Church Build

[Donedreamin]

Hey,

My name is Sebastian, I'm 26 years old and live in Saskatchewan, Canada.
I purchased a Lutheran church a couple years ago with a vision and tackle it whenever I have some spare time. I hope you guys enjoy the journey!

The beginning



Dump run



Night shot



The smell..



Kitchen



This was once used for sunday school



Airborne treats



Kitchen before



Kitchen before



Kitchen before



Ceilings tiles removed



Functioning windows



Memorabilia



Memorabilia



Memories



Dump run



RIP



RIP



Kitchen after



Sturdy stairs



Safety first!

Datsun



Once upon a time this was a road



Insulation removed



Insulation removed



Once upon a time this road was filled with houses



Ducting removal



Ducting removal



Before



After



Before



Photo album



Photo album



Photo album



Photo album



Sturdy stairs after



Unfortunately a fox passed away here..



Front Foyer



Front Foyer



Front Foyer



Sturdy stairs removed



Insulation removal



Had some company



Paneling removal



Front foyer after



Where the priest would enter and prep



Front foyer after



Furnance removal



Furnance removal



Furnance cut-away



Action shot



Combustion chamber



This was unbelievably heavy



Mission success



Furnance after



Basement prep



Basement prep



Floor prep



Floor prep



Original hardwood



Floor cuts made



Floors prepped



The beginning



The end



Foyer prep



Current resident



Basement floor removal



Keeping me company



Basement floor removal



Basement floor removal



Basement floor removed



Prairie landscape



Basement floor removed



Datsun 280z



Winter storage



Beams removed



Beams removed



Front entrance prep



Front entrance prep



Prepped to fill



Prepped to fill



First of 14 loads



Action shot



Action shot



Action shot



Ready to fill



In motion



In motion



One of many loads



Teamwork



Sunset



Action shot



In deep



Right about now we got the bobcat stuck



Almost there!



Stage one complete



Hope you enjoyed this update, more to come!

 

[disston]

Wow ! I've had the idea of buying a church someday. Now that I see how much work it looks like I understand why it's not my lot.

Photos were too big in the first part then they were right sized and the last ones I couldn't see at all. Not sure if everybody will have the same experience. So my vote is for the ones in the middle. Lots of photos are good around here so keep at it.

Good Luck to you. Will be looking forward to Progress.

 

[thammel]

Very interesting but I also have the same photo experience. Definitely use smaller sized photos. I couldn't see about the last 15.

Tom

 

[power wagon]

waiting for your pics to down load,this looks like a great buid, will be following this one, keep up the great work

 

[Donedreamin]

Photo's resized and fixed! Thanks for the kind words

 

[Bighead38]

Photos work fine for me. That's a ton of work. Hope you got it cheap.

 

[TractorJeff]

I saw a whole other side to determination and perseverance! While they took a while to load, every photo was worth waiting for! Thanks!

 

[Donedreamin]

Photos work fine for me. That's a ton of work. Hope you got it cheap.

I paid 1500, and it is a fun project to tinker with.

 

[WeekendWarrior83]

Wow! This is a fascinating project... thanks for sharing!

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

 

[Farmall450]

I paid 1500, and it is a fun project to tinker with.

Wow, that is amazing! Great work OP, I can't wait to see the finished result.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I started to look at the pictures and the song "Alice's restaurant" came to mind.

 

[power wagon]

I started to look at the pictures and the song "Alice's restaurant" came to mind.

it sured did great place, both , visted alice and ray church now its Arlo gutheries

 

[Bigdukaaa]

very interesting, can't wait to see its progress

 

[captain14]

Interesting build. What happened to the town?
Economy Dried up and the houses just went away?

Plenty of smaller church buildings Exist and a few even get remodeled into homes but a garage ? That's unusual. How much of the work did you do?

Keep posting. The pictures are perfect now.

 

[Donedreamin]

Interesting build. What happened to the town?
Economy Dried up and the houses just went away?

Plenty of smaller church buildings Exist and a few even get remodeled into homes but a garage ? That's unusual. How much of the work did you do?

Keep posting. The pictures are perfect now.

Exactly. A lot of the graves at the cemetery are from the early 1900s. The town was booming in the 60s and 70s. There was once everything from a lumberyard, blacksmith, banks , two grain elevator and even a chinese restaurant in town. All of which don't exist anymore. The school shut down within the last 15 years and there is only 10 residents left living in town. It's really sad, but it's reality. Lots of variables, farming is the primary industry here. Technology has come along way, farmers can do more with less. One farmer can farm far more land then you could 40-80 years ago. Resulting in far less families. Transportation is cheaper to haul it into the city which eliminates a train passing through smaller cities.

The building was pitched to me and I could never realistically see myself living it in, the big downside is that there is no sewage.

I hired someone to haul the dirt and dump it into the church. The rest of the work was carried out by myself.

 

[ajohno]

Well done with cleaning it up so far. Good luck with the rest of your project.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Just awesome, thank you for sharing...

 

[SuperCat]

Wow, not afraid of a big project, I am impressed. Can't wait to see more.
Why did you fill in the basement? Also, last photo is tempting fate....

 

[CNGsaves]

^ ^ This, I was thinking that basement would have been cool parking garage !!

Would have been nice to dig a drive-in entrance on the back side for the garage.

Good luck with progress . . . . x 1000 that you've got gumption !!

What are overall plans . . . single family home ?? Shell garage ??

 

[ADSR]

Cool project! Thanks for posting all the pictures. I'll be watching this build.

 

[TomcoPDR]

Such a cool build, the praying pic is awesome.

Doing this all by yourself and the gf only?

 

[maxchevy]

Sub'd

 

[Boosted1]

Cool project.

 

[Duker]

Wow, that took some divine inspiration to take on that project! It reminds me of my first house, my wife and I just married worked on it every night and weekend for 2 years. Lots of great memories and I wish you the same!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[WarrenJ]

One hell of a project-good luck!

 

[power wagon]

great pics,, is this a project for cars and your collection or is it going to be live in and with cars and collection, whats the plan for the bell tower , waiting formore pics , keep up the great work

 

[power wagon]

hello you coming back, want to see more pics

 

[ADSR]

hello you coming back, want to see more pics

I would like to see an update as well. The intro was great.

 

[jp828108]

Missed this one along the way. Awesome project so far. Some SERIOUS work. Here is to hoping you haven't forgotten about the GJ and that you come back with some more progress.

 

[OzarkMan]

Awesome project! Curious to the fill in of the basement. I figured it had to do with the crumbling concrete walls. Where is that located? I am looking forward to your continuation. Keep the pics flowing!!

 

[Donedreamin]

It's been awhile, been chipping away at the project when I have funding and time. I tinned the roof and completed the framing and installation of the garage door last year, along with pressure washing the entire building. This year I finished the steeple and completed the flat roof section. I snapped some photos and hope you enjoy. I do not do this type of work for a living but take pride in my work. Enjoy

All prepped for a fresh coat of paint..

 

[Bighead38]

That’s a ton of work.

 

[Pluribus]

Wow, that's not a project for anyone who's afraid of work! Will be interesting to see what you end up doing with it. Are you looking at putting in sewage/septic?

 

[Bert_]

Looks nice with the vinyl gone. Anything special you did to prep for paint?

 

[Farmall450]

Glad to see you back!

That just screams Graco paint sprayer.

 

[NUTTSGT]

You must a ton of spare time and a knack for hard work.

 

[captain14]

Progressing quite well.

How many new skills did you learn doing this project?

I’m sure your work seasons are much shorter in your area.

 

[Donedreamin]

You must a ton of spare time and a knack for hard work.

I am a government employee with 25 annual days a year. This project is not a huge priority in my life but I do dedicate a few days each year. The hard work side may be true, for me it's the progression. I think it's healthy for my mental state.

That’s a ton of work.

This is a fact, but it does serve a purpose for me.

Looks nice with the vinyl gone. Anything special you did to prep for paint?

I used a heavy duty pressure washer to peel back any of the loose paint chips. I anticipate doing some scrapping but it's a good start.

Wow, that's not a project for anyone who's afraid of work! Will be interesting to see what you end up doing with it. Are you looking at putting in sewage/septic?

Short term is storage, long time, time will tell..

Glad to see you back!
That just screams Graco paint sprayer.

We are on the same wavelength!

Progressing quite well.

How many new skills did you learn doing this project?

I’m sure your work seasons are much shorter in your area.

That's a good question, I feel like everything is transferable. When your restoring old stuff, you have a template to work with. You may have to think outside the box but the basic foundation is already there. If I learned anything for this project is to try and enjoy the process, which is tough to do when your doing alot of it alone.

We have very long winters.. classic prairie weather

 

[RyanE]

This is awesome!

My wife and her family are long time farmers and residents of SK. They are also (not my wife) very Lutheran. Where is this? I want to drop by next time I am out there! I've often thought of doing something similar, you can practically buy whole towns that are abandoned in the Canadian prairies.

Keep us updated!

 

[Growlertdi]

Lots of work done. Is she a keeper? will be interesting to follow along.