Commissioning a stained glass window for your Church
The first step to commissioning a stained glass window for your Church is to form a stained glass committee. You may form a new committee or some will use members of their building committee. This should consist of approximately 5 members of your Church, from this group a chairman and one alternate person should be appointed, they will be the spokesperson for the committee and work directly with me.
The roles of the committee is to define the needs and outline the parameters and priorities of the stained glass project. I can assist with this needs assessment.
After the project goals are outlined, I will come to your Church to meet the committee members, tour the Church building, and take photographs of the buildings interior and exterior, this allows me to assess the conditions which would affect the design, fabrication, and installation of the window. This also allows me to see the style of architecture, how the light works in the building, and the surrounding materials, textures and colors, all of this information is needed to make educated decisions about the design of the stained glass window. We will have discussions on design ideas, themes of the windows, and the budget. I will show you my portfolio, give you brochures, and explain how I will go about designing, fabricating and install your windows. All of this information is merely groundwork.
The design process is a team effort, I will work with you to achieve your site specific needs. The design should complement the décor and architectural style of the room and building it is designed for. I always provide preliminary drawings and glass samples for approval, after a design is decided upon I create a pattern the actual size of the finished product, this is called a cartoon. I have hundreds of designs readily available that can be reproduced or modified to fit your individual needs. I also have several photographs of my work and books of stained glass that can be used for inspiration. I offer endless design possibilities to help bring your stained glass ideas and dreams to light. Although window designs differ greatly from commission to commission my high quality of artistry and craftsmanship always remain the same.
Most of my commissions take approximately 4-6 weeks to complete. Windows that require more attention like custom bevels, painting, plating, very large or more than one window require more time. After the initial design and plans are finalized, I can usually provide a delivery schedule.
Because every stained glass project is unique, each stained glass commission must be quoted on a individual basis. The variables that affect the cost of stained glass include the style of window, size and number of individual pieces of glass used, amount of painting, plating and bevels involved, styles of custom framing and protective glazing, overall square footage and method of fabrication. Cost advantages to commissioning my services are that I keep a low over-head, as a result my pricing is generally lower than other full service studios. How can I do this? My studio is located in my home, I work by appointment only, I don't have employees and I don't keep a large unnecessary inventory of glass and supplies. I make professionally hand-crafted stained glass products, which cannot be compared in quality to what can be purchased at a retail or hardware store, this combined with my track record and over 20 years of experience adds up to uncompromising quality at very competitive prices.
The creation, conservation or restoration of a stained glass window is labor intensive. I always invite my clients to my studio to watch what is involved in creating a stained glass window.
I will take all the information I have gathered from our first meeting back to my studio, where I will begin to work on a design for your windows, after I have completed a preliminary drawing, we will have a second meeting, this is where we look over the drawing and make revisions if needed, until the committee is satisfied. Once the committee is satisfied with the design, we will look over several glass samples, I have glass samples from all major stained glass manufactures from around the world. After the glass samples are decided upon I will present a proposal which will include a quotation.
Once the proposal is accepted, signed and witnessed, along with the drawing. I will begin making the cartoon, this is a working, actual size pattern of the drawing. This pattern will then be approved by the committee, and fabrication of the stained glass windows will begin.
To get an estimate, phone or e-mail me. If you are located within a 2 hour drive of the Huntington, WV area I will come to your church, home or office, take some measurements and photographs, go over some design ideas with you and give you a estimate at no charge or obligation. If you are located outside this area I will be glad to travel to your location if prior arrangements have been made. If you can provide me with all information required to design and fabricate your stained glass window I can crate and ship it to your location.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me at (304) 733-2173 or e-mail me at glassbyknight@verizon.net
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