'Chouse': From a southern Ontario house of worship to a family home
It’s a trend that has become popular in the last decade. Purchasing old property with lots of character and renovating it into a dream home.
A couple from Parkhill, Ont.did just that, with a twist.
In November 2020, Kendra Halpenny and her fiancé Shane Cormier bought an old Methodist Church, built in 1898, and transformed it into 3,800 square feet of living space for their family.
But the couple says it wasn’t an easy task.
"We really thought ‘what did we get ourselves into?’ But we fell in love with the ceilings,” said Halpenny.
The 18 foot cathedral ceiling with the original hand-crafted wood work, is just one of the many features that stand out upon entering the home — affectionately dubbed the ‘chouse.’
Not wanting to disturb the pre-existing building and maintain as much character as possible, the couple kept the stained glass windows and the wood framing around them, along with original brick work in many parts of the home.
Inside the former Greenway Church turned family home, Nov. 15, 2022. (Reta Ismail/CTV News London)
The church, which also came with a barn and half an acre of land, was purchased for $345,000 in November 2020. At the time that seemed like a steal, but with the cost of renovating during the pandemic, the total ballooned to roughly $750,000.
“I think we were pretty naive when we got into this, we had a budget in mind and we blew that up,” said Cormier.
The couple told CTV News the property was essentially a shell and would require a lot of work.
“It was completely gutted from the previous owner. So when we came in there were stairs missing, there were no walls, it was just completely the bare bones of the building,” said Halpenny.
The house now features a grand open concept living space on the main level with three bedrooms and an additional family room in the lower level.
The former Greenway Church turned family home, Nov. 15, 2022. (Reta Ismail/CTV News London)And if you're wondering, since it's an old church and all, if there are any spirits still lingering, Halpenny said... "I don't know if it's my mind playing tricks on me or if you just hear things because it's an old building, but we've definitely scared our daughter a couple of times by telling her we can hear people walking upstairs.”
Despite the lengthy and costly renovation the couple said it was worth it.
"Now that we're here and we see the fruits of our labour, I think we're both happy that we went through the process and we both love the place," said Cormier.
The family is taking their time furnishing their forever home and hope to have a massive Christmas tree in the future, after all, they certainly have the ceiling space for it.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Hamas is reviewing an Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as possible Rafah offensive looms
Hamas said Saturday it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Egypt intensified efforts to broker a deal to end the months-long war and stave off a possible Israeli ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Russia renews attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector as Kyiv launches drones at southern Russia
Russia launched a barrage of missiles against Ukraine overnight, in attacks that appeared to target the country's energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, Russia said its air defense systems had intercepted more than 60 Ukrainian drones over the southern Krasnodar region.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs files motion to dismiss some claims in a sexual assault lawsuit
Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs pushed back against a woman's lawsuit that accused him of sexual assault, filing a motion on Friday to dismiss some claims that were not under law when the alleged incident occurred.