A couple who renovated a church into a dream four-bedroom home has told of how the mammoth project almost ruined their lives.
Lianne Clapham and Steve Morris put in a sealed bid for a Welsh church when it came on the market in the perfect location.
The village church, in Cefn Pennar, north of Mountain Ash, captivated the couple who have experience renovating properties.
The stress of the sealed bid, where you don't know how much your competitors are putting down, was only the beginning of their problems.
While they managed the get the bat report, tree report and the planning applications sorted there were major problems with the sewage that saw their budget go down the drain.
Lianne, 50, told WalesOnline: "We had issues with sewerage, honestly I think we dug the drive up three times with blockages, so, in the end, we replaced it all, and windows came in at £30,000, they are stunning but took a massive chunk of the budget."
She added: "I really think we were naïve in how much everything would cost, we initially borrowed £120,000, but costs escalated and we had to borrow another £40,000, which doesn’t seem that much now, but at the time we really struggled with finances.
"I even considered selling some of our rental properties but didn’t think it was fair on our tenants.
"They knew we were doing this project, and had been patient with jobs at their houses because basically, we didn’t have the money.
"As a couple we had rows as you can imagine, coupled with stress, ill health, tiredness, and money worries; I’m surprised we made it sometimes!"
But then Steve's son became seriously ill and the church conversion became a tiny problem in comparison. Lianne says: "It put everything into perspective. He is with us and we're so grateful he’s alive, things could have been so much worse."
One thing they say they didn't have to worry about was having a reliable builder.
Lianne says: "My father was fantastic and basically came up every day to help. But the best thing about the experience was our builder Gareth - he was totally reliable and took so much pressure off us, but we did keep him going in tea and biscuits.
"He even finished the job and we owed him £5,000. I said we were going to have to stop, but he said 'Let me finish and you owe me the money, then when you get it, pay me'. Not many like that around!"
Despite the drama, the church has become their dream home and the building is now very much an active part of the village community.
Lianne says: "During the Covid-19 pandemic Steve would ring the bell on Thursday night; the village loved it. Steve also loves Halloween and dresses up and jumps out on the kids, he has a smoke machine and we make up goody bags, the kids in the village know now, so every year I seem to make more and more."
Now, the couple has put the church on the market to sell to anyone hoping to live in a unique home with beautiful views.
The four-bedroom home has an abundance of original features, from the front door to stained glass windows and flagstone floors to the thoughtful new additions such as the wrought iron detailing on the staircase, the oak doors and flooring, the choice of traditional door handles, plus the new leaded windows that made such a dent in the budget.
On the ground floor, the church offers a handy home office and cloakroom off the entrance hall and then through double doors into the impressive open-plan kitchen diner lounge that extends all the way to the end of the church.
In the former chancel, the space becomes double-height and is home to a stunning kitchen where the unit doors include an arch detail to mimic the shape of the windows.
On the ground floor, there's also a separate snug that leads out into the garden, a utility room, and stairs to two bedrooms and a bathroom.
Back into the main church and on the first-floor mezzanine there are two further characterful bedrooms, a bathroom and a primary bedroom ensuite waiting to be discovered plus, according to the estate agent, the church can offer underfloor heating, a sprinkler system, and a high level of insulation.
The church is on the market for £599,995 with Sophie Hill Estate Agents, Aberdare, call them on 01685 872527 to find out more.
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