About Fredrick & Emily’s Church Renovations

Beginnings

In 1974, Don Taggart began refinishing pews for a living. Most of his business came from knocking on church doors and talking to ministers who never heard of Fredreck & Emily's (named after his children). They had also never given much thought to having their pews refinished.

A respected craftsman, Don's formula for success was to develop safe and reliable methods for restoring churches, utilizing the highest quality products and finishes, and provide courteous service at an affordable price.

Recreate And Reinvigorate Your House Of Worship.

If your church is over thirty years old it's probably time to consider renovating. This is a general guideline and can vary greatly depending on how well your church was cared for and maintained since its initial construction. If taken care of properly it may last for many generations. However, in most cases, the normal wear and tear of active congregations can slowly wear out the interior of a church. From walls to floors and everything in between.

Common Sense. Uncommon Results.

Forcing a design on you that is extremely costly and time consuming, hard or complicated, just isn't our style. We work with your ideas to make the renovation you want. When the plan is conceived, we will give you realistic prices and timelines without adding unnecessary costs. We will advise you of the potential for unforeseen work. That's what experience can do for the success of a project.

The Process Is As Important As The Results.

We understand how vital your church is to you and your congregation. Our unique renovation process restores the beauty and richness of your church the only way we know how, with tender loving care. Church renovation involves more than just sanding and applying new finish to the pews. Our painstaking restorative process is customized to meet each individual church's requirements. And our experience level is unmatched. Anywhere.

Word Of Mouth Is Our Best Advertising.

"We are very pleased with the results of the work. The quality of workmanship is excellent. The restoration could not have been better. We recommend Fredrick & Emily's to you if you are considering renovating your church."

David Lovelace, Rector
The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist

"I would like to thank you on behalf of St. Matthew Lutheran Church for your interest and performance on our recent church project. All tasks were completed in a business like, timely fashion and in my opinion the quality of your workmanship was excellent."

C.H. Sourber, Jr.
St. Matthew Lutheran Church

"Our Lady of Ransom Church hired Fredrick & Emily's to restore our Chapel.The results were absolutely beautiful, I
suspect it actually looks better than when it was brand new! I was very impressed by the amount of work, time and care that I observed and of course the end result was great. This was a large, scary job for me but they came through like the professionals they are. I recommend them highly."

Eileen Donohue Kollmer, Business Manager
Our Lady of Ransom

"Thanks for the great job you did on renovating our Chapel. Our members are raving about the beauty that has been restored to that room. We thank you for your promptness in service, also. We'll certainly keep you in mind if we need this type of work done again."

Ike Geib
Lititz Church of the Brethren

"During the course of the project, all of my expectations were met and many were exceeded. The repair work, the removal of old finishes, and the application of new finishes were all done in ways reserved for fine antique restoration. I really appreciate the attention to detail and the care given to individual pieces. When the sample pew arrived and had been seen by different people, there were quite a few comments like 'That doesn't look like ours. Did we get someone else's pew?' It was really beautiful!"

Al Collins
Immanuel Baptist Church

"Our congregation was thrilled with the new look of our sanctuary following the recent renovation. The response to the appearance, workmanship, and relocation of the pews was all very positive. Thank you for doing such a wonderful job! Reflecting on the process that led us to our selection of Fredrick & Emily's, your personal attention to our project was a significant influence on our decision. You continually attended to every step in the process personally. For this, we are very appreciative."

David Woodworth, Trustee President;
Richard Smith, Trustee
First Presbyterian Church

Thirty three years later, church restoration has become big business. And the small shop Don Taggart began has turned into a multi-million dollar business for his son, Fredrick.

In late 1993, Fredrick Taggart worked at his father's Mount Joy wood restoration shop and had planned to eventually take over the family business. But his father died on December 11, 1993 and the business went to Fredrick long before he expected it.

"Getting through the first year on our own was tough" said Taggart. Business slowed down dramatically after his father's death and the family struggled to make mortgage payments. But soon, word spread that Fredrick & Emily's was still in business and the quality of the restoration work soon landed them jobs for various churches in Lancaster and the surrounding areas. This enabled the company to hire more wood craftsmen and skilled workers to help expand the scope of the business.

Fredrick & Emily's has worked with over 1,000 churches and has the experience to know which mistakes are commonly made and how to avoid them, as opposed to contractors or architectural groups who may only renovate a church occasionally. This experience has enabled Fredrick & Emily's to become one of the leading church renovation companies on the East Coast. Don would be proud!

Restoration vs. Renovation

Restoration typically refers to making a church look as it did when it was first built. Renovation is simply changing the interior by changing the style or color scheme. We do our best to maintain the balance of traditional and modern church design. Our goal is to make your church as beautiful as we can at an affordable price.

Not Just Experience.

Quality We restore churches one way, the RIGHT way. Our employees and technicians perform to the highest professional standards and take pride in being the best -- and it shows!

Value Fredrick & Emily's does not apply temporary fixes to the interior of the church. We apply new finishes and use materials that last 50 - 75 years. We even offer some that are guaranteed for life!

Honesty We give clear, easy to understand answers to your questions. We want you to make educated decisions and we will help in every way possible to ensure that your renovation is performed to perfection.

Environmentally Responsible We believe in making the best possible use of original and existing materials. Why throw out perfectly good pews when (in most cases) we can renovate them? We also make sure all chemicals used are properly handled in accordance with EPA regulations.

Insurance Fredrick & Emily's, along with all of our contractors, are fully insured. That means peace of mind throughout every step of your renovation.

Safety We use only the safest processes in renovating your church. Our vast experience means we know what mishaps can occur and how to avoid them."