Economy has a different meaning for a church that it does for commercial enterprises. Remember that maintenance costs may well be more significant for a church than construction cost. Many commercial buildings and even residential structures have a limited life span.

A hundred year usable life is not unusual for a church. An economical decision made today may well be a trustees' nightmare 15 years later. While all churches tend to be frugal, frugality is different for a church than for a fast-food restaurant or a strip shopping center. A good roof of metal or slate is more expensive to install but fundamentally more economical in the long term.

Building committees need to be aware that they may be providing little time bombs for the buildings and grounds committees of the future. Flat, built -up roofs, concealed gutters and the "I'm sure it will make it another five years" air conditioning condensers are the worst offenders in this category of future problems.

A renovation project is the time that long-term concerns should be addressed. Roof and basement leaks need to be fixed. I have been told by a church that the basement only flooded when it rained hard. Another church felt that small bits of brick and plaster falling on the choir on a windy days was normal and not something that should cause concern. A renovation project is the time to deal with this sort of problem.