Historic Agency x E-Book Copy
HOME
Visioneering Studios offers innovative, tailored solutions for all of your project needs. Our Development Advisory Services (DAS) have been proven to control costs, streamline schedules, and produce better, creative, and more effective results.
Development Advisory Services (DAS) is a new opportunity for Visioneering Studios to partner with our clients on their journey from Dream to Dedication Day. We help you find the answers you need, walk with you through the entire development process, and serve as a catalyst for accomplishing your building goals.
It’s easy to continue doing things the way they’ve always been done, sticking to the familiar rhythm of a trusted routine. Churches can’t be expected to know what they don’t know, which is exactly where Visioneering's Development Advisory Services (DAS) comes in. We do know, and we’d love to accept the role as Advisor for all of your design and development needs.
Through Development Advisory Services (DAS), Visioneering listens to your church’s story and the current needs of your congregation, and then we interpret that information to create tailored solutions. We understand these creative and analytical pieces go hand-in-hand, and that’s why we’re committed to utilizing both thought processes to deliver the best possible results.
Himalayan Sherpas are sought-after for their level of professionalism and expertise, and because there’s no way to reach the goal without them. In the same way, Visioneering's Development Advisory Services (DAS) is a Sherpa in the development world. We play a vital role in ensuring your church’s building dreams are brought to life using the most efficient, effective, and economical approach, and we’ll be there to support you in every success and setback along the way. ——————————————————————————————————————
WHO IS VISIONEERING?
Visioneering Studios exists to launch inspired vision into reality across project types ranging from renovation, reconfiguration, expansion, or new construction. Our team of developers, real estate professionals, architects, and construction specialists seeks to be a trusted partner focused on stewarding our client’s story and space.
As an integrated design-build organization, Visioneering is capable of managing a project’s budget, scope, and schedule from the earliest days of real estate and development all the way through architecture and construction. This approach positions Visioneering to offer innovative, tailored solutions for all of your project needs. Our process has been proven to control costs, streamline schedules, and produce better, creative, and more effective results. ——————————————————————————————————————
WHAT IS DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY SERVICES?
Development Advisory Services (DAS) is a new opportunity for Visioneering to partner with our clients on their journey from Dream to Dedication Day by answering the following questions, which can cause analysis paralysis over long periods of time:
** What do we need to build?
** How much will it cost and how do we pay for it? ** How long will it take?
It’s important to acknowledge and address these concerns prior to investing any money into remodeling, expanding, or other construction endeavors. With DAS, we’ll help you find the answers you need, walk with you through the entire development process, and serve as a catalyst for accomplishing your building goals.
——————————————————————————————————————
WHAT IS THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS?
In the world of commercial real estate, every successful developer has a due diligence process they adhere to when taking on a new project. This process begins by addressing questions relating to the big picture:
** How many square feet do we need? ** What is it going to cost?
** How long will this take to complete?
Once these questions are sufficiently answered, it’s time to dig into the critical research phase. Commercial developers conduct market research by looking closely at the defining characteristics of an area, those qualities that are likely to influence (and be influenced by) a construction project. These may include:
** Demographics and population trends
** Spending habits and economic insight
** Proximity of similar brands or businesses
After the research is complete and all the data analyzed, developers oversee an ALTA survey to determine whether the area can actually support the potential growth. If the answer is yes, the planning phase is then put into motion:
** Defining property lines and deciding where it is the expansion will go
** Securing specific points on the property, like entrances, exits, and walkways ** Talking to leasing agents and discussing specific logistics of the development
The feedback collected from this planning period gets rolled into what’s known as the Proforma. This is a document outlining the overall project cost of the proposed development along with its return on investment (ROI), or the payback to the developer for every dollar invested.
The overall cost from the Proforma feeds into the project’s cash flow forecast, indicating the cost per month to the owner/developer if plans move forward. This analysis looks at the entire budget, applies it to the given timeline, and spreads that amount across the life cycle of the project indicating the monthly costs that will be incurred. ——————————————————————————————————————
HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO THE CHURCH?
Today, this due diligence happens with every successful commercial building project. So then, why has the church chosen not to do it this way? The answer is simple: because churches are for ministry, not construction. The focus of the church is on spreading the Gospel message, not on executing building plans.
It’s easy to continue doing things the way they’ve always been done, sticking to the familiar rhythm of a trusted routine. Churches can’t be expected to know what they don’t know, which is exactly where DAS comes in. We do know, and we’d love to accept the role as Advisor for all of your design and development needs.
Every step a commercial developer takes in this process can be applied to a church; you might be asking different questions, but you’re looking for the same results. Here are just a few examples of how churches and commercial properties differ, and how they are alike:
** Commercial properties organize market research to discover population trends and
demographics. Churches can benefit from demographic research to discover who is in their community and who is not being reached.
** Commercial properties have an ALTA survey to find out if a particular area is able to accept development. Churches can benefit from an ALTA survey by understanding areas of their site that will accept new structures.
** Commercial properties analyze leasing feasibility to identify monetary investment versus the return on that investment generated by tenant leasing. Churches can benefit from a Strategic Feasibility Plan (SFP) that analyzes attendance and financials to project growth trends and potential project budgets.
** Commercial properties have a Proforma detailing the investor’s ROI and the return on equity. Churches can benefit from a development budget, conceptually indicating costs broken down into ‘buckets’ to better visualize how the dollars are utilized.
** Commercial properties do a cash flow analysis, spreading their budget across the project’s life cycle and forecasting how much each month will cost. Churches can also benefit from a cash flow analysis to determine the monthly payments for the entire project. This helps to create a budget for the future and understand how the bottom line will be impacted.
** Commercial properties have an executive review prior to approving the development concept to move forward into design. Churches can benefit from a comprehensive DAS deliverable review to provide clarity and support for the next steps.
** Commercial developers consult with shareholders, executive teams, and tenants. Churches can benefit from consulting with their elder boards, senior leaders, financial staff, and congregation. ——————————————————————————————————————
HOW DOES DAS WORK?
The DAS process is comprised of three main phases:
ENVISION: Answering the question: What is the project?
DESIGN: Drafting the plans and architectural components
BUILD: Beginning the actual construction process
1. The Envision phase involves:
** Understanding the people in your area — who they are, what they like or don’t like to do, and so on ** Creating a Strategic Feasibility Plan to identify the financial investment needed for your project
** Conducting a site analysis and RECON session to uncover your church’s unique attributes
2. The Design phase involves:
** Ensuring the alignment of your project’s budget, scope, and schedule
** Developing a master plan alongside nationally-licensed architects
** Taking a look at spatial storytelling through interior design details (like furniture and fixtures)
3. The Build phase involves:
** Working with a nationally-licensed general contractor to begin construction ** Supervising what’s happening onsite as plans are unfolding
** Managing expectations through weekly development meetings
From beginning to end, the DAS approach requires us to balance our creative and analytical thinking. We listen to your church’s story and the current needs of your congregation, and then we interpret that information to create tailored solutions. We look at your situation from all angles:
Can this expansion happen within the available space? What if we just use more chairs and rethink the existing set-up? Do we actually have to construct an entirely new building? If so, where will that go?
We’re constantly weighing one idea against another in this creative and analytical tug o’ war. CREATIVE versus ANALYTICAL
Listen Visualize
Generate
Observe Scrutinize Implement
We understand these creative and analytical pieces go hand-in-hand, and that it’s not proper stewardship to have one without the other. That’s why we’re committed to utilizing both thought processes, in order to deliver the best possible results. ——————————————————————————————————————
HOW WILL YOUR CHURCH BENEFIT FROM DAS?
A wonderful analogy can be drawn between the role of our Development Advisory Team and that of a Himalayan Sherpa. Sherpas are renowned for their incredible skills and experience in mountaineering, and are paid to help foreign climbers prepare a route to follow, fix ropes in place, and carry necessary items up the mountain. Considering the immense difficulty involved with summiting Mount Everest, a Sherpa is an invaluable resource to first-time explorers.
We believe Visioneering has been called to serve as a Sherpa for the development process, equipping you with answers to all of the questions that can paralyze your church from moving forward. We’re uniquely qualified to fix the ropes, carry the kit, and provide direction for the journey ahead. Our team will help you take the next step, and the step after that, and however many steps are needed. We’ll walk with you from start to finish as your trusted partner in this process.
Sherpas are sought-after for their level of professionalism and expertise, and because there’s no way to reach the goal without them. In the same way, DAS is a Sherpa in the development world. We play a vital role in ensuring your church’s building dreams are brought to life using the most efficient, effective, and economical approach, and we’ll be there to support you in every success and setback along the way.