I Bought An Abandoned Church For $45K & Spent $194K Making It A Home
A woman purchased an abandoned 128-year-old church in Michigan for $45,000 and invested $194,000 in renovations to transform it into her dream home, a 'chouse.' She completed major structural work including re-roofing, rewiring, and leveling the floor while repurposing original church elements like pews and stained glass windows, with plans to eventually convert the adjacent parsonage into a bed and breakfast.
Summary
The speaker left New York after 30+ years to pursue a lifelong dream of living in an old church, motivated primarily by a fascination with stained glass windows that began in childhood. She discovered the property on Zillow listed as a parsonage with a 'free church' and negotiated the purchase price down to $45,000 for both buildings by paying cash. The 128-year-old church required extensive foundational work: new roofing and gutters for both structures, complete rewiring, addressing severe water damage, and fixing an 18-inch floor slope by installing custom 44-foot i-joists. She completed much of the demolition and finishing work herself, including flooring, drywall, and painting, while contracting out specialized work. The project benefits from sponsorship by Magnolia's Home Reimagined show, which provided kitchen cabinets, appliances, and countertop materials. The interior features repurposed church elements including old pews converted into dining chairs and bookshelves, stained glass windows preserved throughout, and original architectural features like the brick chimney and rotunda. She currently has two cats and maintains low utility costs ($256 monthly). The speaker acknowledges this remains a financial risk, describing it as a '50/50' gamble between sustainable dream home and potential financial ruin. Future plans include renovating the parsonage house as a bed and breakfast, targeting opening in late 2028 or spring 2029, with a total budget goal under $400,000.
Key Insights
- The speaker describes the entire renovation as a '50/50' gamble that could either result in a sustainable dream home or financial bankruptcy, driven primarily by an inner feeling of peace rather than economic rationale.
- The original purchase motivation was not religious but aesthetic—specifically an obsession with stained glass windows that began when attending church with grandparents in childhood.
- The speaker negotiated the property price down to $45,000 from an initial listing of $125,000 for the parsonage and $199,000 for the lot based on the deteriorated condition of both structures.
- Major structural correction required installing 44-foot-long custom i-joists to level an entire floor that was originally sloped by 18 inches throughout the church building.
- The speaker attributes her ability to reach her current renovation progress directly to social media support, stating there was 'zero chance' she would be this far along without it, including Magnolia show sponsorship.
Topics
Transcript
[0:06] This is still the biggest gamble I have ever made in my life. It's still 50/50 if this is gonna be a sustainable chouse house, whatever you want to call it, or if it's going to be what bankrupts me. But I have this inner feeling of peace every time I'm in here. That's kind of what drives me. I purchased an 128-year-old church in a small town in Michigan for $45,000, and I turned it into my dream home. This is my chouse, [0:38] aka a church that's now a house. I lived in New York for over 30 years before I decided to move to Michigan. I had been on a nationwide search for an old church…
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