“The three bids were on one sheet and the schedule was on the last page. Our board voted at the first meeting it came up.”
Deirdre F.Finance chair, neighborhood church in Bessemer
Heating and air for churches and schools in Birmingham
A proposal your board can vote on
When the heat quits in the sanctuary or the classroom wing, the decision lands on volunteers. We put the scope, the bids, the insurance certificate and a work schedule built around your services into one packet, written to be read at a board meeting.
Where is the work?
Churches
What the board gets
Inside the proposal packet
One packet per job, in the order a board asks its questions. It is the same eight parts whether the job is one rooftop unit or a whole wing.
- 01
A one-page summary
The recommendation on a single sheet: what is wrong, what we propose, the total and the dates. The board can vote from this page and read the rest to check it.
- 02
Scope, line by line
Every room, unit and duct the work touches, the equipment by model, the permit and the haul-away of the old system. Nothing is left to a phrase like "complete installation".
- 03
Bids you can compare
The packet carries a one-page list of what any second contractor’s bid should state, so the board compares the same things and not two different jobs.
- 04
The insurance certificate
A certificate of insurance with your church or school as certificate holder, attached. If your own policy asks for wording added, tell us and we send the request to our agent.
- 05
Work around services and classes
A calendar page: the days we are in the building, the days we are not, which work is loud and where the trucks park.
- 06
Warranty and terms
Parts and labor terms written out, with anything the maker requires to register. If a term is not on the page, it is not promised.
- 07
The payment schedule
When each payment is due and what it is tied to, so the treasurer can plan the month and the board can see the total before the vote.
- 08
A signature line
For whoever your bylaws let sign for the congregation or the school. We do not advise on bylaws; we leave the line blank.
Churches
Services and funerals do not move, so the work does
A sanctuary is empty most of the week and full when it matters. We schedule the loud work for weekdays and put the days we will not be there on the calendar page of the packet.
Sunday and midweek services are marked first; nothing is planned across them
Weddings and funerals are called to the office, and the crew steps back
Loud work, like drilling and crane lifts, is set for days the building is empty
One lead tells the church office each morning what is happening that day
Rooms and buildings
Every room has a different job
A sanctuary, a fellowship hall and a first-grade wing do not need the same system. The packet says which room gets what and why.
The sanctuary
High ceilings, long hours off and a full house on Sunday. We look at how the room is heated before the congregation arrives.
Fellowship hall and kitchen
A room that goes from empty to a hundred people. Air changes and a hood in the kitchen matter as much as the unit.
Classrooms and offices
Small zones with their own thermostats, so a Tuesday office does not heat the Sunday school wing.
Gym and multipurpose room
Large volume and loud play. We place equipment where a ball will not find it.
Nursery and preschool rooms
Steady temperature and filters changed on a schedule, because the youngest children are in these rooms.
Parsonage or rectory
A house on the church’s books and a family in it. Same packet, same way, a smaller job.
Schools
The window is short, so the plan is long
Summer break and spring break are the only weeks a school building is quiet. We plan the lifts, the shutdowns and the restart before the first unit comes off the roof.
Bell schedule, drop-off and pickup lines go on the calendar page
No lifting over a play yard while children are outside
Volunteers get one name and one number, not a phone tree
Filters and ventilation are checked before the first day back
The paperwork
What you can hand the treasurer
Boards and insurers ask for the same few documents. They are in the packet, and the license line is in the footer of every page.
License
HVAC contractor
AL Lic. 000000 · Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
Required in Alabama for heating and air conditioning work above the board’s dollar limit
Insurance
General liability and workers’ compensation
Certificate of insurance
A certificate naming your church or school goes in every packet
Technicians
EPA Section 608 certification
Held by our technicians who handle refrigerant
What boards say about the packet
“They took the rooftop units off over spring break and we only knew because the gym was warm on Monday.”
Earlene R.Parent volunteer, elementary school
“The certificate of insurance was in the packet before our trustee asked for it. That saved us a week.”
Nate D.Trustee, congregation in Hoover
Sample reviews.
Jefferson and Shelby counties
Birmingham and the congregations around it
Churches and schools in Jefferson and Shelby counties. The office is on Finley Boulevard, and the crew starts from there.
Jefferson County
- Birmingham
- Homewood
- Mountain Brook
- Vestavia Hills
- Hoover
- Bessemer
- Hueytown
- Fairfield
- Center Point
- Irondale
- Trussville
- Gardendale
Shelby County
- Pelham
- Alabaster
- Helena
We do not travel to Huntsville, Tuscaloosa or Montgomery. If you are outside Jefferson and Shelby counties, call and we will say so before you spend a week waiting.
Questions boards ask
Can you give us something the board can read and compare?
Yes. Every job gets a written packet: scope, equipment by model, the permit, the insurance certificate, a work calendar, warranty terms and the payment schedule. It also lists what a second contractor’s bid should state so you can compare like with like.
Do you carry insurance, and can you send the certificate?
We carry general liability and workers’ compensation. The certificate goes in the packet with your church or school named as holder. If your policy needs particular wording, tell us and we send the request to our agent.
Can you work around our services and classes?
That is how we plan. The calendar page lists the days we are in the building and the days we are not. Loud work goes on weekdays when the building is empty, and we stay off weddings, funerals and the school day’s pickup lines.
Who signs the proposal?
Whoever your bylaws or your school’s policy let sign. The signature line is blank. We do not advise on bylaws, and we will wait while the board meets.
The carbon monoxide alarm is sounding. What do I do?
Leave the building, call 911 and keep everyone outside until the fire department says it is clear. Then call us. Do not restart the furnace or boiler until it has been checked.
Tell us about the building
Marla Sutherland reads every message and calls back the next working morning.
Phone(205) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed