repairs

Even with good maintenance buildings age and it will always be necessary to, at some point, carry out some form of repairs. Problems can arise from movement in the building, insect infestation may damage the timbers or flooding may have occurred. Whatever the repairs are thorough planning will be essential to ensure the successful completion of work.

Once you have identified any issue you should ask your architect, or surveyor, to visit and to recommend what work should be carried out. Your architect will be able to talk through any repairs that are necessary and advise on the most appropriate materials and methods to be used as well as developing a technical specification.

Carrying out any repair work is likely to require approval from your relevant denominational governing body and/or the heritage body responsible for historic buildings within your country. In order to discuss your repair needs and identify the specific requirements of your denomination you will be able to find contact details of the relevant organisations within the In Your Area section of this website.

It is necessary to understand how much the project is likely to cost, how much money you have available and how much finance each phase of work will require.

After discussing the work with your architect, and drawing up technical specifications, you should get some estimates for the repairs and draw up a budget plan. The budget plan will list your income and expenditure and will get you thinking about how you will raise funds to meet the cost of the project. Your budget plan will also make your financial situation clear to yourselves as well as any potential funding bodies.

Your budget should be clear and comprehensive and include all costs including materials, professional fees, administrative charges and VAT. You should also include a suitable level of contingency to cover any unforeseen costs and these should be calculated as a percentage of your total project cost; somewhere between 10% and 15% should be adequate. If your building is listed then you may be able to reclaim VAT under the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

There are many sources of funding available to help cover any shortfall in your own fundraising. You should start your search within our Finding Funding section as well as the funding tabs within the In Your Area section.