Changing The Church
Open plan living in what was an old church hall. White floor and ceiling with a muted, natural palette create a spacious and calm area.
When North Canterbury couple, Natalie and Caleb Paterson came back from seeing the world, they wanted a challenge. They certainly got one when they started on a church renovation.
words: Pattie Pegler images: Dorothy McLennan
It was 2019 when they spotted the old St Columba Church near Hawarden for sale. The church hall had rust on the roof, moss on the steps and ivy growing on it. But the couple saw through this to the beautiful rimu flooring, the soaring ceiling and the picturesque location – the deal was done.
With 2000 square metres of land, the church and the church hall – the task ahead was huge. Stage one was getting the basics sorted – power, electricity, internet and of course the septic system, before this there was just a long drop outside.
The next stage was revamping the church hall, with a floorspace of just 70 square metres. The couple knew good design was vital in order to sympathetically transform the historic building into modern living space - so they got architect, Barry Connor, to help them.
Natalie was in love with the New York loft vibe and was keen to translate that to their home and keep the ‘cathedral feeling’. “Barry came up with a plan for one big open space and a separate bathroom and kitchen. The bed is in the lounge. It’s like a big studio apartment.”
“We ended up stripping everything out,” says Caleb. “But keeping the original floors and ceiling and the sarking – which were rimu.” In order to keep that rimu sarking visible from inside they had to get a special insulation that fitted between the sarking and the exterior roof. The interior was kept as one living and sleeping area with a small bathroom and kitchen.
The concrete block exterior was plastered and the space was opened up to blend with the new deck and provide indoor/outdoor flow. The project took around 18 months to complete and in terms of budget it helped that Caleb was able to do much of the work himself, running his own building and landscaping company he’s pretty handy.
Natalie drew much inspiration from Pinterest and the couple laugh when she mentions her ‘mood boards’. But whilst they may joke, the interior is a beautiful, calm space with a soft colour palette of natural colours and textures.
But it wasn’t always easy to source some of the homewares. “You have something in your head of what you’d like to do but to actually source those products can be really hard. A lot of things I really liked were overseas and too expensive to ship,” says Natalie. But often, by shopping around she was able to find very similar items available here. The pendant lights in the living area she had first seen on an Ikea website, but the costs involved in shipping were simply too high. So she headed along to a local lighting retailer – and found a very similar product at a better price.
More recently the couple have extended their outdoor area from the deck, with a swimming pool and a beach cabana. It may sound luxurious but the pool actually solves a serious strategic issue –rural properties need a water supply for firefighting. Whilst many people install tanks – Caleb and Natalie thought why not a pool?
Of course, a project like this doesn’t come without some hiccups. The church required change of use consent and getting the insulation up to code in order to preserve the rimu sarking was tricky.
“Do your homework,” Caleb advises. “There are a lot of little things you don’t think about to do with bank, council, consents. It can be really easy to get caught up in the romantic idea –but do your due diligence and really look at things.”
And living without some basics has made them appreciate everyday comforts more. “A golden moment was when the guy came to take away the portaloo - and we had a flushing toilet in the house,” says Natalie. “With a project like this you learn whether you’re resilient or not.”
So, are they resilient? “Yes, I think so,” she says.
Just as well. With the church hall completed it’s time to turn to the next project – the full church renovation.
