine grit sand paper. If any area is missed during this process the finished paint will not adhere for very long (I'm sure you've all seen the car with peeling paint).
After attaining a GED diploma ahead of his graduating class, Drew attended the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks. Drew pursued a double major of Professional Pilot and Astronomy. Learning to fly taught him the importance of highly focused attention to fine details that can mean the difference between life and death for the pilot and passengers. Astronomy taught him advanced mathematics, critical thinking and precision manipulation of fine instruments. Financial difficulties forced Drew to drop out in his second year.
Drew worked for a 30-year veteran house painter for 1 season learning interior and exterior painting techniques using brushes, rollers, power-rollers and pressurized spray equipment eventually working his way up to being a trim specialist, the position demanding the highest precision and skill.
Drew then attended Thief River Falls Area Vocational Technical Institute where he was formally trained as an Auto-Body Technician. Drew learned welding, metal fabrication, precision body and frame straightening, front-end alignment, A/C repair and automotive painting. One of Drew's instructors took him under his wing and taught Drew the art of restoring antique and classic vehicles to museum quality standards. This appealed to Drew's perfectionist nature and after graduating he specialized in museum-quality restorations and show-quality customizing of antique and classic cars, trucks, and boats for over 26 years. Early in Drew's career he worked for 3 years at a custom car manufacturer doing the final prep work on the custom fitted fiberglass bodies. For 1 year Drew worked at a boat hull repair shop repairing wooden structural damage and rebuilding the fiberglass surfaces. Meticulous surface preparation was the key to lasting quality during those years of my life and I continue to use that philosophy to provide the best and longest lasting RV roof repairs and RV roof system installations possible. Drew retired from his auto-body career when we decided to RV full-time.
A few examples of vehicles Drew worked on during his auto body career.
While Micki was the Hotel Manager at Echo Bay Resort Drew worked as a custom cabinet makers' assistant which provided him with the opportunity to further hone his precision wood-working skills.
Drew was the Environmental Manager (among other positions) at the gold mine we worked at overseeing the proper storage of, proper use of, and proper disposal of every chemical on the property according to EPA and Mining Safety and Health Administration standards. You can be assured that Drew will use environmentally sound practices when working on your roof.
Micki has worked in the casino/hotel/resort industry since the 1990's in positions such as Lead Cashier, Front Desk Clerk, Night Auditor, Assistant Manager, and Manager. Micki has assisted Drew with many of his projects on her off days and evenings. Micki is also an accomplished Pastel Artist specializing in "hyper-realism".
Micki at one of the hotels she currently works at.
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Pastel Frog by Micki Vroman.
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Pastel Squirrel by Micki Vroman.
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