Restoring Churches, Rebuilding Faith

Our Story

The complexity of construction variables associated with historical and religious disaster claims leads many insurance carriers and their adjusters to rely on the professionals at Sacred Builders to settle claims quickly and fairly. Sacred Builders brings together a network of specialists including artisans, old-world craftspeople, estimators, engineers, and architects, all with extensive experience in loss mitigation and the restoration of significant older buildings. David Mistick and his team have a resume that includes over 400 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The firm is a nationally acclaimed provider of loss mitigationand restoration consulting services for religious and historical buildings acrossthe country.

David Mistick

Founder & CEO

[email protected]
Two-hundred-year-old cathedral is condemned after hurricane.

When David arrived to inspect the building, it had been condemned by city building inspectors. David and his teamimmediately began implementing emergency procedures to stabilize the building and mitigate the loss by protecting interior surfaces from incurring further damage.Working with the diocese, the insurance carrier, as well as the historic foundation, city building officials, and the cathedral’s architect, David developed a scope of work to return the cathedral to an appropriate pre-loss state, especially from the perspective of historic details and materials. Over the next fifteen months David performed a total restoration of the space.

  • Before stripping protocols were developed, the expertise of an historic paint analyst was obtained to identify the multiple layers of 200-year-old paint. This ensured the integrity of the plaster beneath.
  • Repaired the hand-carved wooden altar table which was crushed into more than 40 pieces by falling soapstone soffit. This included repairing salvageable pieces, carving replacement pieces and refinishing to match existing wood.
  • The first-growth heart pine nave flooring suffered extensive damage. To maintain the historic fabric of the cathedral, David located matching first growth heart pine in the swamps of Georgia, dried and milled it, allowing it to blend seamlessly with 1700’s heart pine and saving fabric as well as the cost of total replacement.
  • Cornice detail and arches were plaster castings. Despite the four inches of rain which poured into the cathedral in the days following the hurricane, our superintendent and our lead plasterer wereable to create latex molds of the surviving piecesand cast pieces to replace those which were destroyed.

Working closely with the architect we managed a task driven schedule, we were able to fast track the restoration process and complete millions of dollars of work in less than 15 months.

Commendations & Awards

  • Interfaith Forum on Religious Art & Architecture from the American Institute of Architects
  • Historic Charleston Foundation Commendation for Outstanding Achievement
  • Associated Builders and Contractors Award of Merit
  • PA Historical and Museum Commission Award Citation
  • Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation 
  • Award for Innovation in Restoration Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration

David's Testimonials

"Our organization has worked closely with Dave Mistick for many years on a wide range of disaster planning, disaster response, and disaster reconstruction issues.

Dave really understands all of these complex issues and also has a unique ability to explain them clearly and succinctly to individuals in varying levels of detail.

David has created some very useful disaster assessment and planning tools in the past and is constantly improving them to better serve his clients.

I have complete faith in David to provide high quality and very useable solutions to our disaster planning and response needs.

"
Rod Webster, CPCU, CLU, ARM

Former Sr. VP & General Manager, 
The Church Insurance Companies
the institutional risk management and risk financing organization of the Episcopal Church
"For over 20 years, I have had the distinct pleasure and privilege of working with Dave as the nation’s leading authority and subject matter expert in the art of Historical and Sacred Space Restoration and Remediation processes. From college campus facility portfolio’s replete with centuries old buildings to high profile sacred spaces in virtually every metropolitan area in the US, Dave has engaged each project with the deepest respect, utmost care and with both precision and exactitude unrivaled anywhere. I have relied upon Dave to help chart the way forward on complex restoration projects under the most trying circumstances and highest expectations for success. In every circumstance, Dave has exceeded extremely high expectations by the most demanding clients. I have and look forward to continuing my partnership with Dave Mistick in his capacity as the “Best in the Business.” Anyone who has had the pleasure of working with Dave can attest to his professional acumen, relentless drive for excellence and high standard of ethical conduct in the most demanding circumstances."
John A. Kunert
Director, Business Development, NorthStar Recovery Services
"David and I have worked on multiple projects from Florida to Texas, including hurricanes, water losses, and fires. His knowledge and skills are an asset for dealing with complex losses. He stays on point, gets his estimates, and reports to you promptly. His communication skills for conversation with clients, contractors, adjusters, and counselors are another one of his strengths."
Gordon Welch, SLCA
Executive General Adjuster at McLarens
"Dave is excellent as an expert witness and as a consultant. Dave is a excellent choice for any large losses, and I would recommend him for any consultant or expert witness work."
Thomas Moody
Attorney
"I've worked with Dave on several complex losses and found his attention to detail and ability to work with others to be of great benefit."
Steve Whitmarsh
Chief Claims Officer | North America at McLarens