See what your buildings may cost before they force a decision.
Most congregations know the roof is old. Far fewer can say which year it is likely due, what a planning range looks like, and what else may land in the same twelve months.
Buildings outlast every board.
A trustee term is a few years. A slate roof is not. The useful document is the calendar.
The number usually arrives at the worst time.
A boiler fails in December. A written plan does not prevent every surprise. It puts dated work in front of the board before failure forces the call.
The firms that do this work are rarely built for a single church.
This practice is written for a volunteer board that needs a document it can finish.
One document, in plain English, that gives your board a phased view of the work ahead.
I walk the buildings, record what I observe, and attach planning-level budget ranges from generally accepted costs. You get a ten-year plan trustees can read. Finance can use it as a starting point for reserves and for seeking proposals.
A planning range is not a bid. Fixed fee, quoted in writing before any work begins.
I do not bid the work. Assessment only — no repair, no commission. I am Alex Bard; I run facilities for eight church campuses in the Pittsburgh area. Start with a conversation. If a paid assessment is not the next step, I will say so.
Your annual property report — and a worksheet to help you file it.
For Global Methodist and United Methodist congregations in Western Pennsylvania.
Free worksheet
All ten items of paragraph 446.6, in the Discipline’s order. Email only. I will not call you because you downloaded it. Prints in black and white.
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Nine items are records. The tenth — the property evaluation, including accessibility — is a walk of the buildings. A condition report usually answers that item. It does not replace deeds or insurance declarations.
UMC churches compare insurance yearly under paragraph 2533.2.
One thing you should know
I work full time as Director of Facilities nearby. Bard Pro runs on my own time. The first assessment was on an employer campus, at no charge, with permission to publish. Weigh it as what it is.
Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? Proverbs 27:23–24, ESV
Five services. Most churches start with one of the first two.
Walkthrough assessment
One visit, a short written summary, a planning range for each.
Condition report
Full document; usually answers the property-evaluation item.
Reserve plan
Built on the condition-report inventory; sold attached to it.
Bid review
Side-by-side memo. I do not bid the work.
Owner’s representative
Hours capped. Oversight for the owner, not design.
Not sure which you need?
That is the first conversation. Sometimes the answer is none yet.
A document your trustees will actually finish.
A four-minute summary. Observations by building and system. A planning range and priority on nearly every item. A ten-year plan. Captioned photographs.
Visual and non-invasive only. No drawings, no calculations, no adequacy opinion, no code determination. Where a design professional is needed, the report names the kind of person to call.
Dollar figures are budget estimates from regional costs, not contractor quotes. Get competitive proposals before you commit money.
Read first: specimen report (composite church) and the case study (employer campus, disclosed).
Specimen. Composite example. Not a report on any actual property.
| Priority | Item | Building | Phase | Planning range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | Slate roof, south slope | Sanctuary | Years 1 to 2 | $45,000–$70,000 |
| P1 | Repointing, northeast corner | Fellowship hall | Years 1 to 2 | $12,000–$22,000 |
| P2 | Boiler, at typical service life | Education wing | Years 3 to 5 | $28,000–$45,000 |
| P2 | Main entrance ramp and signage | Sanctuary | Years 3 to 5 | $8,000–$15,000 |
| P3 | Asphalt lot, full depth repair | Site | Years 6 to 10 | $35,000–$60,000 |
Specimen · Composite example · Not a report on any actual property
I take care of eight church campuses. That is the whole qualification.
Alex Bard, Director of Facilities for four years, Pittsburgh area. Capital planning, vendors, finance-committee budgets, and the Wednesday a unit dies with Sunday three days away.
Before this: COO of a $3 million event-technology company; managing director of a $1.5 million nonprofit. Those jobs taught me how a board uses a document — short list, reason for each number, plain English.
How this fits with my job
Bard Pro is separate from my job and runs on my own time. I disclose the employment, take no work from vendors my employer buys from, and will not assess a property and then repair it. If that dual role became a problem, this practice would stop.
How it works
Conversation.
Twenty or thirty minutes. No charge. Sometimes I tell you not to hire me yet.
Written proposal.
Scope, exclusions, schedule, fixed fee.
Records request.
Missing files are normal. The report will say what was not available.
Visit.
I walk every building with someone who knows it, then give you the headlines.
Draft.
You correct what I got wrong before the board sees it.
Board presentation.
Included with a condition report.
Walkthrough: often two to three weeks after records arrive. Condition report: often four to six. The schedule is stated in the proposal. One engagement at a time. Half at signing, half on the draft. Written for church payment cycles.
Where I stop
I do not bid or perform the work I assess.
No commission or referral fee.
Not a design professional.
No drawings, no calculations, no opinion that a system is adequate.
No code determinations.
Your municipal official makes those.
Most reports refer something out
Structure, electrical capacity, fire systems I record but never test, possible asbestos or lead I never sample, manufacturer warranties I cannot confirm.
Visual only.
I do not climb roofs. Inaccessible areas are listed as inaccessible.
I tell you where my paycheck comes from.
I do not assess church-owned houses for a sale.
Tell me about your buildings.
Twenty or thirty minutes, no charge. If an assessment is not the next step, I will say so.
412-841-0082 · alex@bard-pro.com
I answer these myself, usually within two business days. Evenings and weekends are when I do this work.
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Thank you. I have your note and I will usually be in touch within two business days.
If it is easier to talk, call or text me at 412-841-0082.