Church - House conversion

Chaos_Path

Hello all,
I`m looking for information and wondering if anyone can help out.
I`m thinking of buying an old decomissioned church and converting it into a house.
i knw its a whopper of a task.
its a grade b1 listed building so I know that any changes are going to be difficult, and the exterior`s gotta remain the same.i`m looking for info on council tax (its in the north of ireland) and tinterwebs is proving useless.
i`m looking to see if anyone can point me in the right direction of whats needed.also difficulties involved.
i know its along the lines of buying christchurch and turning it into a hotel but any info is appreciated
thanks

AckwelFoley

Im on my phone now but il get to this tomorrow.

if you takle this i hope you have deep pockets.

AckwelFoley

Hello OP.


Outside the planning and taxes of this project the biggest tasks you will face is obviously trying to integrate what the planning authority want and trying to make this a home inside.

You are going to have an unmerciful heating bill, so the fabrication you choose needs to be chosen carefully, wheather you will need to meet current energy regulations or not you will need to make this building energy efficent in order to be able to keep the cost of heating it reasonable..


You would be advised to get a good structural engineer to examine and do a report on the structural element of the building. I emphasise good engineer because ive had my run ins with engineers that have given poor advice due to inexpierence or simple incompitence.

Its likely the building needs to be re roofed, if it has a roof you can reuse the natural slate on it, if it doesnt you will be more than likely required to use natural slate which in itself is very costly.

Some times and in many cases it can be much cheaper to construct a building from new rather than refurbishing the building, which obviously in this case is not possible, so the extra cost you face is for the unique character of the building itself.

You need to, before you purchase the property decide what you want from it ie - the energy rating you need to achieve, the heating system and the internal design of the building - consult an energy assessor and take this information to your proposed builder. With the information from this, you need to consult a reputable quantity surveyor who will give you a costing on taking on such a task.

RKQ

The existing church is in Northern Ireland and is therefore subject to their Planning laws, Building control etc. Their BER system is quite different to ours, as are a number of their Building Regulations.

Discuss the project fully with the local Planner and Heritage Officier to determine what changes if any will be allowed to the interior and exterior of the listed church. These discussions will be very important and should commence before you decide to purchase the church.

Retain a local Building Surveyor to determine the works required for refurbishment - roofing, underpinning etc.

It is possible, with proper design, to refurbish a church and in so doing creating a warm, modern unique home. Good luck