When Grace Community Church wanted to open a large indoor playspace for families in Seneca County, Lead Pastor Zach Pinkerton turned to one of the people in his pews for help.
“The project supervisor for Clouse Construction attends one of our campuses, so we know him from church, and we’ve gotten to know the owner, too,” he says. “We’d used Clouse Construction on a couple of projects before—they do really well.”
The church had a specific four-story playground in mind for the space and needed a building to house it. They would name the finished project the Hangar Playspace because of the church’s proximity to the Seneca County Airport. “It’s just something we wanted to offer our community,” Pinkerton explains. “It’s free, and it’s been a hit!”
When it came to choosing a contractor, the church had hired Clouse Construction in 2007 and 2018 for projects and decided to enlist them again for this undertaking. “We just feel comfortable with them,” the pastor says. “They’ve given us great prices, and they’re good guys, so we appreciate them.”
To move the project from concept to reality, the church met with Clouse Construction multiple times to hammer out the details. “They took a lot of time to meet with us, figure out our needs, and learn more about our wishlist for the project to make it happen,” explains Pinkerton.
While many builders would have required the church to partner with an architect to design the structure, Clouse Construction offered a more streamlined approach thanks to its expert in-house designers.
“We needed the building to be designed around the playground we had in mind, and they did a good job with it,” he continues.
In addition to the playground, the church plans to open a café area in the building someday. Working with Clouse Construction meant being able to plan for future additions like this one in advance. “We wanted to put all the plumbing in for that area so we don’t have to dig anything up down the line,” Pinkerton says.
The church knew the build had the potential to disrupt Sunday morning operations because it would involve the existence of an ongoing construction zone in front of the building’s main entrance.
“We said we want the front doors open on Sunday morning,” he says, “and you guys will have to figure out how to make that happen.” Ultimately, Clouse Construction moved the entrance 15 feet from its original location to accommodate the church’s needs—a transformation the contractor completed in one week.
As the project proceeded from design to build, the church met with the builder once every three weeks. “Clouse Construction would have their electrical subcontractor and their HVAC and plumbing people there,” Pinkerton says. “It was really good having everybody in the room as they walk through what they’re going to do.”
The pastor describes these meetings as a “refining process” that improved the build over time through adjustments to the design. Construction began in March of 2024. The church hoped to open the Hangar Playspace in October, and Clouse Construction completed the build in the final week of the month. Reflecting on the finished product, Pinkerton says, “I feel like we ended up with a really good building. We were able to make it as useful as possible, and it looks great from the road. It went really well.”
Since opening, the Hangar Playspace has become a magnet for kids and parents alike. “Over the last three months, we’ve had over 2,000 kids who are not connected with our church sign in and be a part of it,” he continues. “We want the kids to hang out with each other and socialize. It’s good for them physically and mentally. If they come to our church on Sunday morning, it’s good for them spiritually, too.”
The parents benefit from the Hangar Playspace as well. “They’re getting to know each other. Moms are meeting other moms, and dads are meeting other dads—it’s kind of a community thing. We have hundreds of people here on any given day.”
By partnering with Clouse Construction, Grace Community Church was able to advance its mission to minister to the residents of Seneca County by offering a unique playspace that brings people together and gives them joy.
“They did good,” Pinkerton says of Clouse Construction. “They got it done on time, and for the price they said they would do it for, too.”
If you would like to follow in Grace Community Church’s footsteps for your construction needs, contact Clouse Construction by clicking “Get Started” on the company’s website or by calling (419) 448-1365.
Clouse Construction will use its expertise as the leading design-build general contractor in Northwest Ohio to deliver a finished product that honors and exceeds your expectations.
