Our extensive design/construction know-how enables us to help our clients develop realistic initial estimates for preliminary budgeting. A well thought-out project budget will enable the R. Messner team to create a building design that fits within your project budget and will allow us to assist your church in refining the project budget throughout the whole design and construction process.
From the onset of the project, the Project Budget should be considered hand-in-hand with the Project Needs/Wants in order to arrive at a practical tentative square footage for the new building. It is important to first understand all of the potential cost components that can make up the total project budget so that a building budget can be determined. In lay terms, the main categories of direct construction-related costs for a project include:
| Building (Divisions 1-33 Less 2,11,12,31-33) | $ Estimate |
| Site-Related Items (Division 2, 31-33) | $ Estimate (based on civil engineering) |
| Equipment- A/V (Division 11) | $ Estimate (by A/V consultant |
| Furnishings (division 11) | $ Estimate (allowance by owner) |
| Total Project | $ Estimate* |
At the beginning of our design process, with the church’s input, we establish how much of the budget can be used for the actual building. This, in turn, helps us determine the amount of square feet that can be designed into the building (or Phase 1 of the building) and gives us insight regarding which Masterplanning concepts we can/should consider. In coordination with input from the church, our team will also help establish a tentative phasing approach and budget “safety valves” within the floorplan to allow for an alternate phasing approach for the project, if needed, due to possible future budget variations, church requested finish/quality upgrades, budget unknowns, and fluctuating economic conditions. During our construction management process, the project budget is broken down into a more detailed multi-division Line Item Schedule of Values estimate, based on actual bidding.