Church Renovation Basement Plans

This fine Saturday morning William received the email we have been patiently waiting for... WE OFFICIALLY HAVE PLANS PEOPLE!!  (Insert happy dance here)  A huge thank you to Chris Evans from CJ Evans Home Design.  We asked for a few changes from the first draft and Chris was more than accommodating.

So this is what the basement is looking like right now:

And here are the plans for what the basement will look like:

Here are a few close ups of specific rooms/areas:

Bedroom and furnace room

Kitchen and bathroom

The living room/dining area

And the laundry room

He even drew up the upstairs as it is right now

 



Pretty bare compared to the plans that were made for the basement but one step at a time.  We are SUPER excited to finally have these in our hot little hands.  All we need now is to have the town of Indian Head approve these plans to give us the permit to begin demo and construction.  More waiting but fingers crossed this will not take too long.

Original Stained Glass

So one of the conditions when we put in an offer for the church was we wanted everything that was original to the building.  In this pile of stuff we acquired one pew (I am disappointed that there is only one left.  We were told that over the years they were sold off), the pulpit, shelving/cabinets (we think they held bibles), one kneeler, and four original pieces of stained glass.

They need a ton of work.  No one has given them any love or kept them in a place where they would be safe.  One of them has a huge crack through the chin.  Sad as even in the state they are in they are beautiful.  We are also unsure as to where we would like to put them.  The windows have been replaced since these four were graced with sunlight everyday.  Just for interest I checked out how much something like this goes for on Ebay.  A LOT.  I don't think that is the avenue we want to take either.  I need to find someone who restores stained glass as a starting point I suppose.

We were also left with a few things we did NOT want to have to deal with but were left with anyway.  A washing machine, a dryer (both with pieces taken out), a refrigerator (we have not opened it), and an old piano that has a large layer of dust and some broken keys, bits and pieces

I don't know if anyone has had to move a piano.  Not top on the list of most that have done it in the past.  If we can't find a home for this it might end up at the dump.  It isn't anything special and also has not been taken care of. 

Thoughts of Spring

I know it is VERY early but after the deep freeze we were in (and always have the potential to go back into in Saskatchewan), the -10C of today almost felt like spring. 

Warm weather thoughts make me think of all the yard work we have ahead of us at the church.  We were lucky the snow did not begin to fall till November, so we were able to trim and cut back the trees and bushes around the property.  I have a feeling that this was not a priority for any previous owners as the difference was night and day.

As you can see in this first picture, I had begun to trim the trees.  When I took a step back I could see just how much needed to be trimmed.

It had overgrown through the railing of the front steps

I can't remember if I mentioned that we are on a corner lot.  This is a picture of the side looking towards our corner.  At this point if you were walking down the sidewalk you needed to move to the street to keep walking.

And here are the after pictures.  Why hello path into the back yard!  The pine trees you can see in this picture were also trimmed, but unfortunately William got to them before I could get before and after pictures

My fur baby Pleione coming out to critique the work.  No problem opening the door now!

Hey look!  You can use the sidewalk again!  Your welcome parents with strollers and kids on bikes

The view on the highway after a long day's work.  There is nothing like a Saskatchewan sunset (Except for maybe Arizona.  Shout out!!!  You know who you all are!! :)

We are hoping that there won't be too much trimming in the spring.  We had an obscene amount of leaves to rake just before the snow fell for good.  We were able to get the first round but I know that will be a big job once the snow is gone.  Garden and flowers are what I am really looking forward to.

Still no word on the structural engineer.  I've had a few people ask where we are regarding that.  It is really feeling like this is never going to get going.  Fingers and toes crossed for us please!!

The waiting is the HARDEST part!

I had a quick chat via text with our contractor yesterday.  I asked if he had heard from the structural engineer as of yet.  Alas, we are still playing the waiting game.  This has been the hardest part thus far.  Working on other people's time and schedules is not how I work.  If it isn't happening how or as fast as I want, usually I just do it myself.  Patience Victoria...patience.

Waiting and patience really have been the theme right from the get go.  Anyone that has bought a home is fully aware of the waiting and patience game.  Waiting for the realtor, mortgage broker or banks, and the lawyers.  The offer and counter offers until everyone is satisfied.  We also had the extra waiting and patience of the previous owner needing more time to clean out their stuff after we took possession.  He works out of town and did not want to put it all onto his wife.  Understandable!  They needed extra time = waiting.  They had a "yard" sale in the building after we had possession = patience.  Owning about 5000 square feet, one can acquire a great amount of "stuff".  Noted!  The pack rat in me needs to keep this in mind.

This is a fraction of what was in the basement

And a fraction of the upstairs

The aftermath of the "yard" sale within the basement

After the sale we gave them an extra few days to clean the remainder of their stuff and finally the space was officially ALL ours

And now back to the waiting.  It is frustrating we are waiting on a structural engineer as we are not changing the structure of the basement.  The plans have been drawn up three different times and taken to different office in Indian Head.  On the third we were told that the engineer needed to make them and give the official stamp of approval.  Would have been nice to know on the first attempt.

The basement is where the renovation is beginning.  The basement will be converted into an "apartment" style area and we will move into there.  Then we can begin renovations/updates of the house in Regina as the plan is to keep that too and rent it out.  But that is another post for another day.

First Post

Hello!  If you have stumbled onto this blog because you too are planning a huge reno of a church or other off the wall building, aka the biggest reno you have ever decided to do, welcome.  You are not alone!  But more likely you are friends and family that have either been dragged out to our church or are too far away and have yet had the pleasure of walking through our little project.  To you, thank you for the support and encouragement.  Welcome to our church reno adventure!!

On July 29th of 2013 William(my husband if you didn't already know) and I went to check out a church for sale in the town of Indian Head Saskatchewan.  One thing to know is that my lovely husband is always looking at real estate.  He grew up in a house hold that was always on the move to bigger and better homes.  We looked at an old retirement home for nuns that was 7000 square feet.  I put my foot down when he wanted to check out the school that is 12000 square feet.  And said yes to the 2800 top and 2000 bottom square foot church.  We went to really just look.  Honest!  The prospect of taking on a project like this when I was beginning a masters program was not top on my list of things to take on.  But after checking out the fabulous little town of Indian Head and walking through the church..... well the rest is history isn't it.

These are a few of the very first pictures I took when our realtor took us through:

This is as you walk into the main part of the church from the front hallway

This is the opposite view

The original organ.  Before you get excited the pipes are not brass.  They are made out of wood.  It is called an Estey Reed Organ.  Still cool though!  Will wants to have themed parties that include the organ.  Phantom of the Opera anyone?!

This is the right side of the building that is along the alley

And this is the left side in the yard.

I have already taken so many pictures but thought it fitting that the very first post should include some of the very first pictures.  The official renovations should begin in the next week or so (fingers crossed).  Cheers to the beginning of one gigantic adventure! :)