midwestchops

we live in an apt. and we thought before that it would be ok even after we said we were done w/apt. but its not working with us and our 2 kids. so we're hoping to buy a house in the next 1-2 years (we have a lease here until feb.) unfortunately homes here in mclean county IL are very unreasonably expensive. there is an old church for sale in a small town just north of here and i was just wondering if there were any professionals that could tell me what it would take to turn something like that into a residence and what to look for.

Realty Associates of El Paso IL

that is the link for the realtors that are listing it. it is under additional listings and is toward the bottom right-hand side under historical church. curiosity is getting the better of me. keep in mind to get an OK house that is big enough (3+bed 1.5+bathand at least 1400sq. ft.+)in an OK neighborhood is going to be $90K+. thanks ahead of time if anyone has $.02 to throw in.

midwestchops

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The_Lip

The words "historical church" should be warning. If, in fact, the building is officially listed as "historical" then you would be extremely restricted in what you could do to it. I wouldn't go near it.

If you think $90K for 3bed 1.5bath is expensive you ought to look at what that would go for out here ($400-$500K in a bad neighborhood)

Vulgano Brother

Yeah, check out zoning (you can get yourself ordained online for free if need be) and projected costs to make it worth living in (which well could run you in the zillions) but gee, it sure looks like fun!

midwestchops

i know what cali prices are like. we lived in humboldt co. for a while and look where we ended up. either way, i dont see how people do that. anyone making less than 100k is destined to live in a camper.

CJH

I'm not a professional, but having just finished renovating (myself) my house, let me bring my recent experience into the mix and tell you to STAY AWAY... That thing just screams money pit. This stuff is a LOT of work. That church is Tylenol city, trust me.

My advice: hold out for a fixer-upper (house, not church) that fits your budget, in which you can reasonably house your family safely while you renovate it. This DIY stuff is fun. And it's very satisfying. But everything takes twice as long and costs twice as much as you think it will -- so choose wisely. Don't rush into it. Best of luck to you!

rowuk

Things that are too good to be true - generally are.
Creating a home out of a church would be quite a challenge (but it probably already has a great sound system). Electrical, plumbing, heating are all major costs to be considered. Space looks like it would not be a problem.
In Germany, there are several versions of "historical". The dangerous version is historical/protected. There you get told what and how you may do including types of windows and type/color of paint that you may use. Depending how "fundementalist" the government controllers are, getting permission to do anything could be a nightmare.
If you still think that you want to tackle this project, start by finding out if the zoning laws would even allow this to become a house, what limitations are on construction (the realtor should give you this in writing and then you check with the local government). Then talk to an installation company for plumbing and heat. If the whole deal still looks ok - you probably will not get burned - but one always spends more than they have calculated. The best part of the deal is probably the generous practice room that you can build!
If I was living in that community, it is a project that I also would consider!

VINTAGEBRASS

My thoughts are that you would wind up spending a lot more turning an old church into a home than you would spend for a house that meets your criteria.

However, if you are really interested in turning the church into a home, enlist the services of a designer or architect to draw up some plans. That way you can A) get a picture of what it would come out like, and B) get a cost estimate for doing the turn. I am not sure how much that would cost, but it would be far cheaper than buying the building then getting into the design and finding out the cost when it is too late to back out.

Also, for what it is worth, I have often thought about buying an old church and making it into a home. The auditorium would make a great practice room.

midwestchops

thanks to everyone! i appreciate all of your insight. i am realistic and realize that projects always take more time and money than you think. for a long time the only way i was able to have a decent car is to buy one that needed work and fix it. (i used to be a mechanic before i went back to school ) it always worked out to my advantage in the end, but nevertheless, always more frustration and cost than i wanted. the reason i looked at this is not just because it is a church, but any home of 4500sq would be 100's of thousands to buy. i thought to make it liveable would not be extremely difficult and a bit at a time would pay off in the end. i can definately see the point you all make with the money pit comments though. quite logical.

New life for old churches | csmonitor.com

Robert Rowe

I've been involved in the building of about 100 "high-end" homes over the last 20 years, on Long Island ("The Hamptons").

I've done a few commercial projects, and some civil-engineering projects (bridges, roads, etc.).

Never did a church, but I've been around a few contractor-friends that have. One, I recall, was transformed into a commercial office.

I know of another that is now a residence, but I don't know anyone involved in the project.

I would suggest converting the church into a "specialty store" -- like a boutique-shop, or even a music-store (just to keep the possibilites interesting the readers here). Heck, it would probably make a cool nite-club.

Not a home, though. Would require an architect. Lotsa money involved in something like this. Zoning and local building-codes can present major problems, also.

Regards,
Yogi Robt