When congregations seek new church construction, it generates so much excitement and hope. It’s a step into the future that consolidates the expectations of your entire congregation. It’s also a challenging project that can pose as many problems as it solves. To avoid costly mistakes during church construction, it’s important to understand the potential pitfalls.
Hiring a Church Building Contractor: Seven Mistakes to Avoid
1. Getting Everyone Involved
You need input from everyone in your congregation, but too many heads can complicate decision-making. Settle on a building committee of five or six individuals who enjoy everyone’s confidence with the understanding that they are responsible for delivering project reports back to the congregation.
2. Hiring a Church Building Contractor Based on the Lowest Bid
As you manage the process of hiring the best contractor for your project, don’t make your final decision based on the lowest bid. Look for a church building construction firm with proven expertise in church design and construction. You also want a general contractor who values your working relationship as a long-term partnership.
3. Over-Projecting Your Growth Goals
One of the most important goals of building a new church is to expand space that accommodates a growing congregation. However, a larger building doesn’t guarantee increased membership. Your church construction contractor can help you develop realistic plans with square footage that can be repurposed as church membership grows as well as community outreach.
4. Overlooking the Value of Independent Advice
Building a church is a massive project. You need professional advice for navigating everything from financial considerations to zoning compliance. Stay open to input from your congregation, but invest in outside advisors. This strategy helps you maintain a solid construction track, and that helps control church building costs.
5. Moving on Plans Too Quickly
Recognize from the start that church construction planning is time-consuming. Be patient as you work on funding, design and church building plans. Listen carefully to your advisors and building contractor as they outline each job phase. When all plans are finalized, revisit every detail before breaking ground.
6. Assuming Nothing Will Go Wrong
When problems come up, you have to stay flexible, so anticipate contingencies. Develop a budget that allows for adjustments. Work with a church building contractor who can demonstrate a successful track record dealing with scheduling or supply delays. When construction begins, the delicate coordinate of all moving parts is essential to the completion of the project. Make sure you choose a church building construction company with experience.
7. Trying to Do It Yourself
Members of the congregation all have different talents they can contribute, but DIY strategies don’t hold down construction costs. Make it clear how much you appreciate an offer of donated time and labor, but let your church building contractor take care of all design and building phases.
Helping You During Church Construction
These are just a few of the mistakes we run into when talking to congregations and other construction companies about building a church. Our goal is to help you make the best development decision possible so that you can move forward with confidence. If we can assist with your plans for building a new church or you’d just like more information, give us a call at 814-745-3000. CBF Contracting is a full-service Pennsylvania construction company with more than 40 years of church building experience. Let us bring that experience to your church construction project.
