Restoration of the church roof

After several years of water leaks, the church roof was fully rebuilt by the end of summer 2024. Although the work took much longer than intended, we are relieved that it was completed ahead of the rainy autumn season. We have included some basic project information below.

Because the investment we intended to make was significant, we had to conduct a public tender, which we did with the assistance of the City of Brussels administration. The competition was published in the official journal in September 2023. To our surprise, only one business, JACOBS, submitted a price quote. After several talks, we were able to reduce the final price by approximately €7,000 to little under €281,200. The operation to replace almost 1500 m² of roof tiles began in early March and was expected to take approximately 50 working days, according to the offer. Finally, work finished only in August. The pricing for each step of the project as included in the price offer is listed below.

The required amount for financing the reparation of the roof was outside of our possibilities. However, we were able to obtain two subsidies from the City of Brussels. The first, worth €180,000, was already approved for the 2022 fiscal year but was never shared with us, which is one of the reasons we have been putting the project on hold. We also requested a €60,000 supplemental subsidy in 2023, which we were awarded at the end of that year. But because we lacked the necessary funds in 2023, we began a special collection from the faithful in the second half of 2023. This collection lasted until mid-April 2024 and helped cover the remaining portion of the expenses.

The collection ran for 29 weeks, albeit there were some weeks when there were no collections following Sunday masses because of holidays (like Christmas). However, faithful were still able to make contributions by bank transfer or online through our website. The total amount collected was €45,956. Net proceeds from the collection were €45,399, with transaction charges for online and terminal payments totaling €557. The majority of donations—roughly 40%—came from terminal payments made after Sunday masses, followed by internet transfers (31%), cash donations (23%), and direct bank transfers (5%). We paid the final roof reconstruction bill with €42,584 (see final project expenses below) and retained the remaining €2,815 for future investments.

As previously stated, construction began in early March and was beset by a number of problems from the outset, which led to the project’s initial setback. The company’s inability to install a crane to remove the existing roof tiles and lift necessary materials to the roof was the main problem. This was caused by a number of factors, including the church’s inadequately deep foundation and the City of Brussels’ unwillingness to approve closure of the roadway while construction was underway so that a different kind of crane could be installed. A significant portion of the required material had to be carried by hand, and the little lift that was positioned in front of the church to raise it was far from the best option. This was certainly no easy task.

Later on, the rainy spring caused additional work delays. However, work stagnated even after the weather improved. Only two or three Jacob’s contractor workers showed up at the construction site at midday on numerous bright days. Following a number of complaints, we were able to secure a Jacobs business employee to supervise the site, and it was decided that contractors would not take their summer vacation before completing the work. Ultimately, July saw the completion of most of the work, with a few smaller projects still pending.

Work took longer than expected, which also affected the final cost. The supplier had the right, in accordance with Belgian legislation, to account for inflation in the billed expenses at the end of each month. The extra expenses brought on by inflation during the first four months came to €1,393. The Jacobs company did not impose additional inflation-related expenses on the final two invoices in July and August following our complaints about continuous delays in project completion. The project’s total expenses came to €282,584.

In the name of the whole team, we would like to thank every one of you for your support – be it through personal involvement in the project, financial contribution, prayer, or any other form which helped the finalization of the project! Let God reward your open hearts!