First of all, do a church not a cathedral. Cathedrals are very large, you can’t imagine keeping the cobwebs out, let alone repairing it. And beyond all else, don’t consider it if you’re not willing to combine some modern materials, and compromise the historic slightly. Some will consider this to be outrageous destruction of classic building technique, and that it should be left to historical societies. Well, with so many parishes losing membership over depleting religious views, there’s a surplus of historic churches for sale–and no one to buy them. Artists may see it as an opportunity to blend the old world with the new, allow the structure to survive significantly longer without repair, and become by far, the most bad-ass space they’ve ever lived in.
Just realize that a small church feels huge, and repairs are needed on brickwork every 10-15 years and roof repairs around the same. But could that diminish, by being modern and smart? Think about the materials we use today, that might barely touch the detail of such a structure.
-Cement wall repair from the interior
The stone-look blends aesthetically, sealing from the inside and retaining temperature.
Traditionally, if you don’t restore the (most-likely) brownstone every 10-15 years, water seeps in and permanently damages the overall integrity. Could this be side stepped with a cheap attempt at interior cement re-enforcement?
-Sustainable roofing: Metal?
Metal roofing claims to have an average cooling cost of 25-40% with a 50-year lifespan.
Will this provoke the Eiffel Tower effect? An ‘over-flashed’ contradiction to traditional architecture? Or, could this add a subtle patina luster embodied by the color and light exaggeration of a Caravaggio?
Finally, remember that making this livable means heat, appliances, and facilities. Holy god that sounds expensive. Well, break it down starting from the most important and often missed: the floor.
-Floor Radiant Heating
This will cost anywhere from $6-15 per square foot. On the high end that’s $45,000 for a 3000 square foot floor.
-New Kitchen
The average cost of a new kitchen is a little less than $20,000–be safe, and move it to an inverted nook below the front of a church with an elevated choir area; make it $30,000.
-New Bathroom
Make it $25,000. You could have a large public bathroom, with a lot of room to dabble in all-tile and open-area shower fixtures. Almost like a fancy locker room–and you can always tone that back to save money.
With some churches going for as little as $200,000 (on the low end). You could have one of the most interesting $300,000-350,000 homes that many have ever seen. So how can you make it more affordable?
-The Elevated Choir Area
Some are as large as a small studio, and have a separate entrance–in some cases a separate small bathroom. If you’re willing to spend another $25,000-30,000 walling it off, making sure it has natural light coming in, and giving it a kitchenette and bathroom shower. It’s a rental.
-The Entire Basement, or even half
Again, separate entrances, basement windows all along, and make sure it has facilities. The sprawling square footage is great for studios or community gatherings, and is generally pretty sound proofed from the main area that you live in. And you can know that some of the area can still be walled off for your own basement storage, while still being huge.
The main thing to take away from this is that it is possible, and initial work with alternative materials–can remove even ‘everyday upkeep’ from such a breathtaking environment.
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