I can’t afford what I designed!
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One of the most common mistakes that churches make is hiring an architect and counting on the architect to design a facility that meets their budget. They hire the architect. They tell the architect everything that they would like to have in their facility. The architect designs them a great building that fulfills all their expectations. They put the project out to bid and are shocked to find out that the project is so far over their budget that they would never be able to build it. They are angry with the architect. They are discouraged and frustrated. They have wasted large sums of money and a lot of time. And a great deal of good will with the congregation. It can be a devastating experience for a church and can take many years to recover.
How can a church avoid this common mistake? First, it is important to understand the limitations of an architect. Architects are great at designing buildings that function well, look good and serve their intended purposes. However, an architect is not good at determining construction costs. So, when a church depends upon an architect to design a building within a budget, there is a significant likelihood that they will be disappointed with the results. Determining the cost of a building requires a different set of skills and up to date construction experience that few architects possess. It is difficult enough for an experienced builder to accurately determine what a building will cost.
So what approach should you take? A better way is to take a team approach that includes a church planner, a church architect and a church builder. The church planner will help to insure that you are building the right building for your ministry and vision. The church architect will help to insure you have a good design that will meet your needs. And the church builder will help insure that what is planned and designed fits within the established budget. By working together as a team, a game plan can be developed that insures the successful execution and completion of the project.
Case Study: FBC Hickory Withe
This church had enough foresight to understand that they needed to develop a master plan before they built their next facility. The church had already gone through two expansions and realized that they needed a plan for tying everything together rather than just adding another building. They hired a local architect to help them develop a master plan. At the beginning of the process the church established a construction budget of $2M. One year and thousands of dollars later the architect presented the church with a master plan, including as a first step a much needed sanctuary. The church put the plan out to local builders to get preliminary pricing. The initial bids came back at over $5M; more than double the established construction budget. Needless to say, there was a great deal of disappointment and frustration. A lot of time and money had been wasted and they had made no progress toward getting the new sanctuary that they needed.
The committee made contact with Trinity Design Group and, after an initial meeting, hired Trinity to help them move forward. After an initial evaluation of current facilities and a meeting with leadership to clarify their vision, a Strategic Master Planning process was begun. With the team meeting every two weeks to evaluate the vision, needs and resources of the church, a comprehensive Strategic Master Plan was developed in a period of eight weeks. The result was a master plan that accurately reflected their vision for the future while developing a Phase I plan that met their current needs and fit within their established budget. As the Strategic Master Plan was shared with the entire congregation, a great deal of excitement was generated and everyone was motivated to move forward as quickly as possible.
After spending a year developing a plan that would not work, within two to three months after hiring Trinity, the church was moving forward with architectural drawings and permitting for their new sanctuary. A few months after that, they were moving forward with construction. Going through the Strategic Master Planning process accelerated the church’s design and construction project, while giving the leadership and the body a clear vision for the future. This vision wasn’t just for buildings but for the ministry that would be carried out and the growth that could take place as they moved into the future.
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