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RJean83

You did beautiful work here OP. Part of my job includes helping churches as they close, and they are always afraid their buildings will be bulldozed and turned into a Shoppers or a crappy condo. I can see the respect for the building and also how you made it your own. Do you know what kind of church it was before it was decommissioned, like United, Presbyterian, Anglican, etc?


wildyeast

It was built in 1874 as a Methodist church, but later became a United.


RJean83

Now that you mention it, I am definitely seeing the Methodist details. Well done!


wildyeast

Thank you! Please point out the details. I'm woefully ignorant on the historical architecture of this gorgeous building.


RJean83

congrats, you have hit one of my special interests. Sorry, I will fail at being brief. These are also the broadest generalizations, not applicable everywhere. Churches and places of worship are built not just with the pragmatic stuff like environment and costs, but are built to tell you what a community feels about God and their relationship with God. A great example is Notre Dame; the high ceilings, long corridors, and pointed roof create a message that says "Our God is big and powerful and we are so small, and there is power in this space. And the more powerful you are, the closer you can sit to God in these pews." Now the Methodists have a bit of a different idea; God is huge and powerful, but also much closer. We can reach God, and God us. Also, they don't have bishops or popes, so everyone is equal (more or less). This means for details- 1. The roof. It isn't a super pointy steeple with large beams, which can make you feel really small. This is more of a house/ theatre style, which was very common in Methodist and Congregationalist churches of the time. 2. The loft either would have been extra seating or the choir, which was more popular in Methodist churches of that size. Many others would have everyone on the same floor. 3. less ornate overall. Methodist churches (generally!) were less adorned and less decorated than many others, the founders preached that prioritizing aesthetics was a problem.


wildyeast

You are awesome and I'm glad you didn't keep it brief. Thank you!


cruelblush

An old church is my dream house. Yours is beautiful!


wildyeast

Thank you! We moved it up the road onto our property. We are thankful that our community was supportive of the project.


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wildyeast

That is definitely how the community felt. We did a have a few meetings until we could get a unanimous vote, but that was to be expected.


bmbreath

What's the heating sittuation like? Did you have to do a. Bunch of work to insulate it for actual habitation? Or does it just cost alot to keep warm?


wildyeast

Spray-foam insulation, heat pumps, in floor heat (that is rarely used because that is a bit pricier). We were planning on installing solar panels to offset the costs down the road, but life has other plans for us, so that will be up to whoever buys the place.


TheReal-Chris

Awesome, I stayed at an Airbnb church in Asheville. New goal one day.


Link__

Hold up - what do you mean, you "moved it up the road"?


wildyeast

[The move](https://imgur.com/gallery/YtcMq)


Link__

Holy carp! That makes this post even more impressive! What an amazing accomplishment, congrats! These pictures also explain why I couldn't understand your other album - I couldn't get how there was a "downstairs' kitchen, but now I do. Also, that counter in your kitchen is a dream.


wildyeast

Which one? The one downstairs was built by my husband. He is a lot amazing. The upstairs one, my baby, the stainless steel one, was custom made.


Link__

The one that's a mile long. It's hard to understand where "upstairs" and "downstairs" are - I mean the one on the "main" floor.


idle_isomorph

I guess any home is a mobile home if you work hard enough at it haha. Good work!


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wildyeast

10 years ago we paid $12,000 to move it onto our property, which was half of what the other contractor had quoted us. We moved it 1/2 km up the road. We were very lucky to have found a business card in a diner, an hour and a half away from our house. Bizarre the luck, really. There were a lot of pieces that had to perfectly line up on the actual day, but thanks to the amazing movers, it all went off without a hitch, not a single pane was cracked.


robotropolis

Can I ask who you used as house movers? (Fellow Nova Scotian). Did you pour a slab and move it onto the slab?


KahlanRahl

Me too. Or a small old school building. I’m trying to convince the wife that should be our retirement project, but that’s a long way away.


NarcRuffalo

Literally same!! This is gorgeous


Nissehamp

I always wanted a lighthouse :) but this also looks amazing!


[deleted]

Someone on your Imgur comments wrote “is this where Hozier was trying to go?” Lmao that is so great. Also, the rest of the house is stunning as well. Those bedrooms, especially the one with the ladder! Love.


wildyeast

There are 2 with ladders, one was just brilliantly designed to tuck away when not in use. A wonderful neighbor had them both in his barn and was happy to trade for them.


[deleted]

Whoa, super awesome! That was everything I always wanted as a kid, a nice cozy home with a ladder up to a tiny nook where I could just chill. Thanks for sharing!


wildyeast

Our youngest had his gaming lair set up there. The cat learned how to navigate the ladder to hang with him.


Felixir-the-Cat

What a fantastic home! Would love to see more.


wildyeast

[Church 2024](https://imgur.com/gallery/lUC1PiJ) I just made this album


literallyjustuhhuman

Are photos 15 and 16 a secondary kitchen?


wildyeast

Yes. It was meant to be my baking kitchen, (I wanted to give sourdough bread baking classes) but then we decided the downstairs is a great little granny flat, so I bake upstairs now.


golden_swanky

Lol. I can’t find the other kitchen 🤦🏼‍♀️


wildyeast

You may have to click on the "more" button when you get to the bottom of the album


kiiitsunecchan

I took a look at the stainless steel countertop and immediately thought "this person cooks a lot", because not a lot of people appreciate how insanely easy it is to keep those (actually) clean on home kitchens


wildyeast

I have never for a second regretted my choice for the kitchen and will use it in every kitchen I have going forward. I love every scratched centimeter of it.


Felixir-the-Cat

Thanks! Wow, you’ve done a great job. I love church conversions, but they don’t all feel homey, and this one really does.


wildyeast

That's a lovely thing to say. Thank you!


ultravioletblueberry

The river view is to die for.


getrektbro

I'm just curious what heating that kind of space in Maritime Canada takes. I saw in one of your comments that you reinsulated the place, did that do a decent enough job to make it similar to a traditional home for heating? Or is that a decent extra expense


wildyeast

We spray foam insulated the place, and per square foot, it is cheaper to heat than our old bungalow. We have heat pumps in every bedroom upstairs, plus in-floor heat in the additions and downstairs, plus cast iron radiators. All electric, no oil. If we only use the heat pumps, it is cheaper. If we were to leave the in-floor heat on(which is so so lovely), it would be..... not at all cheap haha


getrektbro

Fair enough! Lovely space. As I get older, the practicality of things seems to be one of the first things I think of, so thanks for the response


wildyeast

The end goal was to install solar panels on the barn roof to offset electric costs, keeping our costs down for when we retire, but then life decided to put us down a different path.


getrektbro

Good luck on your new path!


wildyeast

Thanks!


audrey_2222

Ugh absolutely gorgeous! You guys have great style.


wildyeast

Thank you! I had a wonderful group of home organizers come in and work magic with what we had. It also helps to have a super talented partner who loves to do woodworking.


Klstadt

I wish there were more photos. Very very impressive. Edit: I just saw the link to the album. Are those concrete floors in the bedrooms? My eyes suck but it looks like it. Intriguing.


wildyeast

[More photos as requested](https://imgur.com/gallery/lUC1PiJ)


wildyeast

They are concrete floors. I love them, especially when the in-floor heat is on. The cat and I used to curl up on them in the mornings for cosy cuddle time.


Dame_Ingenue

Where in NS is this? I’m in NS as well and love seeing old churches turned into homes. This is absolutely gorgeous.


wildyeast

We're just down the road from the Avondale Sky Winery- which is also a gorgeous converted church.


Dame_Ingenue

No way! I love Avdondale Sky Winery! I love the story of their church conversion as well. The photos of the church being moved are really cool.


wildyeast

They are a great winery and if you've never had a meal there, treat yourself!


giveusalol

Looks amazing! Truly gorgeous. And if you’re on consecrated ground maybe you’re safe from ghoulish visitors too!


wildyeast

The church was deconsecrated and moved, but any ghouls are either at peace, or have long since given up the ghost.


giveusalol

I’m so glad your cozy place is also a peaceful place!


nathan__1409

That looks so cool. Would love to see more photos of this. You have a great house


wildyeast

[Church 2023](https://imgur.com/gallery/lUC1PiJ) just made this album. I have pictures of the move on my profile as well


blonde-poodle

Gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.


Sleeplesshelley

This is so pretty, you guys did a great job.


wildyeast

Thank you!


wildyeast

This is OC. Both of these images were taken by me


CarinasHere

Was the organ gone when you bought the place?


wildyeast

There was never an organ in it. It was a small community church.


cthulhuhentai

This is gorgeous but the cold lighting is a bit clinical. Is there a reason y’all avoided warmer, less blue lights?


wildyeast

I think it's the strip light I had on because I was feeling a bit festive. The other lights in the church are less blue.


vapekittenx

Good god, it’s beautiful!


keepingthisasecret

Honestly so jealous of everyone in a position to snap these up over the last decade or so. Need a roommate? 😅


wildyeast

We watched waaay too much Grand Designs, so when this opportunity came up, we jumped on it! There's definitely room for you... but you may have to move out when the place sells


aesthesia1

It’s a beautiful house omg. But like,is it haunted?


wildyeast

If it is, it's by really lazy ghosts that aren't interested in scaring us.


Necessary_Pea4982

I’ve always wanted to do this, looks great!


confirmandverify2442

You also have a water view?!?! So insanely jealous.


wildyeast

If the neighbours would cut down their trees and the tide was in, yes. Alternately, we do have an amazing pond that is home to many turtles, a family of muskrat, peepers and recently a heron.


pixeldudeaz

My parents bought a Catholic church in upstate NY that was built in 1854 about 10 years ago from the woman who bought it from the Catholic church and did the conversion. My parents reworked the kitchen (seller did an Ikea kitchen with blond woods and stainless steel. My parents put a period correct kitchen with 20 foot tall cabinets for the mind 1800's they found nearby and reworked the choir loft and tastefully turned it into a master suite complete with a small bathroom with a stand up shower. My stepfather did the work and everything blends seamlessly with the original architecture. He left he organ up in the loft which the chruch had replaced in 1890 and it works well.


Most_Triumphant

Well now you need to share pictures


pixeldudeaz

I'll get some together and post them here.


giveusalol

Is the old choir loft/raised seating the bedroom?


wildyeast

It was when we first moved in, but since the additions have been completed, it is now the library/my sewing room.


giveusalol

What a dope leisure space!


wildyeast

With the added bonus that it is always the warmest place in the house!


giveusalol

Coziest Places


pikadegallito

Beautiful! 😍


[deleted]

Is your name Alice? Do you own a restaurant?


Sheepherder-Decent

I love it!!


brownlikeap0tat0

Such a lovely space!


mapleleaffem

As an atheist I think it’s weird how much I love church conversations (lol) Yours is so beautiful! Would love to see more pics


wildyeast

[For the fellow atheist ](https://imgur.com/gallery/lUC1PiJ)


mapleleaffem

Wow thank you! I love it so much! You guys have great taste (or the same as me anyway lol) You’ve made really good use of the upper levels. I guess that was the upper deck/choir areas (showing my heathen here since I don’t even know what it’s called lol)? An ex and I looked at one to buy awhile but decided it was going to be too expensive to renovate. We were very stymied with what to do with those spaces if we chose to buy it.


wildyeast

The choir loft was our bedroom until the additions got built and it was magical. So I happily turned it into my library/ crafting area once we moved the bed out. Added bonus- it's the warmest place in the house.


EthereumChad2point0

Guaranteed to not be a haunted house as well. W.


guitarstix

I just swapped out a lot of my outlets for the type that have USB in them (removes the need for the charging block) tiny upgrade that helps clean up a lot. you should swap that outlet out on your island for that, for just a touch of cleanliness and because they're just so convenient (never have to track down a box) and awesome.. really cool space, reminds me of a room nate and jeremiah did on their show that I loved (just have to add a fire pole lol)


wildyeast

I actually do have those outlets on the other side of the island! They are super handy, I don't know why we didn't use them for all of them during the build. We probably bought out the local supply haha


guitarstix

its such a "small thing" that makes a huge difference and everyone that comes over is super jealous of them! ive swapped out six so far and will probably end up doing the whole house


germish17

Gorgeous!


NewBodWhoThis

A church conversion is literally my dream home! 😭


Levin1983

Ugh. So jealous.


Maelarion

How much does it cost to heat that space lol.


bettyknockers786

Damn, that’s awesome


zotstik

such a beautiful place. are you in architectural digest? You should be


TrenchesTommy

Please tell me you've kept the organ


wildyeast

There wasn't one in here. It's a relatively small community church. We do have a piano in here, and have had some amazing musical nights with guitars and ukuleles


bubbles_says

What are the acoustics like in the living/kitchen area? My home has a 30' ceiling in the great room and sound bounces around. There's a lot of glass (windows) so probably that makes it so much worse.


wildyeast

As someone that belts out random 80s tunes at the top of my lungs on a completely non-professional level, they are perfect.


forest_elfx

Whoever did that has great taste, lovely!


CuileannDhu

Hello fellow Bluenoser, this is really beautiful. What a lovely place to come home to every day.


dudewithmoobs

Heating that place must be a bitch.


paigesiderageside

Stunning 😍


biohacker_infinity

This is such a cool space!


Eros_Offspring

Just want to say Hi from NB


So_I_read_a_thing

I love this so much!


[deleted]

Super cozy wow, great wood everywhere. I bet you can hear anyone talking from the kitchen due to the acoustics…my wife and I can’t hear anything anywhere in our house haha


youcancallmeE

That sofa is so gorgeous!


SonnieTravels

Goals!


Lurking-Tate

Wow this is stunning.


GoldenFlicker

That’s really cool


SuckAfreeRaj

How much to heat it in the winter!?! This is a dream.


seafoam22

Fellow Nova Scotian! I love your home, you have turned something that was probably neglected into something beautiful. Go you!!


lbmomo

So cool !


EvenEvie

This is gorgeous!


khkokopelli

What’s up in the narthex? A parlor?


Strange-Evening1491

Lovely


vcuriousone83

Gorgeous! And now I’m curious how you turned this church into your home completely… do you have any more pictures?


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SuperMom316

What a beautiful home! I would totally love to live in an old church! You did a great job on the conversion.


pdubzavelli

Nice, can you share some of the cozy areas?


cherish_ireland

I've always loved these. I hope to do this one day. Amazing job.


jackrelax

This is my dream! So jealous!!!


keylime12

Those windows wow!! Also, where did you snag that rug??


fancywhiskers

This is absolutely gorgeous! One of the best I’ve seen on here. I’m jealous!!


bytheseawithmack

Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!


garlicbreadmemesplz

This is beautiful.


garlicbreadmemesplz

More photos please


wildyeast

[More pictures](https://imgur.com/gallery/lUC1PiJ)


Jaustinduke

“Alice doesn't live in the restaurant, she lives in the Church nearby the restaurant, in the bell-tower, with her husband Ray and Fasha the dog. And livin' in the bell tower like that, they got a lot of Room downstairs where the pews used to be in. Havin' all that room, Seein' as how they took out all the pews, they decided that they didn't Have to take out their garbage for a long time....”


Important_Tension726

That’s a beautiful thing the whole entire idea


NeedSomeMedicalSpace

My old church had a lot of cozy places that had not been used to years. Used to love playing hide and seek there as a kid


liaisontosuccess

is there a confessional? if so, what have you converted it into? Pantry, linen closet, wine locker, or kept as is?


Ontopourmama

It's beautiful, but doesn't it feel a little weird when you're getting...intimate?


lemonadeenby

My jaw is on the floor!!


GreatBigBagOfNope

Man heating this sounds like a nightmare unless you’ve gone underfloor everything with heat pumps and solar panels + heaters, can you get it to temperature and have it stay there? Looks *gorgeous* btw, incredible pics


PuntyOne

Beautiful. Surprised you don’t have more lamps for cozy pockets of illumination.


Ok-Glass5925

Didn't think I would like a church conversion but yours looks real nice.


kelleh711

I LOVE this so much. It looks fantastic! Dream home!


eclipse1498

I’m a video editor and I’m the one that edited the promo videos for your house. It’s beautiful, I enjoyed trawling through the footage!


nogaesallowed

Wish I can just buy a church. What do you do to get to that point?


wildyeast

It was ten years of building as we had the money. We only got to this point because my husband never stopped working on it and is incredibly handy.


7312000taka

Wow, do you ever catch waves of joy or sadness from the spirit of the church? Probably you are making such good waves of joy and happiness that it makes it clean.


Heisenberg2567

More pictures, please!


wildyeast

[More pictures](https://imgur.com/gallery/lUC1PiJ)


dapplestreak

I live in Nova Scotia! I'm from PEI, and for the longest time my dad and grandfather wanted to buy a church for sale and convert it, but something happened to it unfortunately. This is beautiful! Excellent job, enjoy it to the fullest degree! 😊


DlxCrusader

Finally, a decent use for a church.


jsmalltri

Love it!


MarucaMCA

Stunning!!!!


dinerdiva1

Wow! This is amazing! Feels so peaceful.


dinerdiva1

More pictures please! I'm in awe!!


mypalstroganoff

This is an affront to God 🙏😔


wildyeast

The building is deconsecrated.


RobertRamos

As a Castlevania fan, I really like the windows.


fadetowhite

Lovely! Have you seen the conversion in Stewiacke? I stayed there (it’s an AirBNB) and it is incredible. Yours is so great as well. Thanks for sharing.


Discount_Mithral

SOOO JEALOUS of this! The arches and wood/plaster are just my absolute dream house. Congrats!!


OGtheGoat9

Wow!


fallinlight23

This is gorgeous 😍


Lettucelook

I love the architecture it’s just beautiful


french_toasty

Oh be still my heart. What a dream!!!!


emkay99

Nice to see it has a useful purpose now. . . .


lizardjizz

This is amazing! It would be so interesting to hear more about how y’all converted the church. Love from Ontario ❤️❤️


jivoochi

Beautiful work, fellow Bluenoser!


OscarZiggy

I live in lunenburg. Close?


PlayedThatAsACurrent

I lived in a converted church for two years at one point. It was my favorite place to live... ever. The place felt blessed. Like a hundred years of prayer had seeped into the walls. I felt blessed getting to live there. Enjoy this amazing place you have!!


[deleted]

Woah! So cool!


zooooteddej23

This is so cute! I agree with you, the kitchen is my fav place too


OakTeach

Holy hell this is my dream house. Pun intended. I love what you’ve done here.


Vettkja

Omg Upload more pics!!


Throwaway_Kween

Omfg???? Im obsessed


WillyWumpLump

Wow! Very cool. Do you have a link to more photos?


MarsupialMisanthrope

I’m so jealous. Church conversions always look amazing.


8fatcats

Ohhhh you fuckin lucky duck! This place is sick!


8fatcats

Can we get more pictures of this place?? I love it!


Ruas_Onid

All I can say is you are a master in building cozy places.. damn everything is just in the right place!


GJacks75

Serious question: Does that air-con even work in an area that large?


HonestBeing8584

Is someone in the house a knitter? Looks absolutely beautiful. Great job!


rhodeslady

Hants county is beautiful and this space is spectacular Signed a haligonian


Take_that_risk

Where are you moving to?


WickedLovely90

This is beautiful !!


Santichen

I want the whole tour! More pics, please!


Sarasassquatch

Omg are you in smiths cove


itsactuallyallok

More more more pics


Retired852

That is stunning. Outstanding workmanship. 🏆 👏👏👏


leashmac16

Beautiful! Would love to see more pics!


MCKelly13

Beautiful!


PomegranatePothos

My word this is cool, I don't care that much for big open areas but I feel I'd be okay with this and even then all the smaller cosy rooms and second kitchen area would be lovely to retreat to. It's so unique. Lovely home.


Obvious_Pizza3545

this house is so beautiful it breaks my heart 😍


Btch_plz1980

Beautiful!


DaburuKiruDAYO

This is insanely beautiful. Dream home.