When retired designer Geoff Bolam and his spouse Julie moved from London to the Cotswolds, they had been in search of a slower tempo of life. As a substitute, the couple ended up taking up one of many largest design initiatives of Geoff’s profession, remodeling a derelict 160-year-old church into a classy two-bedroom vacation dwelling now valued at round £700,000.The Outdated Mission Church, positioned within the village of Paxford in Gloucestershire, was bought by the couple in 2018 for £175,000 by means of a sealed-bid public sale. What adopted was a three-year transformation involving planning battles, conservation restrictions, structural issues and an entire overhaul of the historic constructing.
From Victorian church to up to date dwelling
The constructing first opened in 1866 as a youngsters’s faculty earlier than changing into an official home of prayer a 12 months later. It served the area people for greater than a century however was finally disused.Geoff, who beforehand ran a design firm in London for almost twenty years, noticed potential within the uncared for constructing when a neighbour advised him it was going up for public sale.“I went and had a bit of go searching that weekend. Had a bit of [think] and thought it seemed attention-grabbing and that possibly it could work,” he advised the Every day Mail.The couple had initially deliberate to purchase a small property to make use of as a vacation let. After seeing the church, Geoff sketched out some concepts and submitted a bid. They had been later knowledgeable that they’d gained.
Planning permission proved to be the primary problem
After shopping for the 160-year-old church for £175,000, the couple spent £370,000 remodeling it into a comfortable two-bedroom vacation dwelling within the Cotswolds. (Photograph: HomeInspire UK)
Shopping for the constructing turned out to be the simple half. The previous church didn’t have permission for use as a house, whereas its standing as a non-listed heritage asset meant the couple needed to work intently with conservation officers.Considered one of their first main hurdles was securing a change of use from a church to a dwelling.“We additionally needed to have a fallback plan. We thought, ‘Nicely, if we will not get permission to transform it to a home, what may we do as an alternative?’ And so we needed to provide you with a plan B, flip it into an artwork gallery or one thing of that kind,” Geoff mentioned.The planning course of took round two years and concerned working with a conservation officer and altering a number of elements of the unique design.The couple initially needed to put in roof lights to convey extra pure mild into the property, however the conservation officer objected as a result of they’d have been seen from the highway.The inside structure additionally needed to be redesigned. A proposal to create a bed room within the church’s chancel would have required a big partition that officers believed would compromise the character of the historic house.A second architect finally developed a brand new plan that includes a suspended glass bed room pod, with the dwelling space beneath it and a kitchen on the rear of the constructing.
Hidden structural issues added to renovation prices
The renovation uncovered rising damp, rotten roof timbers and structural issues, forcing the couple to excavate flooring, rebuild components of the roof and use breathable lime plaster. (Photograph: HomeInspire UK)
Even after planning permission was secured, the couple found that the constructing had important issues hidden beneath its historic exterior.One of many largest points was rising damp. The unique picket ground had been changed with concrete, which had trapped moisture and pushed it into the stone partitions.The concrete ground needed to be eliminated again to the earth, whereas cement-based pointing and outdated inside render had been changed with breathable lime supplies.The roof introduced one other main problem. Geoff initially believed the present roof protecting may very well be retained whereas a brand new ceiling was put in. Nonetheless, the crew found that the ceiling was integral to the roof construction and that eradicating it may trigger the tiles to fall.As soon as the roof was opened, rotten timbers had been discovered, forcing components of it to be reconstructed and utterly retiled. The couple managed to protect nearly the entire authentic tiles however nonetheless needed to supply extra ones to fulfill fashionable rules.
Geoff saved £20,000 by managing the venture himself
The renovation was largely carried out by an area constructing firm, however Geoff personally dealt with round 5% to 10% of the work, together with adorning.His largest saving got here from taking duty for venture administration, which he estimates saved round £20,000.“I used to be there all day, day-after-day, keeping track of issues, coping with questions, ensuring provides had been arriving after they wanted to, sourcing supplies,” he mentioned.Geoff acknowledged that managing a significant renovation personally was nearly a full-time job however mentioned it was an efficient approach to scale back prices.
£545,000 funding turns into £700,000 property
The previous church now encompasses a dramatic nave, suspended glass bed room pod, glossy kitchen, two luxurious loos and restored Victorian particulars. (Photograph: HomeInspire UK)
Your complete transformation took round three years. The primary two had been spent on design and planning, adopted by simply over a 12 months of development.The church price £175,000 to buy, whereas the renovation price roughly £370,000, taking the couple’s whole funding to round £545,000.When the work was accomplished in October 2021, the property was valued at roughly £700,000.The previous church is now a recent two-bedroom vacation rental that includes a dramatic nave, two loos, a glossy kitchen, restored Victorian particulars and the distinctive suspended mezzanine bed room pod.
Vacation dwelling has welcomed lots of of visitors
The property opened for bookings in November 2021 and has since acquired 276 bookings and round 750 visitors, together with 213 canines.“We’re very canine pleasant!” Geoff mentioned.The vacation dwelling has acquired overwhelmingly constructive critiques, together with five-star suggestions from visitors. It additionally gained Finest Boutique Keep in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire on the 2025 Muddy Stilettos Awards.Weekend stays price round £850 throughout the off-season and roughly £1,100 throughout peak durations.Geoff mentioned visitors steadily react with shock after they first enter the property.“Normally the factor you hear when [guests] stroll within the door is ‘Wow’. They’re going to say, ‘Oh, it appears to be like even higher than it does within the images,’” he mentioned.
‘We form of saved a constructing’
For Geoff, nonetheless, probably the most satisfying a part of the venture just isn’t its £700,000 valuation or its award-winning interiors. It’s preserving a bit of native historical past.“We form of saved a constructing that was in fairly poor state of restore,” he mentioned.Though the renovation required a big monetary and private funding, Geoff believes the work has given the historic church one other century of life.“So we expect now the church has acquired one other 100 years or so of life in it. We’re fairly happy with that,” he added.
