Three ways to deliver a church project
Before the first drawing, a church decides how the project will be organized. The names sound technical, but each one answers a simple question: who does the church sign with?
| Method | Who the church signs with | What it tends to do well | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design-bid-build | An architect first, then a general contractor after the design is done. | The congregation controls the design and compares contractors on the same drawings. | The price is known late, so it needs pricing checks during design to stay on budget. |
| Design-build | One firm that is responsible for both the design and the construction. | One point of responsibility, and design and construction move together. | The church has less independent oversight, so it should be clear who speaks for the congregation. |
| Contractor during design | An architect, plus a general contractor who joins before the design is finished. | The contractor gives pricing and construction advice while the design can still change. | Ask how the contractor is selected and how the price is checked. |
These are general descriptions. The details of each contract change who carries which risks, so a church should have its attorney and insurer review them.
What does not change
Whichever method you choose, the same work has to happen. The church still needs a programming meeting to list the spaces it needs, how big they should be and how they will be used. It still needs a budget that separates the cost of the building from the total project cost, which we explain in our guide to church construction costs in North Carolina. It still goes through entitlement, a permit and construction, and the design still moves through schematic design, design development and construction documents.
The architect’s role stays the same too: shape the design with your leadership, lead the structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, civil, and acoustics and AV consultants, and protect the design during construction. What changes is who the architect works for and who the church talks to when something is wrong.
Questions to ask any firm
Use the same questions with an architect, a general contractor or a design-build firm:
- Who is accountable for the design, and who for the price? In design-build it is one firm. In design-bid-build it is two, and the church sits between them.
- When is the first pricing check? Ours happen against the budget at the end of schematic design, design development and construction documents, so the committee sees where the design stands before it is too late to change course.
- What happens if the price is above the budget? Ask for a clear process: what gets simplified, what gets phased and who decides.
- Who speaks for the church during construction? Someone should review submittals, answer questions from the field and walk the site for the congregation.
- How are changes handled? Ask how a change in scope is priced, approved and recorded.
- Can the building be phased? Many congregations cannot stop meeting while they build. Phasing is common in renovations and expansions, and construction can be planned so ministry continues.
What it looks like on a project
On 3D Community Church in Sanford, NC, our team prepared design development drawings in late 2023, 50% construction documents in December 2023 and construction documents for pricing in January 2024. We coordinated with the civil, structural and MEP engineers and worked with the general contractor, Ecclesia Construction. The building follows the 2018 North Carolina Building Code as an assembly occupancy. You can see the project in our 3D Community Church case study.
How to decide
Start with what the congregation values most. If it wants the most control over the design and a side by side comparison of contractors, design-bid-build with pricing checks during design fits. If it wants a single point of responsibility, design-build may fit, as long as someone speaks for the church. If it wants construction advice early, a contractor who joins during design can help.
Then test the decision with the questions above. A good firm will answer every one plainly, whatever the method.
What to bring to a first conversation
Bring the address of the property, your congregation size and growth goals, how you use your current space and a budget range. If you are weighing a new building against a conversion, our guide to renovating, expanding or building new compares the paths, and our guide on how to choose a church architect gives ten questions for the interview. Our church projects are in Charlotte and Sanford, NC, and we work with churches across North and South Carolina. You can read more about our church architecture services or contact the studio.