Site Size
Rule of Thumb: Ideally 1 acre of land area for every 100 seats of auditorium/sanctuary plus additional land for outdoor recreation or expansion.
Parking
Rule of Thumb: One parking space for every 2.0 seats to 2.5 seats depending on turnover between services. As an example, for a sanctuary of 1,500 seats, you will need 667 parking spaces (1,500 ÷ 2.25). Figure each space consumes 350 square feet of land area (including circulation) so just parking alone requires 233,450 SF (5.36 acres) of land area.
Building Size
Total Facility Size. Based upon the size of auditorium/sanctuary multiplied by 50 SF per seat. So for a 1,500 seat sanctuary, you should plan for up to a 75,000 SF building that includes sanctuary, lobby, fellowship, classrooms, youth and support space. Examples: Living Way Fellowship (600 seats; 30,000 SF building); Mission Hills Church (1,700 seats; 100,000 SF building); Flatirons Community Church (3,900 seats; 160,000 building); Crossroads Church Loveland (1,000 seats; 55,000 SF building).
Auditorium (Sanctuary) Size. Based upon the desired number of seats multiplied by 15 SF per seat. So for a 1,000 seat auditorium, plan on 15,000 SF. This includes typical stage and some backstage areas.
Ground Up Building Costs
Rules of Thumb: from $250-350/SF including land, hard costs, soft costs, finance costs and outfitting costs (Audio, Visual, Light, Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment). Most people hear numbers that only consider hard or construction costs which will range from $130-$170/SF of building. We can provide a more specific breakdown of these costs if desired.
Existing Building Purchase and Renovation Costs
Rules of Thumb: approximately $145-200/SF including acquisition, renovation, soft costs, finance costs and outfitting costs (Audio, Visual, Light, Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment). As you can see, there is a huge cost savings by acquiring an existing building especially during these slow economic times in which many vacant properties (retail boxes, auto sales/service facilities, etc.) are vacant and available to purchase.
Existing Building Lease Renovation Costs
Rules of Thumb: approximately $50-100/SF including renovation (tenant improvements), soft costs, finance costs and outfitting costs (Audio, Visual, Light, Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment). Expect the new lessor to contribute a portion of the overall tenant improvement hard costs based on the length of the lease.
Financial
Total Facility Costs: a church’s total facility costs including debt service (principal and interest payments) and operating expenses (building operations). Advisors recommend that total facility costs not exceed thirty-three percent (33%) of the churches general operating budget.
Debt Service Salary Ratio. defined as the combined annual debt service plus total personnel costs (salaries and benefits) divided by the church’s general operating budget. This needs to be less than 70% of the church’s GOB. So for example, if the church’s debt service is 20% of the church’s GOB, then personnel costs must be less than 50%.
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