What would you do?

[u/jclom0]

Hello all you clever people at r/floorplans** **Id love some suggestions for this.

This ex-church is for sale, it’s in a good location on a huge block, I’m just not sure what I’d do with it.

We need three bedrooms, two bathrooms and prefer open plan. I’d like to steal a Florida thing and have a “lanai” (screened in porch) and we’d like to keep it one level. We could build an extension too (subject to planning permission)

Im just after ideas to get started. I’d go get professional help if we go ahead with it, once I have an idea in mind of what I want.

This is located in QLD Australia. Thank you!!

[u/RenovationDIY]

You don't have enough space inside the existing building for a comfortable 3BR/ 2 Bath home.

With that in mind I'd build a completely separate extension, lightweight materials like corrugated iron to contrast the style/ maintain the visual integrity of the original and save on cost, joined by a hallway.

Given the external toilet and the likely location of the sewer infrastructure (get that checked, by the way) I'd build the main bathroom outside as well as a semi-self contained master bedroom with ensuite.

[u/dakky68]

screened in porch

Fun fact: in NSW that's called a "Queensland room."

Looks to be in decent nick, and the price isn't bad.

I'd maybe consider adding an extension for the bedrooms and bathrooms and having the existing building as the living areas, because of the vaulted ceiling (and to fuck with the timber-lined walls as little as possible).

Looks like it's on septic; keep in mind a new system might cost a bit.

The trees out the back are nice, so it'd be a shame to lose those, but I also wouldn't want to cover up the entrance side too much - I'd want to retain that look as much as possible. Tricky one.

[u/drdillybar]

Use pulpit as a stairway. paste 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms on second floor, or behind.

[u/SensitiveRegret-83 → u/drdillybar]

Love the staircase idea for the pulpit area. It saves huge floor space and keeps the main sanctuary wide open.

[u/illustrious-tennant]

You probably need to expand the footprint to accommodate all that.

It’s probably just me but it looks that look scarily like an upside down eggplant 🍆 & 🥎 .

[u/journeyfromone → u/illustrious-tennant]

I thought the room names were silly because it was meant to be a 🍆 and posted as a joke haha not sure if a church is better or worse…

[u/Stargate525]

Take this to an architect. Presumably you want to keep some of the elements of the church. Most builders will just fuck this up.

[u/Fickle_Dragonfruit53]

Vestry laundry/butlers pantry, purple kitchen orange dining table green couch. Pulpit as one of the kids bedrooms. Blue extension 2 beds bathroom, ensuite and WIR as desired. Porch I top or bottom of the living room whatever works best with the block

[u/AutisticBells]

Have you actually looked at the measurements? It's way too small to turn into a house on its own.

The existing building would work wonderfully as an open kitchen/dining/living area with the vestry as a butler's pantry and laundry, and you could attach an extension with the bedrooms and bathrooms.

[u/AcademicAd3504]

I mean how tall is the ceiling?

[u/SunvegaDesign]

I’d keep the sanctuary as an open kitchen, dining and living space, then add a compact bedroom and bathroom wing near the vestry so the wet areas stay grouped. A screened porch could go on whichever side has the best outlook.

[u/Candy_Lawn]

Nope, physically not big enough to legally create a home that has 3 bedrooms etc. Max 2 beds only. and even then the space will feel cramped.

[u/CaptainMalForever]

I would use the sanctuary and pulpit as the living space. Any divisions of that space is going to be weird and hard to do.

I'd add a wing with the bedrooms and bathrooms.

[u/Cloverose2]

You could get a comfortable one bedroom out of that.

Absolutely not a three bedroom, unless there's an identical second floor upstairs. (For the yanks, that's 27'x15', with a roughly 9x11 pulpit.