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More Than Meets the Eye

by Bailey Webb     Added July 16, 2010

As published in Worship Facilities, Jul/Aug 2010

There are a couple of different approaches to selecting a general contractor for new construction or renovation. You have the obvious, tangible, nuts-and-bolts checklist of references and past work and budgets. When it comes to church construction, though, there are intangible elements as well.

Of course, the general contractor has to understand the budget and design, but the church’s big picture is equally important. The GC has to understand the church’s mission and vision and be able to interpret and implement that into projects.

“It’s more a non-measureable than a measureable,” says Bob Fitzgerald, project manager for Atlanta area Ignatius House’s master plan construction. “If you don’t have that, you have a product, but it feels like something’s missing. It’s not just a building.

“Anybody can put up a building,” Fitzgerald continues. “It’s not just a rectangle building. It’s a rectangle building that’s harmonious with our mission.”

Located overlooking the Chattahoochee River, Ignatius House recently completed a land-use master plan required by the city of Sandy Springs, an Atlanta suburb. The land-use plan laid out Ignatius House’s vision for the next four decades, including renovation of an existing building—creating more counseling and contemplative space and handicap-accessible rooms, among other changes—and building a separate administrative building, all the while maintaining the site’s natural beauty.

Luckily for Ignatius House, it had the president of one of Atlanta’s oldest firms, Benning Construction, on its building committee. Ted Benning began his relationship with Ignatius House by participating in a retreat. Years later, he led the master planning process and now, voluntarily, is overseeing construction.

“When I look back on the process, the No. 1 thing I see that’s developed is a relationship of confidence and trust,” Benning says. “It’s extremely important to have people who share the vision and grasp the technical aspects.”

Weighing Options

The current economy creates both opportunity and risk. On one hand, labor prices are 15%-20% lower than three years ago, says Mike Tompkins, business development director for Dallas-based Julian P. Barry General Contractor L.P. Materials prices are on the rise, though, with J.P. Barry’s suppliers stating price increases of 8%-12% at midyear, especially for steel and copper, Tompkins says.

Recession also creates a flight to quality where only the strong survive as financially weak contractors slip by the wayside.

“Economic downturns are good for the construction business in that it cleans house,” Tompkins says. “A good contractor will plan ahead and weather the storm in a downturn. In a good economy, anybody can pretend to be a contractor.

“It’s times like this that separates contractors who have satisfied their clients though the years and developed relationships for future business that will survive,” Tompkins concludes.

That’s why references and financial background checks are the place to start in selecting a contractor. It’s imperative to check references, going back as many years as you feel necessary, and review contractors’ finances and bonding capabilities. Contractors’ reputations in your municipality and their relationship with the architectural community are worth exploring, as well. The same rules apply to subcontractors, as their financial instability can just as easily sink a project, especially in an economic environment that’s hammered the construction industry and driven many GCs and subcontractors out of business.

“The greater risk for project owners is the increased likelihood of under-capitalized general contractors suffering fatal losses as a result of absorbing these subcontractor failures,” says Bryan Knupp, senior vice president of Charlotte, N.C.-based Edifice Inc., general contractors. “Owners should use extreme diligence in selecting a financially strong contractor. They should implement a working agreement that allows the GC to utilize the same diligence in procuring stable subcontractors.”

Experience with church construction is key, too, both with new construction and renovation. For example, Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas chose Julian P. Barry to renovate its sanctuary based on the contractor’s experience with church construction and renovation in general and specific experience with Gothic architecture. These projects can be especially difficult due to the noise, dust and safety issues involved, and they generally take greater care and more time to complete, Tompkins reports. During construction, Highland Park used the sanctuary for weekly Sunday services and also installed a $4-million organ.

“Selecting a contractor without the knowledge of dust control and containment, proper scheduling, noise containment and keeping the project safe can be disastrous,” Tompkins says.

Highland Park and Julian P. Barry have built a solid relationship over the past decade, with Barry completing four projects and currently working on a fifth. Highland Park UMC generally starts with its building committee of laity and staff to lay out a project’s vision and creates a plan and timeline. Then, the church selects an architect and creates renderings and documents and plans for pricing and budgets.

Oftentimes, construction projects involve the architect and general contractor working separately, but Highland Park UMC and J.P. Barry’s relationship has developed to the point where the church requires the contractor to lead the effort, or “drive the bus,” says Russell Peevy, Highland Park UMC’s director of building services.

“It is a huge burden that the church doesn’t have to carry as far as who’s doing what,” Peevy says. “Having the ability to use the same people over and over really is a gift. If a church takes ownership of a project and relinquishes control to the general contractor, it saves a lot of headaches.”

Of course, money talks and churches want to get any pricing breaks available, but where you find those breaks and wring out inefficiencies can be more important than the general contractor’s fees—and can save a lot of money. Here, the GC’s relationship with the architect becomes even more important, as they are tasked with finding those savings in pre-construction. Recently, Edifice eliminated $2 million in construction costs on a single job through this process.

“Simply having the staff with knowledge to suggest quality alternate materials and systems made all the difference,” says Wiley Brown, director of marketing at Edifice’s Cornerstone Group. “Fees represent a small percentage of project costs, yet churches often give great weight to that when selecting a general contractor. Rather, churches would be far better served by focusing on a contractor’s demonstrated ability to work with the architect in identifying and eliminating costly design inefficiencies during pre-construction without negatively affecting the design intent. This is where real savings occur.”

Bailey Webb is an Atlanta-based freelance writer who grew up in the middle, or buckle, of South Georgia’s Bible Belt.