'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.