Decades ago, those words and the title of this article were stated by my Father-in-Law while I was helping him build bean poles in his garden. The bean poles were of my design where we set vertical 1×2’s into the ground 7 feet apart along the row with horizonal pieces top and bottom with twine every six inches attached to and from the top to the bottom horizonal pieces. Then we built another in identical rack in the adjacent row directly across from the first and placed additional 1×2’s across the top from one side to the other hook the two together for stability. We were using roof tile battens from my inventory and a staple gun from the shop to put it all together.
The configuration of the bean poles is unimportant for this story, what matters is my distaste for things that look crooked when they should be straight. I do not like crooked lines be it in bean poles or courses of shingles or tiles on roofs. I have always been quite particular that we lay up our roofs in straight lines for a professional appearance. My longtime friend, the guy who used to work on the other side of ridge from me back in the day, and my business partner Mike Cooper shares this same attitude.
Back to the bean poles; As we were fastening the top horizonal pieces together, something looked off, so I asked my father-in-law to hold them in place while I double checked the measurements to make sure they were level. That is when he said, why does it matter? We ain’t building a church!
It mattered because that in addition to my distaste for crooked lines, I believe anything worth doing is worth doing right. I did not want to come back to visit and look at out of level crooked poles which may have worked fine but looked like, well, not good! The doing it right thing is something I got from my own father a carpenter and cabinet builder who chastised me for hurrying things in my youth. It has stuck with me through the years and is something I try to emulate and pass on and instill into our crews.
Pride in workmanship and a job well done is something our entire company believes in. The vast majority of roofing companies pay piece work so the more roof you put down the more you make. We tried this way back in our early days and found it to be a recipe for sloppy cut corner work as quality was often dropped to the wayside for more production. Although we still offer incentives and bonuses, we pay everyone a respectable hourly wage and demand quality over production. Our installers believe in the same principle and are proud to work for a company dedicated to quality and doing it right.
We are a non-denominational company allowing everyone to worship as they wish or wish not to. I mention this because we have been selected and hired to perform work on what we believe to be more historical and high end churches of multiple denominations than any other roofing contractor that we are aware of.
Each property committee and church board is unique, with different perceptions and ideas but all are highly concerned with the quality of workmanship, the integrity and the expertise of the company they hire to perform the replacement or restoration of their churches roof.
Time and time again CC&L Roofing has been selected by individual committees of numerous denominations to perform work on their cherished buildings. Especially those of historic significance and those with awe inspiring interiors and tall ornate ceilings and historic pipe organs worth millions of dollars.
They have to have faith that the contractor they hire will proceed in a professional manner, complete the job in the timeframe given, allow services to continue during the work, provide superior workmanship to the same level as the old-world craftsmen who built the building and not allow leaks during or after the project. A contractor that they have faith in to make the right recommendations, use the proper materials to provide value and a long-term performing and aesthetically pleasing roof that is in keeping with these magnificent structures.
CC&L Roofing has a proven ability and track record to meet these requirements. So yes, on numerous occasions We Are Building a Church!
When you stop and think about what it takes to complete this type of work and how so many independent property committees and church boards have decided to entrust their work to CC&L Roofing Co you have to realize that there were careful considerations made and good reasons for their choice. If we can do this on a repetitive basis year after year and decade after decade then possibly you should consider allowing us to bring our expertise and experience to your own personal roof or commercial property.
We thank you for your consideration and hope you enjoy the following series photographs and lists of fantastic church roofs we have completed to follow.
Respectfully
Dan Cornwell,
President and Founder of CC&L Roofing Co, since 1978.
